December 6, 1999
Date: Mon, Dec 6th 1999 14:36:09
From: "drDrew.com" mail@drDrew.com
To: "drDrew.com Newsletter" mailinglist@drDrew.com
Subject: drDrew.com's Weekly Dose - December 6, 1999
THE OFFICIAL DRDREW.COM NEWSLETTER
December 6, 1999
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IN THIS WEEK'S NEWSLETTER:
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* The drDrew.com Show
* What's New on drDrew.com
* Bonus Q&A with Drew
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THIS WEEK WITH DR. DREW:
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* The next drDrew.com Show is on WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8 at 7:30 p.m. P.S.T.
Watch the drDrew.com Show live at http://www.drdrew.com/show/index.html.
You can also call in toll-free during this half-hour show to ask Drew your
questions at 1-888-4DR-DREW.
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QUESTION OF THE DAY (http://www.drdrew.com/office/qotd.html)
ASK DR. DREW YOUR QUESTION at http://www.drdrew.com/office/askqotd.html
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* Today: Am I losing hair from pulling on it?
* Tuesday: Does gastric bypass surgery help obese women?
* Wednesday: What are the problems with anorexia nervosa?
* Thursday: Are my changing moods bipolar disorder?
* Friday: Whats the long term impact of the Internet on our culture?
Scroll down for more Q & A!
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PERSONALITIES: STRAIGHT TALK FROM THE STARS
http://www.drdrew.com/profiles/index.html
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* Today: drDrew.com talks to acclaimed actor Sean Penn
* Wednesday: Up and coming hip-hop star Kelis talks to drDrew.com about
being a "Thunderbitch."
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HEALTHWISE: HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE ISSUES THAT MATTER
http://www.drdrew.com/office/index.html
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* Tuesday: What goes on in a therapy session?
* Thursday: How to get over a breakup.
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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QUESTION:
I'm 23, and I have this mass that appears in my scrotum when I'm standing,
but moves to my abdomen when I lie down. What could this be?
DR DREW:
It sounds like you have a hernia, which means a part of your intestine is
protruding through a weak area in your abdominal wall. Symptoms include
abdominal discomfort and a bulge in your abdomen, such as the one you
described. If you do have a hernia, you will undoubtedly need surgery to
fix it. It's a minor operation, and is often done on an outpatient basis.
However, your situation may be more serious. It sounds like your intestine
has descended toward your testes (thus the mass in your scrotum) which can
be very dangerous. Occasionally, the intestine gets trapped and twisted
down there, or the blood supply is cut off, and your intestine begins to
die. This is extremely painful and potentially fatal. It's often
associated with nausea and vomiting, so go to an emergency room
immediately if this occurs. In that case, you might need emergency
surgery. In any case, you should go to the doctor to have this checked
out.
QUESTION:
Whenever my boyfriend and I get hot and heavy, fluid comes out of his
penis. He says he's not ejaculating, so what is this stuff and does it
have any sperm in it?
DR DREW:
It's seminal fluid, or what most people call "pre-cum," and it's
basically the same stuff that's emitted during ejaculation. At times, in fact, it is
thought to be very highly concentrated in sperm, which is why early
withdrawal during intercourse is not an effective method of birth control.
Pre-cum is secreted when a guy is sexually aroused, so you can get
pregnant even if he doesn't ejaculate. I don't want to freak you out, but
a healthy human male produces about 30 million sperm each day. With one
ejaculation, 300 to 500 million sperm are released. It only takes one good
swimmer in the bunch to get you pregnant, so it's extremely important for
your partner to wear a condom every single time you have intercourse, or
whenever there is any genital-to-genital contact.
QUESTION:
I recently started taking birth control pills to regulate my period. A
friend mentioned that you're not supposed to smoke if you're on the pill,
which is news to me. Is that only true if you're taking a certain type of
pill, or is this just an issue for her? What's the big deal?
DR DREW:
I would hope your doctor would have gone over the side effects of birth
control pills. If not, you might want to schedule another visit to talk
about these things. To answer your question, women--particularly those
over age 30--who smoke and take oral contraceptives may be at a slightly
increased risk for thromboembolic complications, that is, blood clots
forming in the legs and/or other areas of the body. Researchers have
isolated the cause of this risk to a particular clotting substance in the
blood called the "Leiden factor." Women can get tested for this to
find out if they're high-risk.
QUESTION:
I'm a really affectionate guy, but I seem to attract "chaotic"
women--either their parents are divorced, or they've had a horribly messed
up life. Do I unconsciously seek out these types of women, or are they
attracted to attentive guys like me?
DR DREW:
Well, either you're attracted to these types of women, or these women are
attracted to you, or both. When I hear people, particularly young males,
describe themselves as being affectionate or attentive, what they're
really saying to me is that they're people-pleasers. They constantly feel
the need for other people's approval in order to be happy. The women you
date might be attracted to that quality in you because it means you're
always tuned in and supportive of their needs, but this can quickly turn
into a manipulative and one-sided relationship. In other words, if you're
always giving, she's always taking, and you feed off of each other's
problems. You're obviously aware that this could be a problem. Your
challenge will be trying to avoid those relationships and look for
somebody who's less chaotic to be with.
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IMPORTANT NOTE
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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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MORE DRDREW.COM QUESTIONS COMING YOUR WAY NEXT WEEK
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