Men's Health. Discover daily stories on the latest in men's health from Dr. David Samadi. Learn about top global and national health issues related to men's health such as common cancers, prostate cancer, exercise tips, male body issues, male health screenings and prevention methods. Explore healthy solutions for men's health.
A French study says men who like spicy food have higher levels of testosterone. The study found that eating chili peppers may raise levels of the testosterone. Chili peppers have also been found to increase testosterone levels in rats.
Read More
Abnormal change in your testicles. Get checked out if you notice a new lump, heaviness, or any other abnormal change in your testicle. This may be an indication of testicular cancer. Testicular cancer can be an aggressive disease which must be treated promptly. Your doctor will do a physical exam, blood tests, and an ultrasound of your scrotum.
Read MoreThe study from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston has found that drinking a few cups of coffee each day could lower a man’s risk for erectile dysfunction. The researchers found that men who drank at least two cups of coffee each day had a 42 percent reduction in erectile dysfunction problems.
Read MorePrediabetes means an indication that you are on the path to developing diabetes. Having prediabetes means that your blood sugar level is higher than normal, but still below the threshold for having full blown type 2 diabetes. When someone is diagnosed with prediabetes, it is important take action because otherwise it will develop into type 2 diabetes. This usually happens within ten years or less.
Read MorePenile cancer in the United States is quite rare. It occurs in less than 1 in 100,000 men and accounts for less than 1 percent of cancers in men in the United States. It is more common in areas of Asia, African, and South America. The most common type of penile cancer is squamous cell carcinoma, which usually forms on or under the foreskin. Signs and symptoms of penile cancer may include discharge, redness, irritation, or sores, a lump on the penis, or bleeding.
Read MoreLow testosterone is also known as hypogonadism. Men with low levels of the male hormone testosterone have problems with erections, are weaker and more easily fatigued than men with normal levels of testosterone. In men, testosterone is thought to regulate some of the following functions:
Read MoreWe’ve heard some penis horror stories before, many of which seem a bit more like fiction than fact. In the past, we have tried to report what the scientific facts of these stories, and how and why injury may have occurred due to the trauma. The lesson being, if a man can avoid injury to his penis, he should. The best way to do that is by getting the right information, and not perpetuating myths. Due to a recent case report in the New England Journal of Medicine, we were prompted to ask, “What happens when a snake bites your penis?”
Read MoreBPH, or benign prostatic hyperplasia, is a condition of the prostate that many men develop with age. When men get older, the prostate gland often becomes enlarged. An enlarged prostate can put pressure on the urethra which makes it difficult to urinate. By age 60, more than half of men have BPH. By age 85, about 90 percent of men have BPH, but only about 30 percent will have symptoms.
Read MoreOysters. Oysters are a shellfish that may boost your testosterone levels. This can also help boost your sex drive. They are also packed with zinc, an essential nutrient the body needs
Read MoreVitamin A. Vitamin A is important for maintaining good vision. It is also known as the anti-infective vitamin because of its role in supporting activities of the immune system. The recommended daily intake of vitamin A is 3,000 IU. Too much vitamin A can cause nausea and vomiting and result in weak bones. Vitamin A deficiency is rare in the United States, and you should get plenty as long as you eat your fruits and vegetables. It may be in your multivitamin, but you should not need any additional supplements. Good food sources for vitamin A are carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, apricots, cantaloupe, broccoli, eggs, milk, and cod liver oil.
Read More
Fatty lunch meats. Meats like salami, pepperoni and bologna all have a lot of fat. A one-ounce serving of can have about 110 calories, with 81 of those calories coming from fat. Instead, go for a boneless, skinless chicken breast
Read MoreTestosterone is a hormone which helps men maintain bone density, muscle strength and mass, sex drive, sperm production and fat distribution. It’s primarily produced in the testicles, and to a lesser extent, by the adrenal gland, with regulation controlled by the pituitary gland. A deficiency in testosterone can be attributed to any of these three areas, so the source is often difficult to identify.
Read MoreYou may not know this but it is common for men to occasionally experience erectile dysfunction, especially when under a lot of stress, with the overconsumption of alcohol, or due to fatigue. By definition, erectile dysfunction is when a man is unable to maintain a firm enough erection to engage in sexual intercourse with his partner. Men experience erectile dysfunction more often as they get older because of decreased testosterone levels associated with age. Lower testosterone causes changes in sexual function such as impotence or decreased sex drive.
