orgasmsorgasms E D Could an apple cider vinegar a day keep the doctor away? --drink-apple-cider-vinegar-tonic-everyday. Get Viagra or Cialis $14.79 at 888 /500 / and ordered her to have 'as much sex as she could handle' to treat her bipolar disorder

 Comvita has launched £2.99 drinking versions in 'natural' and golden kiwifruit flavours that contain health-boosting Manuka Honey, which is said to help with all kinds of ailments from sore throats to MRSA.

Our two writers chose to glug the ready-to-drink versions every morning.

Both initially struggled with drinking a 250ml bottle every day, but Shannon found that chugging vinegar everyday reduced her bloating, while Charlotte lost two pounds in just one week.

Here's how they got on.Apple cider vinegar is the cure-all tonic that is supposed to boost your health, give you more energy and even help you lose weight.

Health gurus on social media swear by the stuff, and it has celebrity fans too in Miranda Kerr, Victoria Beckham, Megan Fox and Hilary Duff.

But does drinking an apple cider vinegar a day really keep the doctor away? And could it make a difference in just one week?

Two intrepid women, Shannon Jones, 23, from Essex, and Charlotte Hughes, 24, fromLondon, put it to the test.

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Shannon Jones (left) and Charlotte Hughes (right) drank diluted apple cider vinegar mixed with Manuka honey and water for a week to see what the health benefits would be

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Shannon drank vinegar everyday to see how she felt after a week - sometimes at her desk (pictured) and sometimes at home in the evening

And while both struggled with the taste, one of them found she actually lost a significant amount of weight in just one week. 

Though some apple cider fanatics drink it neat, nutritionists recommend you dilute apple cider vinegar with water at a one-to-two ratio.

However there are now ready-to-drink bottles of apple cider vinegar tonic on supermarket shelves to appeal to tonic drinkers.

DAY 1 

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Shannon tried drinking the vinegar with her morning breakfast of fresh fruit and granola and said it went well together

Shannon: Drinking vinegar isn’t something that I’ve considered before, but after reading up on the health benefits, such as speeding up your metabolism and helping with bloated tummies, I was excited to give it a try. I was feeling very sceptical about how it would taste, but because it isn’t straight vinegar, it was better than I expected.

Charlotte: I have tried shots of apple cider vinegar in the past and know that it has a very strong kick. But as Victoria Beckham swears by it, I thought: 'It can’t be that bad!'. With my wedding just around the corner, I was definitely up for anything that would help me lose a few more pounds before the big day. I have to admit, I did feel nervous before trying the drinking vinegar. It definitely had a kick to it, but the taste of Manuka honey was potent, so that made it bearable to drink. 

DAY 2

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Charlotte wanted to lose weight for her wedding and hoped the apple cider vinegar drink everyday could help her with that

Shannon: I woke up this morning and had the Golden Kiwifruit-flavoured Apple Cider Drinking Vinegar by Comvita alongside my morning fresh fruit and granola. It went quite nicely together, and was an energising alternative to my usual coffee or fresh juice. I’d try this combo again.

Charlotte: I drank my vinegar first thing when I woke up on Saturday morning. I wanted to get it out the way before I had my real breakfast and morning coffee. I have to admit, I wasn’t looking forward to drinking it, however I actually found it really refreshing first thing in the morning. I normally drink a pint of water after I wake up, but this quenched my thirst so I felt I didn’t need to.

DAY 3

Shannon: Waking up a little hungover, I’m sorry to say I was craving a fry-up rather than the apple cider vinegar. But remembering how good it made me feel yesterday, I drank a bottle when I woke up. I actually think it helped me to recover better; I felt less sick than usual.

Charlotte: I hadn’t really noticed much of a difference so far, however, by the third drink, I was starting to like the taste.

