Articles filed under 'MEN'S HEALTHCARE'
Many people take vitamin supplements daily, believing they will be healthier in the process. No studies have ever shown a true benefit from taking multivitamins and minerals. Some studies have indicated that vitamin A and iron are toxic at high levels. And Beta-carotene can increase the risk of lung cancer in those who smoke.
Taking vitamins will not help those most at risk for prostate cancer to keep from getting it. In fact, a recent study shows it can have the opposite effect.
Researchers followed nearly 300,000 men over a five-year period to uncover a potential link between multivitamins and prostate cancer. They found no relationship with slow-growing prostate cancer. However, men who took an excessive amount of multivitamins were found to have developed aggressive prostate cancer that had spread beyond the gland or had proved fatal. This association was strongest in men who had a family history of prostate cancer and men who also took selenium, beta-carotene or zinc supplements.
About a third of the men studied took a daily multivitamin, while 5% were heavy users taking more than the recommended doses. Overall, no link was found between multivitamin use and early stage prostate cancer. The theory is that high-dose vitamins have little effect until a tumor appears, but that their intake then encourages cancer’s rapid growth.
Those who took more than the prescribed dosage on the bottle, one multivitamin a day, increased their risk of aggressive prostate cancer by one-third, and the risk of fatal prostate cancer doubled compared to men who did not take multivitamins.
This year over 250,000 men will be diagnosed and 30,000 will die of prostate cancer.
This study was published in May 2007 and appears in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Sources: Associated Press; MSNBC
May 17th, 2007
A new test for prostate cancer, believed to be much more accurate than the PSA test, is expected to be approved soon. The test, currently undergoing large-scale clinical trials, measures the blood protein EPCA-2. Not only can it detect prostate cancer more effectively than measurement of prostate specific antigens (PSA), it also can determine the aggressiveness of the cancer and whether it has already spread.
In recent studies of 385 men, those with elevated EPCA-2 test results were found to have cancer 94% of the time, compared with 19% of those showing elevated PSA results. Only 3% showed false positive results and about 6% of existing cancers were missed using the new EPCA-2 blood protein markers. These results compare more favorably than the PSA test, which misses about 15% of existing cancers and gives a high level of false positives.
Every year, about 1.6 million men have unnecessary biopsies because of elevated PSA scores, whereas only about 230,000 of them actually are shown to have cancer. The digital rectal exam (DRE) is also not definitive in detecting this common cancer of men.
Prostate cancer is diagnosed in 230,000 new cases annually, and about 27,000 men die of the disease. The current PSA and DRE detection procedures are also deficient in that they cannot distinguish between cancer’s aggressive form, which is frequently fatal, and a slow-growing variety where “watchful waiting” may be the best strategy.
The new test could revolutionize the treatment of prostate cancer. It could save many lives and spare men with the slow-growing form of cancer from having unnecessary treatments in the future. Its manufacturer Onconome Inc., a Seattle Biomedical company, is developing the EPCA-2 test and expects the FDA to approve it by early next year.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle; Sunday, April 26, 2007; reporter Susan Brink of the Los Angeles Times
May 10th, 2007
An advanced radiation therapy called intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) appears to cause fewer side effects in men with early prostate cancer. With IMRT, multiple radiation beams target the prostate from many directions, while doctors adjust the strength and intensity of the beams. Sensitive surrounding organs such as the bladder and rectum are less likely to be affected using the newer technology.
A study at a Philadelphia Cancer Center compared results in 216 men who received IMRT to 158 men who received the more traditional radiation seed implant therapy. Before treatment, all had a cancer at low risk of spreading beyond the prostate.
In radiation seed implant therapy, or brachytherapy, tiny radioactive seeds are implanted by surgeons into the prostate glad where high-dose radiation is delivered for a specified length of time.
Both treatments are effective and safe. The side effects and quality of life are important factors in choosing a therapy. In general, men with enlarged prostates or who have poor urinary function or diabetes do better with IMRT than radiation seed implants.
Men treated with the newer method of therapy were less likely to need catheters to help them urinate, researchers determined. After three months, only 0.5% of men on IMRT compared to 4% with radioactive seeds still needed a urinary catheter.
In another comparison, 97% of those receiving IMRT were cancer-free four years later, compared to 86% of men who had radioactive seeds. These results were measured by blood tests for prostate specific antigen (PSA), in which rising levels can signal a recurrence of cancer. The PSA levels in the second group were negligible or not significant.
Both IMRT and seed implant therapy offer excellent outcomes with low toxicity, according to a lead researcher at the Cancer Center.
Source: WebMD
November 15th, 2006
We have known for some time that steroid abuse causes behavior changes such as aggressiveness, uncontrollable rages and suicidal tendencies. A recent study using brain cells in lab dishes showed that too much testosterone can kill brain cells through a process called apoptosis.
Testosterone in large doses can cause cells to self-destruct and produce a process similar to brain deterioration in Alzheimer’s Disease or Huntington’s Disease.
Athletes or others who resort to steroids may risk incurring damage to their minds and body functions that can’t be reversed. High levels of steroids are converted to extra testosterone in the body, and large doses of testosterone can destroy nerve cells.
Athletes who wish to gain a competitive advantage through steroid use should have second thoughts, even though it can build muscle mass and aid in quicker recovery after exertion.
Source: CNN.com
November 14th, 2006
When you hear the term “postpartum depression,” you may immediately think of the extreme sadness that sometimes affects women after childbirth. It may surprise you to learn that while 14% of new mothers are afflicted with the condition, about 10% of fathers can also experience moderate or severe postpartum depression.
