Five signs you may have low testosterone — guest post by Dr. Larry Lipschultz

Low testosterone, also referred to as hypogonadism, may result in significant side effects, such as male infertility. Because low testosterone symptoms may mimic the effects of other disorders, and because patients may feel embarrassed to discuss their experiences with a medical practitioner, individuals may fail to recognize symptoms of low testosterone. However, men should pay attention to their bodies if common signs of low testosterone occur. By contacting a trusted men’s health practice, you may be able to improve testosterone levels and prevent potential risks.

Decreased Sex Drive

Noticing a dip or significant drop in your sex drive does not necessarily point to an emotional issue or something you can take care of on your own. This may point to a low testosterone level. While your sex drive may decrease naturally as you age, an apparent testosterone issue may contribute to a lack of desire to have sex, as well as a decreased ability to reach orgasm.

Infertility

If you find you have been having conception problems with your significant other, your infertility may be the result of low testosterone. This hormone plays an important role in sperm production. As testosterone drops, so does sperm count and your ability to conceive. Your men’s health doctor will test your blood to determine whether your infertility rests solely on low testosterone levels, which may affect a more comprehensive hormonal imbalance.

Erectile Dysfunction

Low testosterone may result in erectile dysfunction. The relationship here is twofold. First, low levels of testosterone often result in a loss of genital sensation. When your sensation drops, your ability to receive stimulation and achieve an erection decreases. In addition, testosterone supports a subsequent process involving the release of nitric oxide, which acts as a vasodilator, or widening of blood cells. When this reaction fails to occur, achieving or sustaining an erection becomes difficult or impossible.

Fatigue

When you experience feelings of decreased energy and fatigue, consider whether you have done anything to alter your usual routine. If you have not overexerted yourself, changed your diet significantly, or experienced sleeping problems, you may look to low testosterone as the underlying cause. Particularly when experienced in combination with mood swings, weight gain, and loss of muscle mass, fatigue may be your red flag that your hormones need a rebalance.

Changes in Mood

If you notice that you have been feeling depressed lately, but no major changes have occurred in your life, low testosterone is a possible culprit. Hormones play a key role in your mental and emotional balance. If it isn’t depression, in which you experience feelings of guilt and extreme sadness , you may notice you become irritable. Or, you may find you feel fine but the people surrounding you in your life begin to complain that you have become quite moody.

About Dr. Larry Lipschultz

Larry Lipschultz, M.D. is one of the leading experts on male reproductive medicine and microsurgery, and contributes to education as a professor at Baylor College of Medicine. He has trained an extensive number of urologists and heads a urology practice that offers comprehensive services for men’s health. His practice is located in Houston, and offers services that focus on infertility, erectile dysfunction, nutrition, and other men’s health issues.

Website: http://www.larrylipshultz.com/

When you see your doc, be sure to bring up family history of disease

9. pathophysiology-of-colon-cancer (Photo credit: TipsTimes)

When you see your doctor, it’s hard enough to figure out what questions to ask.  Should I get screened for this, or screened for that? I have emphasized throughout this blog the importance of getting screened for prostate cancer. Guys simply don’t like to visit the doctor. But colorectal health is also vital.  With proper and timely  screening, many men and women can avoid colon cancer.  But it takes a candid conversation with the doctor to set up a colonoscopy.

According to this HealthDay.com article, a new study suggests that a family history of the disease may be important for even more distant relatives.

In many cases, colon cancer may have no symptoms. And when symptoms appear, the disease could be advanced, so it’s important to talk with your doctor as you approach age 50….much younger if you have a family history of the disease.  This article tells me that it’s important to tell your doctor if any relative (even distant) may have had colon cancer.  Just one more thing to remember when you set up your next doctor appointment.

BRAND GUYS — by Bill Vernick and Claire Farber

Review by Scott Keith

Editor’s note: I thought it would be fun to take this blog in another direction by reviewing an entertaining book that deals with a subject many baby boomers struggle with…how to get back in the dating scene.

