by yoursl | Oct 9, 2014 | Breast Cancer, Sexual Discussion, Women's Sexual Health |
Artwork used with permission from P.Ink The National Cancer Institute estimates there will be 232,670 new cases of breast cancer among women and 2,360 new cases of breast cancer among men in 2014, with an estimated 40,000 deaths among women and 430 deaths among men. This number has increased steadily since 2012, which is when I personally started keeping track of these numbers. Breast cancer treatment can include mastectomy, which is the total removal of one or both breasts. According to the Mayo Clinic, newer mastectomy techniques can preserve breast skin. Some women who undergo mastectomy choose to have breast reconstruction surgery, which can restore shape to a breast with the option to have a nipple implant performed during the reconstruction surgery. Breast reconstruction surgery can be done immediately after a mastectomy or in a separate surgery at a later date. According to the Mayo Clinic, newer mastectomy techniques can preserve breast skin. Cancer survivors who have undergone a mastectomy are left with scars from these surgeries. P.Ink is a non-profit organization that helps partner mastectomy patients with tattoo artists so that scars can be transformed into beautiful designs. Areola pigmentation professionals help survivors by restoring the circular pigmentation around reconstructed nipples using a tattoo technique so reconstructed breasts will have a more natural look. P.Ink Day’s inaugural event was held in 2013 at Saved Tattoo in New York City. At this event, ten tattoo artists helped ten breast...
by yoursl | Oct 2, 2014 | Cancers of Reproductive Systems, Just For Fun, Men's Sexual Health, Sex and Art, Sex and Pharmaceuticals, Sexual Discussion, Sexually Transmitted Diseases |
This blog pays homage to the syndicated column, News of the Weird, by creating a list of sexual issues, sexual health, and other taboo topics in the recent news. Holly Stewart, a grandmother from Kansas City, Missouri, asked for money on Kickstarter to help fund her penis art business. She wanted to raise $250 to pay for promotional posters to advertise her art exhibit HollyPolyester: Local Grandmother Quilts Giant Penises, which ran from September 4-19, 2014, at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Gallery of Art. The grandmother raised $300 on Kickstarter, and her art show took place as planned. Stewart’s art includes life-size and giant quilted penises made from colorful materials and penis sculptures made from pins and sequins. Sources: elitedaily.com and the UMKC Gallery of Art website Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, a drug maker located in Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania, laid off 200 workers, or 30 percent of its workforce, on September 10, 2014. The pharmaceuticals company, which has not made a profit since 2012, sells 12 products dedicated to men’s health, including the testosterone gel Testim, the erectile dysfunction drug Stendra, and the Peyroine’s disease (penile curvature deformity) drug Xiaflex. Stendra is the first new erectile dysfunction drug to hit the American market in nearly a decade, and the company is awaiting a decision from the Food and Drug Administration to change the drug’s label to indicate a 15-minute onset of action over the current label’s 30-minute onset of action, which means it may take less time than previously thought for the drug to take effect. Auxilium expects to pay $20 million in...
by yoursl | Sep 25, 2014 | Men's Sexual Health, Sex and Pharmaceuticals, Sexual Discussion, Sexual Dysfunction |
A man’s erection is caused when nitric oxide is released from local nerve endings, which initiates a chemical reaction that allows blood vessels to dilate, or expand. A protein called cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and an enzyme called PDE 5 play important roles in helping create an erection. cGMP signals the muscles in the blood vessel walls to relax and fill with blood. The amount of blood flowing into these blood vessels must be strictly controlled, filling them to capacity but not to bursting. PDE 5 breaks down cGMP to prevent overstimulation of the blood vessels and to prevent excessive relaxation as well. Problems start to occur when there is not enough cGMP present or if cGMP is broken down too quickly by PDE 5. In either case, the blood vessels don’t remain relaxed long enough to fill with a sufficient amount of blood to allow the penis to become erect, thus giving rise erectile dysfunction. Current erectile dysfunction drugs, such as Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, and Stendra, work by inhibiting or blocking the effect of PDE 5 and thus allowing cGMP to remain active longer which in turn makes it easier to both achieve and maintain an erection. For erectile dysfunction drugs to work, a man must be sexually aroused as this allows the body to release cGMP which allows the blood vessels to fill with blood. Cialis is slightly different in chemical makeup than Viagra and Levitra, which are both essentially the same in chemical makeup. Foods, especially fatty foods, affect how Viagra, Levitra, and Stendra are absorbed by the...
