RUSH: This story has to do with vasectomies, which I think is a story that has a place here on Valentine’s Day: “U.S. scientists say they have determined vasectomies might place some men at risk for an unusual form of dementia. Northwestern University researchers discovered men with primary progressive aphasia — a neurological disease in which people have trouble recalling and understanding words…”
For the longest time women have been waiting for scientific proof that men think with a part of their anatomy other than their brains, and now we’ve got vasectomy research showing that there’s dementia in men; the inability to retain and understand certain words like:
“Take…out…the…trash.”
“Stop…following…so closely.”
“You never listen to me!”
If men are forgetting those words, it makes total sense! “Of the non-impaired men, 16 percent had undergone a vasectomy. In contrast, 40 percent of the men with,” the vasectomy, with the disease: the lack of understanding of words, “had the surgery,” and by the way, the professor on this is a woman. Psychiatry Professor Sandra Weintraub, “principal investigator in the study began investigating a possible link between vasectomies and primary progressive aphasia, when one of her male patients connected the onset of his language problem at age 43 to the period after his vasectomy. Weintraub and her colleagues surveyed 47 men with PPA and 57 men with no impairment,” and this is where the stats come in. “Forty percent of the men with PPA,” the disease, had had the surgery.” That’s a huge difference, so they may be on to something there.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: This is Christine in Lost Creek, West Virginia. Hi, Christine. Welcome to the program.
CALLER: Hi.
RUSH: Hi.
CALLER: Hi, I’m calling because it’s Valentine’s Day, and I happen to have been married for nine years to a man who is very much like you.
RUSH: How so? I must need details.
CALLER: Well, he’s very intelligent. He’s very entertaining.
RUSH: Yeah?
CALLER: But when it comes to having a conversation with him, I’m a very shy person, and I find it hard to engage him in a conversation which is interactive. I feel like I do not get a chance to express myself because he is too busy expressing himself. And I wanted your advice on how to engage him in a conversation in which I get a chance to speak, too.
RUSH: Whew. You are unique. Most of the complaints I hear are just the exact opposite. It’s the husband not being able to get a word in. You say you can’t. What are these conversations about?
CALLER: Politics, business. He owns two businesses. And that is about the extent of it.
RUSH: Are these conversations — is he really engaging you in conversation, or is he just speaking and bouncing things off and describing his day to you and using you as a sounding board?
CALLER: I would say the latter, yeah.
RUSH: Well, in that case, these may not be the things that you should engage him in conversation about, once he gets these things off his chest. Does this happen routinely day in and day out?
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: The best thing is to try talking to him about the things you’re interested in, after he finishes this.
CALLER: Well, that is a great idea. I’ve been married to him for nine years, and in that time I’ve had three boys so I feel like I’ve kind of lost what it is I’m even interested in, so I guess I need to develop some outside interests.
RUSH: Well, you know, I am the last person to be seeking such advice from, I must be honest here, and everybody on the other side of the glass is agreeing with me when I say this, but I’ll entertain the idea nevertheless. When he talks about politics and business to you, do you try to enter the conversation?
CALLER: I do, although he is much more educated in these things than I am. But I just find it very interesting, and — see, he listens to you very religiously. In fact, I started listening to you because he —
RUSH: Do you think he’s listening right now?
CALLER: Could be. It’s very likely.
RUSH: And you think he would recognize your voice?
CALLER: Oh, yeah, absolutely.
RUSH: Making this all the more difficult, then, because he knows now how to be geared up for whatever strategy you and I come up with to get you more involved in the conversation. What time does he get home?
CALLER: Well, actually he is home right now because his office is on our property.
RUSH: He has a home office?
CALLER: Mmm-hmm.