Julie Lin and Gary C. Curhan
This study identified 3318 women participating in the Nurses' Health Study with data on soda intake and albuminuria
Results
Consumption of ≥2 servings per day of artificially sweetened (diet) soda was independently associated with eGFR decline ≥30% (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.36 to 3.01) and ≥3 ml/min per 1.73 m2 per year (OR 2.20, 95% CI 1.36 to 3.55). No increased risk for eGFR decline was observed for <2 servings per day of diet soda. No associations were noted between diet soda and MA or sugar soda and MA or eGFR decline.
Discussion
Our results did not confirm the previously reported association between sugar soda and albuminuria, but we report a novel finding that ≥2 servings per day of artificially sweetened soda was associated with faster kidney function decline.
The observed association between diet soda and faster kidney function decline was not an a priori hypothesis and may be subject to incomplete adjustment for confounding despite our efforts in constructing additional models that included nutrients, foods, and diet quality. We would also emphasize that causality cannot be established from an analysis of an observational cohort study, and that higher consumption of diet soda may be a marker of unmeasured characteristics that put women at higher risk for progressive kidney function decline.
However, if there is a causal association, we cannot determine if there is a specific type of artificial sweetener that may be associated with kidney function decline or even if it is an artificial sweetener or another ingredient in diet soda not found in sugar soda. Aspartame and saccharin were the primary artificial sweeteners used in carbonated low-calorie soft drinks in the 1980s and 1990s (The following popper user interface control may not be accessible. Tab to the next button to revert the control to an accessible version.Destroy user interface control29), which pertain to the years assessed by the FFQs used for the kidney function decline analyses.
In summary, ≥2 servings per day of artificially sweetened soda was significantly associated with faster kidney function decline in older women with preserved kidney function. In light of the documented increase in soft drink consumption across all age groups between 1977 and 2001 (The following popper user interface control may not be accessible. Tab to the next button to revert the control to an accessible version.Destroy user interface control32), this finding generates a new hypothesis about diet soda and renal decline and has potential important public health implications if further research can establish the generalizability of this finding in men and non-whites as well as a causal relationship between artificially sweetened soda and kidney function decline.
Conclusions
Consumption of ≥2 servings per day of artificially sweetened soda is associated with a 2-fold increased odds for kidney function decline in women.
Read the full publication at : http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3022238/
Medical Disclaimer
The content of this website is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended as, nor should it be considered a substitute for, professional medical or health care advice or treatment for any medical or health conditions. Do not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating any medical or health condition. If you have or suspect you have a medical problem or health issues, promptly consult your professional registered / licensed health care provider.
The information contained in this blog and related website should not be considered complete as it is presented in summary form only and intended to provide broad consumer understanding and knowledge of diet, health, fitness, nutrition, disease and treatment options.
Dr JPB Prinsloo is the oldest, most established homoeopathic practice in South Africa.
The practice, situated in Pretoria, was established in 1956.
To learn more about homeopathy, homeopathic treatment and the legal requirements for practising as a homeopath, visit:
http://www.biocura.co.za/
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Marijuana Compound Found Superior To Drugs For Alzheimer's
Could the active ingredient in marijuana, responsible for its characteristic "high," help turn the tide against the accelerating Alzheimer's epidemic?
A remarkable study published in the journal Molecular Pharmacology in 2006, found that this long vilified plant contains a compound with not one, but two therapeutic properties ideal for addressing both the surface symptom (memory problems) and root cause (brain plaque) of Alzheimer's disease. This is an ironic finding, considering that the prevailing stereotype is that using marijuana "fries" the brain, leading to debilitating memory issues.
Researchers discovered that the psychoactive component of marijuana, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), both "competitively inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) as well as prevents AChE-induced amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) aggregation."
On the first account, THC's ability to inhibit the AChE enzyme, is not unlike the mechanism of action behind most Alzheimer's drugs on the market today. Drugs like donepezil (trade name Aricept), for instance, by targeting and inhibiting the brain enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE), result in an increase in brain levels of this neurotransmitter, which in turn, results in symptom reduction, i.e. improved memory. Donepezil, however, is riddled with controversy due its well-known association with seizures, which likely reflects its intrinsic neurotoxicity. It is, in fact, a chemical in the same general chemical class as venom, insecticides and chemical war agents, such as nerve gas.
On the second account, THC's ability to prevent the acetylcholinesterase-associated amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) aggregation, i.e. brain plaque, indicates that it may, as the researchers noted, "directly impact Alzheimer's disease pathology." In fact, they found "Compared to currently approved drugs prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, THC is a considerably superior inhibitor of Aβ aggregation, and this study provides a previously unrecognized molecular mechanism through which cannabinoid molecules may directly impact the progression of this debilitating disease."
What is so encouraging about this research, and which the researchers described as "noteworthy," is the following:
THC, of course, is only one of a wide range of cannabinoids in the plant marijuana. Not only is there already plentiful information on the neuroprotective properties of marijuana compounds, but there is also a sizeable body of clinical and/or biomedical research indicating the medicinal value of this plant in over 150 health conditions. To view this research visit our Medical Marijuana Research page.
Source: Green Med Info
Medical Disclaimer
The content of this website is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended as, nor should it be considered a substitute for, professional medical or health care advice or treatment for any medical or health conditions. Do not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating any medical or health condition. If you have or suspect you have a medical problem or health issues, promptly consult your professional registered / licensed health care provider.
The information contained in this blog and related website should not be considered complete as it is presented in summary form only and intended to provide broad consumer understanding and knowledge of diet, health, fitness, nutrition, disease and treatment options.
Dr JPB Prinsloo is the oldest, most established homoeopathic practice in South Africa.
The practice, situated in Pretoria, was established in 1956.
To learn more about homeopathy, homeopathic treatment and the legal requirements for practising as a homeopath, visit:
http://www.biocura.co.za/
A remarkable study published in the journal Molecular Pharmacology in 2006, found that this long vilified plant contains a compound with not one, but two therapeutic properties ideal for addressing both the surface symptom (memory problems) and root cause (brain plaque) of Alzheimer's disease. This is an ironic finding, considering that the prevailing stereotype is that using marijuana "fries" the brain, leading to debilitating memory issues.
Researchers discovered that the psychoactive component of marijuana, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), both "competitively inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) as well as prevents AChE-induced amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) aggregation."
On the first account, THC's ability to inhibit the AChE enzyme, is not unlike the mechanism of action behind most Alzheimer's drugs on the market today. Drugs like donepezil (trade name Aricept), for instance, by targeting and inhibiting the brain enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE), result in an increase in brain levels of this neurotransmitter, which in turn, results in symptom reduction, i.e. improved memory. Donepezil, however, is riddled with controversy due its well-known association with seizures, which likely reflects its intrinsic neurotoxicity. It is, in fact, a chemical in the same general chemical class as venom, insecticides and chemical war agents, such as nerve gas.
