Female Libido Drug and views on other news

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In-depth reporting without inherent bias and sensational overtones seems to become rarer by the day. I’d like to provoke a little alternative thinking on the proposed female libido drug and views on other news:

•    Proposed approval of a libido drug for women. The FDA is debating whether or not to approve a new drug to improve sex drive in women. The drug flibanserin supposedly re-balances neurotransmitters to boost those that cause arousal. (The improvement is modest.) While there are certain conditions where such pharmaceutical help might be appropriate, most cases of reduced sex drive is due to the body’s innate prioritizing of its needs—health before reproduction. A woman may need more sleep, relaxation, minerals, B-vitamins, good fats, protein, stomach acid, fiber, probiotics or hormones. Unfortunately, simply overruling the body’s natural inclination won’t solve the underlying problem. And then there are the drug’s side effects.

•    Study shows that too much (over 8 hours) or too little (5 hours) sleep increases the risk of stroke. Some reports might leave us feeling that the sleep itself was the problem. E.g. if we usually sleep 9 hours, maybe we should start setting the alarm to get up after 8 hours. However, I think that the real issue is why a person needs the extra sleep because that cause may be the real culprit in the stroke risk. For example, perhaps some folks have sleep apnea and therefore don’t rest well. Sleep apnea itself increases the risk for stroke. On the flip side, too little sleep is indeed a health problem. But, simply taking a sleeping pill may not address the cause of the sleeplessness. That cause may be an independent risk for stroke. For example, what if a person isn’t sleeping because they are anxious due to a deficiency of magnesium? Low magnesium is also a risk factor for stroke and many other health problems. A sleeping pill doesn’t fix the magnesium deficiency.

•    San Francisco may require sugary-drink warnings. Requiring a label warning on soft drinks stating that they may contribute to obesity, diabetes and other diseases isn’t itself a bad thing—because it is true. However, an unintended consequence of the move might be to cause more people to switch to diet sodas…and those may be worse. Be sure to listen to my upcoming 6/20 interview with Dr. Janet Hull on the subject of artificial sweeteners.

•    Egg rationing and price increases. Because an epidemic of bird flu has decimated chicken flocks, the USDA has given approval to import eggs from the Netherlands for at least commercial use. Hopefully, the shortage may not last long because chickens can be replaced pretty quickly. I just want to point out that even if because of the shortage the price of a dozen organic eggs hits $5, they are still one of the best nutritional bargains in the grocery store. Two eggs (for 83 cents at $5 per carton) can provide a meal with excellent protein (12 grams) as well as important fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, choline for the brain and antioxidants for the eyes among others. For what it is worth, they are also low in calories (just 70 per egg) and are quite satisfying. Confused about what type to buy or about the little cholesterol in them? Click here to read my blog on that topic.

Takeaway: It is probably safer if we don’t automatically accept health news (or any kind of news for that matter) at face value, but rather apply common sense and ask if we’re really looking at root causes and long-term effects.(In case you wondered where you had seen that guy in the photo, it is comedian Will Ferrell playing a blowhard egomaniac broadcaster in the comedy Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.)



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