Intususseption

Health and sex

The world is full of ideas and advice about health and sex. Family and friends, magazines and television ... they all seem to weigh in on the best way to care for our bodies.

Cases in point: At age 15 my mother tried to convince me that if I ate six calcium chews a day I will be immune not only to osteoporosis, but also myasthenia gravis, cancer and the plague ("But honey, they're for women by women").

Commercials tell us that treating your herpes with Acyclovir will not only reduce your number of flare-ups, but will also render you beautiful, in love and in close proximity to the beach.

Glamour magazine has also weighed in our sexual health, promising us the latest classified information on the female orgasm every other month for the past decade.

We all have a weird relative who, like the character in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," touts Windex as the most appropriate antiseptic for all bodily infections. I had an equally deluded housemate in college who believed that the cure for any illness is to "sweat it out" and would spend hours withering in the gym sauna when he got a cold. Not surprisingly, this friend had chronic athlete's foot.

The moral of the story is that while health and sex advice may be abundant, it's not always what we're after. How to navigate this maze of misinformation? Send your burning questions to me at the Health & Sexuality section of www.cavalierdaily.com -- just click on Sex and Balances Question Submission! As a third-year Medical student, I'm comfortable setting the facts straight on questions ranging from the banal (What causes jock itch?) to the apparently bizarre (Can I get jock itch from using whipped cream during sex?).

Having something go wrong with your body can be incredibly scary, whether it's unexplained itching, headaches that won't go away or a skin lesion you're afraid might be cancer. This is a place where you can get a little objective information about what may be going on from someone with insight into the mysterious world of medicine. So ladies, if you've ever wondered why that annual Pap Smear is helping protect you from cancer, and gentlemen, if you're curious about why the doctor is always making you turn your head and cough, send those questions my way. I'll be here!

posted by Intussusception Medical Care Amateur - @ Intususseption: Health and sex