On the second account, THC's ability to prevent the acetylcholinesterase-associated amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) aggregation, i.e. brain plaque, indicates that it may, as the researchers noted, "directly impact Alzheimer's disease pathology." In fact, they found "Compared to currently approved drugs prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, THC is a considerably superior inhibitor of Aβ aggregation, and this study provides a previously unrecognized molecular mechanism through which cannabinoid molecules may directly impact the progression of this debilitating disease."
What is so encouraging about this research, and which the researchers described as "noteworthy," is the following:
THC is a considerably more effective inhibitor of AChE-induced Aβ deposition than the approved drugs for Alzheimer's disease treatment, donepezil and tacrine, which reduced Aβ aggregation by only 22% and 7%, respectively, at twice the concentration used in our studies.7 Therefore, AChE inhibitors such as THC and its analogues may provide an improved therapeutic for Alzheimer's disease, augmenting acetylcholine levels by preventing neurotransmitter degradation and reducing Aβ aggregation, thereby simultaneously treating both the symptoms and progression of Alzheimer's disease.
THC, of course, is only one of a wide range of cannabinoids in the plant marijuana. Not only is there already plentiful information on the neuroprotective properties of marijuana compounds, but there is also a sizeable body of clinical and/or biomedical research indicating the medicinal value of this plant in over 150 health conditions. To view this research visit our Medical Marijuana Research page.
Source: Green Med Info
Related:
- The Data is Very Strong: Marijuana Plant Extract Stops Cancers From Spreading
- The Amazing Health Benefits of Juicing Raw Cannabis (Marijuana) Leaves
- The Importance of Drinking Rather Than Smoking Cannabis
- Study Shows Regular Marijuana Users May Be Skinnier with Better Blood Sugar Control
- The Cancer Industry EXPOSED! Ways to Prevent and CURE Cancer
- The Top Five Special Interest Groups Lobbying To Keep Marijuana Illegal
- Hemp Could Free Us From Oil, Prevent Deforestation, Cure Cancer and It's Environmentally Friendly - So Why Is It Illegal?
Medical Disclaimer
The content of this website is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended as, nor should it be considered a substitute for, professional medical or health care advice or treatment for any medical or health conditions. Do not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating any medical or health condition. If you have or suspect you have a medical problem or health issues, promptly consult your professional registered / licensed health care provider.
The information contained in this blog and related website should not be considered complete as it is presented in summary form only and intended to provide broad consumer understanding and knowledge of diet, health, fitness, nutrition, disease and treatment options.
Dr JPB Prinsloo is the oldest, most established homoeopathic practice in South Africa.
The practice, situated in Pretoria, was established in 1956.
To learn more about homeopathy, homeopathic treatment and the legal requirements for practising as a homeopath, visit:
http://www.biocura.co.za/
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
The Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet and its Role in Cancer Treatment
By Dr. Mercola
Story at-a-glance
A ketogenic diet calls for eliminating all but non-starchy vegetable carbohydrates, and replacing them with healthy fats and high quality protein.
The premise is that since cancer cells need glucose to thrive, and carbohydrates turn into glucose in your body, then lowering the glucose level in your blood though carb and protein restriction, literally starves the cancer cells into oblivion. Additionally, low protein intake tends to minimize the mTOR pathway that accelerates cell proliferation.
This type of diet, in which you restrict all but non-starchy vegetable carbs and replace them with low to moderate amounts of high quality protein and high amounts of beneficial fat, is what I recommend for everyone, whether you have cancer or not. It’s a diet that will help optimize your weight and all chronic degenerative disease. Eating this way will help you convert from carb burning mode to fat burning.
Dr. Thomas Seyfried is one of the leading pioneer academic researchers in promoting how to treat cancer nutritionally. He’s been teaching neurogenetics and neurochemistry as it relates to cancer treatment at Yale University and Boston College for the past 25 years.
He’s written over 150 peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters, and has also published a book, Cancer as a Metabolic Disease: On the Origin, Management, and Prevention of Cancer.
“We’re not going to make major advances in the management of cancer until it becomes recognized as a metabolic disease. But in order to do that, you have to present a massive counterargument against the gene theory of cancer,” he says.
“One of the key issues here is that if you transplant the nucleus of a cancer cell into a normal cell, you don’t get cancer cells. You can actually get normal tissues and sometimes a whole normal organism from the nucleus of a cancer cell. Now, if the tumors are being driven by driver genes – all these kinds of mutations and things that we hear about – how is it possible that all of this is changed when you place this cancer nucleus into the cytoplasm of a cell with normal mitochondria?
The gene theory cannot address this. It clearly argues strongly against the concept that genes are driving this process. Actually, a very few people inherit genes that predispose them to cancer. Most people inherit genes that prevent cancer. And those few genes that are inherited – the germ line like the BRCA1 mutations, B53, and a few other very rare cancers – these inherited mutations appear to disrupt the function of the mitochondria.”
“When we’re dealing with glucose and [cancer] management, we know from a large number of studies that if respiration of the tumor is ineffective, in order to survive, the cells must use an alternative source of energy, which is fermentation. We know that glucose is the primary fuel for fermentation. Fermentation becomes a primary energy-generating process in the tumor cell. By targeting the fuel for that process, we then have the capability of potentially managing the disease.”
To read the rest of this article click here
Medical Disclaimer
The content of this website is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended as, nor should it be considered a substitute for, professional medical or health care advice or treatment for any medical or health conditions. Do not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating any medical or health condition. If you have or suspect you have a medical problem or health issues, promptly consult your professional registered / licensed health care provider.
The information contained in this blog and related website should not be considered complete as it is presented in summary form only and intended to provide broad consumer understanding and knowledge of diet, health, fitness, nutrition, disease and treatment options.
Dr JPB Prinsloo is the oldest, most established homoeopathic practice in South Africa.
The practice, situated in Pretoria, was established in 1956.
To learn more about homeopathy, homeopathic treatment and the legal requirements for practising as a homeopath, visit:
http://www.biocura.co.za/
Story at-a-glance
- A ketogenic diet, which calls for minimizing carbohydrates and replacing them with healthy fats and moderate amounts of high quality protein, can offer hope against cancer, both for prevention and treatment
- Your normal cells have the metabolic flexibility to adapt from using glucose to using ketone bodies. Cancer cells lack this ability so when you reduce carbs to only non-starchy vegetables, you effectively starve the cancer
- Cancer can be more accurately classified as a mitochondrial metabolic disease. Few people inherit genes that predispose them to cancer (most inherit genes that prevent cancer), and inherited mutations typically disrupt the function of the mitochondria
- The mitochondria—the main power generators in your cells—are believed to be the central point in the origins of many cancers. Your mitochondria can be damaged not only by inherited mutations, but also by a wide variety of environmental factors and toxins
- Fasting has remarkable health benefits and strengthens your mitochondria network systems throughout your body. As long as your mitochondria remain healthy and functional, it’s very unlikely that cancer will develop
A ketogenic diet calls for eliminating all but non-starchy vegetable carbohydrates, and replacing them with healthy fats and high quality protein.
The premise is that since cancer cells need glucose to thrive, and carbohydrates turn into glucose in your body, then lowering the glucose level in your blood though carb and protein restriction, literally starves the cancer cells into oblivion. Additionally, low protein intake tends to minimize the mTOR pathway that accelerates cell proliferation.
