August 9, 1999
--- Sara Buffington wrote:
> Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1999 10:04:40 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Sara Buffington
> To: "drDrew.com Mailing List"
>
> Subject: drDrew.com Newsletter -- August 9, 1999
>
> THE OFFICIAL DRDREW.COM NEWSLETTER
> August 9, 1999
>
>
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> In this issue:
> * Win a Trip to Hollywood to Meet Dr. Drew!
> * Personal note from Dr. Drew
> * Dr. Drew answers questions on sex, marriage,
> drugs, and women's bodies.
>
>
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>
>
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> WIN A TRIP TO HOLLYWOOD TO MEET DR. DREW!
> Now that you registered at drDrew.com, you are
> eligible to win a trip for
> you and a friend to visit Hollywood and meet Dr.
> Drew. Also, every day,one
> of our members will win an autographed copy of the
> "Dr. Drew and Adam Book."
> See site (www.drDrew.com) for details. You have a
> chance to win--make
> sure your friends do too!
>
> Congratulations to drDrew.com daily book winners
> from last week: jj1102,
> ahwchubbz, dazed, in_a_green_daze, goldengrin,
> stacey, and ellis! See this
> newsletter next week this week's winners.
>
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>
>
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>
> Dear Member,
>
> People often ask me about my decision to be a
> doctor. They wonder if all
> the training and hard work pays off emotionally. I
> have to say there is no
> doubt that becoming a physician has been one of the
> sentinel events in my
> life. The reality of being a physician in these
> times is sometimes
> painful, though. The joy of the practice has been
> overwhelmed by so many
> complicated considerations, with the legal system,
> insurance companies,
> Medicare, and hospital standards intruding on the
> relationship between the
> physician and the patient. Luckily, I have had the
> good fortune of finding
> creative ways to stay focused on helping people and
> practicing medicine
> the way I think it should be practiced.
>
> For me being a doctor has been well worth the
> sacrifice, but let me assure
> you there *is* a sacrifice. You hear Adam
> frequently teasing me about the
> fact that I seem to have no awareness of what
> happened culturally in this
> country between about 1983 and 1991. Unfortunately,
> because of my medical
> training, Adam is right. In the '80s and early
> '90s, I spent from before
> sunup to long after sundown in hospitals, working
> with patients seven days a
> week. Because of this, I really wasn't aware of
> what was going on
> culturally. Sometimes I feel like a piece of my
> life was stolen from me.
> At the same time, as a physician, I am grateful to
> have a level of
> understanding and experience with other humans that
> is experienced by few.
> This gratitude far exceeds any misgivings I have
> about those lost years.
>
> The one item of advice I would give someone who is
> contemplating going into
> this field is be sure it's something you have to do.
> Done properly it will
> become a fundamental component of who you are.
>
> Be Well,
>
> Dr. Drew
>
>
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> QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
>
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>
> QUESTION 1: I don't want to do drugs. I want
> nothing to do with them.
> But I am extremely curious! Is there a way to not
> try drugs and stop the
> curiosity?
>
> DR. DREW: To be curious about drugs is a natural
> and normal part of the
> human experience. However, the decision-making
> process that leads a person
> to use drugs indicates that individual's emotional
> health. A certain level
> of maturity (which many people do not have) is
> required to realistically
> assess the risks and consequences of using drugs,
> and to decide that those
> risks are not worthwhile. The flip side is that
> many people walk around
> with so many unpleasant feelings they feel pressure
> to escape reality. The
> prospect of using a drug to feel better is so
> compelling they can't engage
> in that mature decision-making process. The way not
> to use drugs is to make
> a mature decision and make sure that you are taking
> care of yourself
> emotionally. To stop the curiosity is impossible,
> so you need to focus on
> keeping yourself happy and stable in other ways.
>
> QUESTION 2: How young is too young to get married?
>
> DR. DREW: If you want my opinion, I think anyone
> under age 28 is too young
> to get married! Just playing the odds, I am sure
> there are plenty of
> successful marriages out there of people who married
> well before that age.
> However, if you look at the data in this country,
> the rate of marriage
> failure for those who marry young is profound. At
> the very least, giving
> yourself a chance to mature and experience yourself
> in a relationship might
> increase the probability of a successful and
> sustained marriage.
>
> QUESTION 3: My girlfriend experiences a
> "stinging/burning" sensation when I
> ejaculate. I'm not using a condom but she is on
> birth control. We have
> both been tested for sexually transmitted diseases
> (STDs). Does my semen
> cause this sensation? Is she allergic to it?
>
> DR. DREW: This is actually a surprisingly common
> symptom. My patients who
> have suffered from this are often frustrated by the
> lack of concrete
> explanations for why this occurs. There is a
> possibility of an allergic type
> reaction. In my experience, though, this condition
> typically doesn't respond
> to anti-allergy therapies. In addition to a true
> allergy, there could be
> some sort of chemical irritation from the mixing of
> your body fluid
> chemistries. Your partner could also have a
> low-grade/undetected vaginal
> infection. My basic advice is to continue to
> communicate with your
> physician and go back for further care until this
> problem has been
> satisfactorily managed.
>
> QUESTION 4: My girlfriend tells me she has an
> inverted uterus. What the
> heck is that?
>
> DR. DREW: Your girlfriend is describing how her
> uterus is positioned inside
> of her. The uterus is the female organ where we
> lived for nine months until
> we were born. True "inversion" of the uterus occurs
> after the delivery of
> a baby and refers to a uterus that is flipped inside
> out. This
> is a medical emergency. However, your question
> regarding an "inverted
> uterus," more properly called a
> "retroverted"/"retroflexed" uterus, merely
> refers to a variation of the natural position of a
> uterus. This has no
> significance except that it can sometimes cause
> discomfort during
> intercourse. Occasionally, the uterus in this
> position is associated with
> painful menstrual cramps. Generally,
> however, it is a normal variant of the uterus
> positioning.
>
>
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>
> IMPORTANT NOTE: The content presented in this
> newsletter is not intended to
> take the place of professional medical treatment.
> For specific medical
> concerns, you should seek the advice of a qualified
> health provider.
>
>
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>
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>
> MORE DRDREW.COM QUESTIONS COMING YOUR WAY NEXT WEEK.
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> CHECK OUT OUR CONTEST TO
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>
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