These days, it’s hard to start a relationship. It seems everybody is multi-tasking.  There’s not enough time in the day to map a strategy for finding that significant other. While there are dating web sites, and the ever-popular produce aisle at the corner supermarket, there’s one approach you probably have never thought about.

Bill Vernick and Claire Farber have written Brand Guys to show a woman how to choose Mr. Right based on the products he purchases.

In an email interview with Men and Health: It’s a Guy Thing, Vernick says the idea of Brand Guys came from a routine consumer marketing focus group.

According to Vernick, “At the group, a woman said that when the time came and she agreed to go back to ‘his place,’ she liked to search through a guy’s bathroom. She figured the products he used might tell her something about this guy. We said, ‘ah-HA!’ and asked other women if they did the same thing.” Many woman did, the authors found out.

Vernick and Farber believe women can really get to know a guy by the brands he buys. “The brand a man uses creates HIS brand. If he drives a Beemer and drinks Johnnie Walker, he’s one brand; if he drives a Volvo and drinks Ocean Spray, he’s another. Women told us brands helped them figure who a guy really is,” Vernick said.

Brand Guys reveals that a lot of guys who use similar brands all share similar personalities.

“Brands are like comfort food,” Vernick said. “A guy feels good about Tom’s of Maine Toothpaste. He knows it’s safe to use, doesn’t harm animals and respects nature. Other guys who like Tom’s are the same way. They care about the same things; their personalities reflect this!”

As you read the book, you’ll discover ten brands of guys. Vernick said, “Each chapter focuses on a certain brand of guy, like Bud Guy, Beemer Guy and Redbull Guy. The chapters give us a look at this brand’s personality, looks, clothes, dating habits, clues to know him, how to find him, the perks of being with him!”

Brand Guys offers testimonials from women. The idea is to help women find the perfect guy.

Vernick and Farber believe Brand Guys will take the guesswork out of relationships.

“We know dating is crazy difficult. Brand Guys can help women point themselves in the right direction – the book says be true to yourself, don’t change yourself – then we’ll help you find the brand of guy that matches you.”

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Bill Vernick (co-author) worked as a film editor in his first job cutting documentaries, commercials, movie trailers and low budget features. During this time he sold his first screenplay, but spent years explaining that the resulting film had little to do with the script he wrote.  It later found an audience on video and a surprising number of fans on the web.  Bill wrote other screenplays, including “She Kills Me”, and worked in Los Angeles adapting novels for the screen.  He headed back to NYC and found work at advertising agencies as a writer and creative director, during which time he co-created “The Best Part Of Wakin’ Up Is Folgers In Your Cup” and many other campaigns.  Bill wrote and directed “You’d Better Be Right” a short film which won awards at the Houston International and Suffolk County Film Festivals, was distributed internationally, gaining a following in Scandanavia, which Bill is hard-pressed to explain.  Today, he writes screenplays, TV commercials and has branched out into new product invention, creating over 8000 new product concepts.  Bill makes short films (one has 30,000 hits on YouTube) and has also written numerous magazine articles, which are gathered at ezine.com. Bill is currently at work on two other books, one non-fiction and the other a novel based on his own screenplay.

————————————————————————————————————————-

Claire Farber (co-author) has been a Branding and Brand Innovation Consultant for nearly 20 years.  Her passion is for figuring out what makes consumers tick, and leveraging that deep understanding of unmet consumer needs and wants in order to build better brands and brand innovations that will help create more meaningful relationships between brands and their users.  Some of the brands she has worked with include J &J, Colgate, Unilever, Hershey, Pepsi, Kraft, Pepperidge Farm, Campbell Soup, American Express, Pfizer, and more.  Much of this passion for brands and brand insight comes from her years in the field of advertising, working at such shops as J Water Thompson, Leo Burnett and Ogilvy & Mather. In her spare time, Claire has penned a novel, collaborated on several screenplays, and is an avid lover of yoga.  She is also a big believer in the power of authentic love and its ability to transform the world. Her hope is that Brand Guys will help to make the world a better place one happy relationship at a time.  Claire is a graduate of the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, where she obtained her MBA in Marketing, and she holds a Bachelors Degree from Tufts University.