DAY 4

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Shannon combined her apple cider vinegar drink with her morning breakfast of nuts, seeds, fresh fruit and granola

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Charlotte said drinking the vinegar everyday helped suppress her appetite

Shannon: Despite feeling a little drowsy today, I was feeling more productive and awake in the hours since drinking the vinegar. It made me feel invigorated throughout the afternoon, and I wasn't as hungry as I might normally have been.

Charlotte: Today I had my vinegar during the afternoon rather than in the morning, which I hadn’t done until now. An hour later, I felt quite perky - I really did not expect it to give me such a little pick-me-up. It actually stopped me giving into the 4pm chocolate cravings: Hallelujah!

DAY 5

Shannon: A couple of hours after drinking my morning vinegar, I was feeling sprightly. I wasn't particularly hungry or craving anything just before dinner either. Good stuff!

Charlotte: By day five, I started to realise that the amount I ate for dinner for the past couple of evenings had reduced significantly and on one evening, all I wanted to eat was a slice of toast – which is extremely rare for me. I am questioning whether it’s the stress and anxiety of wedding preparation that is preventing me from eating or if it’s the vinegar that is making me feel less hungry?

DAY 6

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Shannon said the apple cider vinegar helped with her bloating and acid reflux

Shannon: I’ve noticed that my acid reflux isn’t as bad since I’ve been drinking the vinegar. It makes me feel brighter and like I’m being really healthy, but I’m getting a bit bored of it by day six. I don’t think I could drink it every day.

Charlotte: I’m not going to lie. I forgot to drink the vinegar. By the time I remembered it was 8pm and I'd rather have a glass of wine mid-week.

DAY 7

Shannon: I was in a rush this morning so I decided to drink my vinegar en route to work. It wasn’t until 2pm that I realised I was only starting to get hungry having had no breakfast. I couldn’t quite believe it, as normally I really struggle without a substantial breakfast or a mid-morning snack.

Charlotte: I have lost 2 pounds! I am on a diet for my wedding so you would expect some weight loss, but losing 2 pounds in a week blew my mind. I’ll take that!

VERDICT 

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Charlotte (left) and Shannon (right) both said that they would struggle to drink the vinegar every day but were both impressed with the results after just seven days

Shannon: I am pleasantly surprised by the vinegar. It’s drinkable and refreshing but most of all I feel like I am being good to my body. I normally get really bad bloating which has been dramatically reduced this week, as has my acid reflux. For these reasons, I’m definitely going to try and incorporate apple cider vinegar into my diet.

Charlotte: I can’t quite believe how amazing this challenge has been for weight loss. I’ve been dieting for a while for my wedding, but drinking the vinegar has definitely helped me budge the pounds and suppressed my huge appetite. It’s not something I will drink every day but I would definitely consider it to help when I'm trying to lose weight.

Depressed woman reveals her doctor 'prescribed' her orgasmsorgasms E D , Get Viagra or Cialis $14.79 at 888 /500 / and ordered her to have 'as much sex as she could handle' to treat her bipolar disorder

Penny Sullivan suffered anorexia and anxiety and was diagnosed with bipolar

Her doctor prescribed medication along with 'as much sex as she could handle'

Orgasms release feel-good hormones in the brain such as dopamine

And semen contains mild anti-depressant compounds, says a sex therapist 

Catherine Zeta-Jones' struggles with bipolar has been well documented

A woman has revealed how her doctor 'prescribed' her orgasms to treat her depression.

Penny Sullivan – not her real name – had pulled her own hair out as a youngster, and suffered anorexia and bulimia.

After struggling with low moods, anxiety and anger for decades she was finally diagnosed with bipolar II disorder.

Then her doctor prescribed her medication, suggested she give up alcohol and get more exercise – all standard advice.

But he also prescribed sex – and 'as much of it as she could handle'. According to Australian website whimn.com.au, Penny had a naturally high sex drive so 'that was a lot'.

The mother-of-three followed doctor's orders and was amazed to discover that regular intimacy with her husband helped stabilise her moods.

