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A world-wide survey of erect penis length doesn't reflect very well on the U.S.A's collective manhood. The United States ranked somewhere around 18th, in the 25th percentile. Number one: the Republic of the Congo, with a whopping 7.1 inch average. The U.S. average length of just 5.1 inches put it well behind most of Europe, and Australia, and Canada, and...you get the idea.

The surprise "show-ers" in this run-off are Iceland and Sweden. You don't normally associate Nordic countries with big dicks, but maybe it's deceptive because of shrinkage due to the frigid climate.

While the study is interesting, I don't think the data really means that much when applied to the U.S. Our country is such a melting pot, with a population drawn from all races and nationalities, so it's really no surprise that the U.S. penile index is only "average" - we're like the global average.

In other news, the truth has finally come out after years of denial: Size does matter. A report in the Journal of Sexual Medicine reveals that in a survey, a third of women who have primarily vaginal (as opposed to clitoral) orgasms prefer longer-than-average penises. If you're not well endowed, don't worry - two thirds of the women felt it didn't matter. At least, that's what they say...

Thinking of getting an early start with Viagra? You might want to think again, because more reports are surfacing that taking Viagra when you don't really need it can lead to...actually needing it. Like, every time you want to do it.

For a while now, doctors and therapists have been saying they're seeing more and more younger men who have become dependent on ED drugs to perform sexually. They may get their start taking the pills recreationally, or taking them to bolster their confidence if they feel under pressure to perform. Either way, after a while they find themselves unable to do the deed without chemical assistance.

A study of the phenomenon was published earlier this year in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, and now more anecdotal reports are backing it up. Some articles in the British press feature interviews with men who came to Viagra early in life and now find they can't get by without it.

Most of these young men would never have been diagnosed with ED in the first place, so how did they get their hands on the drugs? Some get them the same way you'd get any sort of recreational drug - illegally - and some, especially men in Europe and the UK, simply jaunt over to another country where doctors have more liberal prescribing policies. We hear Spain is the place to go if you're looking for this sort of thing.

What's causing more men to turn to Viagra and similar drugs, at younger ages? Physicians and pundits have singled out a few possible culprits for making men feel so sexually inadequate that they feel they need back up before facing the bedroom. Many point the finger at porn, for setting unrealistic expectations about what male sexual performance looks like and how women are supposed to look or behave as sexual partners; and for making it harder for guys to get off - or even get hard - in a real-life sexual situation.

Women's increasing sexual liberation is cited as well: men may feel threatened or intimidated by women's sexual assertiveness, feeling pressure to have sex sooner in a dating scenario, and feeling that women are - no pun intended - sizing them up based on their sexual performance.

Some health professionals are skeptical about all the fuss over "Viagra addiction", claiming there's really no such thing and the problem isn't as widespread as the press would have you believe. It's perhaps just a matter of semantics - if you want to define addiction in its narrowest sense, these guys are not addicted. However, they have physical and/or psychological dependency on the drugs to help them get it up. And of course the press sensationalizes things, but it does happen.

Point being, if you don't need Viagra to treat erectile dysfunction, you shouldn't  take it. Like any chemical crutch, it gets easier and easier to lean on over time, until you can manage without it. And it's a slippery slope from using a pill here and there to improve your performance, to needing the drug to perform at all.

Doctors in Bangladesh are taking an unusual position for the medical profession - asking the government to halt production of a medication. The Bengali government recently granted permission to over a dozen drug manufacturers to produce and market sildenafil citrate - but the Bangladesh Medical Association wants to put the brakes on.

They're concerned that the medication will too easily get into the hands of people who shouldn't be taking it - men with heart disease, diabetes, or other conditions that contraindicate prescribing Viagra. Because in Bangladesh, apparently, you don't need to go to a prescribing physician to get medications; you can get pretty much anything over the counter.

If that were the case, I would think they would be more concerned with other drugs with high potential for abuse, like maybe opiates? But I guess they figure there is going to be a huge demand for Viagra once it becomes available, and everyone is going to run out and get it without really thinking about the consequences.

The government granted the licenses to manufacture the drug in response to reports that the number of erectile dysfunction sufferers had increased, so I guess it's not unreasonable to expect that there might be a rush on the drug once it becomes available. Obviously the standards of care are somewhat different than those in other countries, but maybe they could manage with a public education campaign about the potential dangers of using Viagra.

Here's some good news for an endangered species and wildlife conservationists: the acceptance of Viagra in China as a viable erectile dysfunction treatment is reducing the demand for a traditional ED remedy: tiger penis.

And it's a good thing, too, because there may be as few as 20 tigers in the wild in China, and not all of them have penises.  India, a supplier of the Chinese market, has an estimated tiger population of around 1200, which is dwindling due to poachers.

Chinese health care consumers are starting to recognize that exotic remedies like tiger penis and rhino horn, though they may be time-honored, are prohibitively expensive and are likely not so effective as their Western counterparts.

On the other hand, some fear these remedies' steep price tag could make them something of a status symbol among wealthier patients.

A so-called natural male enhancement supplement, Actra SX, has been recalled by the FDA for containing active ingredients of Viagra and Levitra.

The product's packaging listed ingredients such as horny goat weed, ginseng, astralagus, bee pollen, and vitamin B-12. All relatively benign and common ingredients for "herbal Viagra" supplements.

Turns out this one had a little extra kick to it - actual pharmaceuticals.

