Death by Earbuds

A lot has been made of the dangers of texting and driving and using technology while you’re driving or operating heavy machinery. But you might be surprised that distracted exercising can be just as dangerous as distracted driving. Last year, pedestrian deaths rose for the first time in four years, and the Governors Highway Safety Association blames gadget distraction for that number. States are responding to the fact that pedestrians are becoming a risk to themselves by cracking down on the mixing of walking, running and multitasking. In New York a bill is in the works to make it illegal for walkers and runners to cross the street when they are using any kind of electronic device. And Oregon and Virginia are trying to pass a law to fine bicyclists around $100 for “driving under the influence” of technology.

It’s Not Called Birth Control For Nothing

Some might say that birth control prevents pregnancy by keeping your eggs from being fertile, and others say that it prevents pregnancy by reducing the sex drive of women…literally. The pill contains synthetic estrogen that builds up protein call sex-hormone-binding globulin, which makes testosterone less available to the body. The effects on your sexual health can be negative.

Sitting at Your Desk: It’s Not for the Faint of Heart

You might not have thought of sitting at your desk as a high-risk activity, but studies show that there is a gaggle of negative health repercussions associated with working an office job. If your desk job is stressful, you could be raising your risk of heart attack and the chance of developing type 2 diabetes, according to University of Leicester Departments of Health Sciences and Cardiovascular Sciences. You could also be putting extra pressure on your hips causing tendinitis. Likewise, carpel tunnel, weight gain, and varicose veins plague many desk job workers.

The “Gray STD Epidemic”

While Viagra has been helping those baby boomers get busy; it’s also having negative repercussions on the sexual health of middle-aged sexually active adults who are caught off guard by the risks of engaging in sexual behavior with their new grey distinguished gentleman. In fact, a 2010 study showed that men who take erectile dysfunction drugs double their risk of STDs compared to those who don’t. And older women with thinning postmenopausal vaginal tissue are more susceptible to contracting those diseases. So, next time you make a judgment about your distinguished sex partner, you may want to ask more questions than you had thought to ask.

Technology is awesome. It allows us to listen to music wherever we are, work without ever leaving our desks, avoid pregnancy, and have sex even when things have quit working on their own. But as they say, our strengths are often also our weakness. These technologies have surprising effects on our health.

Tracy Rentz enjoys blogging about health issues that most people are unaware exist. The health field is an interesting and rewarding career. Several schools offer public health degrees such as the University of Southern California.