Tag Archives: sexual health

ASK JANICE SPECIAL: It’s World AIDS Day 2019 – Do You Know Your Status?

Ask Janice HIV/AIDS Reproductive Health SEX No Comments

December 1st is World AIDS Day – do you know your status? If you don’t, you really should get tested, especially if you’re a Black woman. No, really. You should!

This year’s theme for World AIDS Day is “Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Community by Community”. This couldn’t be a more fitting theme, because as a community of Black women, we still have much work to do.

The good news is, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), between 2010 and 2016, new HIV diagnoses have declined by 25% for African American women. This is a better decline than seen globally, where new HIV diagnoses overall have declined by 16% since 2010.

But, like I said, we still have work to do. Consider that while HIV diagnoses have declined, in 2017 (the most recent year statistics are available), women in the U.S. made up 19% of the new HIV diagnoses. Of that number, 86% were infected by heterosexual contact, compared to only 14% infected by injection drug use. Half of the women infected that year were 25-44 years of age. What’s especially troubling for our community is that 59% of the newly infected women were African American. That’s more than half!

Even scarier, the CDC says that 1 in 9 women with HIV don’t even know they have it. That’s not surprising, considering HIV testing rates among women are alarmingly low. With 86% of new infections coming from heterosexual contact, that means that nearly 4 decades after HIV/AIDS was first discovered, there are still far too many Black women out here having unprotected sex with men!

The CDC says that in general, receptive sex is riskier than insertive sex. That means that women have a higher risk of getting HIV through vaginal and anal sex than their male partners. And, while we may not want to admit it, too many of us don’t know the risk factors of our male sex partners. When you then add the fact that women are less likely to get tested, it’s no wonder we’re still seeing so many new HIV diagnoses among Black women.

Here’s what I need you to do: GET TESTED AND LEARN YOUR STATUS! 1 in 9 of y’all are walking around out here infected and missing out on life-saving medications and treatments! If you’re 25-44 years of age and engage in heterosexual sex, then you’re at an even higher risk.

First thing tomorrow morning, make an appointment with your doctor or plan to visit a clinic. Consider it a form of self-care, if you will. And remember, an HIV diagnosis isn’t the death sentence it used to be. But you MUST get tested to get the treatment you need to prolong your life.

So get tested and know your status. Let’s end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in our community now!

HAPPY WORLD AIDS DAY 2019!

#WorldAIDSDay #GetTestedKnowYourStatus #GetTested #KnowYourStatus #WorldAIDSDay2019 #EndTheEpidemicNow

Dr. Drai: How To Eat Your Way To Better Sexual Health

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Hi #GYNEGirls! It’s me Dr. Drai…. What do grapes, oysters, and chocolates have in common? Well, aside from being food, they’re all supposedly aphrodisiacs. For the unaware, an aphrodisiac is basically a food or drug that has effects on sexual health, typically by either making it easier to become sexually aroused or by boosting sexual performance. Now, while all of the above foods have been known to release varying levels of endorphins into the body in the same way sex does, they are not necessarily all that beneficial to one’s sexual health. Of course, that doesn’t mean that food and meals don’t play a part in a person’s sex life because there’s quite a bit of scientific data saying that it does.

Working from the top and going down, the brain is the core of all activity that concerns the body, including sexual functions. Replacing full meals with snacks or junk food can seriously decrease the usual flow of nutrients to the brain, making it less capable of processing all the stimuli and emotions involved in sexual activity. In short, the lack of nutrients can dampen someone’s ability to enjoy sexual intercourse.
Moving a little lower, it makes sense that sexual health is connected to the overall state of the circulatory system. Blood circulation is necessary not only for the proper functioning of internal organs but also for ensuring the functions of the male and female reproductive organs. So, if the heart or the blood vessels are in poor condition, it also has a detrimental effect on the body’s ability to perform properly during sexual intercourse. Increased or improved blood flow helps increase the sensitivity to stimuli of the appropriate organs and heightens the level of physical endurance during intercourse.

For more specific help regarding food and sexual health, some might want to look into Nitric Oxide, which is not to be confused with Nitrous Oxide. Nitric Oxide (NO) is the substance found on the lining of the internal workings of male and female genitalia. Without it, men can’t obtain or sustain an erection (even with proper blood flow), while women are unable to become lubricated, regardless of what stimulation is put in there. Some doctors suggest that the ingestion of arginine, another substance which encourages the body to produce NO. Arginine helps improve circulation and sexual health. Arginine is typically found in walnuts, almonds, and salmon.

Antioxidants, particularly the ones that are chemically abundant in dark chocolate, also have positive effects on sexual performance and health. Antioxidants are linked to improved blood circulation, something that has already been mentioned as being beneficial to sex. Other good sources include tomatoes, spinach, garlic, red peppers, and red grapes. However, some point out that chocolate somehow also increases desire along with improving performance, likely because certain components in chocolate can improve circulation.

Most people would cast the notion of eating to improve sexual health and performance as a myth, much like how deodorants supposedly cause breast cancer. However, the medical reality is that some foods can improve the systems of the body that are involved in sexual functions. For example, foods that improve circulation inevitably improve sexual endurance. I gotta go. Until next time… it’s Dr. Drai. Remember to download a FREE copy of my latest book “20 Things You May Not Know About The Vagina.” Just go here —>>> www.drdrai.com/vagina.