Saturday, December 31. 2005Male Sterilization or Vasectomy Children are the most wonderful gifts God can give a couple. They are created when the man and women show their love for each other through sex. When they make love, the sperm of a man enters the woman and fertilizes her eggs. As a result, a new life is created in her womb. If the couple really loves each other, they cannot help but have an active sex life. When they do this with or without protection, the woman might get pregnant all the time. As a result, the couple has more babies than what they expect. Sometimes, this can pose as a problem especially for those who are having financial problems. But now, medicine has discovered a way to solve this problem. If the couple has had enough children, the man can undergo vasectomy. Also referred to as male sterilization, this process blocks the vas deferens or the tube that delivers the sperms from the testicles down to your penis. Even though vasectomy has one purpose, there are a number of ways to achieve it. In a lot of countries, doctors perform this by litigation or excision. The first one ties a small part of the tube while the second one cuts the vas deferens. Doctors in the United States prefer to perform cautery (burning) or use metal clips. Even though this sounds like the perfect solution, a man should know that this is not guaranteed 100 percent effective. He must undestand that not all procedures go according to plan. Sometimes, the processed is reversed three months after undergoing the male sterilization. If he is ready to undergo vasectomy, he should make sure that he is not going to change his mind. Also, the couple should be a hundred percent sure that they do not want to have children more children. There are some cases when couples have some regrets after vasectomy. Friday, December 30. 2005Alcohol Use and Abuse When you are attending a party or any social event, it is uncommon that it does not serve alcoholic drinks. These beverages such as wine, beer, and hard liquor are said to be the most popular booze among men. When you consume alcoholic beverages, its ethanol ingredient makes you depressed. However, its effects depend on the amount you consumed and your body tolerance for it. Alcohol in the body can result to slurred speech, impaired judgment, balance difficulties, and a lot more. Too much of this can make you do bad things unintentionally such as rape, child abuse, domestic violence, etc. In serious cases, it can even cause coma or death. As such, it is better to practice moderate drinking. This only means that you consume the right amount of alcohol that will not make you lose of your sanity. For this reason, you should know the difference of standard, moderate, heavy, and binge drinking. Standard drinking means you only take one-half ounce of alcohol while moderate drinking means you drink less than two glasses a day. When you are a heavy drinker, you consume more than two drinks but if you are a binge drinker, you take more than five glasses per day. This usually leads to alcoholism, which is an addiction to alcoholic drinks. Most people who recover from this problem through rehabilitation. Because alcohol needs to be moderated, there are some guidelines on who can or cannot drink. Adolescents and children are not prohibited to drink or even buy these drinks. Women who are pregnant are also not advised, because this may affect their babies' growth. Also, people taking prescription drugs or OTC medicines should be careful, because alcohol may have some side effects with them. Alcoholic beverahes are not bad if you know how to moderate your drinking. As such, you should practice moderate drinking. Thursday, December 29. 2005How to Improve your Mental Well-Being Mental distress isn't uncommon to a man. This can be due to stress or problems in your work, life, family, friends, and a lot more. However, the most common cause of this problem is having negative thoughts about yourself. This only means that you do give much value or importance to yourself. As a result, you suffer from mental distress. These thoughts usually result from your negative past experiences. This can also lead to other mental problems such as depression, multiple personality, and a lot more. When you let these things get the best of you, you may consider harming yourself, your friends, as well as your family. It is never too late to see life in a new perspective. Before you achieve this, you should first put in your brain that you are important and that your life is valuable. To achieve good mental health, you must also take care of your physical body. In order to do this, you have to eat and sleep well, do exercises, as well as enjoy what life has to offer. People who have been studying this problem have found out that the best way to get through it is by talking. If you are already having problems about yourself, it is not advisable to keep it to yourself. These can lead to more serious mental problems. As much as possible, share it with your friends, families, etc. You never know, they may help you or even offer sound advices. If the problem is getting worse, you can always talk to a psychiatrist. This is a professional who can help you find the core of your problem. When you have already faced this, then you can be on your way to recovery. Solving this problem is not possible without your help. Always remember that life is short, so you should make the most out of it. Wednesday, December 28. 2005Sleep Apnea Most men experience a sleeping problem known as sleep apnea. Contrary to what other people think, this condition is far more serious and even life-threatening if not treated properly. When you have this, your airflow is regularly interrupted while you are sleeping. At present, the most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. This happens when your airflow gets blocked because your airway has excess tissues. This problem is usually experienced by obese or fat people. Another reason is having enlarged tonsils as well as a large uvula. The uvula is the pendulum made up of a fleshy tissue, and this is located at the back of your soft palate at the roof of your mouth. When these happen, the air cannot flow easily in and out of your mouth or nose. Breathing then becomes harder so a suction force in your upper airway is created. The result is a pause in your airflow, which causes loud snores when you sleep. Other effects are lower oxygen levels and higher carbon dioxide levels in the bloodstream. These things cause you arousal while having a nice slumber. One more downside of sleep apnea is experiencing abrupt changes as you sleep. Everytime this happens, the brain receives a signal so it opens your airway. Your breathing returns to normal after a loud gasp or snort. You must know that every condition has a cause. For sleep apnea, it is suggested that drinking alcoholic drinks and swallowing sleeping pills can worsen your breathing pauses. One reason for this is that these products sedates your brain and prevents arousal. Even though middle aged men are more prone to sleep apnea, middle aged women are not exempted from this condition. Recent studies state that four percent of men and two percent of women suffer from this. This ailment is usually accompanied by excessive daytime sleepiness or EDS. However, you must remember that not all snorers are affected with this condition. But if that person is a snorer, obese, has high blood pressure, always sleepy, then he or she must consult his or her doctor right away. Tuesday, December 27. 