Currently viewing the tag: "gynecomastia"

marijuana adverse effectsGet this: weed smokers are at an increased risk of developing peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a condition characterized by blood clots and vessel-narrowing which can lead to limb pain. Although I am certain this news won’t keep anybody from getting high, at least it may serve as some foreknowledge as to what stoners have in store for themselves.

A recent study showed that marijuana smokers have triple the odds of developing PAD. Researchers used data from U.S. National Inpatient Samples from 2016 to 2019, and found that of the 30 million patients sampled, over 620,000 were marijuana users. Among them, more than 2.400 also had PAD.

PAD - marijuanaPAD is a condition in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the arms or legs. The affected limb – more commonly a leg – does not receive enough blood flow to keep up with metabolic demand. The reduced blood flow leads to claudication in the leg, which is characterized by pain, cramping, and muscle fatigue. Many people suffering from PAD will have leg pain while walking, most often felt in the calf. The pain can range from mild to severe and may ultimately disrupt the ability to walk or exercise normally.

Symptoms of PAD may include:

  • Coldness in the lower leg or foot relative to the other side
  • Leg numbness or weakness
  • Weak pulse in the legs or feet
  • Painful cramping in one or both legs (hips, thighs or calf muscles) after certain activities, like walking or climbing stairs
  • Shiny skin on the legs
  • Skin color changes on the legs
  • Slower growth of the toenails
  • Sores on the toes, feet or legs that don’t heal
  • Pain in arms (aching, cramping) when doing tasks involving hands (knitting, writing)
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Hair loss or slower hair growth on the legs

Cannabis has in the past been linked to other cardiovascular health issues in heavy smokers. THC, for instance, is known to cause blood platelets to aggregate, thereby increasing the risk of blood clots. This can further lead to narrowing and obstruction of the arteries supplying the limbs. But both THC (the compound in marijuana that gives the high) and cannabidiol (CBD) can negatively affect the tone of the arteries, as well as stimulate brain receptors that trigger blood vessel narrowing. A 2014 study showed that smoking marijuana increased the risk for myocardial infarction (heart attack) and stroke.

marijuana adverse effects femaleI understand weed smoking; I really do. When compared to other forms of chemical mind-alteration, it is rather benign. Alcohol makes people go loopy when done in excess (easy to do) and has quite the price to pay the next day in horrendous hangovers. Narcotics and stimulants are massively habit-forming and ultimately prevent abusers from functioning normally in day-to-day lives. Relative to these drugs, marijuana seems so mild. But that’s the danger, to think that THC’s mellow effects (relative to harder drugs and alcohol) means that it has no immediate or long-term negative consequences. That’s a huge illusion. Some of marijuana’s immediate and long-term effects (from chronic use) are:

man tits (gynecomastia) - marijuanaThe latter is enough for me. The prospect of walking through life with man-titties is enough to just say no! So, like I have already said, I doubt that any of this information is going to stop the most ardent smokers of marijuana from partaking in their daily toke, but maybe, just maybe, some of you who might be questioning your once-in-a-while indulgences might see enough here to hang it up for good. You can also keep in mind that non-users of marijuana are going to generally outperform users in every capacity – physically, mentally and emotionally – and so the world is your oyster, abstainers…especially as marijuana use grows by the day. Oh well, unemployment and man titties – that’s what users have to look forward to. I’d think twice on it.

When one thinks of breast cancer, rarely do men come to mind; yet, men can develop the disease, and the dangers are exactly the same as they are for women.  Because it is primarily a cancer affecting women—40,000 deaths per year—when men do contract the disease, it isn’t something they are always comfortable to discuss, not publicly anyway.

Enter Peter Criss—yeah Peter Criss, drummer for KISS.  You remember him—cat makeup, shirtless, spandex, Beth I hear you calling…that Peter Criss.  The rock and roller developed breast cancer.  And he’s been speaking up about it, because he knows that if he didn’t, other men would continue to suffer in silence; and you and I would still go, “What do you mean ‘men with breast cancer’—that happens?”

How do men contract breast cancer?  Several things can predispose a man to the disease.  Radiation therapy, for instance.  That’s right, being treated for another cancer in the past can lead to breast cancer.  Cancer treatment causing cancer—what do you know—welcome to reality.

Breast cancer in men can also be caused by a damaged liver, often from the excessive intake of alcohol.  Liver causes can also include chronic viral hepatitis, and some genetic disorders, like Klinefelter’s syndrome can also lead to male breast cancer.  Finally, obesity and gynecomastia (moobs) both can cause male breast cancer.  I guess I don’t have to emphasize that prevention is the key, and outside of the genetic causes, these risk factors can be avoided.

About 2,000 cases of male breast cancer will be diagnosed each year, and about 400 of those men will die.  But just like for women, early detection can save lives, so men have to check their breasts regularly.  If you feel a lump underneath your nipple, you’ve got to have it checked by a doctor.  If necessary, they’ll perform a biopsy.  If it turns out to be cancer, there are a number of different options to treat it, including excision.

The survival rates are pretty good—that is, if caught early enough.  Watch the video below with the heroic cat-man, Peter Criss to get some more info on male breast cancer.  Check your nipple area periodically and get any lump investigated by a doctor.  Don’t ignore it, and don’t hide it, man—we’re talking about your life here.  And if you feel weird about checking your breasts, then just remember how much you’ve enjoyed playing with them in the past, whether yours or someone else’s.  They’re just nipples, man—if you can’t touch ’em, there ain’t much use to them.


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