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Health: Chlamydia

In the United States, chlamydia is the most common of the sexually transmitted diseases. A bacterial infection, chlamydia infects approximately 5% of people. The most likely who will contract chlamydia are African-Americans, people who live in urban areas, teenagers and young adults, and ones who fall into the low end of the socioeconomic category. The bacterial cause of this, Chlamydia trachomatis. Chlamydia can be transferred from one person to another by sexual means and from a mother to her unborn child during delivery. This bacteria can cause eye infections in an infant and/or pneumonia. Women with chlamydia generally exhibit no … Continue reading →

Obama Cut Funding for Abstinence-Only Sex Ed

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President Obama has eliminated all government funding for abstinence-only sex education programs in public schools. Research shows that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are ineffective and that they negatively impact young people’s health. Abstinence-only sex ed programs, and abstinence-until-marriage programs, are an extremely limited version of sexual education. These types of programs emphasize that young people should not have sexual intercourse until after they are married. Abstinence based sexual education programs rarely include information about anatomy, puberty, sexual health, and sexual orientation. These programs are favored by some Christian religious groups and by Republican lawmakers. Research shows that abstinence-only sexual education programs are … Continue reading →

Medicare May Soon Cover STD Exams

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Medicare and Medicaid may soon cover the cost of testing for sexually transmitted diseases. This is one part of a new initiative to expand the coverage of preventative health care. This coverage will be beneficial to the elderly, the disabled, and the pregnant women who are using Medicare or Medicaid health insurance. It is very important to have good health. In general, people who are in good health feel good, live longer, and are more able to actively participate in their lives than people who are sick. One of the things a person can do in order to stay healthy … Continue reading →

Antibiotics: One Size Doesn’t Fit All

I’m currently taking two different types of antibiotics to treat an infected cat bite (ah the joys of working with animals). Here’s a fun fact: the doctor told me that eighty percent of cat bites end up infected. I guess I’ve been lucky so far — I’ve only had two bites get bad. Antibiotics come from two basic places: molds and bacteria. They work in one of two ways: by killing bacteria outright or by stopping their ability to reproduce (so they die out). Different antibiotics work against different types of bacteria — so taking one type of antibiotics for … Continue reading →

Affairs and STDs

You often hear people talk about the psychological issues they suffer after finding out a spouse has had an affair (namely lack of trust), and there’s the other kind of fallout that manifests (counseling and divorce), but what about the health issues? How many affairs result in the contraction of an STD? Perhaps it’s a weird thing to wonder about. (Then again, I’m prone to that. “How Do Monkeys Keep Their Nails Clipped?” is proof.) But there you have it, I’m wondering about it. I blame Wayne. Not because he cheated and gave me an STD, but because of his … Continue reading →

Some STD Rates on the Rise in the U.S.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recently released a report about sexually transmitted diseases in America. Would you be surprised to know that nearly twenty million Americans are affected by STDs each year? I was. Chlamydia reached a record high in 2006 — more than one million new cases reported. This is the second year in a row in which Chlamydia cases increased. Young women between the ages of fifteen and nineteen had the highest Chlamydia rate in the nation. And Chlamydia wasn’t the only sexually transmitted disease on the rise. Gonorrhea and syphilis cases were also up for the … Continue reading →

STDs and Infertility

If you’ve been trying to conceive and haven’t been successful, consider being tested for sexually transmitted diseases. STDs can affect your ability to get pregnant. According to the Centers for Disease Control, chlamydia and gonorrhea are the most preventable causes of infertility. So, how common are STDs and should you really worry that you could have one? Well, the first answer is very common. CDC statistics are pretty scary for these two STDs. There are about 2.8 million new cases of chlamydia every year in the United States. In addition, there are 718,000 new cases of gonorrhea. Keep in mind … Continue reading →

Preventing UTIs

A urinary tract infection refers to an infection in the urinary bladder. Your doctor may call this cystitis. An infection that spreads to the kidneys is called pyelonephritis. If the infection spreads to the prostate, it is known as prostitis. Urinary tract infections are extremely common in women between the ages of twenty and fifty. Read about other UTI risk factors. Urinary tract infections are caused by bacteria that are normally found in the digestive system, like: Escherichia coli Staphylococcus saprophyticus Proteus Klebsiella Enteroccus Some sexually transmitted organisms (like Chlamydia trachomatis and mycoplasma) can also contribute to bladder infections in … Continue reading →