January 10, 2000
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 09:28:56 -0800 (PST)
From: "drDrew.com" mail@drDrew.com
To: "drDrew.com Newsletter" mailinglist@drDrew.com
Subject: drDrew.coms Weekly Dose - January 10, 2000
THE OFFICIAL DRDREW.COM NEWSLETTER
January 10, 2000
drDrew.com Get it every day
****************************************
IN THIS WEEK'S NEWSLETTER:
****************************************
* Chat with Drew and our medical staff!
* The drDrew.com Show
* What's New on drDrew.com
* Bonus Q&A with Drew
**********************************************************************
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM DR. DREW AND DRDREW.COM
**********************************************************************
Dear Member,
A few weeks ago, we had to take out the old forums from our site
because we were working on making them better and easier to use. Everyone at
drDrew.com would like to apologize for having to take down all the
wonderful conversations you all were having with each other in this
area, as I know there was a lot of great dialog going on in there. I hope you
are happy with the end result, though, which is that we have faster,
easier to use forums where you can either post ideas and questions in
existing forums or create your own forum. I am really excited about
this new addition to our site and I encourage you all to use the forums as a
place to learn from each others' experiences.
Stay Well,
Dr. Drew
********************************************************
Like what you see on the site and in the newsletter? Tell your friends
to
register at http://www.drdrew.com/user/register.html
********************************************************
***************************************
THIS WEEK WITH DR. DREW:
***************************************
************************************************************
*CHAT WITH DREW AND THE DRDREW.COM ADVICE STAFF!
************************************************************
*This week, you can chat with Dr. Drew and other medical experts on our
staff in the drDrew.com chat rooms.
* DR. DREW will be chatting on Monday and Wednesday before the
drDrew.com show. He will be in the Relationships chat room from 7pm PST until
right before the show starts at 7:30pm PST. All you have to do to chat with
him is sign in at http://www.drdrew.com/user/signin.html and go to the relationships chat at http://www.drdrew.com/chat/index.html.
* Our Health Editor, DR. TIM Cruz, MD, "Dr. Tim" will also be taking
your questions in the relationships chat room on Tuesday at 6pm PST.
* drDrew.com's resident diet and fitness expert, ELIZABETH Kozitza MPH,
RD and special guest Linda Sherman PsyD, MFCC, RD an expert in nutrition
and fitness, will be answering your questions on eating well and staying in
shape on Thursday 5pm PST in the diet/nutrition chat room.
**********************************
THE DRDREW.COM SHOW
**********************************
* The drDrew.com Show is back to two days a week!
Watch it Mondays and Wednesdays at 7:30pm PST 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.
* Chat with your buddies during the show as well in our new and
improved
chat area! http://www.drdrew.com/chat/index.html
* Stay tuned for upcoming shows with Warren G. on Wed., January 12th,
Tommy Lee on Wednesday, January 19th and B-Real of Cypress Hill on
Monday, January 31st
***************************************************************
HEALTHBRIEFS: HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE ISSUES THAT MATTER
http://www.drdrew.com/office/index.html
****************************************************************
* Tuesday: Herbs: Are there natural ways to ease stress, burn fat, and
improve your sex life? We'll give you the facts and dispel the myths
about gingko biloba, Ma Huang, and other popular pills and potions.
* Thursday: New Year Resolutions: Put down that donut and read
drDrew.com's tips on sticking to those Y2K resolutions.
***********************************************************************
QUESTION OF THE DAY (http://www.drdrew.com/office/qotd.html)
ASK DR. DREW YOUR QUESTION at http://www.drdrew.com/office/askqotd.html
***********************************************************************
* Today: What do inhalants do to the brain?
* Tuesday: Are his invisible genital warts still contagious?
* Wednesday: Do I need to request specific tests for STDs?
* Thursday: Should I be taking a multivitamin?
* Friday: Why am I bored after an orgasm?
Scroll down for more Q & A!
*********************************************************************
PERSONALITIES: STRAIGHT TALK FROM THE STARS
http://www.drdrew.com/profiles/index.html
*********************************************************************
* Monday: Actress Angelina Jolie talks about being institutionalized in
"Girl, Interrupted."
* Incubus talks to drDrew.com from their national SnoCore tour.