Orgasms release feel-good hormones and semen contains mild anti-depressant compounds, according to experts.

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A woman diagnosed with bipolar II disorder has revealed how her doctor 'prescribed' her orgasms (stock image)

'We don't always have to have intercourse either, simply touching, cuddling or just fooling around and being connected can be just as great to get those feel goods,' she said. 

Bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depression, is a condition that affects your moods, which can swing from one extreme to another. 

Sufferers have periods or depression when they may feel very low and lethargic then episodes of mania – feeling very high and overactive.

Can sex 'cure' depression?

Studies have consistently linked regular sexual activity to improved emotional well-being.

It has been found to releases a range of hormones that enable us to relax, helping to lower our levels of the so-called 'stress hormone' cortisol, according to sexologist Isiah McKimmie from Sydney, Australia.

'Sex elevates our mood through the release of hormones and endorphins it causes in our brain,' she told whimn.com.

'It increases oxytocin (a love and bonding hormone,) serotonin (a happiness hormone) and dopamine levels. These help us experience feelings of love, connection and happiness.

'Additionally, semen contains mild anti-depressant compounds. Women who have unprotected sex with their partners have been shown to have elevated moods compared to women who always or mostly use condoms.' 

Physically, regular sex life has been shown in studies to lower blood pressure and reduce our risk of heart attack.

A 2010 study published in the American Journal of Cardiology revealed that frequent love making had a protective effect on the male heart.

Men who slept with their partner at least twice a week were up to 45 per cent less likely to suffer from the condition.

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'Sex elevates our mood through the release of hormones and endorphins it causes in our brain,' said sexologist Isiah McKimmie

Unfortunately, sexual dysfunction is a known side-effect of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) antidepressants, which include Prozac, Seroxat, Cipramil and Lustral. 

Symptoms can include erectile dysfunction, inability to orgasm in women and genital numbness.

Around five million people in the UK take SSRIs, and 58 per cent of them could be experiencing these kinds of sexual side-effects, according to one authoritative study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in 2001.

If you want to talk to someone confidentially, call the Samaritans, free of charge, on 116 123. You can talk to them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Alternatively, visit the Samaritans website or email jo@samaritans.org. 

DIFFERENT TYPES OF BIPOLAR 

Bipolar I

You may be told you have bipolar I if you have experienced:

• At least one episode of mania which has lasted longer than a week

You might also have experienced depressive episodes, although not everyone does.

Bipolar II

You may be told you have bipolar II if you have experienced both:

• At least one episode of severe depression
• Symptoms of hypomania – periods of over-active and excited behaviour that have a significant impact on your day-to-day life

Cyclothymia

You may be told you have cyclothymia if:

• You have experienced both hypomanic and depressive mood states over the course of two years or more
• Your symptoms aren’t severe enough to meet the criteria for a diagnosis of bipolar I or bipolar II

This can be a difficult diagnosis to receive, because you may feel that you are being told your symptoms are 'not serious enough'. But in fact cyclothymia can have a serious impact on your life.

Source: Mind 

What is Erectile Dysfunction? better erections and orgasms E D , Get Viagra or Cialis $14.79 at 888 /500 /

What is Erectile Dysfunction?

Male Reproductive Organs

Erectile dysfunction, or ED, is when it is hard to get or keep an erection that's firm enough for sex. ED affects as many as 30 million men.

Most men have problems with erections from time to time. But when this happens more than half of the time, then ED is present. ED can happen when health problems limit blood flow or damage nerves in the penis. ED can also be caused by stress or emotional reasons. ED can be an early warning of a more serious illness. Heart disease, high blood pressure and high blood sugar can all cause ED. Finding and treating the cause(s) of your ED can help your overall health and well-being.

