Currently viewing the category: "Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)"

Stop the presses, stop the presses–this just in: California might require condoms in porn! That’s right–Cal/OSHA officials have drafted rules to require porn performers to use condoms and other barriers in sex scenes to prevent being infected with sexually transmitted diseases.

The 17-page draft proposal will be discussed at a public meeting in Los Angeles on June 7.  The draft would then go to the state’s Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board for a ruling on whether it becomes part of state code.

I know you think I’m obsessed with this story, and that’s because..I am.  This is groundbreaking–it could spell the end of porn as we know it.  I can see it now: Porn industry moves out of California, and sets up shop in Nebraska.  Holy Cornhuskers!

Some major porn producers have opposed the use of condoms in straight films.  Their beefcake is exactly that they think nobody will want to watch latex-laden sex, and so they fear the industry will have to move out of California (and into the back-alleys, no pun intended).  We’ll see how many free speech groups come to the rescue of smut.

Oh well, nanny-state here we come.  If we can’t smoke, eat fast food, carry guns or watch condom-less porn, what next?  I’m thinking they’ll start to limit our prescription drugs and vaccines…nah!!!


Oh lord, Nadja Benaissa…you know her, right? Oh you don’t? I never heard of her either, before today. But you’ll hear her name now, because she’s in BIG trouble. The pop singer from the German all-girl band, No Angels, was charged with causing bodily harm for failing to inform sexual partners that she was HIV positive. Doh! No angel, indeed.

Ms. Benaissa, 27, had sex on five occasions between 2000 and 2004 with three people and did not tell them she was infected, even though she had known since 1999, according to the charge sheet.

“She was well aware that any unprotected sexual contact can lead to the virus being passed on,” prosecutors in the German town of Darmstadt near Frankfurt said.

One of the three former partners has been confirmed as being infected with the HIV virus. Hmm…would knowing her status have changed things? Would the former partners have declined? I don’t know, have you seen what see looks like? Man, that’s dangerous.

Either way, if you are infected with HIV, herpes simplex, gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, or any other sexually transmittable disease…own up to it. Don’t mess with other peoples’ lives like that. It’s irresponsible and quite frankly, heinous, and one way or another it’ll come back to you. For the smokin’ hot Benaissa, well, you’re gonna have to pay, babe.

She was charged six months later; the story here: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/aug/26/nadja-benaissa-hiv-sentence-germany

Have I caught your attention? Good. You’re gonna like this post, either for its usefulness or its sheer absurdity. Either way, listen up–there’s something in it for everyone.

First things first, doctors urge the use of erectile dysfunction drugs. According to a clinical practice guideline issued by the American College of Physicians, men with erectile dysfunction should be on oral phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitor drugs, such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra, unless, of course, they are on nitrate therapy for cardiac conditions.

OK, no surprises there. This news in the face of another study that discloses that “hardness is the way to happiness.” Men have known this forever, but now science confirms it. Here’s the scoop: Pfizer, the makers of Viagra, surveyed men and women from twelve European countries. They found that 95% of respondents believe that a man’s sexual confidence is the essential ingredient for a good sex life. And 84% of men surveyed believe that the most important element of a man’s sexual confidence is his ability to please his partner sexually, while almost three quarters of women questioned agreed. So, guess what? More vi–agra, Olé!!!

The humor lies in the fact that when it comes to erection hardness, Spaniards are the least confident, while Germans are the most. This is in complete contrast to another survey in which women rated German men as the worst lovers, and Spanish men the best. Hmmm…either Spaniards are modest, Germans are dense, or women prefer men who lack confidence in their erections. Let’s see, happy women, unhappy men….yeah, that sounds right.

Anyway gents, dont worry about long-term Viagra use for now. It appears that scientists can’t find any long-term risks at the moment. There are, however, plenty of short term reactions. Dr. Alexander Tsertsvadze, from Ottawa Health Research Institute, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues report that men who took Viagra were 56% more likely than those given a placebo to experience any side effect, like headache, flushing difficulty breathing, and vision problems. The way I see it, most Spanish men would gladly endure flushing and gasping for a few hours of good wood.

