The news media love to report on the search for the next Viagra. From a business perspective there is so much money involved in the next big fake promise to fix your sex life pharmaceutical treatment for sexual dysfunction, and from a lifestyle angle it gives the paper a chance to write about sex “clean”.

So you could be forgiven if everything you know about medication research you learned from the news. And yet, if you care about your health and about truth in advertising, a study published this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association reminds us why relying on the print or online media alone isn’t a safe bet.

The authors of the study looked at how often news articles about medication research reported whether or not the research was funded by a pharmaceutical company. They found that 42% of all news articles failed to report that research had received company funding. They also surveyed editors to ask about editorial policy (both written and unwritten) regarding citation of funding sources. Of the 104 articles taken from publications where editors reported always citing funding sources, 45% failed to do so. Three percent of the editors surveyed said their paper had a written policy about naming company funding sources. Far more (62%) said there was an unwritten policy. According to the data neither is working out very well.

Interestingly for anyone who thinks they’re getting a more critical perspective from online news media, the study found no significant difference between online and print news sources in terms of non-reporting rates.

It’s hard to know what the answer is for regular people who are looking for treatment of a condition and want to know more about new medication research. Obviously research that is funded by a pharmaceutical company has value. The problem is that the more companies ignore or try to hide their bias and financial interests the less trust we should probably have in that research and, I’m guessing here, the more opportunity there is for explicit misrepresentation of results. I know my first stop when I get a question about medication is the original research and that tiny paragraph near the end that starts “financial disclosures.” But we don’t all have institution

There are lots of ways that health care services for U.S. military members fail service members when it comes to sexual health. While efforts like this one are making progress in putting sexual health on the DoD and VA agenda, there’s still a long way to go. I’ve always been disturbed by the fact that currently TRICARE, the military health insurance, doesn’t cover forensic exams (also called “rape kits”) used for examinations following sexual assaults. So if you’re assaulted you may have to pay out of your own pocket for the exam that can assist you not only in recovery but also in documenting the assault needed to press charges.

Cara over at the Reproductive Rights blog recently pointed us to a proposed change to the rules that would allow coverage for such exams. You can read the proposal here and if you want to support it you can register a comment about the proposed change here.

Read more – Reproductive Rights Blog: Military Insurance (TRICARE) proposes to cover post-assault exams

Related – Post-Combat Soldiers and Sex

_{Photo credit: American Images Inc./Getty Images}

By Cory Silverberg, About.com Guide to Sexuality since 2005

The winners of the inaugural Sexies, the sex positive journalism award, were announced last week. Awards were given out by format with categories including "features" "opinion" and "columns" as well as an award specifically for articles in sex themed publications. Some of the names on the list of winners will be familiar to people who seek out news and opinion about sexuality, but many won't; and I think this highlights one of the most important roles the awards can play.

Take for example the work of Jenna Bromberg and Alysha Rooks who write columns for their college newspapers (The Cornell Daily Sun and The University of Michigan Law School, respectively). With dozens (maybe hundreds?) of sex columns at colleges across the country how many of us have the time or patience to wade through them to find the gems? After reading their winning entries I now plan to follow what I hope will be a long career for both of them of dealing with sexuality in whatever they end up doing next as writers (or maybe in Alysha's case as a lawyer).

It would be nice if the Sexies organization was a little less insular (including one of their sponsors on the panel of judges doesn’t help with credibility) and I definitely don't agree with all the awards (for example giving first place in the "Features" category to Daniel Engber's well intentioned but condescending and convoluted piece about sex in nursing homes) but this year looks like a great start, and anyway, what's an awards event without debate?

Along with the other great source for sex positive writing, Cleis Press’Best Sex Writing series going into its fourth year, I’d say that things are looking up both for journalists who take the time to write well informed content and for those of us readers who crave it.

Read more – Sex Positive Journalism Award Winners Announced

Here's How:

1. Be authentic in your dirty talk.
   Dirty talk can feel silly if you expect it to be what you’ve seen in the movies. You might have this idea that dirty talk is something specific. But good dirty talk is completely what you make it, and to do it well, you have to be yourself. While you may take on a role in your dirty talk (e.g. the ravished submissive) you need to find something of yourself in the role. Make a list of different aspects of your personality you can draw on for inspiration.
2. Find your dirty talk voice.
   You need to find your own way of talking dirty. Your dirty talk might be low rhythmic grunts, high pitched squeals, or precise whispers. It might reflect the way you talk in your daily life, or it might express a different aspect of your personality. You don’t need to pick only one voice, the element of surprise can add an extra sense of anticipation, when your partner doesn’t know what they’re going to get an earful of next!
3. Expand your dirty talk vocabulary.
   Most of us are raised not to swear. Dirty talk is your opportunity to pull out all the stops on the foul mouth express. Unless you’re role playing calls for it, avoid clinical terms (like penis). If you’re at a loss, do some research. Both of the books recommended below have lists of words. But you can do research online, by reading some raunchy erotica, or in some cases watching porn (although the dirty talk in porn tends to be unimaginative).
4. Practice dirty talk when you're alone.
   Carol Queen, author of the highly recommended Exhibitionism for the Shy , suggests starting on your own, talking dirty while you masturbate. Fantasize about having sex with your partner and talking dirty to them. You can start by doing it in your head, but eventually do it out loud.
5. Establish ground rules with your partner.
   One of the reasons many of us don’t talk dirty is fear of sounding ridiculous, or being put down or rejected by a partner. It’s important to set some rules when you’re willing to take risks like this. Rules like no laughing at one another, and no judgment are important. In the heat of the moment anything can come out of your mouth, and you need to know that your partner is respectful of the ways that can be exposing.
6. Start slow the first time.
   Don’t feel you have to rush right into elaborate verbal gymnastics. A great way to start with dirty talk is to describe out loud what is happening during sex. Things like “I love the way your hand feels in my….” Or “Your …feels so good on/in my…” Describe what’s happening and how it feels in your body. You can also experiment by telling your partner something you’re going to do to them, or something you want them to do to you.
7. Experiment with your voice.
   Most of us take for granted all the different things we can do with our voice, and the impact these changes have. Experiment with speed, how fast you talk. Some things call for a staccato barrage, while some things are best said slowly. Change the volume of your voice, try whispering, try screaming, try everything in the middle. Also play with the tenor of your voice. You can sound commanding and harsh, trembling and uncertain, and everywhere in between.
8. Make dirty talking a two way conversation.
   Once you’ve taken the risk and initiated talking dirty with your partner, ask them to do the same. It isn’t for everyone, and you might find that you like doing it more than hearing it (or vice versa). But being on the receiving and the giving end of dirty talk can give you a different perspective on it, plus you may learn a few things from your partner you didn’t already know.