How Erections Work

When you are not sexually aroused, your penis is soft and limp. During sexual arousal, nerve messages release chemicals that increase blood flow into the penis. The blood flows into 2 erection chambers made of spongy tissue (the corpus cavernosum) in the penis. The "smooth muscle" in the erection chambers relaxes, which lets blood enter and stay in the chambers. The pressure of the blood in the chambers makes the penis firm, giving you an erection. After you have an orgasm, the blood flows out of the chambers and the 

How is ED Treated?

The treatment for ED depends on what is causing it.

Your health care provider may ask you to change certain habits, stop smoking, or using drugs or alcohol. He or she may suggest treatment for emotional problems, relationship conflicts, depression, or performance anxiety. Or you may be asked to change the way you take other medicines. (Never stop or change any drug without first talking to your health care provider.)

Testosterone Replacement Therapy

If a blood test shows low testosterone levels (low T), testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) may help. However, adding TRT will not help your erection problems if you have normal testosterone levels.

Supplements

Dietary supplements (often called "herbal remedies") for ED are popular but may not be safe or even work. Unlike prescription drugs, they do not have to be proven to work to be sold. Check with your health care provider before you take any supplements or drugs to treat your ED.

Other Treatments

Most of the best-known treatments for ED work well and are safe. But in making your choice, ask your health care provider about any possible problems that could result with each option:

• Vacuum erection device
• Oral drugs
• Drugs in the penis
• Surgery

Vacuum Erection Device

Vacuum Erection Device

A vacuum erection device is a plastic tube that slips over the penis, making a seal with the skin of the body. A pump at the other end of the tube creates a low-pressure vacuum around the erectile tissue, which results in an erection. An elastic ring is then slipped onto the base of the penis. This holds the blood in the penis (and keeps it hard) for up to 30 minutes. With proper training, 75 out of 100 men can get a working erection using a vacuum erection device.

Oral Drugs

Drugs known as PDE-5 inhibitors relax muscle cells in the penis and increase blood flow. (These are the drugs you often see on TV and in Internet ads.)

• Viagra® (sildenafil citrate)
• Levitra® (vardenafil HCl)
• Cialis® (tadalafil)

Men with ED take these pills before having sex. The drugs boost the natural signals that are generated during sex to help you have a better erection that lasts longer. The drug works by relaxing the muscle cells in the penis, letting the blood flow better to give a firm erection. These drugs often work well, and nearly 80 out 100 men show improvement once they start using them.

The side effects of PDE-5 inhibitors are mild and often last just a short time. The side effects also get weaker the longer you use the drug. The most common side effects are:

• Headache
• Stuffy nose
• Flushing
• Muscle aches

In rare cases, sildenafil can cause blue-green shading of vision that lasts for a short time. There is no long-term risk and the problem goes away as the amount of the drug in the body lowers. It is important to follow the instructions for taking this drug to get the best results.

If you are taking nitrates for your heart, you should speak with your health care provider before using a PDE-5 inhibitor to learn how it might affect your health.

Drugs in the Penis

If oral drugs don't work, another drug, alprostadil, is approved for use in men with ED. This drug comes in two forms, depending on how it is to be used:

Self-Injection Therapy

Medical Injections for Impotence

The drug is injected into the side of penis with a very fine needle. The success rate for getting an erection firm enough to have sex is as high as 85%.

Intraurethral Therapy

Transurethral Therapy for Impotence

A tiny medicated pellet of the drug is placed in the urethra (the tube that carries urine out of your body). Using the drug this way avoids having to give yourself a shot, but makes it less likely to work.

The most common side effects of alprostadil are a burning feeling in the penis, and an erection that can last for over four hours and need medical attention to make it go down.

What Is Vaginal Seeding?///better erections and orgasms E D , Get Viagra or Cialis $14.79 at 888 /500 /

GOSPHOTODESIGN/SHUTTERSTOCK

It is well known that babies born naturally – read that as vaginally – are exposed to lots of beneficial bacteria known as microbiota when they travel down the birth canal. Included in the mix are bacteria which help babies digest their first meal.