 

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER:

Motivational Press is the leading mid-tier publisher of transformational and influential books, and is aligned with some of the greatest and most distinguished experts in personal development, health, leadership, business, relationships, and teens.

————————————————————————————————————————-

Available at:

AMAZON: Click here

Barnes and Noble: Click here

Catch Brand Guys videos on YouTube

Should older men (75 and up) get the PSA test for prostate cancer?

exam table (Photo credit: Lynn Kelley Author)

Over the life of this blog, I have shared my experience with prostate cancer. I was diagnosed with the disease a few years ago. The cancer was found at an earlier stage, so I elected to have radiation treatment. So far, my PSA levels have been low, and that’s a good thing. HOWEVER, I respect the fact that cancer is a tough and sneaky foe, so I will continue with my PSA tests.

There is a study that came out in the October 16th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association that suggests that many doctors order PSA tests for men 75 and older. Current guidelines, according to HealthDay.com, advise against PSA tests for elderly men. HealthDay reporter Steven Reinberg has the lastest information.

As I have stated many times in this blog, I am not a doctor or a health care professional. I’m simply a baby boomer trying to inspire other men to see the doctor. I certainly do not have the authority to suggest whether older men need these tests.

I do feel a guy needs to meet with his doctor to discuss prostate cancer screening, and the earlier the better. While many prostate cancers are slow growing, men 75 and older have a perfect right to discuss prostate cancer screening with their physicians.  At the end of the day, a decision needs to satisfy the doctor, the patient and the patient’s family.

Are you getting a quality sleep?

sleep (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)

I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to get a quality sleep night after night. Think about it. In this age of computers, laptops and smart phones, a lot can distract you. Do you ever wake up at 3 a.m., with the urge to check your phone for the latest text or email?

Times are changing and a new study shows that chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes can be association with poor sleep habits…and that means too MUCH sleep or too LITTLE sleep.

The following article by HeathDay.com quotes Dr. Safwan Badr, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. According to Badr, “when and how you sleep is just as important as what you eat or how you exercise.”

The article suggests adults should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

You’ll also see a link to sleep and sleep disorders from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Boosting your libido naturally — guest post by HealthLine.com

English: Figs in Georgia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you feel that your libido isn’t what it used to be, you are not alone. Thousands of people suffer from a low libido but luckily there are a variety of things you can do to naturally boost your system. It’s not always easy to get excited about sex after working a nine-hour day, especially if you have children too. 

There are many people in the same situation that has to deal with this frustration. In some cases, a decrease in your libido may be due to a medical issue but, for many people, the situation may be remedied without medication, the natural way.

•Aphrodisiacs: This could be fun! Certain foods like figs are supposed to give you a boost in the bedroom, almost like a love potion while others like bananas and avocados have a suggestive appearance.

 

•Reduce your alcohol intake: one drink can reduce anxiety and help get you in the mood but because alcohol is a depressant, you can end up with the opposite effect.

 

•Relieve stress: Women are particularly susceptible to the effects stress can have on one’s sex life, but men on the other hand, can sometimes use sex as a way to relieve stress, which can cause conflict.

 

•Self-confidence: Nothing reduces your interest in sex more than low self-esteem. The way you feel about your body affects the way you feel about sex. Focus on your attributes rather than your flaws. This will give your self-esteem a boost.

 

•Yohimbine: Yohimbine is an alkaloid found in the bark of the West African evergreen. This functions like a natural Viagra. Yohimbine bark can help you obtain and maintain an erection and enhances the quality of an erection.