This type of diet, in which you restrict all but non-starchy vegetable carbs and replace them with low to moderate amounts of high quality protein and high amounts of beneficial fat, is what I recommend for everyone, whether you have cancer or not. It’s a diet that will help optimize your weight and all chronic degenerative disease. Eating this way will help you convert from carb burning mode to fat burning.
Dr. Thomas Seyfried is one of the leading pioneer academic researchers in promoting how to treat cancer nutritionally. He’s been teaching neurogenetics and neurochemistry as it relates to cancer treatment at Yale University and Boston College for the past 25 years.
He’s written over 150 peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters, and has also published a book, Cancer as a Metabolic Disease: On the Origin, Management, and Prevention of Cancer.
“We’re not going to make major advances in the management of cancer until it becomes recognized as a metabolic disease. But in order to do that, you have to present a massive counterargument against the gene theory of cancer,” he says.
“One of the key issues here is that if you transplant the nucleus of a cancer cell into a normal cell, you don’t get cancer cells. You can actually get normal tissues and sometimes a whole normal organism from the nucleus of a cancer cell. Now, if the tumors are being driven by driver genes – all these kinds of mutations and things that we hear about – how is it possible that all of this is changed when you place this cancer nucleus into the cytoplasm of a cell with normal mitochondria?
The gene theory cannot address this. It clearly argues strongly against the concept that genes are driving this process. Actually, a very few people inherit genes that predispose them to cancer. Most people inherit genes that prevent cancer. And those few genes that are inherited – the germ line like the BRCA1 mutations, B53, and a few other very rare cancers – these inherited mutations appear to disrupt the function of the mitochondria.”
“When we’re dealing with glucose and [cancer] management, we know from a large number of studies that if respiration of the tumor is ineffective, in order to survive, the cells must use an alternative source of energy, which is fermentation. We know that glucose is the primary fuel for fermentation. Fermentation becomes a primary energy-generating process in the tumor cell. By targeting the fuel for that process, we then have the capability of potentially managing the disease.”
To read the rest of this article click here
Medical Disclaimer
The content of this website is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended as, nor should it be considered a substitute for, professional medical or health care advice or treatment for any medical or health conditions. Do not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating any medical or health condition. If you have or suspect you have a medical problem or health issues, promptly consult your professional registered / licensed health care provider.
The information contained in this blog and related website should not be considered complete as it is presented in summary form only and intended to provide broad consumer understanding and knowledge of diet, health, fitness, nutrition, disease and treatment options.
Dr JPB Prinsloo is the oldest, most established homoeopathic practice in South Africa.
The practice, situated in Pretoria, was established in 1956.
To learn more about homeopathy, homeopathic treatment and the legal requirements for practising as a homeopath, visit:
http://www.biocura.co.za/
How a small factory in Port Elizabeth conquered the world
By Ray Hartley
ACROSS the lake from the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth’s North End stands a factory that proves the conventional wisdom about South African manufacturing wrong.
The odds are stacked against the Eastern Cape. Years of government neglect have resulted in schools collapsing, the public health system plumbing the depths and roads deteriorating. An audit report last year showed that R9bn earmarked for education over the past nine years could not be accounted for. That is a billion a year “lost” by officials in South Africa’s least-competent bureaucracy.
None of this deterred Stephen Saad, CEO and a co-founder of the Aspen group, from creating a globally competitive business.
By going against the grain, he has over 15 years built one of the world’s premier pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in the heart of Port Elizabeth. In 1998, Aspen listed at R2.40. These days it trades around R190, giving it a market capitalisation of more than R80bn. This makes it one of South Africa’s top 40 companies by size.
You would expect to find Mr Saad presiding over his company’s global production, distribution and sales operations from one of Sandton’s gleaming towers. Instead, he works from a modest two-storey block in an office park in Umhlanga Ridge, north of the Durban CBD.
If you put aside the exclusive address, it is the sort of office that a start-up desktop publishing business might choose after landing its first big contract.
In the head office boardroom, Mr Saad is quick to smile, quick with a joke and easy to get along with. But the facade conceals a driven, even predatory mindset. Where others see obstacles, Mr Saad sees competitive advantage and opportunity.
“If you look at the world, if you look at Japan — it’s got nothing. It’s a tiny, resourceless place with too many people on it. If you look at Africa with all its resources and its size — 20% of the world’s land and 15% of its population — do we think we can’t compete with them?
“You’ve got to be very clear in life about where you are going. If you want to lead people, you need a vision. People need to know there is hope. But to have that vision, you’ve got to face your reality. You’ve got to say: ‘I’ve actually got no skills in South Africa, so what am I going to do? Do I give up or do I develop the skills?’” he said.
A graduate of Durban High School and the then University of Natal, Mr Saad trained as a chartered accountant. He entered the pharmaceutical business through Quickmed and began a journey of restless acquisition and expansion. Quickmed merged with Covan to form Zurich, which was sold for R75m in 1993.
He served out his restraint-of-trade period by transforming the lossmaking Varsity College. It sold for R100m. Then Mr Saad returned to pharmaceuticals with the launch of a new company.
He wanted to give it a name that spoke of the future. Mr Saad liked the association that his old company, Zurich, had with snow and skiing. He wanted to bring the same fresh, clean image to his new company. He decided to call it Aspen.
His first move was to buy the moribund SA Druggists business for R2.4bn in 1999, a move he describes as “the biggest risk we ever took”. The makers of the Lennon range of homely remedies, it was a dinosaur of the apartheid era.
The traditional saw-tooth roof of the Lennon factory still stands on the Aspen precinct in Nelson Mandela Bay, a reminder of more Dickensian times when production took place using antiquated equipment for a small local market.
It is dwarfed by two new state-of-the-art facilities, known to the Aspen management as Unit One and Unit Two, which were constructed to take Aspen from small local producer to fierce global competitor. Between them, they produce 10 billion tablets a year for the world market.
Both units meet the highest global production standards. In addition to accreditation by the local Medicines Control Council (MCC), it has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, the UK medicines control authorities and a raft of other global bodies.
The tablets and medicines Aspen produces will be sold in 150 countries across the globe.
How Port Elizabeth came to be home to one of the world’s premier drug-manufacturing facilities is a story Mr Saad relishes telling.
After acquiring SA Druggists, it was decision time. “What we inherited was something so antiquated and out of date that it would battle to pass an MCC inspection.”
The possibility of renaming the group after the Lennon line of products was tossed around and rejected with what can only be described as “Durban boykie logic”. In the post-communist world, the association with “Lenin” was old-fashioned and negative, Mr Saad said with a chuckle.
The real challenge was how to make Aspen globally competitive while building a reputation for quality, a non-negotiable in the pharmaceutical industry. Though it was possible to produce in South Africa at 20% to 30% cheaper than in Europe, the real threat came from the East.
Mr Saad made regular trips to India, visiting Hyderabad, Delhi and Bangalore. The numbers were intimidating. “It’s quite daunting at first when people say they make tablets at X dollars a thousand and I know I can’t even turn my machines on for that.”
