Healthy living

Hangovers - Healthy living - Men's health - wellbeing

Toxic compounds called congeners, present in most drinks, may cause the worst effects. For most of us it's an all too familiar feeling: the ache in the front of your head, the dry mouth and eyes, and the stomach-churning nausea. Wor...

Driving the men's health message home - Healthy living - Men's health - wellbeing

Men’s health is a big issue, particularly because most blokes continue to drag their heels when it comes to getting help. So what’s the answer? Could a radical approach – say, a 'w...

Don't be a heartbreaker - a plan for a healthy heart - Healthy living - Men's health - wellbeing

However good your diet and lifestyle, if you don't exercise you are at risk of a heart attack. Men are more likely to be overweight than women and it's taking its toll on our health: the British Heart Foundation estimates there are 1....

Dodging the doctor - are you a man or mouse? - Healthy living - Men's health - wellbeing

What is behind men's carefree attitude to their own health? Why are men so bad at going to the doctor? Men are four times less likely to consult a doctor when they experience medical problems, and as a result are much more likely to ne...

Body image: do you have the Adonis complex? - Healthy living - Men's health - wellbeing

In greek myth, Adonis is a beautiful youth. Images like this one can fuel male insecurities. Sniggering at celebrities' expanding waistlines is a favourite pastime of the tabloids and gossip magazines. We're used to seeing male stars such as Rob...

Tropical sexual transmitted infections - STDs - Men's health – your sex life

The incidence of 'tropical' STIs has been rising in recent years. If you live in the UK, it seems unlikely that you could catch one of the 'tropical' forms of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). However, the incidence o...

Sexually transmitted diseases - STDs - Men's health – your sex life

Unfortunately, in 2010 sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have become very common. Last year, there were nearly half a million new cases of STDs reported from clinics. This increase is undoubtedly because more and more people are having enjoyabl...

HIV and AIDS - STDs - Men's health – your sex life

What is HIV? HIV means 'human immunodeficiency virus'. This is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV first emerged as a threat to humanity in the early 1980s. It spread so fast that initially there were fears that it might wipe us all out. ...

Gonorrhoea - STDs - Men's health – your sex life

What is gonorrhoea? You can protect yourself to some extent by using condoms. Gonorrhoea is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. There are various different 'strains' of this ...

Genital warts - STDs - Men's health – your sex life

What are genital warts? Genital warts are transmitted through sexual contact. Genital warts are acquired through sexual contact. They are caused by various strains of the human papilloma virus (HPV), which is transmitted...

Genital herpes - STDs - Men's health – your sex life

What is genital herpes? Genital herpes is a virus infection that's passed on during vaginal intercourse or anal intercourse, or sometimes during oral sex. People get worried about herpes, but it's neither as common nor quite as dangerous as it i...

Crabs (pubic lice) - STDs - Men's health – your sex life

What are crabs? Crabs are mostly caught by having sex with an infected person. 'Crabs' is the popular name for pubic lice. They are also often referred to as 'nits'. But the term 'nit' is, in fact, the term for the egg of the l...

Chlamydia infections - STDs - Men's health – your sex life

What is chlamydia? Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by a tiny bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatis. Chlamydia is the most common STI in the UK. It affects both sexes, although young women are more at risk. In 2009, 2...

Transvestites and cross-dressing - STDs - Men's health – your sex life

What is a transvestite? A transvestite is a person who likes to wear the clothes of the opposite sex. Some dictionaries add the words 'for sexual pleasure', but this is not really true because many cross-dressers just feel comfortable &nd...

Sex - who to contact for sex therapy - Relationships - Men's health – your sex life

In many parts of the UK, you will probably have to pay for therapy or counselling. In 2011, a lot of people are seeking help with their sex lives. Whether sex and relationship problems are on the increase, or whether numbers hav...

Making time for sex - Relationships - Men's health – your sex life

During 2009, we have seen an increasing number of couples whose love-lives have been adversely affected by the current poor economic situation. Again and again, they say that they are too busy or too tired to make love together. You might th...

How to improve your relationship - Relationships - Men's health – your sex life

You need to find time for each other. This is not easy if you both have hectic careers. When things are not going well in a sexual and romantic relationship, it can really help if both partners try to understand why. So, if you are in a relat...

Lack of sex drive - Relationships - Men's health – your sex life

Lack of sex drive (lack of libido) is common in women, but quite rare in men. Even men with who have difficulty maintaining an erection (erectile dysfunction) usually have a normal sex drive. However, some men do find that their interest in sex dimin...

How to help your female partner have orgasms - Relationships - Men's health – your sex life

Many women like much more foreplay or loveplay than men imagine. These days most women want orgasms. That wasn't always the case. A couple of generations or so ago, many adult females simply didn't have climaxes – and a lot of them ...

Coping with an affair - Relationships - Men's health – your sex life

Leaving one partner and starting afresh with someone else is never easy. But people do it all the time. Affairs can be exhilarating, exciting, passionate and romantic. They can also be damaging, destructive, painful, time-wasting and d...

Bisexuality in men - Relationships - Men's health – your sex life

Quite a few nominally straight men are quite capable of engaging in 'man-to-man' sexual behaviour. Bisexual behaviour in men is fairly common – and it's certainly a lot more widespread than many women realise. Again and again, we have been c...

Am I gay? - Relationships - Men's health – your sex life

'Am I gay?' is a question that's often asked by young people now there is much more openness and honesty about discussing male homosexuality and lesbianism. Actually, it is quite a difficult question to answer, since we now realise that there is a wi...

Adultery: medical and psychological consequences - Relationships - Men's health – your sex life

What is adultery? Effective contraception has made it easier for people to 'have a fling'. Adultery means sexual intercourse between two people, one or both of whom is married to somebody else. So it includes 'one-night stands', as ...

Withdrawal method (Coitus interruptus) - Relationships - Men's health – your sex life

What is coitus interruptus and is it safe? Coitus interruptus lessens the pleasure of sex because the couple have to think‘ about the need for withdrawal. Coitus interruptus, also known as 'withdrawal' or 'being careful' or '...

The male pill - Contraception - Men's health – your sex life

Year after year, there are newspaper stories that suggest a 'male pill' is just around the corner. In fact, the truth is this: research has still not produced a male contraceptive pill – though it will at some time in the future. In 2010...

Sterilisation of men (vasectomy) - Contraception - Men's health – your sex life

What is vasectomy? Vasectomy is a popular and routine operation these days. Vasectomy is a simple and straightforward operation that stops your sperm from entering your semen (seminal fluid). It's a permanent form of contraception, b...

Safe sex - Contraception - Men's health – your sex life

Health risks associated with sex In this first decade of the 21st century the various risks connected with having sex have (alas) increased. The figures for HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhoea are all going up. This is almost entirely be...

Contraception - which method is most effective? - Contraception - Men's health – your sex life

Condoms give good protection against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. There are so many different types of contraception available that you should be able to find the right method for you. But you may have to try several di...

Contraception - pessaries, foam & cream - Contraception - Men's health – your sex life

They can all be bought over the counter in chemists, but in the UK are often issued on free prescription at family planning clinics, to be used with diaphragms or caps. Among the less reliable contraceptive methods for women is the use of ...

Contraception - chemical methods - Contraception - Men's health – your sex life

Spermicides (that is, chemicals which destroy sperms) were widely used until the 1990s. They fell out of favour, for two reasons. Manufacturers stopped marketing these products because there was so little profit to be made from them. There were...