by yoursl | Sep 18, 2014 | Dating/Relationships, Men's Sexual Health, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Women's Sexual Health |
Herpes simplex virus is a common contagious viral infection and is classified into two categories: herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2). Under a microscope, the two viruses are almost identical as they share about 50 percent of their DNA. Both strains of the herpes virus infect human mucosal surfaces before establishing latency, which is the period between infection with a virus and the onset of symptoms, in the nervous system. Basically, the virus lies in wait in a person’s nerves until the time is right for an outbreak of herpes. The HSV-1 virus prefers to establish latency in the trigeminal ganglion, a collection of nerve cells near the ear, and from there can recur on the lower face or lip. The HSV-2 virus prefers to establish latency in the sacral ganglion at the base of the spine and recurs in the genital area. Thus why HSV-1 is often referred to as oral herpes and HSV-2 as genital herpes. About two-thirds of people infected with herpes, regardless of the type, are asymptomatic, or without symptoms, or they experience symptoms too mild to notice. Both types of herpes viruses can recur and spread even when no symptoms are present. HSV-1 causes oral herpes on the lips, mouth, gums, and/or face. These small, usually painful blisters are often referred to as cold sores and like to form in the soft moist skin that lines the lips, mouth and nose. Cold sores can form on ordinary skin if there is a break in the skin that...
by yoursl | Sep 11, 2014 | Bedroom Fun, Dating/Relationships, Men's Sexual Health, Sexual Discussion, Taboo Topics, Women's Sexual Health |
Your Sexy Librarian is a real woman with family and social obligations, a relationship that takes compromise and understanding in order to remain strong, and a demanding job in the corporate world. I research and write all of my blogs. Each blog is then edited by one of three editors: an experienced copy editor at a newspaper, an ace reporter who specializes in government and investigative journalism, and a former sports writer and editor who now works in the pharmaceutical industry. My editors work for free because they believe in me. And where else will they get to edit writing about sexual health, sexual issues, and other taboo topics? I want to write blogs about interesting topics, and I need real people with experiences who will share their stories with me to help keep my blog going. When I attend networking events, I ask people to suggest stories or sources to me. I am usually met with wide eyes and hesitation, which is why I am asking via the internet for reliable sources to help me educate and re-educate adults in this country and abroad. I work in the healthcare industry and deal with hundreds of people’s most personal information on a daily basis. It is a Federally-mandated job requirement to keep that patient information confidential, and I will treat sources for my blogs with the same respect by ensuring all sources will be protected and kept confidential. Names can and will be changed to better conceal the identities of those who do not want their confidences told to their families, neighbors,...
by yoursl | Sep 4, 2014 | Dating/Relationships |
Patti Stanger is the master of matchmaking in the Bravo TV show “Millionaire Matchmaker.” On a past episode, a client went to Stanger for help in breaking her string of bad relationships she had been experiencing. Stanger advised her client to create a list of non-negotiables, which are the key values and personality traits the client wanted in her potential mate. The premise is the list will keep the client from dating the same not-right-for-her people. I was inspired by this episode to create a list of five non-negotiables for my own dating life because I was tired of my dating failures. I wanted to find a life partner, and that was not going to happen with continual bad first dates. It was like I was stuck in the movie “Groundhog Day.” After the creation of the five non-negiotiables, potential dates had to meet at least three of the five to merit a first date. I would not consider a relationship with anyone mastering less than four non-negotiables. My friends thought the five non-negotiables were an odd approach until I explained what a valuable tool they were in my hunt for a mate, especially since I was using an online dating service. My friends now think the five non-negotiables are a brilliant idea. My mother, who does not pry into my personal life beyond asking if I am happy, was encouraging and kept telling me to stick with the non-negotiables, despite the level of complexity they added to my dating life. The first...
