The risk of miscarriage more than doubles for women who take anti-inflammatory drugs, some of which are available over-the-counter, during early pregnancy, according to a new study.

Researchers report that any type or dosage of non-aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can increase the risk of miscarriage up to 2.4 times. These drugs include naproxen, ibuprofen, diclofenac and celecoxib.

Canadian researchers looked at nearly 5000 cases of miscarriage, which included 352 women who took non-aspirin NSAIDs.

Compared to women who did not take NSAIDs during early pregnancy, the women who did take NSAIDs alone or in combination were 2.4 times more likely to spontaneously miscarry.

The highest risk was associated with diclofenac alone and the lowest risk was associated with rofecoxib alone. Dosage did not appear to affect risk.

Prior research has found that taking non-aspirin NSAIDs during pregnancy can increase the risk of major congenital deformations.

“Non-aspirin NSAIDs should be used with caution during pregnancy,” the study researchers recommended.

The study was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

In the news, we’ve seen the rise of a number of products that produce ‘legal highs’, such as bath salts, salvia and various drug substitutes.  Many of these products are readily available on the internet and hard to regulate.

A new study from the United Kingdom, however, warns buyers to exercise caution.  After testing tablets bought from different websites, a researcher has found that many of the drugs sold as legal highs on the internet do not contain the ingredients they claim.

“It is clear that consumers are buying products that they think contain specific substances, but that in reality the labels are unreliable indicators of the actual contents,” said Dr. Mark Baron, who works in the School of Natural and Applied Sciences at the University of Lincoln, UK, in a press release.

Baron warned that consumers need to be aware that they have no idea what they really ingesting when they buy drugs off the internet and that some of the products could contain illegal substances.

“The product name cannot be used as an indication of what it contains as there is variation in the content of the same product name between different internet sites,” Baron said.

“No guidelines exist as to what is sold and in what purity and consumers are led to believe that purchased goods are entirely legal,” he added.

Legal highs are typically marketed as research chemicals, bath salts or plant food and are easily purchased off the internet.  Though governments try to regulate or ban the sales, suppliers seem to be one step ahead: As soon as one product is banned, a new one without restriction is offered.

For the study, Baron bought MDAI, 5-IAI, Benzo Fury and NRG-3 and two MDA-labelled samples from various websites. Six out of seven products did not contain the advertised active ingredient.

More disturbingly, five of the samples contained the controlled substances benzylpiperazine, which can cause psychosis and seizures, and trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine or “Legal X”.  Possession of these substances has been outlawed in a number of countries, including the United States.

“These findings show that the legal high market is providing a route to supply banned substances,” said Baron.

The study was published in the journal Drug Testing and Analysis.

An unhealthy lifestyle could put men at risk for sexual dysfunction, according to a new study.

Several factors associated with an unhealthy lifestyle, such as weight problems, physical inactivity, high alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking and hard drugs appear to be associated with sexual dysfunctions.

Additionally, unhealthy lifestyles are more common among persons who are sexually inactive.

Danish researchers analyzed survey data from over 5,500 men and women to study the association between lifestyle factors, sexual inactivity and sexual dysfunction.

They found that unhealthy lifesty factors are associated with an increased risk of sexual inactivity by up to 78 percent in men and 91 percent in women.

Meanwhile, the risk of experiencing sexual dysfunction was up to 71 percent greater in overweight men, and more than 800 percent greater in men who used hard drugs.

The researchers also found that women who used hashish had a risk nearly three times greater of anorgasmia – not being able to reach climax during sexual activity – than non-hashish users.

“Hopefully our findings can be used in future counseling of patients with unhealthy lifestyles,” said lead researcher Professor Morten Frisch, MD, PhD, DSc, of Statens Serum Institute. “Knowing about possible negative consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle to one’s sexual health may help people quit smoking, consume less alcohol, exercise more, and lose weight.”

The study was published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

A single dose of a hallucinogen called psilocybin, the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms,” is enough to cause a significant personality change lasting at least a year, according to new research.

Nearly 60 percent of participants in a small study experienced long-term change in their personalities as a result of taking the hallucinogen.

The trait that was affected is known as “openness,” which is related to imagination, feelings, abstract ideas and general broad-mindedness.

The personality changes observed were larger in magnitude than changes typically observed in healthy adults over a period of decades.

Researchers in the field say that after the age of 30, personality doesn’t usually change significantly.

“Normally, if anything, openness tends to decrease as people get older,” said study leader Roland Griffiths, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The participants in the study took a personality test and received either a moderate or high dose of psilocybin. Their personalities were then assessed multiple times in the year following.

Those who received the high dosage showed significant changes in personality, according to standardized personality tests.

Griffiths said he believes the mental changes found in the study are likely permanent since they were sustained for over a year.

Other personality traits, such as neuroticism, extroversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness, did not change in the course of the study.

The research was published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

It used to be called impotence. But thanks to the proliferation of drug industry advertisements that now threaten to overwhelm our television programs, today we know it as erectile dysfunction, or, more discreetly, simply as E.D. Whatever you want to call it, though, it’s the man’s inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient to satisfy him or his partner during intercourse.

When it occurs in young men, it’s usually just a matter of momentary anxiety. In middle-aged men, it’s often caused by stress, guilt, or overwork. In fact, most men experience it at some point in their lives by age forty, though usually only briefly, and they are not psychologically affected by it.

But it gets more common with age, and for some men – as many as 30 million of them according to the drug companies – it occurs frequently and causes serious emotional and relationship problems.

In many cases, E.D. is due to the deterioration of the blood vessels that carry blood into the penis. A host of things can cause this deterioration, including nicotine, which narrows the blood vessels, excessive alcohol, and certain prescription drugs, notably antidepressants. Some physical problems can contribute to the deterioration, too, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.

If you have difficulty getting an erection, get help. Discuss it with your partner, and consult your doctor, who will help you find the cause of your E.D. Treatment will, of course, depend on the cause. Though there are a number of mechanical devices that can help men get a better erection, including splints, rings, and pumps, it’s the E.D. drugs that have revolutionized the treatment of this problem. They work well for most men, and if one drug doesn’t work for you, try one of the others – but always work with a doctor’s guidance since the drugs can have significant side effects.

Time for your angst-ridden teen to lighten up: New research suggests that people who are happy and positive during their teenage years have better general health as adults.

The study, conducted by Northwestern University researchers, also found that positive teens had a reduced risk of engaging in unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, binge drinking, using drugs and eating unhealthy foods.

“Our study shows that promoting and nurturing positive well-being during the teenage years may be a promising way to improve long-term health,” said study author and doctoral student Lindsay Till Hoyt.

Researchers analyzed data collected from more than 10,000 young people on questions regarding physical and emotional health and well-being.  They followed the participants from their teenage years to young adulthood.

“Our results show that positive well-being during adolescence is significantly associated with reporting excellent health in young adulthood,” said Emma K. Adam, co-author and associate professor at Northwestern University.

The results may shape future health intervention programs for at-risk teenagers, the researchers say.  Currently, such programs are problem-focused, but in the future they may move toward targeting the teen’s psychological well-being.

The study was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.