MENS’ GUIDE
Our Men’s Guide provides a convenience resource for medical topics and conditions that affect men of all ages. We will continue to update this area to keep you better informed.
Scroll and click over the categories below to see expanded content for each, including resourceful external links.
Men’s Health: Preventing the Top 7 Threats
The biggest threats to men’s health can often be prevented. These top 7 threats are; heart disease, cancer, accidents, chronic lower respirator diseases, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, and suicide. Here’s what you need to know to live a longer, healthier life.
Erectile Dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction or ED is the inability to achieve or sustain an erection suitable for sexual intercourse. Problems with erections may stem from medications, chronic illness, poor blood flow to the penis, drinking too much alcohol, or being tire. Lifestyle changes, medications, and other treatments are often used to treat ED.
Heart Disease
Heart disease includes conditions affecting the heart, such as coronary heart disease, heart attack, congestive heart failure, and congenital heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the U.S. Keys to prevention include quitting smoking, lowering cholesterol, controlling high blood pressure, maintaining a healthy weight, and exercising.
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure, known as hypertension, affects millions of people each year. This health condition increases the risk of heart disease and stroke so it’s important to know how to lower high blood pressure. Hypertension risk factors include obesity, drinking too much alcohol, smoking, and family history.
Starting at age 18, have your blood pressure checked at least every 2 years. High blood pressure is 140/90 or higher. High blood pressure can cause strokes, heart attacks, kidney and eye problems, and heart failure.
Cholesterol
Keeping your cholesterol levels healthy is a great way to keep your heart healthy – and lower your chances of getting heart disease or having a stroke. Cholesterol can be difficult to understand since not all is bad for you. The most important thing you can do is to know your cholesterol numbers by getting tested regularly.
Enlarge Prostate
In men, urine flows from the bladder through the urethra. BPH is a benign (noncancerous) enlargement of the prostate that blocks the flow of urine through the urethra. The prostate cells gradually multiply, creating an enlargement that puts pressure on the urethra — the “chute” through which urine and semen exit the body.
As the urethra narrows, the bladder has to contract more forcefully to push urine through the body.
Over time, the bladder muscle may gradually become stronger, thicker, and overly sensitive; it begins to contract even when it contains small amounts of urine, causing a need to urinate frequently. Eventually, the bladder muscle cannot overcome the effect of the narrowed urethra so urine remains in the bladder and it is not completely emptied…
Prostate Cancer Screening
Prostate cancer screening means looking for cancer before it causes symptoms. This screening helps to find cancer at an early stage when it may be easier to treat.
Colon Cancer Screening
Colon cancer and cancer of the rectum usually begin as a small polyp. While most colon polyps are benign, some do become cancerous. Colon cancer symptoms may include a change in bowel habits or bleeding, but usually colon cancer strikes without symptoms. That’s why it’s important to get a colon cancer screening test, such as a colonoscopy. If the cancer is found early, the doctor can use surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy for effective treatment.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a group of diseases characterized by high blood glucose levels that result from defects in the body’s ability to produce and/or use insulin.
Hernia
A hernia occurs when an organ or fatty tissue squeezes through a weak spot in a surrounding muscle or connective tissue called fascia. The most common types are inguinal (inner groin), incisional (resulting from an incision), femoral (outer groin), umbilical (belly button), and hiatal (upper stomach).
Vasectomy
A vasectomy is considered a permanent method of birth control for men. The procedure will prevent the release of sperm when a man ejaculates. During a vasectomy, the vas deferens from each testicle is clamped, cut, or otherwise sealed. This prevents sperm from mixing with the semen that is ejaculated from the penis and therefore, an Buy No Rx egg cannot be fertilized when there are no sperm in the semen.
Male Infertility
Infertility is buy topamax the inability to get pregnant after trying for at least 1 year without using birth control. About 15% of couples are infertile and about one-third of cases of infertility are caused by male factors along. Usually, a couple should wait to see a doctor until after they’ve tried to get pregnant for a year. However, it’s okay to see a doctor sooner, especially if the women’s age may be a factor.
Healthy Life Tips for Men
- Be physically active and make healthy food choices: http://www.healthfinder.gov/prevention
- Achieve a healthy weight and stay there. (Balance your intake with what you burn off through activities) http://www.webmd.com/diet/tc/healthy-weight-what-is-a-healthy-weight
- Be tobacco free http://www.smokefree.gov
- Drink alcohol in moderation (No more than 2 drinks per day if you are 65 or younger or 1 drink per day if 65 or older. A standard drink is one 12-oz bottle of beer or wine cooler, one 5-oz glass of wine, or 1.5 oz 80-proof distilled spirits.) http://www.drinkinmoderation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/DISCUS-Moderation-Brochure1.pdf
