Florida Recognizes Men's Health Week

Men's Health Week
Florida Department of Health joins county health departments around the state in celebrating Men's Health Week June 11th-17th.
Created to increase awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of diseases in men, Men's Health Week is observed around the country to promote positive health behaviors in American men.
"Florida's men are our fathers and brothers, husbands, sons, and co-workers so men's health is an issue that truly impacts everyone," Ana M. Viamonte Ros M.D., M.P.H., Secretary of Health and Florida's State Surgeon General said. "This week, we encourage Florida's men and the people who love them to learn about the issues that affect men's health, and understand how to protect themselves by practicing a healthy lifestyle."
In 2005, 40.6 percent of Florida men had high cholesterol and 9 percent were diagnosed with diabetes. Only 26 percent of Florida men consumed five fruits or vegetables a day in 2005 and less than 28 percent had twenty minutes or more of vigorous physical activity three or more days a week.
Men in Florida can take responsibility for their own personal health outcomes by engaging in preventative health behaviors. DOH encourages all male Floridians to use this week to schedule routine visits with their health care professionals and receive preventative exams and screenings for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, sexually transmitted diseases and dental care. In addition, throughout the year men should promote good health by maintaining a healthy diet, engaging in daily physical activity, receiving appropriate vaccinations, not smoking and managing stress.

Older Men Have Fertility Problems Too

It is already known that older women have lower chances for getting pregnant, but this new research suggests that men develop fertility problems with age, too.
A team of researchers from Eylau Centre for Assisted Reproduction in France examined 12,200 couples undergoing fertility treatment during the period between January 2002 and December 2006. These couples were undergoing intrauterine inseminations (IUI) treatment, which means that the sperm is being directly inserted into mother’s womb. This treatment is also called artificial insemination and is usually implemented when women doesn’t have any fertility problems.
All couples were checked for sperm quality, quantity, size and shape. Couples were followed during the entire process of fertility treatment and pregnancy to clearly define the rates of pregnancy, miscarriage, and birth.
Researchers found that women over 35 had higher risk for miscarriage, which was already proved. Surprisingly, the rates were similar for men – sperm from men at their late 30s was less likely to result in healthy pregnancy than from younger men.
Men, older than 40, were successful in fertility treatment only in 10% of cases. One third of cases resulted in miscarriages. Researchers are not yet ready to clearly explain why age affects men fertility, but they suppose that sperm experiences DNA damage with age, resulting in fertility problems.
“We have known there was a paternal effect for a while but we didn’t expect to find these kind of miscarriage rates,” said Stephanie Belloc from Eylau Centre.
Older couples with unsuccessful experience of intrauterine inseminations are offered a more aggressive treatment – in vitro fertilization (IVF) – when egg and sperm are being fertilized in laboratory, and then inserted into women’s womb.
Researchers now aim at getting age message to all couples planning to have babies at their older ages. Not only mother’s age determine pregnancy and birth results, but father’s age also does.

Horny Goat Weed: The Natural Viagra?

An herbal remedy called “horny goat weed” has been studied by Dr. Mario Dell’Agli and his team at the University of Milan. The herb has long held a reputation in China as a natural aphrodisiac and now it looks like it could be a promising alternative to Viagra for impotent men. Dr. Dell’Agli calls it a “natural Viagra” because the compound targets the phosphodiesterase molecule (PDE-5) and it blocked the erection-inhibiting enzyme as well as Viagra.
Drugs like Viagra or Cialis or Levitra work by increasing blood flow to the genitals. The Italian researchers studied a number of plants and found that “horny goat weed” produces a compound called icariin, which blocks the enzyme and allows for increased blood flow to the penis. Also known as Epimedium or Yin Yang Huo, horny goat weed holds an important place in traditional Chinese medicine.
Erectile dysfunction affects an estimated 18 million men in the United States alone. The prescription drugs now available are effective, but can have side effects such as visual disturbance and facial flushing. They cannot be taken with certain heart medications. The researchers report that the modified chemical, icarrin, found in “horny goat weed” may be just as potent without the unwanted side effects.
It will take years of study and comparative trials to determine if this “natural Viagra” is as safe or as effective as the pharmaceutical version. Further tests in animals and humans are needed before it can be safely recommended. There have been reports of tachyarrhythmia and hypomania in men who took the herbal compound.