 

•Massage: Massage techniques can do wonders for sexual arousal particularly if you’re stressed, worried or angry. A little TLC may lead to something else…

 

•Stay fit: In men body fat inhibits testosterone production. Belly fat also absorbs testosterone therefore it is very important to keep the weight down. You will have more stamina and the workouts will increase blood flow to the sex organs.

HealthLine.com is a popular resource that offers expert health advice from qualified professionals and experienced contributors. Find out more about heart health on Healthline.com.

 

 

 

What to do if you’re bedridden — guest post by Austin Sheeley

A Hill-Rom hospital bed (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Being bedridden is a challenge both physically and mentally. You may start to feel lonely or depressed and your body  could develop bedsores. But remember, you’re not alone. This is an issue many people have faced. You may not be able  to control the circumstances that made you bedridden, but  you can control how you adapt and grow because of it.

Caring for Your Mental State

If you’re bedridden, don’t allow boredom, or worse yet, depression take over. Instead, keep yourself mentally active  and have some fun! Here are just a few ways.

1.    Pray/Meditate
Prayer and meditation help us center ourselves and remember  what’s important. They’ve helped many, many people  through trying times.
2.    Practice Thankfulness
Many psychologists believe that true, lasting happiness  comes not from getting everything you want, but from being  thankful for everything you have. Don’t let life’s  trials stop you from seeing life’s blessings.
3.    Learn!
Now is the perfect time to learn. Take an online class. Or  simply choose a subject that interests you and learn  everything you can about it. Thanks to computers and the  internet you may even be able to get a job or do volunteer  work online.
4.    Do Physical Activities From Bed
Even though you can’t run a 4K at the moment, that  doesn’t mean you can’t do any physical activities. If  you’re able, try playing guitar, knitting, or doing other  simple things from bed.
5.    Do Good for Others
Some believe that true happiness comes from doing good for  others. Send a loved one an encouraging email. Call a lonely  friend. Answer people’s questions online, or provide  encouraging feedback to one of the internet’s many wannabe  authors.
6.    Read
If ever there was a good time to catch up on reading, this  is it. See if your caretaker can bring you some books from  the library.

Caring for Your Physical State

Another way to avoid becoming depressed is to take good care  of your physical body. Now more than ever it’s important  to—

1.    Eat Healthy
Proper eating will help you maintain strength and avoid  physical decline. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and  make sure to get some protein. Avoid excessive sugars or  fatty foods.
2.    Drink Lots of Water
Water is important for circulation and cleansing so you can  stay healthy.
3.    Exercise If You Can
Some bedridden people may be able to walk across the room.
Others can sit up in a chair for a while. Whatever you can  do,  do it—even if it’s simply rolling from side  to side in bed.
4.    Reposition Yourself Every 2 Hours

If you can, reposition yourself every two hours with the  help of a bed rail or bed trapeze. This will help you  prevent bedsores—injuries to the skin caused by the  prolonged pressure of lying in one position.
5.    Use Pressure Prevention Products
In addition to repositioning yourself, you may want to use a  pressure prevention pad or mattress. These products help  prevent bedsores and can allow current bedsores to heal.
Bony areas of your body, such as hips, elbows, and the back  of feet, are particularly susceptible to bedsores so  consider getting a cushion or bed wedge to protect them.
6.    Keep Your Skin Clean
Ask your caregiver to regularly wash your skin with mild  soap and warm water, dry it off and inspect it daily for  bedsores. Depending on your condition, you may be able to do  some of the inspecting yourself.

Austin Sheeley is a senior health blogger for home medical  supplies store, http://www.justhomemedical.com, which offers a wide  variety of pressure prevention pads and other bedsore  related products.

Oncologist: Meditation is now Science-approved medicine — guest post

English: Meditation (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There have been countless anecdotal claims about the benefits of practicing meditation since the Eastern tradition has become more popular in the West. Now, there’s plenty of Western-based scientific evidence to support them, says Dr. Matt Mumber, a radiation oncologist and co-director of a non-profit integrative oncology program.

