THEGAYUK

Day: 9 September 2014

  • OPINION | Cost The Reason HPV Vaccinations Aren’t Offered To Boys?

    Extending the HPV vaccine to gay men could help the fight against cancer.

    Dr Gillian Prue, lecturer of chronic illness at Queen’s University of Belfast, recently published in the British Medical Journal, that the current girl-only vaccination programme leaves men who have sex with men (MSM) at risk of infection from the human papilloma viruses (HPV).

    HPV is a common virus that has more than a 100 different strains. Some of them being common and relatively harmless with most people having some form of the virus during their lifetime. For most people, it will cause no symptoms and goes away on its own.

    But there are some strains of HPV that can cause changes in the cells of the lining of the mouth and throat as well as the penis and anus, known as high-risk HPVs. These changed cells have an increased risk of becoming cancerous.

    There are also strains of HPV that cause warts and verrucas, most commonly found on the hands, feet, genital area and anus. But can also be found elsewhere on the body.

    The danger with HPV is that it can be easily spread through skin contact, open mouth kissing and certain sexual acts. Infection is common in men and reports of infection have increased in the past two decades with HPV causing 5% of all human cancers.

    In September 2008, a free vaccination has been readily available for young girls aged between 12-13 in the UK with a catch-up programme for girls up to 18. Heterosexual men gain protection from the virus via vaccinated women but gay and bisexual men have no such protection and are therefore at a higher risk of infection.

    But by introducing the vaccination to men, vaccinated men would be protected against non-vaccinated girls and other men.

    Many countries have already introduced the HPV vaccination to boys such as Canada, Australia and the US. Studies have shown that vaccinating boys will produce both health and economic benefits, reducing the incidences of HPV-related genital warts and cancerous cells developing.

    And although gay and bisexual men are at a higher risk of infections, a programme targeted solely at the gay and bisexual men in the UK would be limited because many gay and bisexual men acquire HPV as teenagers and many have already been exposed to HPV already according to Prue. It has also been criticised that such a programme would appear to discriminate against young heterosexual men who are also susceptible to the risk of HPV.

    Last November the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation agreed to begin work on the possibility of offering the HPV vaccination to adolescent boys and MSM. No doubt the main deterrent for introducing the vaccination will be the cost of the vaccination, estimated to around £24,000,000.

    The most beneficial response to this would be a gender neutral vaccination strategy in schools. Anything else would simply be discriminatory. With the cost of the vaccination paling in comparison to the cost of cancer treatment caused by HPV, it seems like the next logical step in the fight against cancer.

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, it’s management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • Is sugar the modern addiction?

    Sugar. It’s the latest in a continuing circle of foodstuffs to be condemned.

    You’ve probably heard about Dr Robert Lustig’s diatribe against it, at least in passing. It seems like common sense. We all know too many sweets or fizzy drinks are bad for you, but is it really as bad as he says? Isn’t it just about moderation?

    In his book, Fat Chance: ‘The Hidden Truth About Sugar, Obesity and Disease’, Dr Lustig claims that we have underestimated the dangers of sugar. It is not just an unhealthy additive, but an addictive substance on a par with tobacco, alcohol and cocaine. The symptoms of withdrawal can be just as strong, which is why that diet can be so hard to keep up. It’s a relatively recent problem, he says, ironically caused by our own discoveries about health.

    As we realised the dangers of excessive fat consumption, food producers started to create foods with less fat. But in doing so, they had to add sugar to keep it tasting good. The more sugar they added, the more we bought their foods, and so added sugar became profitable, not just a necessary replacement for the fat. And that’s why those same producers will fight so hard to tell you that a little is ok, and that you don’t need to cut it out completely – because they will lose profits if we avoid their sugary foods.

    While you can’t argue with his basic premise, this is all starting to sound a bit conspiracy heavy though, isn’t it? Well, so did the tobacco story, but now the truth is out that the conspiracy really did exist. I’m not paranoid – they really are out to get me!

    Certainly, there are plenty of stories out there that give anecdotal weight to his argument. There’s Michelle Allen, 47, who weighed over 26 stone at her heaviest and was a size 32. She was addicted to cake and claims to have spent £87,360 over 30 years before changing her ways. She’s now lost an impressive 17 stone and has dropped to a size 12. And Denise, who shared her story on this blog about weight loss, saying ‘The most interesting thing I’ve discovered is that in giving up sugar and starch, the “emotional eating” went with it. Speaking strictly for myself, I have concluded that it was not emotional eating, it was addiction, a very physical addiction to sugar and starch. Because it went away when I quit eating them.’

    But David Katz, Director of Yale Prevention Research Centre, calls for a little calm on the matter, and says it’s unhelpful to demonise sugar like this. Of course too much is bad for you, he says in a rebuttal to Dr Lustig’s book, that’s what excess means. Anything to excess is harmful. But he says there’s a reason we crave sugar, and just because we see withdrawal symptoms doesn’t mean something is bad for you. The reason drugs are addictive is because they fool the body’s natural reward system, but that reward system operates the same way for things that we need. That’s why we’ve developed it. You’d expect to see withdrawal symptoms from giving up water, but you wouldn’t conclude that we should do that. Equally, drinking water to excess can cause headaches, nausea, fatigue, vomiting and even death.

    Perhaps they’re both right – sometimes it takes a shocking exaggeration to bump us out of bad habits, so Dr Lustig’s attitude may be what we need right now. Long term, though David Katz advocates normal common sense. He still warns against processed foods with added sugars, but thinks naturally occurring sugars shouldn’t be avoided. Eat fresh, mostly plants and moderate your quantities. And that seems to be the answer to most of these ‘health scares’. Learn to recognise your unhealthy habits, and adapt to that simple rule of thumb and you can’t go far wrong.

    If you think sugar is the ultimate evil, or you just need to cut down on your intake, we can help. All our food is super fresh. We use no refined or added sugar whatsoever. So if you’re trying to wean yourself off gradually, or want to go cold turkey, we can tailor your diet plan specifically to your needs and personal taste.

    Contact us 7 days per week on 020 86269360 between 9.00am and 21.00pm or via www.totaldietfood.com
    Get our daily menus plus other food and diet based insights on our website here or via Twitter and Facebook

  • Dan Osborne Excites With Bare Bum Show

    One of the sexiest men on the Planet, Dan Osborne wowed a London audience tonight with his new job as one of the famous Dream Boys.

    TOWIE Superstar Dan Osborne delighted girls and gays alike in his starring role with the Dreamboys in central London tonight on their Fit And Famous tour.

    A smiling Dan, although seemingly a little nervous to start with, soon got into the swing of things, dressed as a naval officer – a la – An Officer And A Gentleman.

    Dancing seductively to Jessica Simpson’s, I Wanna Love You Forever, Dan and his Dreamboys, got completely naked for the crowd. He also managed to pull off a bit of Michael Jackson move, who Dan is a fan of.

    Dan was soon Butt naked – to shrieks of delight from the audience.

    Amen to that!