But women–Aussie women primarily–beware the British male tourist travelling Down Under (now stop!). According to a recent report, Englishmen backpacking through Australia are speading sexually transmitted diseases like wildfire through risky behavior (unprotected sex with multiple partners). That’s right, “liberal” Aussie girls are foolishly practicing “no glove-love” with British travelers. And, well…you know that’s dumb.

American truckers ain’t doin’ much better. But I’ll spare you the dirty details. Check here if you’re interested.

Finally, in Detroit, one liquor store was busted trading Viagra, liquor and pornography for food stamps. U.S. Agriculture Department officials are pissed. I don’t get why. Don’t they understand it’s the key to happiness? Why, just ask a Spaniard.

Los Angeles county health official have announced that they will be offering free at-home testing kits for sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Urine of fire can now be diagnosed in the privacy of your own home thanks to a new county public health program aimed at fighting the high incidence of STDs in L.A. County.

The L.A. County program is being created for women in need who are concerned that they may have contracted chlamydia or gonorrhea. It’s intention is to eliminate long waits at clinics or costs that might prevent women from getting tested. Any female Los Angeles resident aged 12-25 can get a free home test kit by calling the toll free number: 1-800-758-0880 or logging on to the website www.dontthinkknow.org.

The program is a response to the inordinately high rate of chlamydia and gonorrhea in Los Angeles County. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ranks Los Angeles first in chlamydia and second in gonorrhea cases throughout the nation. A few more statistics:

  • There are 19 million new cases of STDs each year in the United States, at an estimated cost of $15.9 billion annually to the national health-care system, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  • In 1999, there were 340 million new cases of STDs worldwide–syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis–in men and women ages 15-49, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
  • Financial support for a U.S. government program that funds low-cost, confidential family planing services is 61 percent lower today than it was in 1980, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights.

So if you are sexually active and suspect that you could have contracted a STD–don’t guess, know! Order your free STD home testing kit today. There are 10,000 kits available immediately, and more should be on hand shortly.

*It’s unclear for me whether men are eligible for these free kits. The dontthinkknow website has a check box for men and transgender people, so it may in fact be available. It’s certainly worth calling the toll free number to find out.

Heed the warning, readers: Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are on the rise, and some pretty nasty ones are out there to get you. You already know from an earlier post that syphilis is back with a vengeance, but you can add to that rectal gonorrhea and new HIV infections for the unwise. Rounding out the mix is the antibiotic resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus, which researchers think is being transmitted among gay men during sex.

A new study appearing in the Annals of Internal Medicine reports that methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) is showing up outside of hospitals in San Francisco, Boston, New York and Los Angeles. It states that gay men are 13 times more likely to get infected than heterosexual men. Researchers believe that the infection is being spread through sexual activity, and that illicit drug use and increased risky sexual behavior is fueling the transmission. Because Staph aureus can, and in some people does, colonize around the anus, those having sex which might break the skin are at a greater risk of infection.

I don’t have to tell you how dangerous MRSA is. It’s resistant to penicillins, a common class of antibiotics, and is therefore difficult to treat, often requiring intravenous antibiotic drug therapy…which ain’t cheap. If the infection gets bad enough it can lead to death–approximately 19,000 people were killed by MRSA (mostly in hospitals) in 2005.

So what’s the advice? C’mon people: Use protection without exception! Safe sex is still in. It better be, because the alternative just isn’t worth it. And not to sound like a Moral Majorist here, but…keep the number of sexual partners to a reasonably modest amount, sheesh. Hey, I’m not knocking a good orgy; heavens no. But the days of wine and roses are over–they ended in the 70s. Free love costs beaucoup bucks now. So be smart. No glove, no love. Simple as that.

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