The Indians were manufacturing at $3 or $4 a thousand and packing for an additional $3 or $4 a thousand. Mr Saad pointed out a little-known fact about pharmaceuticals: the packaging — blister packs, inserts, boxes and so on — costs about the same as making the tablets themselves.
“You’ve got to put a tablet into a blister pack, you’ve then got to seal that blister pack, you’ve then got to put a package insert around it, then you’ve got to put it in a box. And that’s where all the expensive machinery is.”
By contrast, making tablets is relatively simple: “You take a powder, you wet it, you dry it, you compress it.”
“When we compared ourselves with Asia, we were more than twice as expensive. It was a real, real problem for us. We had to come up with a model. It’s no use being half competitive — you don’t want to be stuck in no-man’s land.”
The answer lay in volume — Mr Saad did the maths. A facility scaled up to produce a billion tablets would still not be competitive. “We needed 10-billion tablets. At five billion or six billion, we break even. To do that, you had to mechanise, you had to build for much more capacity than you had,” he said.
Unit One and then later Unit Two were built with the capacity to grow rapidly. “We built a very big building. We put in one machine, another machine ...”
The genius of it was that the costs — of the buildings, of the installation of air conditioning and of the basic machinery — were sunk up front. After that, new lines could be introduced based on demand without requiring fresh infrastructure.
The end result was a highly mechanised and flexible facility that Aspen has been able to constantly expand. “We are still adding machines as we speak — each time we add another machine with seven operators. It’s not hugely labour-intensive any more.”
To accomplish this, Aspen needed to develop an organisation that could jump through the many hoops to meet stringent quality expectations, but remain agile and adaptive.
Mr Saad counts leadership as Aspen’s primary resource. “And,” he added, “there is a very big difference between management and leadership. Leadership means you have to roll up your sleeves and work.”
He paused. “I’m going to say something very controversial here. Corporate South Africa is just a huge disappointment to me. I think corporate South Africa is hugely overpaid. If you’ve got to run a restaurant to make a million bucks and these guys are making R20m — I’d like to see them run 20 restaurants successfully before they ask for the R20m.”
He cannot hide his contempt for bureaucracy. “Take our factory of 10-billion tablets. To compete with us, a multinational will have 10 factories with a billion tablets from each, split across all sorts of geographies. They will have regional managers, managers of the regional managers at central and a huge head office structure.”
Mr Saad’s disdain for corporate management comes from his time working the street. “I started from nothing — I’ve dealt with entrepreneurs, guys who trade, guys who sell bottles, guys who sell cardboard, and I’ve always been impressed by their level of entrepreneurship. The way they trade, they know their businesses and they feel passion.”
General manager Chris Stubbs leads the team managing Aspen’s Unit One and Unit Two facilities. Sitting with his leadership team in his very ordinary office on the factory premises, he projected an intensity which seems to infect those around him.
The production facility succeeds, he said, because managers work together. “We just don’t fight.”
Seated around the table were key members of his team: operations manager Branson Bosman, quality assurance manager Karien Dutton and demand and operations planning manager Janine Mauritz. It is their job to align factory output with the constantly changing demand for new medicines. In his office, bureaucracy is a swear word. “There’s no hifalutin MBA quadrant analysis. We do what’s in front of our face,” said Stubbs.
“I can’t run a structure out of power, I have to run it as a collective. Inside Aspen, while there is respect for authority, there is no respect for structure,” he said.
Later he points out that at the factory, there is no boardroom and, he adds, “there is no executive dining room — bring your sarmies”.
There is an acute awareness of the fierce competition they face. Each manager works towards defined targets, which they know as “the number” — the point at which their output meets or exceeds that required to stay ahead of the competition.
“The philosophy here at Aspen is: get the job done,” said Mr Bosman, who is disarmingly young for someone charged with running a major industrial operation. Stubbs added quickly “and don’t wait for a medal”.
What Mr Stubbs strives for is “getting a consistent drumbeat going”.
Operational since 2004, Unit One was purpose-built to produce tablets according to the drumbeat with the help of gravity.
On the building’s top floor, the powdered ingredients of the drugs are poured into huge stainless-steel containers, which are mated to steel-lined holes through to a lower level. There they are mixed with other powders, wet and transformed into granules before going through to the next floor, where they are compressed into tablets. From there they are moved to the packaging facility. It operates 24 hours a day, using three shifts.
Between each floor is a “hidden” floor where the heavy technology to maintain air purity and temperature and to mix the powder is housed. It is accessible only from the outside to keep the sterile production facility away from the tramping boots of maintenance workers. On the morning that I visited, the night’s output of 17-million tablets wa s awaiting transport from the facility.
The staff who run this hi-tech operation were locally recruited. They have to have at least a matric qualification, and other jobs require technikon or university certificates. To fill the gaps in education, Aspen embarks on intensive on-the-job training.
Mr Saad said the quality of graduates was declining. “There was always a gap between theory and the real world. What we are finding is that the gap is bigger than in the past. There are guys who can’t even put the machine on. They don’t even know where the on-button is.”
What the staff lack in high-level skills they make up for in critical thinking. “That’s where South Africa is very strong — the ability to make a plan,” said Mr Stubbs.
He encourages creativity at the factory. “They are not human robots. Eastern Cape people want constant improvement and change. There’s a lot of creative passion.”
Aspen’s level of technical competence has risen dramatically. Mr Stubbs recalled that managers used to attend international conferences with wide eyes. “Most of our managers hadn’t been to Joburg, never mind London.”
“It’s not an arrogance, but we don’t buk (bow) any more,” he said.
South African workers are often described as unproductive. It is something that annoys Mr Saad. “I think there is more of a problem with South African management than with South African labour.”
In his experience, workers, “if treated properly and managed properly”, can radically improve their productivity.
“There are plenty of ways of improving productivity other than asking people to work harder — improved mechanisation, improved processes. Engineers need to be thinking and then you need to manage the whole chain to improve productivity,” he said.
When Mr Saad bought the old SA Druggists operation, his first meeting was with the trade union representative. It was an eye-opener.
“He said something to me which I will never, ever forget, because it was so foreign to me. He said: ‘How could I possibly ask the workers to be more productive? If they are twice as productive, you will need half as many jobs.’”
Mr Saad could not duck the reality, telling him: “Yes, there will be job losses, but if we get it right, we will increase and grow our jobs.” If his plan worked, workers who were laid off would return to a more successful company. And, he promised, workers would become shareholders.
Workers were given shares when they were priced at R4 each. Their value has grown 50 times. When the share hit R30, the union made a wise decision, using its provident fund to buy more shares. “The share price went up, so the provident fund went up and they had this huge equity interest. They’ve got billions in the company.”
The constant focus on productivity has led to a doubling of the number of employees. And, said Mr Saad, they are well paid, somewhere between the high pay of Europe and the low pay of Asia. “The problem with low-cost labour is that it makes you inefficient, no matter where you are,” he said.