2005Men's Gout As you grow older, it is only natural that you become more vulnerable to sicknesses, diseases, disorders, and other health issues. As a man aged 40 and above, one of the most common disorder you can acquire is Gout. This is an ailment wherein some of your joints suffer from severe and sudden pain, warmth, redness, and swelling. In most cases, your big toe is the one that suffers pain every night.The disorder occurs when you produce more uric acid than usual. This substance is then created after your bodily functions break down the purines or the waste products inside you. Some causes of gout are eating too many kinds of foods, consuming too much amount of alcohol, crash diets, chemotherapy, joint injury, surgery, and severe or sudden illnesses. In some cases, gout can also be inherited or can be a result of a different illness. Even though older men are more likely to acquire gout, women at their menopausal stages are also prone to this disease. For this reason, it is better if you visit your doctor regularly. If your wondering how gout is diagnosed, the doctor usually conducts a physical exam on you or checks your medical history. For other purposes, he or she measures your uric acis through a blood test. It is also necessary to conduct a joint fluid test in order to check uric acid crystals inside the body. When it comes to treating gout, you do not have to spend so much. Most doctors will only advise you to change your diet. He or She might tell you that it is never to late to start changing your unhealthy diet. Also, medications such as NSAIDs, corticosteroids, Colchicine, Probenecid, and Sulfinpyrazone. If you are still not cured, then surgery may be the doctor's last resort. Do not worry, only a few people with gout have to undergo surgery to get treated. Monday, December 26. 2005Repetitve Motion DisordersThe seemingly safe office work could indeed cause injuries, or repetitive motion disorders (RMD). This happens when your tendons and muscles experience irritation because of doing the same actions over and over. This could also result from incorrect posture and awkward movements, overexertion and muscle exhaustion. RMDs could have many different manifestations causes by the irritation and inflammation of muscles and tissues. RMDs include the carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, epicondylitis, bursitis, ganglion cyst, trigger finger, etc. The carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common type of RMD that affects the hands because of the stress that is put on its nerve that connects to the wrist. There are different symptoms of RMD that people should recognize. These are the pains in any part of the body (including stiffness), especially areas such as the wrists, back (because of bad sitting posture), neck and shoulders. Almost all parts of the body may actually be affected, but these are just some of the parts that are commonly affected. These symptoms could not be felt immediately and need a certain period of time to elapse before it could affect a person. Most RMDs are not really threatening but they could cause pain and major discomfort that could even hinder one from doing certain tasks that require the full use of the body parts affected by RMDs. RMDs are injuries that could also happen to any individual who performs repetitive actions. People who work in the office are just the most common victims for this injury, especially those who sit in front of a computer all day. Sunday, December 25. 2005Priapism Many men are suffering from erection problems, usually because of the inability to sustain an erection (if there's any at all). While these men lack this erection ability, others are suffering from too much of it-even up to the extent of having four hours long or more of sustained erection. This condition is known as priapismGuys may see this as a condition to be happy about, but it actually causes much pain and discomfort. This happens not because a guy's mind is too dirty, but because of the blood that gets stuck in his penis. In normal circumstances, blood that flows in the penis (causing an erection) is drained after a while, unlike the cases of people who have priapism wherein the blood acidifies and then becomes stiff. This kind of priapism is commonly known as a low flow. There are rare occasions when an artery in the penis or in the perineum part gets ruptured because of injury, therefore hindering the blood inside the penis from having a normal circulation. This is another kind of priapism known as the high flow. Priapism is caused by many different factors. Sickle cell anemia makes the risk of having priapism high. Almost 50 percent of men who have been reported to have this anemia last year eventually developed priapism. Other factors that cause priapism include using prohibited drugs, poisoning from carbon monoxide, using anti-depressants and cases of incorrect intake of medication dosage. It is not really hard to recognize priapism (just observe how long will the erection take), so a man who experiences this should go to a doctor at once because delaying treatment could cause an erectile dysfunction or impotence permanently. Priapism is often treated by injecting drugs in the penis to correct the blood flow. In serious cases of priapism, a surgery is needed to correct the circulation of blood. Saturday, December 24. 