“Meditation is to the brain what physical activity is to the body. We’ve found meditation to be an important facet of health care, both for prevention and maintenance as well as in the treatment of disease, including cancer,” says Dr. Mumber, co-author with colleague and Yoga instructor Heather Reed of “Sustainable Wellness: An Integrative Approach to Transform Your Mind, Body, and Spirit,” (www.sustainablewellnessonline.com).

Mumber and Reed, who are co-facilitators of non-profit residential retreats for cancer patients, say one can experience sustainable wellness by developing a life practice grounded in the cultivation of awareness. This awareness is paying attention without attachment. The ability to be aware can be increased by a meditation tool called mindfulness.

“Life is a constant series of adjustments, matching your inner being with your outer doing,” Reed says. “One way to heighten your awareness is through practicing meditation.”

Mumber and Reed say there’s plenty of new evidence that the resulting sense of balance and peace is not just a psychological effect:

• Mindfulness meditation leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density: Recently published in Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, shows that measurable changes in gray-matter density in parts of the brain associated with memory, sense of self, empathy, and stress occurred with study participants who meditated for 30 minutes a day for eight weeks.

• Meditation practitioners have longer attention spans: Published by the journal PloS Biology, a study analyzed people with three months of rigorous training and found that they gained a drastically improved attention span – not only longer, but less susceptible to internal or external distraction. They also showed improved memory and enhanced performance in several tasks, from driving a car to playing piano.

• Reduces stress and blood pressure: Presented to the American Heart Association by researchers at the at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention, a study including 200 high-risk patients for heart attack found that meditation reduced their chances for heart attack by 50 percent.

“Studies involving people seeking to reduce stress and other problems in their lives via meditation will continue, as well as for those who want to enhance performance of various duties,” Mumber says.

“For those skeptical of the medical benefits of this Eastern practice, there’s now plenty of Western proof.”

About Matt Mumber, MD & Heather Reed

Matt Mumber, MD, is a practicing board-certified radiation oncologist with the Harbin Clinic in Rome, Ga. He completed his radiation oncology residency at Wake Forest University Bowman Gray School of Medicine and graduated from the Associate Fellowship Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. Dr. Mumber is past president of the Georgia Society of Clinical Oncology. He founded Cancer Navigators Inc, a non-profit organization offering cancer patients access to nurse navigation, social services and educational programs to support and augment the clinical care they receive. Dr. Mumber received the Hamilton Jordan Founders Award for involvement in statewide oncology activities and in 2008 he was named a Health Care Hero by Georgia Trend magazine. He serves on the editorial board for the journals Current Oncology and Journal of Oncology Practice and is on the board for the Society of Integrative Oncology. 

Heather Reed has been teaching Yoga since 1996. She expresses an integrative, adaptive approach and specializes in using Yoga and meditation techniques for people living with cancer, post-polio syndrome and other chronic illnesses. Heather received an Experienced Teacher Certification from Esther Myers Yoga Teacher Training Program and has had extensive training with senior staff of the Commonweal Cancer Help program and Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease. She developed Yoga classes for cancer patients at The Wellness Community, Atlanta. Since 2008, she has been Yoga teacher and co-facilitator for the Residential Retreat Program for Cancer Navigators of Rome, Ga.

 

Baby boomers, try heart-healthy volunteering

English: A sample of a wrist style blood pressure monitor (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When you do a good deed, you feel better. It makes you feel better about life and your fellow man. Now there’s evidence that volunteering can help boomers reduce the risk of high blood pressure, a condition that’s a major contributor to cardiovascular disease.

An article at HealthDay.com examines a study, scheduled for publication in the journal Psychology and Aging, that involved over a thousand adults between the ages of 51 and 91. The study suggests volunteering can be a heart-healthy activity.

65 million Americans are affected by high blood pressure.  The article also includes a link to information on preventing this deadly condition that, many times, doesn’t have symptoms.

So for you boomers out there, volunteer in the community. Your heart will thank you.

