Men's Health
Men's health refers to health issues specifically, the human male body and its functions. These often relate to structures such as male genitalia or to conditions caused by hormones specific to, or most notable in, males. Men are often unlikely to discuss medical or sexual problems and most males are often reluctant to go to a doctor about their problems.
Some male specific problems are discussed below. Prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and the chances of developing this type of cancer increases with age. Here is an overview of causes, symptoms and treatments for prostate cancer. What is the prostate? The prostate is an exocrine gland of the male reproductive system It is located immediately below the bladder and just in front of the bowel. This particular exocrine gland is one whose secretions end up outside the body e.g. prostate gland and sweat glands. . The main function of the prostrate is to manufacture a fluid which protects and enriches sperm. It is approximately the size of a walnut. The urethra is a tube that connects the bladder to the end of the penis and carries urine and semen out of the body. There are also thousands of tiny glands in the prostate, which all help to make a liquid that forms part of the semen. This liquid also protects and nourishes the sperm cells. During orgasm in a male the seminal-vesicles produce a milky liquid in which the semen is encapsulated .This fluid is manufactured in the prostate gland and the sperm is secreted and stored in the testicles. When a male climaxes (has an orgasm) muscle contractions force the prostate to eject this liquid into the urethra and travel through the penis where it is deposited outside. Controlling urination As the urethra goes through the prostate gland is also involved in controlling urine flow (continence) by controlled prostate muscle fibers. The muscle fibers in the prostate tighten or loosen as required controlling the flow of urine. The Prostates Produce a substance called Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) The specialised cells in the prostate gland called epithelial cells produce a unique protein named PSA (prostate-specific antigen). This PSA is what helps the semen to stay as a liquid. Some of the PSA regularly escapes into the bloodstream. A man's PSA levels can be measured by checking with a blood test. If the levels of PSA are high, this could be an indication of either prostate cancer or some other type of prostate problem. Male hormones also affect the growth of the prostate, and also the levels of PSA the prostate manufactures. Medications which can alter male hormone levels can also affect PSA blood levels. If these hormones are low during a male's childhood and also during his adulthood, the prostate gland may not grow to its full size. In some older males the prostate gland can keep growing, this is usually the part that surrounds the urethra. This can also cause problems and make it hard for the him to urinate as the growing prostate gland can often cause the urethra to collapse. When the prostate gland becomes too large the medical term for it is called Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). BPH is not cancer,but it must be treated. What is Prostate Cancer and what causes it? Prostate cancer is a disease which only affects men. Cancer begins to grow in the prostate - a gland in the male reproductive system. The word "prostate" comes from the early Latin language prostate and Medieval French prostate. This stems from the ancient Greek word prostate which means "one standing in front. It also gets its meaning from the Greek word proistanai which is "set before". The prostate was named this from where it is positioned in the male anatomy .The prostrate is found right at the base of the bladder. In most cases, the prostate cancer starts in the gland cells which is called adenocarcinoma. Prostate cancer is usually a very slow progressing disease. The fact is that a large number of men pass away from old age, without ever knowing they were living with prostate cancer.It was only after an autopsy has been performed that doctors found it. Many studies have found that up to 80% of all men in their eighties had prostate cancer when they died. Specialists say that prostate cancer begins with tiny alterations in the shape and size of the prostate gland cells the medical term for this is called Prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN). Specialised practicians claim that up to half of all 50 year old men may have PIN. These cells stay in place ,they do not move to other parts of the body , but these changes can be seen under a microscope. Cancer cells on the other hand would have traveled through other parts of the prostate. Specialists often describe these prostate gland cell changes as low-grade or high-grade changes. A high grade change is abnormal while low-grade is classified as normal. Patients who are found to have high-grade PIN after a prostate biopsy are at a much greater risk of having cancer cells in their prostate. As a result of this diagnosis the doctors will monitor him carefully and will often carry out another biopsy later at a scheduled interval. What are the symptoms of prostate cancer? During the early stages of prostate cancer there are usually no symptoms. Most men during this stage often find out they have prostate cancer after a routine check up or blood test. When symptoms do exist, they are usually one or more of the following:
Nobody is really sure of what the specific causes are. There are so many possible factors, including age, race, lifestyle, medications, and genetics, to name a few.
If you think that you may have some of these symptoms then you should consider making an appointment with your doctor as soon as you can. High cholesterol It's important to keep cholesterol in check because high cholesterol levels can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. What is cholesterol? Your body uses cholesterol for many different purposes but when levels in our blood are too high it starts to cause health problems. To much cholesterol in our blood stream can cause fatty deposits to slowley build up inside blood vessels. This restricts our the flow of blood to various organs and extremities , and can also cause a heart attack or stroke. In a lot of medical cases there are often no symptoms or signs of high cholesterol sometimes we can have high cholesterol levels and still feel well. Therefore, it is important to have our cholesterol checks on a regular basis. The only way to know about high cholesterol levels is by getting a blood test done which is used to measure your cholesterol. Some of the things below can contribute to high cholesterol levels • having high blood pressure • being overweight • having diabetes • smoking Below aErectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation Nearly 1 in 2 Australian men have experienced a sexual difficulty. Sexual dysfunction in a man can affect any part of the sexual act, as well as any man, whether he is straight, gay, bisexual or transgender. Find out more about erectile dysfunction (impotence) and premature ejaculation. Male pattern baldness Male-pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss. For some men, this process starts as early as the late teens. By the age of 60, most men have some degree of hair loss. Male pattern hair loss (also known as androgenetic alopecia), the most common type of hair loss in men, is a progressive thinning of the hair. It usually begins at the forehead, with the hairline gradually receding along the sides to form an ‘M’ shape. The remaining hair may become finer and shorter, with hair at the crown (back) of the head also beginning to thin. Signs of depression in men Nothing is more likely to bring a man out in a cold sweat than asking him to talk about his emotions. But if a mate is under stress or feeling depressed, it will help if he talks about it. Learn more about male depression here Sexualy transmitted infections (STI) STIs include highly contagious diseases like chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, genital herpes, hepatitis and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Click here to learn more about these diseases and how they can affect you and what precatuions you can take against getting them. The effects of dangerous prescription drugs and implants on men's health A majority of men often avoid doctors and hospitals but quite often they are suffering from treatable diseases and conditions. Although quite often, many of the prescribed drugs and supplements that men are exposed to may not be as healthy or safe as suggested by their doctors. If men take control of their health by eating a healthy diet, leading a simpler lifestyle with small adjustments and visiting their doctor for regular checkups a lot of these conditions can be controlled and even reversed.
Some times though many of the drugs that are prescribed for one ailment can be even more harmful to other parts of our bodies and some can cause irreversible side affects.If you are taking any of the drugs listed below then maybe you should get a second opinion about them. Drugs that are Dangerous to Men There are several drugs that many men take every day that could pose a number of health risks. Some of these may include: Avastin Diuretics and Beta Blockers Crestor Jalyn Prinivil Diuretics and beta blockers Norvasc Risperdal & Invega Click this link Drug watch (https://www.drugwatch.com/men/) to find out a lot more about these dangerous drugs and others and learn about alternatives and also what you can do if you have had any serious side affects from these drugs or implants. |
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Mens Health Channel
In Australia, men are more likely than women to have serious health problems. Men die in greater numbers than women from almost every non-sex-specific health problem. Erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation can this be related to diet?
What does diet and having an erection have to do with one another? Hard penises belong to healthy people, a healthy diet produces healthy arteries which produce healthy erections.Click the link above to learn more.
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