* Friday: Actress Shannon Elizabeth tells what it was like to take it
all off in "American Pie."
******************************************
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
******************************************
QUESTION:
I'm an 18-year-old girl who went to a private school for eight years
and was taught that premarital sex and homosexuality were bad. Well, now
I'm contemplating both of these things. My two best friends are girls, and
they want me to be part of their relationship. Although I love both of
them and want to join them, I don't know if I'll be able to handle the
guilt. Can you help me figure out what to do?
DR. DREW:
Given your doubts about being sexually active, particularly with a
same-sex partner, I don't think participating in a threesome would be
wise. Regardless of their sexuality, your friends don't seem to be
interested in real intimacy, and getting involved in a purely physical
three-way will probably add to your confusion and feelings of guilt.
You need to seek out a single partner whom you feel genuinely connected to
and capable of growing in the relationship with.
Unfortunately, we aren't effectively taught as young people to
distinguish between healthy and unhealthy sex in this country. Basically, choosing
to have sex with someone as an expression of love, intimacy and commitment
to growing closer is healthy. Unhealthy sex tends to be a way to escape
unpleasant feelings by feeling better in the moment. I think your
ambivalence about the proposition is telling you that this would be an
unhealthy decision for you.
QUESTION:
I've heard you talk about how bad LSD is, but I can't seem to find any
information about the dangers of long-term use. What are some of the
potential side effects?
DR. DREW:
There is no single source of information that outlines the long-term
problems associated with LSD exposure. However, in my clinical
experience-and I'm sure anyone who works in addiction medicine will
agree with me-even moderate exposure to LSD is associated with potentially
long-term mood disturbances. What's so frightening about LSD is that
for some, these mood problems develop 10 years after the exposure, and by
then treating the problem is extremely difficult. We've all heard about
flashbacks, where people spontaneously experience an LSD trip years
after they were exposed to it, but some users who take a large dose of LSD
may also experience what's called post-hallucinogenic perceptual disorder.
The person feels locked in to a dream-like state long after they should
have come down. It's extremely frightening for them, and they become
depressed and panicked, and often end up with long-standing mood disturbances
from that point on. Some of our members on drDrew.com have told us they have
subtle, permanent changes (like a haze) in their vision.
LSD is a highly potent drug that permanently alters the way your brain
functions. It happens in parts of your brain that aren't easy to
identify, but trust me on this-the changes have very serious consequences. From
what I've seen, after 30 to 50 hits of acid or one large dose, people cross
the threshold to long-term problems.
QUESTION:
I'm almost 21 years old and I have no facial hair. Is there any
medicine I can take for this? My lack of hair is affecting my social life.
DR. DREW:
As far as I'm aware of, there are no medications that would promote
facial hair growth. This is probably something you'll just have to learn to
deal with. It's very common for people from certain ethnic backgrounds to
have very little hair on the chest, neck and face. However, if you have not
developed secondary sexual characteristics, such as hair distribution
in your armpits and pubic area, you may be experiencing a delayed onset of
puberty. At your age, this is something you should see a doctor about.
Barring those problems, I have a hard time believing that something as
insignificant as facial hair would affect your social life-unless your
social life is suffering because you're making a big deal out of it.
This is probably the genetic hand you've been dealt, so the sooner you learn
to accept it, the better.
QUESTION:
I'm 14 years old and I have had these white bumps around the base of my
penis for about two years. They disappeared once when I was really sick
and on a lot of antibiotics, but they came back when I got off the
medication. What should I do about them?
DR. DREW:
It sounds like you're describing pearly penile papules, which are
normal growths that appear around the base of hair follicles. However, the
fact that they disappeared when you were taking antibiotics tells me these
bumps could also be infections of the sebaceous glands or, simply put,
pimple-like growths. These infections, like all others, respond to
antibiotics. None of this is unusual or needs to be treated by a
doctor, so you don't have to worry so much about them.
*************************
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.
*******************************************************************
MORE DRDREW.COM QUESTIONS COMING YOUR WAY NEXT WEEK
*******************************************************************
BE SURE TO TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS TO REGISTER AT WWW.DRDREW.COM
To unsubscribe: Send mail to lists@drDrew.com with "unsubscribe
mailinglist" in the body of the message.