A study of 5,000 two-parent families with a child nine months old revealed that depression in new fathers was more than twice as common as in the general male population. The study, published in the August issue of the journal Pediatrics, indicated that depression can start two to three weeks after birth and may last up to a year or longer if untreated.
Fathers with this condition are less likely to interact positively with their child through playing, reading, telling stories or singing songs to their child. In addition, it is difficult for them to be supportive of the child’s mother.
When both mother and father are depressed, their new baby is more apt to be exclusively bottle-fed and put to bed on its stomach instead of on its back, now recommended as a safety measure for infants.
The father’s happy interaction with his new baby is necessary for the child to develop cognitively and emotionally in normal ways. Depressed new fathers are more likely to be irritable, aggressive, and sometimes hostile to the infant and the child’s mother.
The depressed new father may feel burdened or trapped by the financial responsibility of a first or additional child. He may also miss the closeness he previously had with the mother. For some husbands, it may feel as though an intruder has come into the couple’s marital relationship or that his own needs are being neglected.
Talking with a doctor, counselor, psychologist, or social worker can help to make a diagnosis and determine whether depression exists and whether it should to be treated. Severe postpartum depression is not just “baby blues” caused by the fatigue of meeting new demands. In serious cases, it manifests itself in severe sadness or emptiness, withdrawal from family and friends, or a sense of failure. There may even be thoughts of suicide in extreme cases.
If your husband is displaying symptoms of depression, gently approach the subject. You might say, for example, “I believe you have been depressed since our baby was born.” Let him know that it is almost as common for men to suffer postpartum depression as it is for women.
After talking openly about the subject, you may both want to seek help. All of you will benefit in doing so.
Source: WebMD
Technorati Tags: postpartum depression, child birth
August 16th, 2006
A recent finding by scientists of a gene associated with prostate cancer may help doctors decide which patients are best suited to receive aggressive therapy. DeCode Genetics in Iceland made the discovery that may help explain why African Americans, who more commonly have this gene, may have higher rates of prostate cancer than some other populations.
The variant gene was discovered in men in Iceland, Sweden, and in two populations in the U.S. The gene variant, carried by about 13% of men of European ancestry, raises the risk of getting prostate cancer by 60%, compared with a 13% risk in those who did not carry it. Men with this recently found gene were discovered to make up about 8% of all cases of prostate cancer.
The variant in African-American men is twice as common as in men of other ancestry. For this reason, prostate cancer may be more prevalent and have a higher mortality rate in black males in the U.S. than in white males. Early detection and aggressive treatment could lead to better outcomes for black males.
According to Dr. Kari Stefansson, DeCode’s chief executive, this was the first major gene in prostate cancer found in widespread populations.
Source: Oakland Tribune, reprinted from New York Times writer Nicholas Wade’s article; May 8, 2006
Additional Resources:
What You Need to Know About Prostate Cancer
May 12th, 2006
Men who undergo a vasectomy cannot assume they are immediately sterile. After a doctor severs the vas deferens, the sperm-carrying tubes, a man and his partner should use another form of birth control until follow-up tests confirm the success of the operation.
Usually, doctors ask the patient to submit sperm samples two months post- vasectomy and another after the third month. When two consecutive samples are negative, the surgery is considered a success.
A study of 436 men who received vasectomies at the Cleveland Clinic showed that a quarter of the men didn’t submit a sperm sample at two months, and only 21% bothered to return for the second follow-up.
Three months after vasectomy, when just half of the total patients returned to give samples, 9% of the tests still contained sperm. The residual sperm were usually in low numbers and nonmotile (unable to move on their own).
Three men with sperm-free samples at two-month intervals showed a trace of them remaining at the three-month check. All three had sperm-free samples by four and five months following their vasectomy.
In patients who followed the instructions of their doctor for return checks, vasectomy was eventually judged successful in all but one. Those who didn’t return for testing could potentially still get their partner pregnant.
According to Dr. Nivedita Dhar, a researcher at the Cleveland Clinic, it is impossible to know if and when the sterilization surgery is successful if patients do not submit semen samples as directed.
It is important to note that vasectomy does not affect a man’s orgasm or ejaculation, and it doesn’t prevent sexually transmitted diseases.
Source: WebMD
April 12th, 2006
Saw Palmetto, a popular herbal pill used by millions of American men for symptoms of prostate enlargement, was found to be ineffective in a year-long research study involving 225 men over age 49.
More than 2 million American men and many in Europe take the herb in an effort to ease their urinary symptoms — the frequent urge to go to the bathroom. In this new study, saw palmetto was no more effective than placebo pills (fake capsules). Findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in early February.
As men age, many develop benign (noncancerous) enlargement of the prostate, a walnut-sized gland that surrounds the urethra. The men recruited for this most recent study had moderate to severe symptoms. One group took 160 miligrams of saw palmetto twice a day.
Men in the second group swallowed a similar-looking, tasting and smelling dummy capsule. Participants in both groups filled out a symptoms survey and had urine flow measured. After a year, no significant difference was detected between the two groups, in symptom changes or other measurements.
An earlier, shorter study found that some men seemed to benefit from taking Saw Palmetto. Until this new research is confirmed by more studies, lead researcher Dr. Stephen Bent of San Francisco’s VA Medical Center advises that men who take the herb and feel it is helpful should probably keep using it.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (2/9/06) www.sfgate/chronicle.com
Further Research:
What You Need to Know About Prostate Cancer
March 27th, 2006