Men's Health Archive

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), or Enlarged Prostate

Questions to Discuss With Your Doctor:

• Over the past month, how often have you had a sensation of not emptying your bladder completely after you finished urinating?
• Over the past month, how often have you had to urinate again less than two hours after you finished urinating?
• Over the past month, how often have you found you stopped and started again several times when you urinated?
• Over the past month, how often have you found it difficult to postpone urination?
• Over the past month, how often have you had a weak urinary stream?
• Over the past month, how often have you had to push or strain to begin urination?
• Over the past month, how many times did you most typically get up to urinate from the time you went to bed at night until the time you got up in the morning?
• If you were to spend the rest of your life with your urinary condition just the way it is now, how would you feel about that?
• Have you had blood in your urine, or urinary tract infections?
• Have you ever had surgery on your prostate, bladder, or kidneys?
• Do you have gastrointestinal problems such as diverticulitis or constipation?
• Do you have diabetes?
• Does anyone in your family have diabetes?
• Have you been unusually thirsty or had unintentional weight loss?
• Have you ever had a stroke or nervous system disease?
• Have you ever had a back injury or back surgery?
• What medications are you taking (prescription and over-the-counter)?
• What do you know about medical and surgical treatment options used in the treatment of benign prostatic enlargement?
• Do you know the side effects that can occur with medications?
• Do you know the complications associated with surgery?
• Do you know how much benefit you can expect from each type of treatment?
• Do you know the risks of waiting, and doing nothing at all?

Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:

• Abdominal examination
• Neurological examination
• Digital rectal examination
• Genital examination

Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Test or Studies:

• Urinalysis (for glucose, red blood cells, white blood cells, and bacteria)
• Blood tests (for kidney function and prostate-specific antigen or PSA)
• Cystoscopy
• Ultrasound of the bladder after you urinate (post void residual)
• Ultrasound of the kidneys
• Pelvic CT scan

Erectile Dysfunction or Impotence

Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:

• Do you smoke cigarettes?
• Have you been screened for other medical problems such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes?
• Do you exercise regularly? How much? How often?
• Do you have a neurologic disease or sickle-cell disease?
• Are you taking any medications (prescription or over-the-counter)?
• Has your erectile dysfunction worsened since starting any new medications?
• What effect is your erectile dysfunction having on your relationship? Your self-esteem?
• How long have you had erectile problems?
• Do you have erectile problems sometimes or all of the time?
• Have you ever had any psychologically stressful sexual experiences?
• Are you less interested in sex (diminished libido)?
• Are you having difficulty achieving an erection or sustaining it?
• Do you ever awaken with early morning or nocturnal erections?
• Do you have pain with erections?
• Penile bumps or lumps?
• History of penile trauma?
• History of pelvic surgery?
• What are your goals in receiving treatment?
• What therapies have you tried?
• Do you know how much benefit you can expect from medical therapies?
• Do you know the side effects and important drug interactions?

Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:

• Genital examination
• Rectal examination
• Pulses in the groin and feet
• Neurologic examination

Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:

• Blood tests (complete blood count or CBC, glucose, cholesterol panels, thyroid function tests, prolactin level)
• Blood testosterone level (if libido is decreased)
• Nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT)
• Neurologic testing (nerve condition studies)
• Your doctor may decide to do some vascular tests to establish whether the arteries that supply blood to the penis during erections are narrowed.

The devastation left in the wake of recent natural disaster and terror attacks provides graphic evidence of just how destructive they can be. Residents can be forced to evacuate from their homes at a moment's notice in an atmosphere of panic and chaos, and many of them will not be able to return for months. In light of these potential disasters and their aftermath, it has become clear that preparation for the unknown is of the utmost importance.

No matter where you live in the United States, you are vulnerable to some sort of natural disaster such as a blizzard, earthquake, flood, hurricane, or tornado. In addition, terrorist attacks on America are also possible. Both natural disasters and terrorist attacks can disrupt power, communication, and transportation for days or even longer.

We can thank the Greeks for the name doctors apply to male hormones. Androgen comes from the words meaning "man-maker," and it's a well-chosen term. Testosterone is the most potent androgen, and it does make the man. It's responsible for the deep voice, increased muscle mass, and strong bones that characterize the gender, and it also stimulates the production of red blood cells by the bone marrow.

In addition, testosterone has crucial, if incompletely understood, effects on male behavior. It contributes to aggression, and it's essential for the libido or sex drive, as well as for normal erections and sexual performance. Testosterone stimulates the growth of the genitals at puberty, and it is one of the factors required for sperm production throughout adult life.

A conversation with this health professional can help you avoid making harmful mistakes.

 Image: wavebreakmedia/Thinkstock

When your pharmacist hands you your pills, he or she is likely to ask, "Any questions?" This is an invitation to tap into a vast store of knowledge—and one you should accept. A few minutes with your pharmacist may spare you some serious health consequences.

"People are often in the dark regarding the purpose of their medication," says Dr. Gordon Schiff, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Although prescriptions come with a lengthy package insert containing detailed information about the drug, the information is often written in technical terms and printed in microscopic type. The lack of clear information and the confusion and misunderstandings that result figure into more than a million preventable medical complications annually.

Mind-bending puzzles aren't the only route to improving memory and reason. Activities that engage your emotions and senses may be even better.

 Image: JDwow /Thinkstock

In the midst of promotions for commercial brain training programs to ward off age-related cognitive decline, a few studies are beginning to indicate that simple pleasures may be even more productive. You may find that doing one of the following is an easier and more rewarding way to boost your brain than doing computer-based exercises.

1. Care for a dog

3.Play with a child

Salicylic acid, a prescription-strength medicine, and cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen are common treatments for plantar warts. However, if these do not work, consult with a dermatologist or podiatrist about other options like other injected and topical drugs or laser therapy.

Vascular dementia is a less prevalent type of memory loss that nonetheless affects many older men.

 Image: Mike Watson Images/Thinkstock

While Alzheimer's disease continues to be the most recognized type of dementia, older men should also be mindful about the second most common: vascular dementia.

In vascular dementia, memory problems result from damage to large and small blood vessels in the brain. It develops when cholesterol-clogged blood vessels can't deliver enough oxygen to the brain. Small blockages deprive some brain cells of oxygen, which causes a series of small strokes that kill brain cells. This can lead to episodes of confusion, slurred speech, and problems thinking or remembering.

Here's what to do when certain foods disagree with you.

 Image: ChesiireCat/Thinkstock

You probably remember an occasion when you ate something that did not agree with you. But if your stomach issues have become severe and frequent, you might have a food intolerance.

"Food intolerances puzzle many older men, since foods they long enjoyed suddenly give them problems," says Evagelia Georgakilas, a registered dietitian and nutritionist with Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "They might tough it out and suffer in silence, but by identifying the problem foods, making adjustments in portion sizes, and switching out certain foods as needed, they can avoid painful and recurring digestive issues."

The disease strikes more women, but men are also at risk.

Osteoporosis is often considered a woman's disease, but men also need to be concerned about this bone-weakening condition. About 2 million men have osteoporosis and another 12 million are at high risk, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

In fact, older men have a greater risk for an osteoporosis-related fracture than for getting prostate cancer, and about one in four men older than 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis during his lifetime.