Babies born by caesarean sections miss out on some of this natural goodness. Instead, they are mainly colonised by skin microbes, a very different set of species. This difference in microbiota is said to be still measurable months and possibly even years after birth. This is where the idea of “vaginal seeding“ comes into play, to try and correct that balance and restore some of the good bacteria to the baby.

The practice, which is also known as microbirthing, involves taking a swab from the mother’s vagina and wiping this over the baby’s mouth, eyes, face and skin shortly after birth by caesarean section.

The idea is that vaginal seeding allows a baby born via caesarean section to come into contact with bacteria from the birth canal. The hope is this may boost their gut bacteria and reduce the risk of conditions such as allergies or obesity.

Baby it’s cold outside. eans/Shutterstock

There is already an enormous amount of research going on to study the role of the microbiota in health and disease. Some excellent recent research shows that vaginal seeding can partially alter the microbiota of babies born by caesarean section to make it look more like the microbiota of babies born by vaginal delivery.

But despite the increasing popularity of the procedure and the current research around microbiota, as yet there is not enough evidence to suggest vaginal seeding is beneficial. New research published in The BMJ suggests because of this lack of evidence, medical professionals are not in the position to recommend or encourage the practice.

Is It Safe?

Unfortunately, we are a long way from having the evidence to show whether vaginal seeding is safe and if it makes a positive difference to the baby.

Babies born by planned caesarean section are actually at lower risk of transfer of some potentially harmful bacteria and viruses from the birth canal. But with vaginal seeding, these harmful bacteria and viruses could be transferred to the baby on a swab and potentially cause a devastating infection. At the moment, there isn’t universal screening for all these potentially harmful bacteria and viruses, and so mothers and doctors will not always know if they are present in the vaginal fluid.

Given all this, as it stands, this practice is considered too “high risk” and a way off being thought of as “safe” for newborn babies. Of course, this may change in the future if evidence emerges to show clear health benefits of vaginal seeding. But at the moment the jury remains out on whether vaginal seeding actually does more harm than good.

Implications For Doctors And Patients

We have advised doctors and midwives in our hospitals that they should not perform vaginal seeding. It is unreasonable to expect healthcare professionals to perform a procedure which has no proven benefit but may cause harm. Parents can perform the procedure themselves, but they should think carefully and discuss the potential benefits and risks with their doctor.

A gut feeling? sylv1rob1/Shutterstock

We would also advise the parents of any baby who has received vaginal seeding to make sure that they mention this if the baby becomes unwell. Doctors may modify their assessment of the risk of serious infection if they know that a baby born by caesarean section has received vaginal seeding.

Breastfeeding and antibiotic use are also known to alter the microbiota, and mothers who hope to give their baby a healthy microbiota might be better to focus on breastfeeding and avoiding unnecessary antibiotic exposure.

It will take a long time to establish whether vaginal seeding produces any health benefits, and whether these benefits outweigh any potential risks. And given the rising popularity and demand for the practice, this research need to be done sooner rather than later.

These studies should also take into account the effects of breastfeeding and antibiotic exposure on the developing microbiota, and assess the potential benefits of vaginal seeding in the context of these modifiers.

Aubrey Cunnington, Clinical Senior Lecturer, Imperial College London

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Boost your sex drive, better erections and orgasms E D , Get Viagra or Cialis $14.79 at 888 /500 / 4597

Lack of vitamin D can cause low oestrogen in women and testosterone in men

These hormones drive whether you're in the mood for intimacy 

Studies show as a nation we are chronically deficient in the 'sunshine vitamin' 

London-based nutritionist Rob Hobson says you can boost your libido by eating the right foods for breakfast

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According to nutritionist Rob Hobson, you can give your libido a boost by choosing the right foods for breakfast (stock image)

Many factors can affect sex drive, including relationship issues, stress or tiredness.