by yoursl | Aug 28, 2014 | Women's Sexual Health |
I recently read a blog article that incorrectly identified the location of an important part of female genitalia. An anatomy lesson is in order to correct this error before I lose more sleep over it. The vulva, which includes the labia and clitoris, is on the outside of a woman’s body. The vagina is the muscular canal that extends from the vulva to the cervix, which is at the opening of the uterus. This means the vagina is inside the female body, which is what the other blogger got wrong. Now that the mystery of where the vagina is located has been solved, I am going to write this blog about vagina-related topics. I am a huge fan of Bob and Tom and listen to their radio show during my morning commute. A few weeks ago, they mentioned vaginal steaming, but never discussed it in detail. Never having heard of vaginal steaming, I was intrigued and researched it. Vaginal steaming is a cleanse where a woman sits naked on a specially-designed chair under which a humidifier emits herb-infused steam for 30 to 45 minutes. Traditionally, herbs used in the process include mugwort for its anti-fungal properties and wormwood for its anti-viral properties, but other herbs can be used as well. Vaginal steaming has been used for centuries in Eastern medicine as a remedy to ease menstrual cramps and boost fertility and is used by women in some parts of South America. In the United States, vaginal steaming services are available at select spas. Do-it-yourself kits are available for purchase from online retailers. As a precaution, a woman who is...
by yoursl | Aug 21, 2014 | Bedroom Fun, Sex Toys, Sexual Exploration |
Many years ago, I worked with an intern who openly shared information about her private life. She once told me that she was a virgin and that she allowed and encouraged her sex partners to insert various sex toys into her vagina. This seemed contradictory to me at the time she shared this with me. Now that I am halfway through an online course from Indiana University about sexual health education, the intern makes sense. By textbook definition, she maintained her virginity as long as there was no actual penile penetration. She was expressing her sexuality and sensuality through the use of sex toy play as opposed to penile-vaginal intercourse. She was still having sex, but in a creative way. Sex toy play can be exciting and fun as well as beneficial and even therapeutic for some users. For sex partners who are stuck in a sex routine, introducing a sex toy can add a level of excitement and adventure to their sexual activities. The introduction of the sex toy alone can help open the channels of communication for some partners. For example, a partner with reservations about having a sex toy used on his or her body or about using a sex toy on someone else needs to communicate any fears or concerns to his or her partner before using the toy. Having an open line of non-judgmental communication can increase intimacy for those partners. As one partner is using a sex toy on the other, the partner receiving the attention needs to tell the partner what feels good and where something feels good. This can be extremely...
by yoursl | Aug 14, 2014 | Erotic Literature |
I grew up enjoying frequent visits to the library. I was educated by some of the best high school teachers and college professors available to me. Proper grammar, correct punctuation and spelling, and strong word choice were lessons that were taught to me from an early age. I cannot remember a time when I did not own a dictionary and a thesaurus, in hardback copies no less. I learned to read when I was a toddler and was reading at an advanced level by the time I entered public school. I had my own subscription to National Geographic when I just five-years-old. I exhausted the available supply of books in the elementary library by the fourth grade. The nearest bookstores were more than 50 miles away from my childhood home. My mother joined a book-of-the-month club to help keep me in reading material. When I was 15-years-old and on winter break from school, I begged my mom to order a book by Diana Gabaldon called Outlander. I wanted to read this book because it took place in Scotland, which was one of many dream travel locations inspired by an issue of National Geographic a decade prior. My mom ordered the book, which contained explicit language and erotic scenes as well as strong words. I had to stop reading every few pages to use the dictionary. I devoured all 627 pages in less than three days. Outlander was my first voyage into historic romance and erotic literature. I fell in love with how beautifully the book is written and how intellectual it is. From Outlander, I branched out into tawdry...
by yoursl | Aug 7, 2014 | Sexual Discussion |
I was going to wait to write this blog until Your Sexy Librarian was out of its infancy, but I keep having real-life conversations about this hush-hush topic. I can no longer keep quiet about this highly important yet infrequently discussed topic that should command the attention of every adult in this country. We, as American adults, can help end domestic violence. This is the point where the majority of people usually tune me out, often in a fashion similar to a small child covering his eyes and saying, “If I cannot see you, you cannot see me.” Please keep reading to better understand domestic violence, which is more than just violence, and to know there are domestic violence victims who are happy, healed and fully functioning in our society today. Picture yourself in a bathroom that is five feet wide and only as long as the bathtub. On the wall opposite the flimsy, fiberboard door is a small window, one foot wide and 10 inches tall. The flimsy door leads into a poorly lit, narrow hallway just big enough for one medium-sized adult. How do you feel? Now picture a person twice your size on the other side of the closed, flimsy door. This person is so angry that saliva and spittle flies from his mouth as he screams and yells at you, “You are fucking worthless! You are so fucking worthless, you bitch! FUCKING WORTHLESS!” Now, how do you feel? Picture yourself trapped in that little bathroom with limited options. Neither your shoulders nor your butt will fit out that tiny window, so that...