Body Basics, the company that sells the pills, is said to have confirmed the presence of the drugs sildenafil and vardenafil through independent lab testing. So, they didn't know it was in there to begin with? That seems strange, but maybe they were just buying and repackaging sketchy supplements from overseas.

It might not make sense to put Viagra in herbal pills. If you're going to do that, why not just sell Viagra? The reasoning is probably that cutting in a small amount of the active drug might actually make the pills effective, and happy users will come back for more. The pills cost a fortune, so you know they were making bank on them, and they're totally unregulated as drugs.

Well, unregulated until the FDA catches up with you.

Body Basics voluntarily stopped distributing the pills in 2011, but there may be some still out there, and they pose a potential risk to consumers who may think they're taking a "natural" formula with no side effects, when in reality it could cause dangerous drug interactions or medical complications.

As with most things, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

A study at an Argentinian university has shown that the active ingredient in Viagra helped mice and hamsters recover from jet lag twice as fast as unmedicated mice.

Apparently Viagra slows down the internal clock by inhibiting the breakdown of something in the bloodstream that helps regulate the body's circadian rhythm. These studies corroborate Viagra users' stories about Viagra speeding their recovery after long flights.

That could have been some consolation for Jeremy Renner, the actor who recently embarrassed himself by mistaking a Viagra tablet for a sleeping pill while on a cross-
Atlantic flight. It's likely he got some unintentional benefits from the mix-up, and recovered more quickly than usual after the trip from the L.A.. to London.

If you're thinking about trying to head off jet lag by popping a blue pill on your next long flight, remember Renner's experience, which involved ice packs and difficulty getting to the restroom. You'll probably want to take the Viagra after you arrive at your destination - at least, if you're a guy. Yes, this is one use of the drug that works for both sexes.

The FDA has not approved Viagra for the treatment of jet lag - and it's doubtful that it ever will, considering its other effects.

Penis enlargement: You're doing it wrong.
Injecting your penis with silicone to make it bigger can have side effects. Like death. Don't try this at home. As Dr. Daniel S. Elliott, a urologist at the Mayo Clinic says, "If there were a legitimate method for penile lengthening, Johnson & Johnson or Pfizer would have bought it up and made billions and billions of dollars worldwide."

I said, just take a little off the tip.
A man who went in for a circumcision procedure is suing the doctor who amputated his entire penis after discovering it was cancerous. Although the procedure may have been necessary, the cancer wasn't immediately life threatening and the patient is arguing that he should have at least had the right to make an informed decision.

Pretty ballsy, hot shot.
An 18-year-old in Florida accidentally shot himself through the penis, testicle and leg while cleaning his gun. Doh! He originally claimed he'd been shot by someone else. His buddy, who was hanging out with him at the time, was arrested for drug charges.

Both Tunisia and Thailand are attempting to curb the sale of counterfeit Viagra, although they're going about it in different ways.

The Tunisian Central Pharmacy - after 14 years - has finally relented to Pfizer's plan and has authorized the sale of Viagra in the country. Tunisian men suffering from ED now have legal access to the drug. Doctors are happy about the change in policy - they can now offer their patients with ED something more than counseling. The Tunisian government is working with Pfizer - who has been asking for years to enter the country's pharmaceutical market and finally got approval earlier this year.

Thailand, which also has a government-regulated pharmaceutical agency, has gone a different route. They've gotten approval from the FDA to manufacture a generic drug similar to Viagra, called Sidagra. Consumption of unsafe counterfeit Viagra is a problem in Thailand because the brand name drug is very expensive. Men in need - especially older men with limited incomes - resort to much cheaper and questionable black market products. With this new, reasonably priced generic available, hopefully the bottom will fall out of the illegal drug trade and consumers will be safer.

A tiny baby with multiple birth defects, including a hole in her heart, is now a robust, chubby-cheeked toddler thanks to Viagra.

Baby Cerys, born 19 months ago in Wales, came into the world with no spleen, digestive problems, and a serious cardiac defect that required open-heart surgery at just five months of age. Doctors put her on a daily regimen of sildenafil, which is now often used to treat pulmonary hypertension in infants, and in this case helps her blood circulation. She gets a spoonful of liquid Viagra three times a day, along with other medications to manage her conditions.

Cerys took her first steps a couple of months ago, recently spoke her first words, and is now stringing together sentences. Apparently, one of her favorite phrases is "I want to walk." Also, "Talk to your doctor to see if Viagra is right for you," and "If you have an erection that lasts more than 4 hours, seek medical attention."

Cerys' doctors are hoping to wean her off Viagra eventually, but for now she's one of its youngest beneficiaries.

Does the thought of spiders give you goosebumps and make your hair stand on end? They might raise more than hair. It sounds kind of scary, but according to a study recently published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, spider venom (from the Brazilian wandering spider, to be precise) may hold a cure for erectile dysfunction.

The study found that the spider toxin PnTx2-6 improved erectile function in aged rats by increasing the availability of nitric oxide. Researchers think this may be of benefit to older men whose ED does not respond to Viagra, since the toxin uses different chemical channels.

How did researchers come up with the idea of testing spider venom as an ED cure? Well, priapism is a side effect of this particular spider's bite.

People use Botox, the toxin that causes botulism, for cosmetic procedures, so this doesn't seem much different. If it had to be administered by spider bite, that might be another story.