His state-of-the-art factory in place, Mr Saad’s next battle was to find a market for the 10 billion tablets a year needed to be globally competitive. Aspen had to build a global market for “generics” — medicines made using expired patents, which suffered from a bad reputation with consumers. “You couldn’t get into private hospitals — the specialists just wouldn’t use your product,” Mr Saad recalled.
To fill the manufacturing capacity, Aspen began acquiring brands. Its competitive production costs offered multinationals such as GlaxoSmithKline an opportunity to extend the life of some of their products.
“Our production was so good here that we could buy products, reduce the cost of goods, increase the competitiveness of the product. We were able to extend product life cycles — even grow products that were previously dying,” Mr Saad said.
The breakthrough came when Aspen began manufacturing in co-operation with global pharmaceutical companies. The ace up its sleeve was its investment in building a facility approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
When the US decided to invest billions in rolling out Aids drugs under its president’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief — known as Pepfar — Aspen was able to offer cost-effective production located in one of the countries most profoundly affected by the epidemic.
“That changed the perception of the business and it really drove our business growth in South Africa. We could go in to specialists and they could feel comfortable using our products. We became a one-stop shop,” said Mr Saad.
By 2006, Aspen had become the biggest supplier of antiretroviral drugs in Africa, concluding distribution deals with Merck, Sharp & Dohme, Bristol Myers Squibb, Roche and Tibotec.
“We are globally competitive with Asia. We are right up there. Multinationals see this — ‘Gee, what’s Aspen doing, it’s worth partnering them.’” Success becomes self-fulfilling,” said Mr Saad.
After buying and turning around the Australian drug company Sigma, Aspen was able to brag that the name of one of its products was written on one in five scripts in Australia, second only to South Africa. At home, one in four scripts is for an Aspen product.
Getting Australian doctors to give his products a hearing was a battle. Then came a stroke of genius — multinational companies were forcing their reps to retire at 60.
Aspen hired the retired reps and suddenly the company had a way into surgeries across Australia. Mr Saad explained the logic. “Now you tell me, no matter how pretty the 19-year-old rep is — who are you as the doctor going to see first?”
Mr Saad’s approach is relentless expansion. Aspen is now involved in talks with the global giant Merck, which Mr Saad was reluctant to comment on because of a cautionary notice. But the same approach of analysing “detail, detail, detail” is being taken.
He has learnt something else from his dealings with Brazil. “South Africans are small change in corruption relative to Latin America. Of course, corruption’s bad, but the biggest problem here is competence. Incompetence is a bigger risk to this country than corruption.”
But Mr Saad does not dwell on risks. He has shown how, even in one of South Africa’s most economically depressed regions, it is possible to build a world-class manufacturing business that creates jobs. He expects his staff to work hard and constantly improve productivity. But, he said, there must be a balance between work, family and relaxation.
“When do you know when you’ve got it? When you laugh and you laugh out loud. You don’t want to look back in 10 years’ time and ask, ‘What did I do all that for? Did I do it for money?’ There’s got to be more to it than that.”
• This article was first published in Sunday Times: Business Times
http://www.bdlive.co.za/business/healthcare/2013/06/16/how-a-small-factory-in-port-elizabeth-conquered-the-world
Medical Disclaimer
The content of this website is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended as, nor should it be considered a substitute for, professional medical or health care advice or treatment for any medical or health conditions. Do not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating any medical or health condition. If you have or suspect you have a medical problem or health issues, promptly consult your professional registered / licensed health care provider.
The information contained in this blog and related website should not be considered complete as it is presented in summary form only and intended to provide broad consumer understanding and knowledge of diet, health, fitness, nutrition, disease and treatment options.
Dr JPB Prinsloo is the oldest, most established homoeopathic practice in South Africa.
The practice, situated in Pretoria, was established in 1956.
To learn more about homeopathy, homeopathic treatment and the legal requirements for practising as a homeopath, visit:
http://www.biocura.co.za/
ACROSS the lake from the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth’s North End stands a factory that proves the conventional wisdom about South African manufacturing wrong.
The odds are stacked against the Eastern Cape. Years of government neglect have resulted in schools collapsing, the public health system plumbing the depths and roads deteriorating. An audit report last year showed that R9bn earmarked for education over the past nine years could not be accounted for. That is a billion a year “lost” by officials in South Africa’s least-competent bureaucracy.
None of this deterred Stephen Saad, CEO and a co-founder of the Aspen group, from creating a globally competitive business.
By going against the grain, he has over 15 years built one of the world’s premier pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in the heart of Port Elizabeth. In 1998, Aspen listed at R2.40. These days it trades around R190, giving it a market capitalisation of more than R80bn. This makes it one of South Africa’s top 40 companies by size.
You would expect to find Mr Saad presiding over his company’s global production, distribution and sales operations from one of Sandton’s gleaming towers. Instead, he works from a modest two-storey block in an office park in Umhlanga Ridge, north of the Durban CBD.
If you put aside the exclusive address, it is the sort of office that a start-up desktop publishing business might choose after landing its first big contract.
In the head office boardroom, Mr Saad is quick to smile, quick with a joke and easy to get along with. But the facade conceals a driven, even predatory mindset. Where others see obstacles, Mr Saad sees competitive advantage and opportunity.
“If you look at the world, if you look at Japan — it’s got nothing. It’s a tiny, resourceless place with too many people on it. If you look at Africa with all its resources and its size — 20% of the world’s land and 15% of its population — do we think we can’t compete with them?
“You’ve got to be very clear in life about where you are going. If you want to lead people, you need a vision. People need to know there is hope. But to have that vision, you’ve got to face your reality. You’ve got to say: ‘I’ve actually got no skills in South Africa, so what am I going to do? Do I give up or do I develop the skills?’” he said.
A graduate of Durban High School and the then University of Natal, Mr Saad trained as a chartered accountant. He entered the pharmaceutical business through Quickmed and began a journey of restless acquisition and expansion. Quickmed merged with Covan to form Zurich, which was sold for R75m in 1993.
He served out his restraint-of-trade period by transforming the lossmaking Varsity College. It sold for R100m. Then Mr Saad returned to pharmaceuticals with the launch of a new company.
He wanted to give it a name that spoke of the future. Mr Saad liked the association that his old company, Zurich, had with snow and skiing. He wanted to bring the same fresh, clean image to his new company. He decided to call it Aspen.
His first move was to buy the moribund SA Druggists business for R2.4bn in 1999, a move he describes as “the biggest risk we ever took”. The makers of the Lennon range of homely remedies, it was a dinosaur of the apartheid era.
The traditional saw-tooth roof of the Lennon factory still stands on the Aspen precinct in Nelson Mandela Bay, a reminder of more Dickensian times when production took place using antiquated equipment for a small local market.
It is dwarfed by two new state-of-the-art facilities, known to the Aspen management as Unit One and Unit Two, which were constructed to take Aspen from small local producer to fierce global competitor. Between them, they produce 10 billion tablets a year for the world market.
Both units meet the highest global production standards. In addition to accreditation by the local Medicines Control Council (MCC), it has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, the UK medicines control authorities and a raft of other global bodies.