Seven mistakes nearly all back-pain sufferers make. Expert debunks common myths — guest post by Jesse Cannone

Back pain is one of the most common health issues in the United States, with up to 80 percent of the population suffering the condition at some point in one’s life.

“But this exceedingly high number is just the beginning of the problem, because multiple studies indicate that roughly 70 percent of back surgeries fail,” says Jesse Cannone, a back-pain expert and author of “The 7-Day Back Pain Cure,” (www.losethebackpain.com). “It’s so common that there’s a name for it – failed back surgery syndrome, or FBSS.”

One recent study monitored 1,450 patients in the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation database; half of those on disability endured back surgery, half did not. After two years, only 26 percent of those who had surgery returned to work. Additionally, 41 percent of those who had surgery saw a drastic increase in painkiller use.

“The success rate for the most common treatments is pathetically low, so it’s no surprise people often struggle years or decades with back pain, with few ever finding lasting relief,” Cannone says. “The majority of back surgeries are not only ineffective, but most could have been completely avoided.”

He reviews seven common mistakes made by back-pain sufferers:

• Continuing a treatment that doesn’t work: One of Cannone’s clients experienced 70 treatments with a chiropractor, resulting in no relief. “Here’s a general rule to follow,” he says. “If you see no improvement after going through a three-month period of treatment, consider making a change.”

• Failing to solve the problem the first time: Take pain seriously the first time. Cannone’s own mother suffered a significant bout of back pain, which subsided after a few days. But two years later it came back, and the second time was so debilitating she couldn’t work. “If she had taken the first bout more seriously, she probably would have prevented the second, more debilitating bout.”

• Thinking you’re too healthy or fit to have back pain: Staying in shape is always a good idea, but it does not make you invulnerable. People who train their body can be more prone to back pain because they often push their body’s limits, says Cannone, who has been a personal fitness trainer since 1998.

• Treating only the symptoms: Cortisone shots, anti-inflammatory drugs, ultrasound and electrical stimulation only address pain symptoms. “You may get rid of the pain, but the problem causing the pain will persist if not addressed,” he says. “If you want lasting relief, you must address the underlying causes, and it’s never just one.”

• Not understanding that back pain is a process: In most cases, back pain, neck pain and sciatica take weeks, months or even years to develop; the problem may exist for quite a while before the sufferer notices it, except for rare one-time trauma incidents like automobile accidents. Most people sit for hours at a time, yet the body was developed for diverse movements throughout the day. “Think of a car with steering out of alignment; eventually, tires will wear down unevenly and there will be a blow out,” Cannone says. “The same is true with your body.” Just as the damage was a process, recovery is the same and can be time-intensive.

• Believing there are no more options left: Not only does back pain hurt and prove physically debilitating; it also tries the morale and determination of the patient. A sufferer can run the gamut of treatments. But, often, it takes a cocktail of treatments that address all of the underlying causes. “Remember, you can’t really treat the root of pain until you know what’s causing it,” Cannone says. “In so many cases, this is precisely the problem.”

• Failing to take control: Doctors and other specialists are ultimately limited to what they know and what they’re used to. If you have a debilitating back problem, it should be among your top priorities to learn all you can about it, and how to fix it. Get a second, third and fourth opinion if treatment isn’t working; try out alternative therapies, and consider a healthy mix of treatment. Most importantly, take control; it’s your back, your body and only you can heal it, with help from others.

“I may be critical of how most handle back pain, but that’s because I’ve proven to patients that there are flaws in the traditional approaches as well as more effective alternatives,” Cannone says. “I also feel that I’m offering a hopeful message because of my high success rate in helping to cure the back pain from my clients.” 

About Jesse Cannone

Jesse Cannone is a leading back pain expert with a high rate of success for those he consults. He has been a personal trainer since 1998, specializing in finding root causes for chronic pain, and finding solutions with a multidiscipline approach. Cannone publishes the free email newsletter “Less Pain, More Life,” read by more than 400,000 worldwide, and he is the creator of Muscle Balance Therapy™.