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Men's Health Archive

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To PSA test or not to PSA test: That is the discussion

The recommended guidelines for whether men should have the prostate cancer screening test have changed in recent years. A man considering the test should talk with his doctor and understand all the pros and cons involved.

For men over 50: You can lower your health risks

What if men approached their health at midlife the same way that financial experts advise them to plan for retirement? Some of the same rules apply: take a close look at where things stand now, and then take steps to protect your future. Midlife is a good time to lower health risks and invest for long-term health benefits.

How? First, acknowledge what you can't control. Then put your energies into changing what you can — for the better.

Androgen deprivation therapy may not increase risk of Alzheimer’s disease after all

In the journals

A study of almost 31,000 men whose prostate cancer had not spread found that the use of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) was not associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease. This counters previous studies that suggested a possible link. The results were published in the January 2017 Journal of Clinical Oncology.

ADT is used in prostate cancer treatment to eliminate testosterone, since the hormone can fuel the disease. Testosterone levels also are traditionally lower in men with Alzheimer's compared with control groups, which suggests there may be a connection between lowering testosterone and an increased risk of Alzheimer's. Previous studies that have explored this connection found that a low testosterone level caused by ADT was associated with a higher probability of developing Alzheimer's. But these studies often covered a shorter time period — for instance, one year or less — and it is doubtful that men were on ADT long enough to cause Alzheimer's.

New way to use PSA test might identify men who need aggressive prostate cancer treatment

In the journals

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests are used to help identify men who may have a higher risk of prostate cancer. But a study published online Jan. 12, 2017, by JAMA Oncology, describes a new way to use PSA that may pinpoint men who are likely to die early from prostate cancer that returns after initial treatment.

The researchers used data from a randomized trial of 157 men whose localized cancer was treated with either radiation alone or radiation along with six months of androgen deprivation therapy. The men were then followed for 16 years.

Emergencies and First Aid - Removing a Stuck Ring

Removing a Stuck Ring

1 Pass an end of fine string or dental floss under the ring. With the other end, begin tightly wrapping the string around the finger. Ensure that the string is wrapped evenly and smoothly past the lower knuckle.2 With the end that was passed under the ring, begin unwrapping the string in the same direction. The ring should move over the string as the string is unwrapped. If the ring cannot be removed, unwrap the string and immediately seek urgent care.
 
 

Emergencies and First Aid - Choking

Choking


A person who is choking will instinctively grab at the throat. The person also may panic, gasp for breath, turn blue, or be unconscious. If the person can cough or speak, he or she is getting air. Nothing should be done.

Immediate care
If the person cannot cough or speak, begin the Heimlich maneuver immediately to dislodge the object blocking the windpipe. The Heimlich maneuver creates an artificial cough by forcing the diaphragm up toward the lungs.

Emergencies and First Aid - How to Splint a Fracture

How to Splint a Fracture

 

For a lower arm or wrist fracture (left), carefully place a folded newspaper, magazine, or heavy piece of clothing under the arm. Tie it in place with pieces of cloth. A lower leg or ankle fracture (right) can be splinted similarly, with a bulky garment or blanket wrapped and secured around the limb.

A person with a hip or pelvis fracture should not be moved. If the person must be moved, the legs should be strapped together (with a towel or blanket in between them) and the person gently placed on a board, as for a back injury.

 
 
 

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