Practicing safe sex is one of the best preventative health measures a person can take, and the best form of safe sex, outside of abstinence, is the condom.

Not only do condoms safeguard against unwanted pregnancies, they also protect against infection from various sexually transmitted diseases  such as HIV, gonorrhea, Chlamydia and trichomoniasis  discharge diseases that are transmitted through infected semen or vaginal fluids.

researchers say condoms provide a lesser degree of protection against the spread of another STD genital herpes because it can be transmitted through contact with infected skin that isn’t covered or protected by the condom, but the exact protective effect has remained unclear.

The researchers said the risk of being infected was reduced 7 percent “every additional 25 percent of the time condoms were used during anal or vaginal sex” and increased with the frequency of unprotected sex.

There was no significant difference in condom effectiveness between genders. “It’s the consistent use of the condom that’s important,” Martin said. “If you don’t know the STD status of your partner, a condom is always a good idea.”

As many as 50 million Americans about one in five adults are infected with the genital herpes virus, with about one million new infections each year.

As many as 80-90 percent of those infected fail to recognize herpes symptoms or have no symptoms at all. People with herpes may spread the disease even though they don’t realize they have an infection or while their disease appears to be inactive and no sores can be seen.

Herpes is a lifelong disease with no cure, but antiviral drugs can partially control the duration and severity of episodes.

The original pill was approved in 1999 for women of all ages and was dispensed by prescription only. In 2006 non-prescription use was approved for women ages 18 and older, but younger women could obtain the pill only by prescription. The 18-year-old age limit had been imposed by the Bush Administration. In April 2009 a federal court decided that this age limit was politics and not science and the FDA was directed to make Plan B available to those 17 years and younger without a prescription.

This did not mean that 17 year olds had immediate access to the drug, only that the manufacturer could make an application for over-the-counter sales to those 17 and younger. To date there is no information that such an application has been filed. If the drug was approved for OTC sales it would not be on open shelves, but would be available through the pharmacy.

The morning-after-pill has generated controversy since it was first available, and the current decision to make it available to teenagers without prescription has disturbed conservatives.  They believe that it will degrade the family by allowing teenagers access to contraceptives without their parents approval. Some pro-life advocates consider the concept of the pill not as “emergency contraception” but a form of abortion.

• Millions of people living in the United States have an increased risk of cancer, based on the neighborhoods where they live, according to the latest Environmental Protection Agency report.
• Those living in California, New York and Oregon have the highest risk of cancer, caused from increased levels of toxic chemicals released by cars, factories, and other sources.
• the study found a couple of rural areas in Mississippi and Kentucky also had significantly higher risks of cancer, according to USA Today.
• The community with the highest risk was located outside of Los Angeles in Cerritos, California, in a neighborhood tucked between two freeways. Those living in this community have increased risks for cancer of 1,200 in every 1 million people, according to the EPA, compared to the national average of 36 in every 1 million people. The newly released study actually shows a decline from 41.5 in 1 million people, found in the 2002 EPA report that was based on 1999 pollutant data.
• The EPA established a baseline of any risks over 100-in-a million as unacceptable. However, based on the newly released data, there are millions of U.S. residents living with risks of developing cancer from air pollutants much higher than these baseline standards.
• The study determined 30 percent of all air pollutant cancer risks are from mobile emissions, 25 percent are from industry emissions and 45 percent are from “background toxics,” those with no known emission sources, such as tetrachloride.
• The implication for me is we still have a long way to go to reduce toxic air pollution to protect the public.

You would think that a comfortable retirement away from the working world would be every American’s dream, but with people living longer, healthier lives, many are adopting a different view. A survey last spring of almost 4,000 adults from four generations revealed that an astounding 71 percent of respondents who weren’t already retired indicated they wanted to continue working when they reach retirement age. More than half saw retirement as “an opportunity for a new, exciting chapter in life,” saying they might like to work less but not stop working, while many saw retirement as an opportunity for a second career. From a financial standpoint, this makes perfect sense; your retirement nest egg will continue to grow and you could receive a higher Social Security benefit when you do retire. But researchers say there may be another good reason to continue working beyond retirement—it could help ward off Alzheimer’s disease.

But other experts aren’t readily embracing the findings. “There could be a number of reasons why later retirement in men is linked with later onset of dementia,” said Dr. Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer’s Society. “Men who retire early often do so because of health conditions, such as hypertension or diabetes, which increase your risk of dementia.” She added: “The best way to reduce your risk of dementia is to combine keeping physically active, with eating a balanced diet and getting your blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly.”

The researchers acknowledge that more research is needed in order to understand ways to effectively delay or prevent dementia, but adds that “the possibility that the nature of retirement is changing must also be considered. It is at least plausible that retirement has become more stimulating over time. Our data suggests a continuing positive effect of cognitive activities into later life. This may give some encouragement to the increasing investigations into cognitive training in later life and adds weight to the notion of an active retirement.”