The tablets and medicines Aspen produces will be sold in 150 countries across the globe.
How Port Elizabeth came to be home to one of the world’s premier drug-manufacturing facilities is a story Mr Saad relishes telling.
After acquiring SA Druggists, it was decision time. “What we inherited was something so antiquated and out of date that it would battle to pass an MCC inspection.”
The possibility of renaming the group after the Lennon line of products was tossed around and rejected with what can only be described as “Durban boykie logic”. In the post-communist world, the association with “Lenin” was old-fashioned and negative, Mr Saad said with a chuckle.
The real challenge was how to make Aspen globally competitive while building a reputation for quality, a non-negotiable in the pharmaceutical industry. Though it was possible to produce in South Africa at 20% to 30% cheaper than in Europe, the real threat came from the East.
Mr Saad made regular trips to India, visiting Hyderabad, Delhi and Bangalore. The numbers were intimidating. “It’s quite daunting at first when people say they make tablets at X dollars a thousand and I know I can’t even turn my machines on for that.”
The Indians were manufacturing at $3 or $4 a thousand and packing for an additional $3 or $4 a thousand. Mr Saad pointed out a little-known fact about pharmaceuticals: the packaging — blister packs, inserts, boxes and so on — costs about the same as making the tablets themselves.
“You’ve got to put a tablet into a blister pack, you’ve then got to seal that blister pack, you’ve then got to put a package insert around it, then you’ve got to put it in a box. And that’s where all the expensive machinery is.”
By contrast, making tablets is relatively simple: “You take a powder, you wet it, you dry it, you compress it.”
“When we compared ourselves with Asia, we were more than twice as expensive. It was a real, real problem for us. We had to come up with a model. It’s no use being half competitive — you don’t want to be stuck in no-man’s land.”
The answer lay in volume — Mr Saad did the maths. A facility scaled up to produce a billion tablets would still not be competitive. “We needed 10-billion tablets. At five billion or six billion, we break even. To do that, you had to mechanise, you had to build for much more capacity than you had,” he said.
Unit One and then later Unit Two were built with the capacity to grow rapidly. “We built a very big building. We put in one machine, another machine ...”
The genius of it was that the costs — of the buildings, of the installation of air conditioning and of the basic machinery — were sunk up front. After that, new lines could be introduced based on demand without requiring fresh infrastructure.
The end result was a highly mechanised and flexible facility that Aspen has been able to constantly expand. “We are still adding machines as we speak — each time we add another machine with seven operators. It’s not hugely labour-intensive any more.”
To accomplish this, Aspen needed to develop an organisation that could jump through the many hoops to meet stringent quality expectations, but remain agile and adaptive.
Mr Saad counts leadership as Aspen’s primary resource. “And,” he added, “there is a very big difference between management and leadership. Leadership means you have to roll up your sleeves and work.”
He paused. “I’m going to say something very controversial here. Corporate South Africa is just a huge disappointment to me. I think corporate South Africa is hugely overpaid. If you’ve got to run a restaurant to make a million bucks and these guys are making R20m — I’d like to see them run 20 restaurants successfully before they ask for the R20m.”
He cannot hide his contempt for bureaucracy. “Take our factory of 10-billion tablets. To compete with us, a multinational will have 10 factories with a billion tablets from each, split across all sorts of geographies. They will have regional managers, managers of the regional managers at central and a huge head office structure.”
Mr Saad’s disdain for corporate management comes from his time working the street. “I started from nothing — I’ve dealt with entrepreneurs, guys who trade, guys who sell bottles, guys who sell cardboard, and I’ve always been impressed by their level of entrepreneurship. The way they trade, they know their businesses and they feel passion.”
General manager Chris Stubbs leads the team managing Aspen’s Unit One and Unit Two facilities. Sitting with his leadership team in his very ordinary office on the factory premises, he projected an intensity which seems to infect those around him.
The production facility succeeds, he said, because managers work together. “We just don’t fight.”
Seated around the table were key members of his team: operations manager Branson Bosman, quality assurance manager Karien Dutton and demand and operations planning manager Janine Mauritz. It is their job to align factory output with the constantly changing demand for new medicines. In his office, bureaucracy is a swear word. “There’s no hifalutin MBA quadrant analysis. We do what’s in front of our face,” said Stubbs.
“I can’t run a structure out of power, I have to run it as a collective. Inside Aspen, while there is respect for authority, there is no respect for structure,” he said.
Later he points out that at the factory, there is no boardroom and, he adds, “there is no executive dining room — bring your sarmies”.
There is an acute awareness of the fierce competition they face. Each manager works towards defined targets, which they know as “the number” — the point at which their output meets or exceeds that required to stay ahead of the competition.
“The philosophy here at Aspen is: get the job done,” said Mr Bosman, who is disarmingly young for someone charged with running a major industrial operation. Stubbs added quickly “and don’t wait for a medal”.
What Mr Stubbs strives for is “getting a consistent drumbeat going”.
Operational since 2004, Unit One was purpose-built to produce tablets according to the drumbeat with the help of gravity.
On the building’s top floor, the powdered ingredients of the drugs are poured into huge stainless-steel containers, which are mated to steel-lined holes through to a lower level. There they are mixed with other powders, wet and transformed into granules before going through to the next floor, where they are compressed into tablets. From there they are moved to the packaging facility. It operates 24 hours a day, using three shifts.
Between each floor is a “hidden” floor where the heavy technology to maintain air purity and temperature and to mix the powder is housed. It is accessible only from the outside to keep the sterile production facility away from the tramping boots of maintenance workers. On the morning that I visited, the night’s output of 17-million tablets wa s awaiting transport from the facility.
The staff who run this hi-tech operation were locally recruited. They have to have at least a matric qualification, and other jobs require technikon or university certificates. To fill the gaps in education, Aspen embarks on intensive on-the-job training.
Mr Saad said the quality of graduates was declining. “There was always a gap between theory and the real world. What we are finding is that the gap is bigger than in the past. There are guys who can’t even put the machine on. They don’t even know where the on-button is.”
What the staff lack in high-level skills they make up for in critical thinking. “That’s where South Africa is very strong — the ability to make a plan,” said Mr Stubbs.
He encourages creativity at the factory. “They are not human robots. Eastern Cape people want constant improvement and change. There’s a lot of creative passion.”
Aspen’s level of technical competence has risen dramatically. Mr Stubbs recalled that managers used to attend international conferences with wide eyes. “Most of our managers hadn’t been to Joburg, never mind London.”
“It’s not an arrogance, but we don’t buk (bow) any more,” he said.
South African workers are often described as unproductive. It is something that annoys Mr Saad. “I think there is more of a problem with South African management than with South African labour.”
In his experience, workers, “if treated properly and managed properly”, can radically improve their productivity.
“There are plenty of ways of improving productivity other than asking people to work harder — improved mechanisation, improved processes. Engineers need to be thinking and then you need to manage the whole chain to improve productivity,” he said.
When Mr Saad bought the old SA Druggists operation, his first meeting was with the trade union representative. It was an eye-opener.
