Florida Agenda

By SAM KNEW, MSW

Of all the things we do to stay healthy, one of the most overlooked preventatives in keeping the doctor away is right under our nose. How often you smile could have a direct impact on your biological and mental well-being. It may be surprising to you that when you smile, even a fake smile, you release endorphins. Endorphins are the transmitters in the brain that reduce pain, and feelings of anger and sadness. This chain reaction in mood has a serious biological benefit: increasing ones immune system, specifically in individuals with compromised immune systems.

Among our best natural defenses are little known lymphocyte (white blood) cells referred to as Natural Killer (NK) cells. These cells, in short, are the meanest, toughest little guys (or ladies) that can effectively destroy most viruses, including HIV and some types of cancers. Various studies even show that individuals with compromised immune systems and large amounts of NK cells systems have been able to postpone the use of medication treatment. And FYI: your mood makes all the difference in the number of NK cells you have. A Harvard study showed individuals with “good coping skills” and a positive outlook tended to produce three times as many active NK cells than those who were identified in a high-stress group.

One aspect that experts are quick to point out is that an individual who frequently functions in high stress keeps their immune system working over time. In effect, your body is busy coping with an increased heart rate, slowed adrenaline, digestion issues and loss of blood flow to major muscle groups. This fright or flight response (the body’s perception of threat or danger) can even have  long term effects, such as hair loss, obesity, diabetes, depression, tooth and gum disease, ulcers and (as it usually comes down to in this column) sexual dysfunction.

Sex and stress are definitely linked. Not only does stress contribute to a low sex drive physiologically, under stress the body releases cortisol, a hormone which inhibits other hormones such as testosterone – the principal male sex hormone. It is also responsible for healthy body development, such as retention of protein and tissue mass, which are especially vital to individuals with compromised immune systems. The good news is that it seems to work the other way around as well. Sex can  be a great stress reliever. Researchers found a correlation between sex and stimulated cell growth in the hippocampus of the brain. That’s the part of the brain primarily associated with long-term memory. In addition, a healthy sex drive can result in decreased blood pressure, and an increase of antibodies and endorphins, which can increase those NK cells. Not to mention, if done right – it should put that smile back on your face.

Sam Knew, MSW is an educator

Alex Vaughn

I get asked a lot if I am sure I am from England. When I ask why, I get a few different answers but I’d say one of the top three is always, ‘Well you have nice teeth; people in Britain don’t.’ Now I can say this confidently: I know A LOT of British people with very good teeth. I also have seen bad teeth there, too.

Since I have been coming to the US, I have admired the Million Dollar smiles you see on TV. Lately, however, I have seen more One Dollar smiles here, though I hadn’t given it a huge amount of thought until this weekend.

Picture the scene: Late Friday night, I had just gotten home from a wonderful dinner at Chez Max by my condo. I was getting ready for bed when suddenly I felt something crack, a sharp pain and my mouth was filled with what felt like grit. As I ran my tongue around, I realized I had broken a back tooth. I could feel the hole – it felt just like the Grand Canyon!

At nearly midnight, I called a friend who warned me going to the emergency dentist would cost a fortune. So, I waited till Saturday instead. I found a dentist and had a fairly painful crown and pin added (the tooth was fortunately not decayed, but the previous crown had collapsed). This was all fine and dandy until I was presented the bill. I had no choice but to ask if I was putting the deposit down on the lease of a Mercedes!

It was astronomical and I was sure I had been ripped off (how else could daylight robbery of that magnitude be accepted?). I paid the bill and left, feeling quite simply violated. After calling around to various people – and at one point being told ‘you got off lucky’ – I started to wonder how on earth are people expected to be able to remotely afford dental – or medical care, for that matter – without extortionate and multiple health insurance policies?

Over the last few weeks, a lot of people have written in with well-founded concerns and outrage regarding crippling medical costs of treatments and vaccines, which I understand; however, to have a relatively simple dental procedure cost so much really brought home to me the huge issue facing so many right here in the community.

I am now even more convinced there needs to be a lot more fight against the idea that only wealthy people should have access to decent medical care.

This not a new argument, and one that has very much shown America to be extremely different and, in many ways, inferior to vast parts of the globe, but nothing seems to have changed.

It is mind boggling that if you are unable to plonk down a couple of grand for something as remotely simple as a crown or you don’t have dental insurance, you can’t have it. This is not even getting into the potential short- and long-term costs for more serious medical treatments and procedures for cancer, which is more likely to affect gay men, HIV, HPV, kidney disease, coronary and respiratory diseases and a whole host of other medical concerns that, without a fully comprehensive medical policy, you simply won’t get access to the necessary and life-saving treatment immediately.

To be fair, the US has always had a private healthcare mentality; in the UK it is a luxury, not a necessity. Everyone knows this, so people should always save and have medical insurance. It should be a priority. It’s foolish not to, but as in any community and society there are people who simply can’t afford to. In that case there needs to be a real and serious commitment on a state-wideand local scale to help those in need.

Funding cuts to programs for the community is obviously not the answer, but it shouldn’t even have been considered an option. It will ultimately end up letting people die. Furthermore, in the case of dentists, people with teeth they can’t afford to fix will undoubtedly lose them. When that happens, they will be even less employable! It is just a fact: People look at teeth in the same way they look at nails as a benchmark for hygiene and personal maintenance. A winning smile wins you the job and many other things!

In the UK, the way dentists often work is their practices offer both private  and National Health Service dentistry. Getting your teeth worked on within the NHS is not free, but very inexpensive. The dentist is then reimbursed by the government up to what he would charge a private patient. This ensures pretty much no one loses.

In a community where there is, unfortunately, a great need for medical insurance and treatment, we need to be louder in our voices. We need to speak to our representatives and really stand strong. Everyone, no matter their sexual orientation, ethnicity or, most importantly, income level, must have medical and dental care.

That said, responsibility also lies at your door. If you have spare money, don’t spend it all living a hedonistic lifestyle, put it into a medical plan. No matter how well you live your life or how careful you are, cancer, heart attack, diabetes, strokes and so many more diseases do not discriminate and one day you may very well need an operation or treatment, and you need to have that safety net. That’s the extreme, it could be as simple as you might just come home one night and have a broken tooth … can you afford to get nailed?

Alex Vaughn is the Editor-in-Chief of the Florida Agenda. He can be reached at editor@FloridaAgenda.com