Men's Health Archive

Forget clothes. In a very real sense, testosterone makes the man.

It is responsible for the deep voice, increased muscle mass, and strong bones that characterize the gender. It stimulates the production of red blood cells by the bone marrow. The hormone also has crucial, if incompletely understood, effects on male behavior: it contributes to aggressiveness, and it is 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 is responsible for sperm production throughout adult life.

Study shows that taking both dutasteride (Avodart) and tamsulosin (Flomax) might be more effective at easing symptoms than taking just one.

Standard treatments for prostatitis, including antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications, and alpha blockers, are often ineffective. Patients might find relief by using drugs currently in clinical trials or nontraditional therapies such as biofeedback and myofascial trigger release, a form of massage.

Like finasteride (Proscar), dutasteride (Avodart), a drug used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), may also reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

Manufacturers of testosterone gel products must add a boxed warning on the products about adverse effects.

Studies

Experts conclude that there is no association between vasectomy and prostate cancer risk.

Some evidence suggests that stress reduction may ease symptoms of an enlarged prostate.

It may sound like a promising approach, but there’s a lot we don’t know about using Botox to treat an enlarged prostate.

Knowing the basics of scientific research and statistics can help you understand what medical studies really say

In the late 1990s, word that selenium and vitamin E might lower the risk of prostate cancer was reported by newspapers and magazines, broadcast on television and radio, and announced on Web sites. Eager to prevent the disease — and convinced that vitamins and minerals couldn’t be harmful — men around the world began taking the supplements.