While erectile dysfunction most commonly affects middle-aged to older men, it can affect younger men as well. If men suffer from erectile dysfunction often or on a regular basis, it can be a sign of an underlying health condition. There are plenty of risk factors for erectile dysfunction, but one of the most prominent is chronic disease. Here is a detailed look at some of the biggest risk factors of erectile dysfunction and how they can lead to impotence:
1. High Blood Pressure:
This can directly lead to erectile dysfunction, as can the medicines used to treat it. These medications act by lowering the pressure inside blood vessels, in order to decrease the strain on the heart. In men, this decreased blood flow can interfere with erections, ejaculation and sexual desire.
2. Diabetes:
This condition can damage blood vessels and nerves, two big components of sexual function. As with high blood pressure, the reduced blood flow resulting from damaged vessels can contribute to erectile dysfunction.
3. High Cholesterol:
Statins and other drugs used to treat high cholesterol, act by restricting the amount of cholesterol. Cholesterol is an essential building block of hormones, including sex hormones like testosterone. A reduction in cholesterol can lead to reduced production of these hormones, and effect a man’s ability to maintain an erection.
4. Depression/Anxiety:
Antidepressants act by blocking chemicals in the brain, particularly chemicals that relay signals between nerve cells: serotonin, norepinephrine and acetylcholine. It is well documented that decreased libido, diminished ability to orgasm, impotence and ejaculation are associated with antidepressant usage. Performance anxiety, or work related stress can also hinder erectile function.
5. Alcohol:
Alcohol can inhibit erectile functioning by causing a restriction in blood flow to the penis and can affect production of the male hormone testosterone, affecting sex drive and erections. Furthermore, alcohol is a depressant, and using it heavily can dampen mood, decrease sexual desire, and make it difficult for a man to achieve erections or reach an orgasm while under the influence.
6. Smoking:
Smoking cigarettes increases the risk of atherosclerosis, which can reduce blood flow throughout the body, including to the penis, impairing a man's ability to get erection. Quitting smoking can help some men partly or fully restore erectile function. There are also some studies that show smoking marijuana impairs smooth muscle function, affecting the penis which is 70-80% smooth muscle.
7. Cocaine:
In men, chronic cocaine use can cause delayed or impaired ejaculation. Furthermore, cocaine is a vasoconstrictor, meaning that it causes blood vessels to constrict, and blood vessels in the penis need to be dilated in order for an erection to occur.
Do you feel like your sexual function could use a boost? Fortunately, there are a number of ways men can enhance their sexual performance. This could be to either improve existing problems or find new ways to keep their partner happy. The good news is this can be done without the use of prescription medications or male enhancement pills. These tips are all natural.
Read MoreCouples who have been unable to conceive a baby for a year or longer with unprotected sex are considered infertile. Infertility is often viewed as more of a “woman’s problem” but up to one-third of infertility issues can be related back to a man’s infertility complications.
Read MoreFor the next month, November will be known as “Movember” in order to raise awareness for men’s health. Movember is an annual campaign that runs throughout the month of November to raise awareness for men’s health. Held by The Movember Foundation - the leading global organization dedicated to supporting men’s health - the campaign challenges men to grow moustaches to generate conversation and raise funds for men’s health issues including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and other common diseases.
The goal of Movember is “to change the face of men’s health.” To date, The Movember Foundation has raised $650 million and is currently funding over 1,000 year round programs in numerous countries. The efforts made as a result of this annual campaign continue to improve and save the lives of men who are greatly affected by these issues each year.
Many of the common diseases that men often suffer from are preventable. However, the only way we can prevent ourselves from developing disease and living a long, healthy life is by knowing the facts and knowing how to protect ourselves.
The Facts: Top 10 Preventable Diseases That Kill Men
1. Coronary Artery Disease – Leading cause of death for men in the United State, accounts for 1 in every 4 male deaths.
Prevention: High cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes are some of the conditions that can lead to heart disease. Keep your cholesterol low, maintain a healthy weight and diet, get regular exercise, avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, keep your blood sugar under control, and if necessary, discuss options with your doctor regarding medications.
2. Cancer (Lung, Prostate, Colorectal, and Testicular) – Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in men. 90% is caused by smoking. Prostate cancer and skin cancer are the most common.
Prevention: While cancers are not always preventable, early detection saves lives. Have routine preventive screenings, avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, maintain a healthy weight and diet, exercise regularly, limit sun exposure and use sunscreen, be aware of carcinogens, and know your family’s medical history.
3. Unintentional Injuries (Falls, fires, and impaired driving.) Clearly not a disease, but is a major cause of death in men.
Prevention: Exercise regularly to increase strength and improve balance, have medications reviewed to reduce side effects and interactions, have annual eye exams, reduce hazards in your home, install smoke alarms (half of home fire deaths occur in homes without smoke alarms), double check safety of heating units (most residential fires occur during winter), avoid excessive alcohol consumption (40% of residential fire deaths are alcohol-related).
4. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) – 80-90% of COPD deaths are caused by smoking. Men are nearly 12 times as likely to die from COPD then men who don’t smoke.
Prevention: Smoking is the leading cause of COPD. Avoid smoking and secondhand smoke. Avoid exposure to occupational chemicals – may increase chance of developing COPD.
5. Stroke - One American dies from a stroke every 4 minutes.
Prevention: The leading risk factors for stroke include high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, carotid or other artery disease, atrial fibrillation or other heart disease, TIAs (mini-strokes), high red blood cell count, sickle cell anemia, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, obesity, excessive alcohol intake and some illegal drugs.
6. Diabetes – In 2012, 15.5 million men were diagnosed with diabetes.
Prevention: Type 2 Diabetes affects 90% of those with the disease. The best way to prevent or control the onset of diabetes is by knowing the risk factors that can be modified and those that can’t. Modifiable: Overweight and obesity, high blood glucose, high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels, physical inactivity, smoking. Non-modifiable: Age, race, gender, and family history.
7. Suicide – In 2012, white males accounted for 65% of all suicides.
Prevention: Depression is an extremely difficult disease to overcome on your own. If you are depressed, speak to your doctor. In an emergency situation, visit your local emergency room or crisis center (crisis centers often have hotlines you can call.) It is important to let someone know if you are feeling depressed. Take advice from others if they are encouraging you to seek help. Other ways to improve your emotional health include taking care of yourself physically, practice stress-reducing activities, sharing your feelings with a friend or family member, maintaining an organized lifestyle, and avoiding using drugs and alcohol to cope.
8. Influenza and Pneumonia
Prevention: Get an annual flu vaccination, get a vaccination against pneumococcal pneumonia at least once after age 55 (followed by every 5 years if you have risk factors), always wash your hands, avoiding others with infection, don’t smoke, and maintain a strong immune system.
9. Alzheimer’s Disease. The only cause of death in the top ten that cannot be prevented, cured, or slowed. One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. Besides men, almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s are women.
Prevention: There is no proven way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. However, it is suggested that improving your heart health may help. You can improve heart health through regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. According to the CDC, research shows that intellectually challenging activities may help delay the onset of dementia.
10. Chronic liver disease. In 2014 it was estimated by the American Cancer Society that there were about 33,190 new cases (24,600 in men and 8,590 in women) of chronic liver disease. About 23,000 people (15,870 men and 7,130 women) will die of these cancers.
While not all diseases, especially cancers, are preventable, early detection saves lives. Therefore, in addition to raising awareness for others, it’s important that all men celebrate Movember for themselves too. Talk with your doctor to discuss the top recommended health screenings for men. This way, you can stay healthy, protected, and keep yourself aware. Even if you feel good, you should make regular visits to your doctor to screen for health issues, assess your risk of future health issues, stay up to date with vaccinations, and discuss how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. These visits can help you avoid problems down the road.
Movember is an annual campaign that runs throughout the month of November to raise awareness for men’s health. It is held by The Movember Foundation, which is the leading global organization dedicated to supporting men’s health. The campaign challenges men to grow moustaches to bring awareness about men’s health. They also strive to raise money for men’s health issues such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health issues.
The goal of Movember is “to change the face of men’s health.” To date, The Movember Foundation has raised $650 million and is currently funding over 1,000 year round programs in numerous countries. The efforts made as a result of this annual campaign continue to improve and save the lives of men who are greatly affected by these issues each year.
Many of the common diseases that men often suffer from, such as prostate cancer, are preventable. It is important for men to know the facts and how they can reduce their risk.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States, behind lung cancer. It is also the most common type of cancer in men other than skin cancer. The cancer begins in the prostate gland, which is a small walnut-shaped gland that is responsible for the production of seminal fluid. Prostate cancer is also known as the “silent killer”. In most cases, the disease progresses rather slowly. However, some men may have a more aggressive growing disease which can spread fast. Early detection is essential in order to catch prostate cancer in the early stages when it is still confined to the prostate gland. When prostate cancer is found early, there is a high chance of curing the disease.
Key statistics for prostate cancer:
· It is estimated that in 2015 in the United States, there will be about 220,800 new cases of prostate cancer and about 27,540 deaths from prostate cancer.
· About 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, and about 1 in 38 men will die of prostate cancer.
· About 6 cases in 10 are diagnosed in men aged 65 or older, and it is rare before age 40. The average age at the time of diagnosis is about 66.
· While prostate cancer is a serious disease, most men will not die from it.