“He said something to me which I will never, ever forget, because it was so foreign to me. He said: ‘How could I possibly ask the workers to be more productive? If they are twice as productive, you will need half as many jobs.’”
Mr Saad could not duck the reality, telling him: “Yes, there will be job losses, but if we get it right, we will increase and grow our jobs.” If his plan worked, workers who were laid off would return to a more successful company. And, he promised, workers would become shareholders.
Workers were given shares when they were priced at R4 each. Their value has grown 50 times. When the share hit R30, the union made a wise decision, using its provident fund to buy more shares. “The share price went up, so the provident fund went up and they had this huge equity interest. They’ve got billions in the company.”
The constant focus on productivity has led to a doubling of the number of employees. And, said Mr Saad, they are well paid, somewhere between the high pay of Europe and the low pay of Asia. “The problem with low-cost labour is that it makes you inefficient, no matter where you are,” he said.
His state-of-the-art factory in place, Mr Saad’s next battle was to find a market for the 10 billion tablets a year needed to be globally competitive. Aspen had to build a global market for “generics” — medicines made using expired patents, which suffered from a bad reputation with consumers. “You couldn’t get into private hospitals — the specialists just wouldn’t use your product,” Mr Saad recalled.
To fill the manufacturing capacity, Aspen began acquiring brands. Its competitive production costs offered multinationals such as GlaxoSmithKline an opportunity to extend the life of some of their products.
“Our production was so good here that we could buy products, reduce the cost of goods, increase the competitiveness of the product. We were able to extend product life cycles — even grow products that were previously dying,” Mr Saad said.
The breakthrough came when Aspen began manufacturing in co-operation with global pharmaceutical companies. The ace up its sleeve was its investment in building a facility approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
When the US decided to invest billions in rolling out Aids drugs under its president’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief — known as Pepfar — Aspen was able to offer cost-effective production located in one of the countries most profoundly affected by the epidemic.
“That changed the perception of the business and it really drove our business growth in South Africa. We could go in to specialists and they could feel comfortable using our products. We became a one-stop shop,” said Mr Saad.
By 2006, Aspen had become the biggest supplier of antiretroviral drugs in Africa, concluding distribution deals with Merck, Sharp & Dohme, Bristol Myers Squibb, Roche and Tibotec.
“We are globally competitive with Asia. We are right up there. Multinationals see this — ‘Gee, what’s Aspen doing, it’s worth partnering them.’” Success becomes self-fulfilling,” said Mr Saad.
After buying and turning around the Australian drug company Sigma, Aspen was able to brag that the name of one of its products was written on one in five scripts in Australia, second only to South Africa. At home, one in four scripts is for an Aspen product.
Getting Australian doctors to give his products a hearing was a battle. Then came a stroke of genius — multinational companies were forcing their reps to retire at 60.
Aspen hired the retired reps and suddenly the company had a way into surgeries across Australia. Mr Saad explained the logic. “Now you tell me, no matter how pretty the 19-year-old rep is — who are you as the doctor going to see first?”
Mr Saad’s approach is relentless expansion. Aspen is now involved in talks with the global giant Merck, which Mr Saad was reluctant to comment on because of a cautionary notice. But the same approach of analysing “detail, detail, detail” is being taken.
He has learnt something else from his dealings with Brazil. “South Africans are small change in corruption relative to Latin America. Of course, corruption’s bad, but the biggest problem here is competence. Incompetence is a bigger risk to this country than corruption.”
But Mr Saad does not dwell on risks. He has shown how, even in one of South Africa’s most economically depressed regions, it is possible to build a world-class manufacturing business that creates jobs. He expects his staff to work hard and constantly improve productivity. But, he said, there must be a balance between work, family and relaxation.
“When do you know when you’ve got it? When you laugh and you laugh out loud. You don’t want to look back in 10 years’ time and ask, ‘What did I do all that for? Did I do it for money?’ There’s got to be more to it than that.”
• This article was first published in Sunday Times: Business Times
http://www.bdlive.co.za/business/healthcare/2013/06/16/how-a-small-factory-in-port-elizabeth-conquered-the-world
Medical Disclaimer
The content of this website is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended as, nor should it be considered a substitute for, professional medical or health care advice or treatment for any medical or health conditions. Do not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating any medical or health condition. If you have or suspect you have a medical problem or health issues, promptly consult your professional registered / licensed health care provider.
The information contained in this blog and related website should not be considered complete as it is presented in summary form only and intended to provide broad consumer understanding and knowledge of diet, health, fitness, nutrition, disease and treatment options.
Dr JPB Prinsloo is the oldest, most established homoeopathic practice in South Africa.
The practice, situated in Pretoria, was established in 1956.
To learn more about homeopathy, homeopathic treatment and the legal requirements for practising as a homeopath, visit:
http://www.biocura.co.za/
Sunday, 16 June 2013
6 Little-Known Facts About Nipples
Nipples are more interesting than one would think.
We all have nipples, those delightful little nubs. For many of us, they're actually what's called a secondary erogenous zone, especially for women, which means that stimulating them can send pleasurable feelings right down to the genitals. Even so, some of us are very sensitive and others find their nipples are an absolute no-go zone. Wherever you find yourself on the spectrum, we believe these curious nipple facts will thrill you. (Read about other, lesser-known erogenous zones in The 6 Most Underrated Erogenous Zones.)
Your Nipples Are Perfect
No two nipples are alike. That means that the two nipples on your body may not be a mirror image of each other. This is normal.
The larger outer ring is your areola. For some women, the areola is light pink. For others, it can be darker and range from red to brown. For some women the areola becomes darker when they’re sexually excited. As a result, some cultures have even been known to paint their nipples to darken them in the hope of inspiring passion in their mates.
Within the areola there can be little bumps. These bumps are the product of your Montgomery glands. These glands produce a protective, white, oily lubricant for the skin. This is also normal. Don’t squeeze those little bumps; they are there for a reason and opening them up can cause infection.
Females can grow hairs around their nipples. Our entire bodies are covered in fine, often almost invisible hair and sometimes a woman will have darker hairs that look almost like little eye lashes on the outer edge of the areola. These little hairs are more proof that you are normal.
Got Milk?
There are two features that are unique to mammals: our hair and our milk producing breasts. The scientific term for having nipples is mammillated.
Each nipple has about 15 to 20 tiny openings. Some connect to milk ducts and some to the Montgomery glands I mentioned. The little whitish bumps you're seeing let you know where some of these openings are.
Other animals, like goats and cows, have one reservoir called an udder. The milk discharges through an opening in the udder called a teat. Still more curious is the platypus. A platypus does not have nipples or teats. Her milk is secreted out of two round patches of skin on her belly. Weird, huh?
Headlights On
Erect nipples always draw our attention, although it is a misconception that erect nipples are an indication that a woman is sexually aroused. (In other words, just because she’s got erect nipples doesn’t necessarily mean she’s raring to go!) Nipples become erect for many reasons, some of which are not sexual in nature, like if you are cold, or if they get sensation from your clothing rubbing on them. And sometimes a woman’s nipples may not be erect even when she is sexually excited.