Diet too can have a direct effect on the hormones which drive whether you're in the mood for intimacy.

According to a nutritionist, you can give your libido a boost by choosing the right foods for breakfast and ensuring they're packed with vitamin D. 

Studies show that as a nation we are chronically deficient in this nutrient – which can cause low oestrogen in women and reduced testosterone in men.

It’s estimated that a staggering one in five adults do not have adequate levels of 'the sunshine vitamin'.

Rob Hobson, head of London-based Healthspan Nutrition, recommends eating mushrooms, fortified breakfast cereals, mackerel and eggs for breakfast to help boost vitamin D levels. 

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According to nutritionist Rob Hobson, you can give your libido a boost by choosing the right foods for breakfast

He said: 'I usually say diet comes first when it comes to getting all your nutrients. But vitamin D is actually very difficult to get from diet alone.

'Very few foods contain vitamin D. The main source is oily fish and a little can be found naturally in eggs and mushrooms.

'You can also find vitamin D in fortified foods such as breakfast cereals and margarine spreads. 

'Additionally, our recent research found that Britons are living a mole-like existence – seeing an average of less than 10 hours of daylight a week during the winter months. 

'So it's difficult to get vitamin D from diet and sun exposure alone, especially in the winter, so taking vitamin D supplements is recommended.

'Public Health England recommends everyone gets a daily intake of 10mg.' 

Below explains why these breakfast foods are good for you.

Oily fish like mackerel 

Fish has been touted as an excellent source of vitamin D, especially oily fish including salmon and mackerel.

According to nutritional databases, mackerel provides 360IU per serving while salmon has up to 685IU of vitamin D.

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Oily fish such as salmon and mackerel can give you a boost of vitamin D (stock image)

But be aware that farming methods can impact on how much the fish contains.

A study by Boston University Medical Cente in 2009 found that farmed salmon had approximately 25 per cent of the vitamin D content as wild salmon.

Fortified breakfast cereals  

Some popular cereals such as Kellogg's Special K, Quaker's Oats, and Multi Grain Cheerios are fortified with vitamin D.

You can boost your levels further by having your cereal with fortified dairy or soya milk and a glass of orange juice.

Eggs – go for free range

While most of the protein in an egg is found in the egg white, the vitamins and minerals are found primarily in the yolk.

A typical egg yolk contains around 18 to 39IU of vitamin D, which isn't very high.

However, eggs from chickens that roam outside in the sunlight have three to four times the amount, according to 2014 research by Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg in Germany.

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Eggs from free-range chickens or that are marketed as high in vitamin D are best

Furthermore, those from chickens fed with vitamin D-enriched feed have levels up to an astounding 6,000IU of vitamin D per yolk, Iowa State University reported in 2013.

Therefore, buying eggs that are from free-range chickens or marketed as high in vitamin D can be a great way to help meet your daily needs.

Mushrooms 

Excluding fortified foods, mushrooms are the only plant source of vitamin D.

However, it's worth noting that mushrooms contain vitamin D2, whereas animal-based food produce contains vitamin D3.

Although vitamin D2 is thought to help raise blood levels of vitamin D, studies have suggested it may not be as effective as vitamin D3.

Nonetheless, wild mushrooms are a good sources of vitamin D2. Some varieties contain up to 2,300IU per 3.5oz (100g) serving, according to a 2013 study published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology.

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Wild mushrooms are a good sources of vitamin D2 – commercial ones can be boosted by popping them on a sunny windowsill (stock image)

However, commercially grown mushrooms are often grown in the dark and contain very little vitamin D2.

Yet there is one simple trick you can do to boost your shop-bought mushrooms, according to Penn State University. Popped on a sunny windowsill, the mushrooms will react to the UV light, and produce more antioxidant Vitamin D.

Astonishingly, researchers found in their experiments that white button mushrooms containing essentially no Vitamin D which were exposed for just one second could then contain 824 per cent of your daily value.