Every twenty-four hours, one man dies of testicular cancer? According to the American Cancer Society, it is one of the leading cancers in men between the ages of 15 and 35. The average age of diagnosis is 33 years old. Cancer is often thought of as an older person’s disease. However, younger men need to be on the lookout for testicular cancer.
The good news – testicular cancer is one of the most curable cancers. If caught in time, it is highly treatable, even after the cancer has spread outside the testicles. The best way men can minimize their risk for testicular cancer is to know the key information about the disease.
Key facts about testicular cancer:
· Typically develops in one or both testicles in young men
· Most common cancer in American males ages 15-35
o Average age of diagnosis – 33 years old
o 6% of cases occur in children and teens
o 7% occur in men over 55
· Every 24 hours, 24 men will be diagnosed with testicular cancer
· Every 24 hours, one man dies from testicular cancer
· Highly treatable and usually curable
o Over 95% survival rate
Risk factors
· Undescended testicle
· Family history
· HIV infection
· History of carcinoma in situ (non-invasive form of testicular germ cell cancer)
· Cancer of the other testicle
· Age 20-39 at highest risk
· Race and ethnicity – most common in white men
· Body size – taller men may be more prone
Signs and symptoms
· Lump or swelling in either testicle
· Discomfort or pain in testicle
· Feeling of heaviness in scrotum
· Pain in back or lower abdomen
· Enlargement of testicle
· Change in way testicle feels
*May be no symptoms at all
Recommendations for testicular self-exam
· American Cancer Society recommends a testicular exam by a doctor as part of a routine cancer-related check-up
· Does not recommend regular self-exams for all men
· Some doctors recommend all men perform monthly self-exams after puberty (esp. those with risk factors)
According to a new recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, people 40 or older who are overweight or obese should be tested for abnormal blood sugar levels.
What does having abnormal blood sugar mean? Having abnormal blood sugar means that your body is not breaking down and using sugar the way that it should. This can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Having an abnormal blood sugar doesn’t mean you have diabetes, but it does mean you are on your way to developing it. There are three tests your doctor can do to test your blood sugar levels: hemoglobin A1C, fasting plasma glucose, or the oral glucose tolerance test. If your levels come back abnormal on one of them, that may indicate you are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
Abnormal levels are between 5.7 and 6.5 percent on the hemoglobin A1C test, between 100 and 125 mg/dL on the fasting plasma glucose test, or between 140 and 199 mg/dL on the oral glucose tolerance test.
This new recommendation is an update of the USPSTF’s 2008 recommendation, which suggested only screening adults with high blood pressure for type 2 diabetes. Now, the organization has reason to believe that people who are overweight (having a BMI of 25 or above) should be screened for abnormal blood sugar levels. They say that this raises the risk of blood sugar problems and heart issues, even if those people are not experiencing any symptoms.
Although the gap has definitely decreased, men still live an average of 5 years longer than men do. And although both men and women are affected by chronic illness, men tend to smoke and drink more than women increasing their risk of many diseases. To top it off, men are also much less diligent about getting preventative care and seeking medical attention. Chronic disease can affect quality of life and increase the risk of other health problems, here are some of the top chronic disease affecting men:
1. Heart Disease: cardiovascular disease refers to a group of diseases that affect the heart. This includes coronary artery disease, where arteries that supply the heart with blood become clogged with plaque buildup. Hypertension, or high blood pressure is also included in this, where more than normal amount of blood is forced against artery walls. Heart disease increases the risk of stroke and heart attack.
2. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: this includes both chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Both these diseases cause a blockage of the airflow through the lungs and interferes with regular breathing. This is highly associated with smoking.
3. Diabetes: this is a metabolic disease and chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolizes sugar, an important source of fuel for your body. In type 2 diabetes, the body either resists the effect of insulin or doesn’t produce enough, thereby affecting the levels of glucose in the blood. For some, diet, exercise and maintaining a heathy weight are enough to manage the chronic disease.
4. Kidney Disease: this occurs when kidneys become damaged and are no longer able to function normally. Kidney damage impairs the organs ability to filter the blood. This can lead to kidney failure, where your kidneys stop working and the body fills with a backup of waste and extra water. This ultimately lead to a need for dialysis or kidney transplantation.
The biggest risk factors for chronic disease is men are the following:
1. Obesity
2. Smoking
3. Excessive Alcohol use
4. High cholesterol
As most of these risk factors can be avoided or at least managed through lifestyle factors, the burden of chronic disease should logically be tackled by eliminated these risk factors for men. If not, the chronic diseases mentioned above with surely lead to costly medical care, increased risk of death, and decreased longevity for men.
