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Is raisin bran a good source of iron?

I was recently turned away from a blood donation site for slightly low hemoglobin. I'm a menstruating woman and a vegetarian, so it wasn't a big shock. I'm trying to add more iron to my diet in the form of beans and cruciferous veggies and eggs (cooked on cast iron!), but I've run into some confusion. The pamphlet I got from the blood bank suggests raisin bran as a very good source of iron. Several health articles and studies I've found online also point to raisin bran, but others say that wheat bran inhibits iron absorption and should be avoided when trying to raise iron levels. Sometimes the conflicting information comes from the same source! Can you shed any light on this, Alice? Would a bowl of raisin bran a day help or hurt my iron intake?

Topics:

Nutrition and Physical Activity

What should I do to avoid getting an erection during a massage?

I'm a thirty-something man who has a happy but often stressful life. I'd like to get a massage every now and then, but I'm worried about what might happen when I'm virtually naked and being rubbed all over by another person. In other words, I'm worried about getting an erection during a massage. It seems like there would be no way to hide it.

How do I deal with this? How do masseuses deal with this when it happens? Do they expect their male clients to get aroused? Would they think I'm perverted when I'm lying on the table and standing at attention?

Topics:

Sexual and Reproductive Health General Health
PrEP pills falling out of bottle

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, also known as PrEP for short, is a medicine that can prevent people from contracting HIV. This medication is taken by people who don’t have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) but are at high risk for being exposed, or coming into contact with, the virus. 

PrEP blocks the enzymes, or proteins in the blood, that allow HIV to multiply. To block these enzymes, you must build up enough PrEP in your bloodstream. Once PrEP has reached a certain level in your bloodstream, it can prevent HIV from replicating in your body.

View Resource Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
Ribbon, condom, pills

Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP)

Post-exposure prophylaxis, also known as PEP for short, is a medicine that can prevent people from contracting HIV. It can be used in emergency situations by people who don’t already have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) but may have recently been exposed to HIV. PEP can prevent HIV from spreading through your body after a possible HIV exposure. PEP should be taken within 72 hours of a potential exposure. The sooner you start PEP, the more effective it is at protecting against an HIV infection. 

View Resource Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP)
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