Is Female Sexual Dysfunction A Myth?

Women who fear they are sexually dysfunctional will be relieved by the preliminary results of a new study that demonstrates that effective pelvic floor exercises can help women improve their sex lives. The exercises take just 5 minutes a day but the results can be ‘mind blowing’!
Over 80% of women who followed the simple PelvicToner exercise programme reported an improved sex life within 4 weeks – source: preliminary results from The 2008 Orgasm Survey. The 2008 Orgasm Survey aims to raise awareness of the sex benefits of a strong pelvic floor.
These findings reinforce research published in 1952 but consistently overlooked ever since. Arnold Kegel, of the eponymous pelvic floor exercises, reported that over 60% of women who thought they were sexually dysfunctional achieved orgasm for the first time when trained in a simple resistance exercise method.
The PelvicToner encapsulates Kegel’s method by helping women identify and isolate the correct pelvic floor muscle and exercise effectively against resistance.
Unfortunately few women are aware of the role that slack vaginal muscles play in a lacklustre sex life. If they were, there would be a far greater incentive to exercise effectively!
In the survey, over 86% admitted that they would like to be shown how to exercise properly in order to improve their sex life!
GP and sexual health expert Dr Sarah Brewer said: "In many ways, we have failed women ever since 1952 by not telling them how to exercises correctly. The secret – as identified by Kegel – is to improve muscle tone by exercising against resistance.
"People understand that to improve muscle it’s no good just lifting our arms in the air – no matter how many repetitions we do. We have to introduce some form of resistance to get good results.
"Encouraging women to squeeze repeatedly when sat on the bus or to use devices that do not offer resistance, means many women are wasting their time and increasing their sense of frustration."

Back pain treatment could solve erection problems

Men who experience back pain and lower spine problems could also experience problems with erections. Irwin Goldstein, M.D., medical director of Alvarado Hospital’s Sexual Medicine Program—the first hospital-based sexual medicine program in the U.S.—and editor-in-chief of The Journal of Sexual Medicine, recently discovered that treating one patient’s back pain also cured his erection problems.
The patient had experienced a car accident, and complained of leg numbness, back pain and erectile dysfunction. “After completing the initial workup, we determined the problem was the patient’s pelvic floor muscles," Dr. Goldstein said. "We referred him to one of the hospital’s physical therapist who had advanced training in pelvic floor rehabilitation." Treating the back pain resulted in improvement in erectile dysfunction.
Erectile dysfunction drugs may not always be needed. Back pain treatment could improve erectile dysfunction long-term. Back injuries can cause trapping of blood. Men with back pain may be experiencing blood flow difficulties in the pelvis as the cause of erection problems. According to Dr. Goldstein, pelvic muscles can become weak and spasm from back injuries, resulting in decreased sexual function from limited blood flow to the penis when muscles spasm.
Muscle energy, core and lumbar strengthening exercises to align the pelvis and relax the pelvic floor muscles, performed by Physical therapist and pelvic floor specialist Kerri Krebs, facilitated recovery. Following treatment, erectile function and leg numbness improved for the patient, who had seen several other physicians and also had been prescribed erectile dysfunction medication.
Orthopedic spine specialist Ramin Raiszadeh, M.D warns however that men with back or pelvic pain, or who experience urinary incontinence need to see a specialist as soon as possible. Erection problems can be caused by …”other medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, infection, inflammation and tumors can cause these symptoms as well.”
Other approaches to treat erectile dysfunction linked to back pain and injury include Yoga, acupuncture, steroid injections, or massage. Disc herniation, muscle spasm from inactivity and weakness, spinal stenosis, and traumatic back injuries can also cause erection difficulties. Keeping your back in shape, and getting treatment for back pain could lead to improved sexual function and less difficulty with erections, and should be explored after more serious causes of erectile dysfunction are ruled out. “If the sexual problem persists, the patient should see a sexual medicine specialist.”