Innie vs. Outie
Inverted nipples are fairly common. Anywhere from 10 to 20 percent of all women have them. An inverted nipple is caused by shorter-than-usual milk-bearing ducts in the breast. Those ducts are attached to the nipple and, in these cases, prevent the nipple itself from projecting. So the nipple may lie flat or even push in a little rather than projecting out. Inverted nipples don’t pose any health risk, although they may be an obstacle to new mothers as they breast-feed.
The easiest way to check whether your nipples are inverted is to gently pinch behind one, around the edges of the areola. If the nipple protrudes, it is not inverted. If your nipple is inverted it will actually retract into the breast. If you have inverted nipples and are interested in correcting it, there are solutions. Gently rolling the nipple may do the trick. For pregnant women who need to correct inverted nipples for breastfeeding, check out a maternity shop for disks that attach to the nipples and are designed to be worn inside a bra. This simple device gently stretches the tissue and encourages the nipple to stand outward.
Evolutionary Awesomeness (or Trickery?)
Human females are the only mammals that develop breasts and nipples that remain full and prominent, despite the fact that they are not lactating. Every other mammal only experiences prominent development during pregnancy and lactation.
Scientists speculate that the human female’s full breasts and erect nipples are a product of evolutionary development as a species. For other mammals, large breasts would be a sign that the female is lactating and not ovulating, and is therefore unavailable for procreation. Human females have developed ways of disguising when they are and are not fertile in order to confuse male mates and appear to be sexually desirable even when they are not ovulating. But we're also one of the few species that has sex just for fun! (Did you know that humans also have a hidden erogenous zone? Find out where it is in Your Hidden Erogenous Zone.)
Triple Nipple
Every now and then, you'll come across someone with an extra nipple - it's not that uncommon! These "supernumerary" nipples are common in many species, including primates, rodents and ruminants. Guys have extra nipples more often than females; 1 in 18 males and 1 in about 50 females have extra nipples. And a very select numbers of people have as many five or six nipples. Extra nipples usually run down the abdomen, along the milk line, but they have also been found on other locations, like on a person’s foot.
Whether they're big and bouncy or cute and pert, breasts - and their nipples - have a lot in common. But they're also all a little bit different, and a little unique. That means you'll have a little exploring to do, both with yourself, and with any new partner.
Further reading
The 6 Most Underrated Erogenous Zones
Your Hidden Erogenous Zone
Source : http://www.alternet.org/sex-amp-relationships/breasts-nipples
We all have nipples, those delightful little nubs. For many of us, they're actually what's called a secondary erogenous zone, especially for women, which means that stimulating them can send pleasurable feelings right down to the genitals. Even so, some of us are very sensitive and others find their nipples are an absolute no-go zone. Wherever you find yourself on the spectrum, we believe these curious nipple facts will thrill you. (Read about other, lesser-known erogenous zones in The 6 Most Underrated Erogenous Zones.)
Your Nipples Are Perfect
No two nipples are alike. That means that the two nipples on your body may not be a mirror image of each other. This is normal.
The larger outer ring is your areola. For some women, the areola is light pink. For others, it can be darker and range from red to brown. For some women the areola becomes darker when they’re sexually excited. As a result, some cultures have even been known to paint their nipples to darken them in the hope of inspiring passion in their mates.
Within the areola there can be little bumps. These bumps are the product of your Montgomery glands. These glands produce a protective, white, oily lubricant for the skin. This is also normal. Don’t squeeze those little bumps; they are there for a reason and opening them up can cause infection.
Females can grow hairs around their nipples. Our entire bodies are covered in fine, often almost invisible hair and sometimes a woman will have darker hairs that look almost like little eye lashes on the outer edge of the areola. These little hairs are more proof that you are normal.
Got Milk?
There are two features that are unique to mammals: our hair and our milk producing breasts. The scientific term for having nipples is mammillated.
Each nipple has about 15 to 20 tiny openings. Some connect to milk ducts and some to the Montgomery glands I mentioned. The little whitish bumps you're seeing let you know where some of these openings are.
Other animals, like goats and cows, have one reservoir called an udder. The milk discharges through an opening in the udder called a teat. Still more curious is the platypus. A platypus does not have nipples or teats. Her milk is secreted out of two round patches of skin on her belly. Weird, huh?
Headlights On
Erect nipples always draw our attention, although it is a misconception that erect nipples are an indication that a woman is sexually aroused. (In other words, just because she’s got erect nipples doesn’t necessarily mean she’s raring to go!) Nipples become erect for many reasons, some of which are not sexual in nature, like if you are cold, or if they get sensation from your clothing rubbing on them. And sometimes a woman’s nipples may not be erect even when she is sexually excited.
Innie vs. Outie
Inverted nipples are fairly common. Anywhere from 10 to 20 percent of all women have them. An inverted nipple is caused by shorter-than-usual milk-bearing ducts in the breast. Those ducts are attached to the nipple and, in these cases, prevent the nipple itself from projecting. So the nipple may lie flat or even push in a little rather than projecting out. Inverted nipples don’t pose any health risk, although they may be an obstacle to new mothers as they breast-feed.
The easiest way to check whether your nipples are inverted is to gently pinch behind one, around the edges of the areola. If the nipple protrudes, it is not inverted. If your nipple is inverted it will actually retract into the breast. If you have inverted nipples and are interested in correcting it, there are solutions. Gently rolling the nipple may do the trick. For pregnant women who need to correct inverted nipples for breastfeeding, check out a maternity shop for disks that attach to the nipples and are designed to be worn inside a bra. This simple device gently stretches the tissue and encourages the nipple to stand outward.
Evolutionary Awesomeness (or Trickery?)
Human females are the only mammals that develop breasts and nipples that remain full and prominent, despite the fact that they are not lactating. Every other mammal only experiences prominent development during pregnancy and lactation.
Scientists speculate that the human female’s full breasts and erect nipples are a product of evolutionary development as a species. For other mammals, large breasts would be a sign that the female is lactating and not ovulating, and is therefore unavailable for procreation. Human females have developed ways of disguising when they are and are not fertile in order to confuse male mates and appear to be sexually desirable even when they are not ovulating. But we're also one of the few species that has sex just for fun! (Did you know that humans also have a hidden erogenous zone? Find out where it is in Your Hidden Erogenous Zone.)
Triple Nipple
Every now and then, you'll come across someone with an extra nipple - it's not that uncommon! These "supernumerary" nipples are common in many species, including primates, rodents and ruminants. Guys have extra nipples more often than females; 1 in 18 males and 1 in about 50 females have extra nipples. And a very select numbers of people have as many five or six nipples. Extra nipples usually run down the abdomen, along the milk line, but they have also been found on other locations, like on a person’s foot.
Whether they're big and bouncy or cute and pert, breasts - and their nipples - have a lot in common. But they're also all a little bit different, and a little unique. That means you'll have a little exploring to do, both with yourself, and with any new partner.
Further reading
The 6 Most Underrated Erogenous Zones
Your Hidden Erogenous Zone
Source : http://www.alternet.org/sex-amp-relationships/breasts-nipples
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)