(01/21/09 6:44am)
A recent Trojan brand condoms ad campaign, “Evolve,” involves pigs “evolving” into men by using Trojan condoms. While these advertisements may be clever, they are also ironic in the sense that condoms evolved from pigs to men, too; that is, from pig guts to man-made materials.For centuries, men and women throughout the world have been using various forms of condoms to lessen the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease during sexual intercourse. Beginning with the ancient Egyptians, who used a form of the condom to protect themselves from disease and infection, condom use spread to Europe and is even depicted in French cave paintings, according to a “History of Sex” available at the Durex Web site. The first published use of condoms involved a linen sheath used to protect against infection during the syphilis epidemic in Europe. In addition to the linen sheath, tortoiseshell and leather, oiled paper, fish bladders and animal guts have also been used as condoms throughout history, the history states.The condom was officially given its name in the 1600s, but the true origin of its name has remained in question. While some people believe that the word “condom” derived from “condus,” the Latin word for “receptacle,” others believe that it was named after Dr. Condom, Charles II of England’s physician who made sheaths of animal guts, the history notes.Regardless of its etymological origin, the introduction of the rubber vulcanization process in the mid-19th century made it easier and less expensive to turn rubber into a strong elastic material — providing an ideal material for a new form of condom. The rubber condom was favored until 1930 when manufacturers discovered liquid latex. According to the online history, the latex condom has been the least expensive, most effective and most popular form in the history of condoms since that discovery.In addition to the development of latex condoms, condoms have continued to change in regards to size, shape, color and even flavor in response to ongoing technological advances and the consumption habits of various societies. Most condom brands now offer standard, large and extra large sizes in various styles — such as lubricated, thin or ribbed — and an assortment of colors and flavors to appeal to anyone and everyone.“There are definitely more brands and types available now than when I started working in Student Health 20 years ago,” said Christine Peterson, gynecology director and physician at Student Health.Second-year Engineering student Allison Kilanski agreed that condom makers have increased the range of condoms available. “Condom manufacturers have changed condoms from simple sex protection,” she said. “Now they attract users by offering things such as ‘her pleasure,’ ‘his pleasure,’ flavors and colors.”Condoms have grown in their ability to prevent pregnancy and disease since their days as linen sheaths and animal guts, and will, as Peterson put it, “undoubtedly” continue to do so. Not many University students interviewed, however, admitted to actually using some of the more unusual types of condoms on the market today.“I’ve never used one,” an anonymous University student said of colored and flavored condoms. “I think they just draw attention to the brand.” Second-year College student Alex Waggoner, meanwhile, called them “novelty items.”Novelty items or not, condoms of all kinds have evolved in more than just looks; the condom’s general reputation in our society has changed as well.“Availability has made them less taboo,” Waggoner said. “Also, the fact that you don’t have to be a certain age to buy them is important.”If age is not an important factor, what factors do influence who purchases condoms? A 2004 study conducted by the sociology department at Auburn University-Montgomery considering an individual’s actions when purchasing condoms found that 103 of 142 females were first-time buyers, compared to 13 of 74 males. Twenty-nine females indicated that they were not embarrassed to make the purchase; many said the reason for not being embarrassed was prior purchase. Others remarked that it was simply “a responsible thing to do.” The study also found that males were more likely to make the purchase alone than females were.University students, some of whom preferred not to be identified by name due to the personal nature of the topic, offered different answers to the same question regarding who should provide condoms, often taking into consideration the circumstances of the relationship.“The boys,” an anonymous female University student said in response to the question. “Because girls are in charge of birth control; however, I do think it’s different for people who are hooking up and for those in a serious relationship. If you’re just hooking up, it’s definitely the boy’s responsibility. If you’re in a relationship, then it’s both people’s responsibility.” An anonymous male student agreed. “I think it’s the guy’s responsibility to buy the condom,” he said. “He’s the one that’s using it, so he should have it.” Second-year Engineering student Craig Paxton, though, noted that both sexual partners should be responsible for having condoms.Although opinions on who should buy condoms differed among students interviewed, many seemed to agree that condoms should be used when engaging in sexual intercourse. Along with the physical evolution of the condom and its changing reputation, educational promotions also have been developed to tell people about condoms and promote their use. Students can learn about and get free condoms through various online organizations, as well as from Student Health on Grounds, which offers students standard Trojan condoms through its “three for free” educational promotion, administrative assistant Jay Nottingham said.
