Gay Men's Health

Men's Wellness Discussion Group

Recognizing that men's and women's health issues are unique has become a recognized fact in medicine in the recent past. With this in mind, and feeling at a bit of a loss sometimes in BC's health care system, a group of men in the Comox Valley began a Men's Wellness Discussion Group in January.

While many thoughts and ideas were brought forward at the first meetings of these self-directed sessions, the group has chosen to begin compiling a list of health care professionals between Parksville and Campbell River as its first project. A simple survey has been developed and will be sent to medical and health care professionals in the near future. Among other questions, health care providers are being asked if they are accepting new patients, if they have a specialty of any type and if they consider their practice to be gay friendly. Once the surveys are back, the information will be compiled on a database and will be available for anyone in the region who would like to access the list.

"Almost One in 10 Straight Men on the ‘Down-Low,’ Study Finds"
Philadelphia Inquirer, (09.19.2006) Dawn Fallik
A 2003 random telephone survey sample of 4,193 male New York City residents found a high proportion of men self-identifying as heterosexual nevertheless also reporting sex with men. The study is a wake-up call for doctors not to make assumptions about their patients' sexual behavior, or rely upon self-reported identities, but rather to focus on behavior, said researchers.

The annual New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (MHH) survey found the majority of heterosexual-identifying men who have sex with men (MSM) did not use condoms, and 70 percent were married. Most heterosexual-identifying MSM were racial and ethnic minorities or foreign-born persons.

"We found that those who identified as straight but had sex with men were also less likely to be HIV tested within the last year and less likely to use a condom" than men who identified as gay, said Preeti Pathela, an MHH research scientist.

Gay, Bi and Transgender Guys Chat n' Chew, Courtenay

A monthly social nite for guys in and around the Comox Valley.

Location
Cloves Bistro 307 B 14th Street at Cliffe in Courtenay
7-9 The 3rd Thursday of every month

call 1 866 277 9055 for more info

BC Centre for Disease Control is saying:

Hey guys the meningitis outbreak isn't over yet! Gay men in BC are still getting sick. The meningitis bacteria is spread through saliva, especially when sharing joints. You can also get it by sharing smokes, drinks, water bottles and by kissing.

The vaccination is safe and effective, but best of all it's free for gay men! So if you haven't been poked already, you probably should soon! Call for an appointment at the Cook Street Health Unit 388-2225.

From GAy.com

Drug use is biggest single cause of HIV transmission in gay men
Gus Cairns
Using recreational drugs such as poppers, cocaine and crystal meth is the biggest single contributory factor to continued HIV transmission between gay men, the 12th Retrovirus Conference was told.

Grant Colfax of the San Francisco Department of Public Health told the conference that using crystal raised the risk of unsafe sex two to three times, and the risk of HIV infection by 60 percent.

Being "bottom" during unprotected anal sex raised the risk of infection by nearly 300 percent. But because taking drugs during sex was more common than getting penetrated bareback, the "attributable fraction" of HIV cases due to drug use (that is, the contribution drug use made to HIV transmission) was 29 percent, beating passive barebacking by 1 percent.

On the surface, Colfax admitted, it was puzzling that using a drug was even more risky than doing what you'd think would be the riskiest thing.

Researchers at the US National Cancer Institute have published a study that suggests the more orgasms a man has, the more likely he is to be protected from prostate cancer - a health risk facing many men as they age.

"We were quite surprised by the results," Dr Michael Leitzmann told Canada's Globe and Mail, noting earlier studies found frequent sex increased the risk of prostate cancer.

Over the course of eight years, researchers followed 29,342 men, aged 46-81. Those who enjoyed 21 or more ejaculations each month were 33 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer than men who only experienced four to seven ejaculations during the same time.

Dr Leitzmann, who published the findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association, admits 21 ejaculations is a "high number" and cautioned the figure is based on a number averaged over a lifetime.

Researchers are now looking for theories on why frequent ejaculation is so beneficial.

One theory is that it cleans out potentially harmful cancer-causing chemicals that obstruct some of the ducts used to produce the fluid that is a component of semen.

Rare Infection Spreading Among Gay Men
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Posted: October 28, 2004 8:05 pm ET

(Atlanta, Georgia) Most gay men have never heard of Lymphogranuloma venereum, or LGV, but it is spreading in gay communities across Europe and the Centers for Disease Control warns it is heading to North America.

LGV is usually associated with chlamydia but the CDC said that this new strain, showing up in men who have sex with men, is marked by gastrointestinal bleeding, inflammation of the rectum and colon, genital ulcers, swollen lymph glands, and flu-like symptoms.

Cases have been reported in The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Sweden and the UK. In The Netherlands, heath authorities have reported 92 cases of LGV in the past 12 months. The country usually sees fewer than five cases per year.

Complicating the situation is general ignorance of the disease in the medical community because it is uncommon in industrialized nations and easily misdiagnosed.

Many of those diagnosed in Europe, the CDC said, were gay men who had engaged in risky sex.

I'm writing to let you all know about an exciting leadership and
training opportunity in gay mens' health. We are all considerably
affected by the quality of our social and political environments,
something that gay men can't afford to be indifferent about.

We have
particular concerns when it comes to health and wellness, and it is
our responsibility to make sure we give voice to them. Many people
have worked persistently to bring gay health onto the agenda, and
now that the chance has been given to us, we need to step up to the
challenge.

Totally Outright is a new Vancouver-based program that aims to
create a corps of well-informed, sex savvy young men who can
communicate with a wide range of other players towards building a
society in which gay health is assured.

We are looking for motivated
gay men between the ages of 18 and 26 who can commit to two weekend
training seminars on January 29-30th, and Feburary 12-13th. There is
no cost to participate! You'll meet other guys who share your
interests, and you'll learn from some of the top leaders in the
field.

Male Escorts Educate Clients About Safe Sex,
According to Hunter Professor's Study

October 20, 2004 (New York, NY) - According to a study published by
Hunter College Psychology professor Jeffrey T. Parsons in the journal
AIDS Care, male escorts who solicit sex on the Internet have adopted
the role of safe-sex educators with their clients.

Parsons, who is the Director of Hunter's Center for HIV/AIDS
Educational Studies and Training (CHEST), initiated this study, "The
Classified Project" in 2000, along with co-authors Juline Koken and
David Bimbi, doctoral students in social personality psychology at
the CUNY Graduate Center. The research team interviewed 46 gay and
bisexual male escorts about their personal lives and sexual behavior
with clients.

"We were concerned with the stereotypes surrounding male sex workers,
since a lot of publications attribute the spread of HIV to them,"
said Parsons. "Many of those studies were conducted with male sex
workers on the streets, so we looked at the increase in Internet-

Sex Positive Launch Party

BC Persons With AIDS Society

HIV-positive gay men will soon have at their fingertips an innovative, West End focused, “Sex Positive” booklet containing sexual health information.

It uniquely combines erotica and fundamental prevention messaging, including the importance of engaging in safer sex, risk reduction tips, disclosure and negotiation techniques, recreational drug use and safety tips, community service and resources, a map of locations to meet other sexually active men, and an attached condom.

The BC Persons With AIDS Society invites those interested in prevention and risk reduction issues to a launch party for the Sex Positive booklet. Come on down to the PumpJack Pub on October 28 from 4 -7 pm and enjoy music, free food, exciting door prizes and special guests including Mr. BC Leather, Rob Kohl.

For more information, please call 604.893.2225 or email prevention@bcpwa.org.