Health Tips

Influenza or flu is caused by a virus. The virus enters body cells and changes the DNA in there to include its own DNA code. When the cells reproduce the virus reproduces too. Eventually the body recognizes the DNA altered cells as being foreign and kills them. When all the altered cells have been reabsorbed you will recover from the flu.

Flu symptoms bear a passing resemblance to a heavy cold in humans, but the symptoms go on to include muscle aches and pains, lack of energy to do the most basic tasks and sometimes chest infections.

It is the chest infections that kill old people and infants who develop influenza. This is why it is recommended that older people should be given a flu vaccine. The vaccine is available each autumn and gives some protection against the current flu virus that year. The vaccine changes each year to cope with the changing DNA of the flu virus, so the vaccine must be re-administered each year for the maximum protection.
(more…)

The most common type of cancer that strikes men ages 15 to 40 is testicular cancer. Keep in mind, all types of cancer can strike at any age.

Some male babies are born with it or can develop it if their testicle does not descend from the abdomen. Studies indicate that it can also peak at age 75. Other causes include genetics and ethnicity.

Caucasian men are almost twice as likely to develop it than African American. It is the most common type of cancer to begin for no known reason (e.g. no family history). However, it also has best prognosis of any cancer when detected and treated early.
(more…)

Impotence (the inability to achieve or maintain an erection) is one of the most common sexual problems for men. When men do finally make the effort they are more likely than women to seek help and treatment for sexual problems. sometimes quite simple interventions, information, reassurance, talking to someone, contraceptive advice etc, can resolve the problem.

Physical Causes

Post-surgical side effects; accidental injuries to the penis or testicles, spine or pelvic area; Vascular trauma;
Diseases & conditions e.g. Diabetes, flu, chronic renal failure, liver disease, arterial sclerosis; Parkinsons disease.
Drug abuse- Recreational use or regular chronic over use of addictive drugs such as cocaine, heroin, amphetamines.
Medication-drugs used for depression, Beta blockers for high blood pressure, diuretics. (more…)

Circumcision is the surgical removal of the prepuce of the foreskin that covers the tip of the penis. The prepuce is a normal part of the external genitalia. It protects the the glans, from chafing and abrasion during intercourse and from general wear and tear. It protects the glans from irritation in infancy when the baby is incontinent. It provides lubrication. It also contains erogenous tissue, in other words it contributes to sexual arousal.

The United States has one of the highest rates of male circumcision at 60 per cent. This is down from the rate of 85 per cent previoulsy recorded in the 1970s. Over 1.25 million infants are circumcised annually, that’s more than 3,300 babies each day. Male circumcision has often been carried out for reasons of hygiene. Men who have had a circumcision seem to contract urinary tract infections less. It is also thought that circumcised men have a lower rate of penile cancer, a very rare form of cancer. Research is unclear about whether circumcision reduces the risk of cervical cancer in female sexual partners.
(more…)

Testicular cancer is rare but it is one of the most common forms of cancer in men between the ages of 15 and 35 years of age. Around 7,500 cases of testicular cancer are diagnosed in the United States of America each year and is more common in white males than those of African descent.

The incidence of testicular cancer is higher amongst men with urinary system abnormalities such as horseshoe kidneys, duplication of ureters. Men with undescended testicles (even after surgical correction) are 20 times more likely to get cancer of the testicles than the general population. and men who have had cancer in one testicle have an increased chance of developing it in the other testicle. Men with HIV disease are also at more at risk of developing testicular cancer.

Testicular cancer can be cured and success rates are very high. Early detection of the cancer in general means an improved outcome. Nearly all testicular cancers respond well to treatment. The signs of testicular cancer is a painless lump in the testicle. This is usually found by self examination.
(more…)

Priapism is a condition wherein a man experiences penile erection without sexual stimulation for an extended time. The erection may last a few hours or even days. In addition to being embarrassing and inconvenient, priapism is often painful and it can result in extensive tissue damage to the penis, as well as long-term impotence if not treated promptly.

Fortunately, it is uncommon compared to other forms of sexual dysfunction, and many men can return to normal sex lives after receiving proper treatment.

In general, priapism results from a disturbance to the mechanisms that control penile detumescence (the process by which the penis becomes flaccid). Blood enters the penis, but it cannot drain properly because it becomes trapped in the corpora cavernosa, a large chamber in the penis. The penis glans (head) and area around the urethra, however, remain flaccid.
(more…)

Does bicycling cause impotence? There is much debate on this question among both doctors and cycling enthusiasts. As with many medical issues, there really isn’t a clear-cut answer. Most experts, however, agree there seems to be a causal connection between bicycling and impotence, though they may disagree on the extent to which this exists.

Of course bicycle accidents are a concern for any rider, as falling down hard onto the bike’s top tube can lead to priapism and impotence. But how about cycling itself? The general consensus is that while your average weekend cyclist need not be over-worried, serious riders, competitors and those who already have impotence problems should definitely take steps to minimize the damages that may occur from long-distance riding.

If you think about the mechanics and physiology associated with cycling, this advice makes sense. The sport has numerous cardiovascular and other health benefits, but the problem is that riding on a narrow, firm seat puts tremendous pressure on the perineum. This is the area under the penis and the vagina, and it contains crucial arteries responsible for bringing blood to the sex organs.
(more…)

The inability of male individuals to get an erection can be termed as erectile dysfunction. It is a disease that may be prevalent as a result of anxiety, stress, depression, relationship problems, vascular diseases, diabetes, nerve disease, hormonal problems, surgery, trauma, chronic medical conditions, side effects of medications, alcohol, sedentary lifestyle and smoking etc.

Though there are multifarious reasons as to why a male has erectile dysfunction, there are only a limited number of drugs to treat it. These drugs do not really treat it rather these drugs subdue the erectile dysfunction problem for short term. Cialis is one such drug that subdues the erectile dysfunction disorder for that short period of time i.e. during the effectiveness of the drug.

Cialis is a drug that works by increasing the blood flow to the penile tissues like Viagra erectile dysfunction drug. But a major difference between these two is the time duration of the effectiveness of the drug. While other erectile dysfunction treatment drugs effect works for six to twelve hours, the effectiveness of Cialis works for around 36 hours. Thus a user of Cialis has the advantage of spending less money on the treatment of erectile dysfunction or ED.
(more…)

For the past 15 years physicians receiving the results of a PSA test have focused on the absolute value of the test results. This test shows the level of prostate specific antigen in a patient’s bloodstream.

Until recently a score of 6.5 (above average) meant that a biopsy appeared the best next step in the normal diagnostic procedure, the prevailing method for identifying patients with prostate cancer. Now, however, things are changing.

Mark Litwin, M.D., an urologist at UCLA, as quoted in a University publication, said “It has become apparent in the last several years that PSA kinetics give us much better information about whether there is likely to be cancer present, and whether that cancer is likely to be aggressive.”
(more…)

Male pattern baldness can be mainly attributed to DHT or dihydrotestosterone. Androgenetic alopecia or male pattern baldness is a disease that may have been inherited from either side of a patient’s family.

DHT may shrink hair follicles which help in generation of hair. Propecia is for treating mild to moderate male pattern hair loss on vertex (top of head) and anterior mid-scalp area (middle front of head) in males.

Propecia is a prescription oral pill approved by FDA hence a patient with male pattern baldness requires prescription from a doctor to start its usage. Propecia is also known as finasteride.
(more…)