(09/17/08 7:12am)
For many, the taste of cough syrup is less than desirable, even in the midst of flu season. Some young people, however, have acquired more than just a taste for it in recent years. In fact, over-the-counter drugs such as cough syrup and cold medications have become the drugs of choice in many homes of today’s youth.“If someone is looking to get high, he or she will look in their home first,” said Sue Kell, education director at the Blue Ridge Poison Center.Furthermore, Kell mentioned, cough syrup is “cheap, legal, accessible, and parents don’t suspect it.” This act of taking more than the suggested dose of cough syrup in search of a “high” feeling has become known as “robotripping.” The term “robo” derives from the name of a well-known (and often abused) cough medicine, Robitussin, while “tripping” is the desired “high” that occurs as a result of abusing this over-the-counter drug.Rick Heisterman, University Counseling and Psychological Services substance use clinician, said young people fail to consider the behavioral, physiological and emotional long-term effects of substance abuse as they reach for a bottle of cough syrup in hopes of an “out-of-body” experience.What causes this experience? According to the Blue Ridge Poison Center, most of these medicines include Dextromethorphan, otherwise known as DXM, derived from opium.Heisterman explained that Robitussin is a central nervous system depressant, large doses of which can cause hallucinatory experiences.“These drugs can have lethal effects,” Heisterman said. “Too much can stop the abuser’s respiratory system and heart.” Even if not lethal, Heisterman noted, the substances “can cause an extreme loss of control and judgment.”Aside from possible unintentional injuries that can result from DXM inebriation, Kell and toxicology fellow Nathan Charlton of the Blue Ridge Poison Center mentioned the health risks associated with combining DXM with alcohol and other drugs, especially those containing acetaminophen. Heisterman defined this effect as a “synergistic effect” in which the drugs become more powerful when mixed together, resulting in a more intense experience and dangerously amplified effects.Heisterman said short-term use of DXM causes a person to feel less inhibited; however, long term use affects one’s behavior, emotions, brain and body. DXM can cause psychological stress, ruin relationships and have destructive effects on one’s organs and brain.Heisterman described what can happen to one’s brain as a result of DXM abuse: High levels of DXM use can cause damage to neural transmitters in the brain. As a person grows older, he loses neural transmitters. The more damage one does to neural transmitters during his youth, the more neural transmitters will die off in old age. In general, the impact drugs have on the brain and body carries over into later life.The American Academy of Family Physicians reported that cough medicines have become more common drugs of abuse since the 1990s. In fact, “one in 10 report abusing cough medicine to get high,” according to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.Some abusers claim to have “good trips” in which they have strange yet enjoyable adventures, but others report “bad trips” that end in nausea and lethargy for several days afterward.An anonymous University student was willing to share the details of her robotripping experience and explain why she will never robotrip again.“The kind that we took was in syrup form, and it only had one active ingredient [Dextromethorphan],” she said, adding, “it was pretty fast to kick in because of the fact that I accidentally mixed it with high doses of acetaminophen.“It didn’t make anything appear out of thin air, but it made it very easy for people with overactive imaginations, such as myself, to create things out of things that you see every day,” she explained.Some of the sights the student saw include lanterns with trapped fairies inside, in place of light bulbs; patterns in the pavement turned into ants rushing out of anthills; and imagined obstacles blocked her way in the stairwell.“It was just generally hard to move,” she said, noting, “Your muscles felt all weird.”The experience continued to affect the student even as she sought to go to sleep for the evening.“Then when I closed my eyes to try to go to sleep, it was as though what I was trying to dream was playing out as a movie on the inside of my eyelids like I was actually seeing what I was dreaming. It made it a lot harder to go to sleep because you were physically involved in what you were thinking,” she explained.The student noted that the consequences of robotripping lasted for several days; the experience left her with several days of nausea, a body that wanted to do nothing but sleep and no desire to ever robotrip again.“If you think about it, you are essentially poisoning yourself,” she said, adding, “I think at one point I remarked that ‘We wouldn’t even know if we overdosed until we were dead.’” As a result of DXM overdoses, thousands of people are sent to hospital emergency rooms every year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The American Association of Poison Control Centers estimated 43,243 human exposures to DXM in 2007; however, Kell and senior toxicology fellow Nathan Charlton of the Blue Ridge Poison Center mentioned that this number only reflects the number of reported exposures. They estimated the true number of exposures in 2007 to be at least 10 times more than 43,243.At any rate, the number of human exposures has increased significantly among adolescents in the past few years, according to the AAFP, which also reports that most DXM abusers are 12 to 17 years old, with 15- and 16-year-olds being the most involved in DXM abuse. Although many abusers are not college-aged, “use of Robitussin occasionally shows up in college populations,” said University Psychology Lecturer Kevin Doyle, a licensed professional counselor and the instructor for EDHS 224, “Substance Abuse in Society.” “You see it less in college populations than in high school, possibly because college students have access to other things as well,” Doyle said. “They will have moved on to other things.”Doyle suggested that people in search of non-emergency help consult a qualified professional for a confidential assessment and recommendation of treatment.“A common misconception of all substances is that people say ‘Oh, just stop using,’ but it’s not that easy,” he said. “CAPS is a good place to start for students.”Sarah Puckett contributed to this article.