Newspaper Page Text
Friday
The Maroon Tiger
Lifestyues
September 6, 2002 Page 13
Viagra—is it right for you?
Senior Health Editor discusses popular drug
SECURITY from page 3
Deroyce Simmons
Senior Health Editor
Erectile Dysfunction
affects nearly 30 million
men in the United States,
mostly between the ages of
40 and 75.
Studies have shown
that most Erectile Dysfunc
tion (ED) is caused by
health problems. These
problems include high
blood pressure, high choles
terol, and diabetes. ED can
also be linked to smoking,
drinking in excess, or stress.
In fact, most African
American men have prob
lems with at least one of the
above diseases--not an
opinion, but a fact. Erectile
Dysfunction might be the
first sign of a related medi
cal illness, such as heart dis
ease or diabetes.
For some men ED was
a side effect of a medicine
that was taken to lower
high blood pressure or cho
lesterol.
With the "improve
ment" of healthcare, a fairly
new medication is on the
market now. It has been
FDA approved and now is
ranked the number one pre
scribed medication for men
with Erectile Dysfunction.
Before its release in the
early 90s this medication
had the intention of being
used to reduce blood pres
sure, but one of its side ef
fects was an increase in erec
tion. In fact, the blood pres
sure was only reduced while
lying in the supine position.
It was then administered to
more than 3,000 patients
aged 19 to 87, with ED of
various etiologies. The re
sults would change the
world and better the qual
ity of life for many men.
VIAGRA enables many
men with ED to respond to
sexual stimulation. When a
man is sexually aroused, the
arteries in the penis relax
and widen, allowing more
blood to flow into the penis.
As the arteries in the penis
expand and harden, the
veins that normally carry
blood away from the penis
become compressed, re
stricting the blood flow out
of the penis.
With more blood flow
ing in and less flowing out,
the penis enlarges, resulting
in an erection. If the nerves
or blood vessels associated
with this process aren't
working properly, a man
may not be able to get an
erection.
VIAGRA increases
blood flow to the penis by
releasing nitric oxide, so
that when a man is sexually
aroused, he can get and
keep an erection. When the
sexual encounter is over, the
erection goes away.
All medica
tions including
VIAGRA can cause
some side effects.
These are usually
mild and do not last
longer than a few
hours. Some of these
side effects are more
likely to occur with
higher doses of
VIAGRA. With
VIAGRA, the most
common side effects
are headache, facial
flushing and upset
stomach. VIAGRA
may also briefly
cause bluish or
blurred vision or
sensitivity to light. In the
rare event of an erection
lasting more than 4 hours,
seek immediate medical
help.
This article was not
to justify the use of VIAGRA
nor to promote the use of
VIAGRA amongst college
students. It is simply about
awareness and increasing
your knowledge base in
fields of study with which
you may not be familiar.
VIAGRA should not be
used unless you have ED,
and only a physician can di
agnose you with this disor
der or prescribe VIAGRA.
patrols at assigned times, via
electronic sensors placed in
each critical building that
read a signal from a device
worn by the officer during
thing that students can do to
avoid danger is be con
stantly aware and careful.
Probably the most
measure.
however, comes in the form
of a surveillance camera net
work that has been put in
place throughout the cam
pus. About 80 percent of the
hour surveillance, and plans
are already in place to effect
have already conducted,
and plan to conduct, several
more dorm talks about per
sonal safety on and off cam
pus. They have also started
to work more closely with
student services and cam
pus operations to ensure
that all future college ex
pansion plans are executed
with close attention to secu
rity. For instance, there are
six cameras
ture. The strategically
placed cameras can be ma
neuvered at 180 degree
angles, and have zoom ca
pabilities that allow license
plate numbers to be read
from a distance of roughly
200 meters. Purchased at the
mately $80,000, the cameras
have already proven their
worth, directly aiding in at
planned for the new parking
deck, about five for the new
leadership center, and an
other half dozen for the
planned dormitory.
"It's all about can
did communication between
campus police, the school
administration and the stu
dent body," said Worthy.
"When we work together,
we can continue to build
upon our
far.
Despite all these ad
vances, Chief Worthy in
sists that the most important
EVEN WITH A.LLXME WAVS
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WHY DID I SAY YES?