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Showing posts from July, 2022

A Consumer's Survival Guide For New Car Buyers

 My Uncle Julius was a wise man. He drove a taxi in New York City for more than 30 years and before I could even apply for a learner's permit he would caution me with these words, "When you buy a used car you're buying someone else's problem." How right he was! But financial considerations often dictated that a new car purchase was out of the question and Uncle Julius' admonition invariably proved true. Around 1973 I bought my first new car, a Dodge Dart Sport, painted taxicab yellow. I was a relatively inexperienced driver and wanted to be seen. More importantly I followed the findings in the April issue of Consumer Reports which gave that car its highest rating. It was great advice for the time. Ralph Nader's consumer campaigns for safer autos and quality built Japanese cars were emerging from their infancy while the Big Three auto makers reigned supreme. But even with CR's recommendation my Dodge was a dog mostly because of the inferior technology a

Depression and Thyroid Hormones

 If you are tired or depressed much of the time, your doctor should order blood tests for the two thyroid hormones called T3 and T4 and for the brain hormones called TSH and prolactin. If your TSH is high and your prolactin is normal, you are probably hypothyroid and need to take thyroid hormone to give you more energy and prevent heart and blood vessel damage. Doctors treat people with low thyroid function with thyroid pills called T4 (Levothroid, one brand name is Synthroid). Many doctors think that a person needs only T4 because the thyroid gland makes T4 and then it is converted to T3 in other tissues. However, some people become depressed when they take just T4 and their depression can be cured when they take both thyroid hormones, T3 and T4. When a depressed patient comes to me and is taking thyroid hormone, T4, I immediately order a blood test called TSH to check if he or she is getting the correct dose. If the TSH is normal, I reduce the dose of T4 by 50% and add a very low dos

Men and Sex Toys

 If the makers of family fortunes dared to say 'sex toys' as one of their word association questions - my guess is 'vibrators', 'dildos' and 'the rabbit' would be amongst people's top answers. You might ask what these toys have in common. Well these today's are all typically the choice toy of women, but it's not just ladies who are enjoying the wonderful world of sex toys. There are hundreds of products on the market designed to suite men's needs... Male penis pumps first appeared on the market promising to enhance the length of your penis, and a number of penis extenders and pumps aim not only to enhance girth but also hardness. Some models like the male edge range work by traction to help extend and thicken your penis. Modern designs like this don't need to be buried in the back of your closet, lightweight and in a stylish case this extender can be stored without embarrassment anywhere. Penis pumps are still a popular choice for men