2005Mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelial cells that cover the outlines of the lungs and abdomen. This rare cancer is caused by exposure to the fibers of asbestos.Asbestos is a fire and heat resistant insulator that was previously used widely in ship building, motor industry, etc. but because of its harmful effects, it has been banned in many countries. Though mesothelioma is rare, men are more likely to develop this disease because they are the ones who are usually exposed to asbestos because of the nature of some of their jobs such as construction.Asbestos poses dangers because of the fibers that it is composed of which can be inhaled or swallowed. Such is the case during the removal of a drywall or anything that may scatter the particles of asbestos. Pleural mesothelioma could be developed when fibers of asbestos are inhaled. It affects the mesothelial cells that cover the lungs. It may also pose a threat to the heart because it is close to the pericardium or the tissue that covers the heart. Peritoneal mesothelioma is less likely to develop than pleural mesothelioma. It is caused by swallowing particles of asbestos. Benign or non-cancerous mesothelioma could also be developed but chances of that are very rare. The symptoms of mesothelioma include weight loss, pain in the abdomen, difficulty in breathing, cough, hoarseness, coughing up blood, and difficulty in swallowing. There have been speculations about the simian virus as being the cause of mesothelioma but as of yet there is still no solid evidence regarding this matter. Although many experts say that there's no real cure for mesothelioma, the medical industy has been trying out different methods that might work against this disease such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, depending upon the type of mesothelioma that a person has. After undergoing treatment, a patient still has to maintain regular check-up for the doctors to observe the development of the treatment. Friday, December 23. 2005Coping With Depression: A Man's Battle Are men more vulnerable to depression than women? People believed that men can handle emotional problems better than women, until recent findings showed that men are more prone to depression. According to the study conducted by the experts,there are half more men who suffer from depression than women each year.Depression is a mental illness that could adversely affect both genders. But what makes a huge difference is that men do not usually seek help whenever they have problems, unlike most women, so men tend to become more vulnerable to depression because of their bottled up feelings. Why are men reluctant to seek help? There are lots of factors that hinder men from asking for help but the most pressing problem is the social expectation that they have to cope with. According to the standards of our community, admitting feelings of depression is a sign of weakness (and sometimes even of homosexuality). Men seem to be continually fighting a losing battle against depression. It is very alarming to find that in America, 80% of suicides are men. Most of them do not recognize the signs of depression until it becomes too late. What are the symptoms of depression that we need to be aware of? There are lots of manifestations of depression. One common sign is the sudden lose of interest with things that you once found enjoyable. Other symptoms that usually arise are the feelings of emptiness, pessimism, unending tirednedd or fatigue (usually not related to your activities), losing your appetite, body ailments that do not respond to treatment, and worst of all, suicidal thoughts. Depression could also exist with other sicknesses such as the post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the most common of which is the obsessive compulsive behavior. In this case, the obsessive compulsive behavior should be treated before the depression could be totally cured. Thursday, December 22. 2005Hepatitis C in Men Hepatitis is generally known as a disease of the liver that causes its inflammation. Hepatitis C is a type of hepatitis that could be transmitted by a blood to blood contact. Because of its means of transmission, women are more commonly associated with this disease because of pregnancy, but men could also be victims of this disease.Men could acquire hepatitis c through blood transfusion, tattoing or injections, sexual intercourse, or any exposure to the blood of a hepatitis c carrier. Hepatitis c is such a dangerous disease to have because because a lot of people who have this disease do not feel any symptoms at all. They may, however, have extrahepatic symptoms, meaning that they occur outside of the liver, so it could show its symptoms in different parts of the body such as the skin which often misleads people into believing that they have a different disease. It usually takes a while to detect hepatits c. There are some mild symptoms of this disease that could be experienced such as nausea, discomfort in the abdomen and tiredness. There are minor cases wherein hepatitis c does not develop into a chronic infection. If this is the case, the virus that causes the infection could usually be removed after some months (not more than six months). There are treatments available to hepatits c patients but the genotypes or genes that constitute a certain hepatitis c virus or HCV is vital because this will determine the outcome of the treatment as different genotypes respond to treatment differently. According to medical experts, type 1HCV does not react well to any treatment available, especially the type 1b HCV, which is also more likely to cause cirrhosis or a permanent scar on the liver. This happens when a chronic hepatitis c infection reaches up to more than 20 years before getting treatment. Treating Hernia Part 2 When you acquire the disorder called hernia, the most common way to treat this is though surgery. There are many types of procedures to choose from when you want to treat any kind of hernia. If you have decided to undergo the standard repair, an incision is created just above the affected area. When a cut has been already been made, the doctor will separate your normal tissues to create division from the hole. After doing this, the doctor will now close the wound by using a suture as well as plastic mesh. As much as possible, do not let your doctor close the wound with only a suture. When he or she uses this, he or she will sew your incision like a piece of fabric. As such, it may cause your surrounding tissues to get stressed and tear down after a period of time. When you regularly do strenuous activities, you may acquire hernia once again. Because of this recurring hernia in men, doctors have developed different ways of suturing or sewing the tissue layers to achieve better results. After a lot of studies, they have created a technique that bridges the hole with a permanent screen material called plastic mesh. If this is sewn into the defected margins, the body's normal healing process allows it to be a part of the local structures. As of now, this is the most effective surgery to treat hernia. Unlike most disorders, hernia cannot be prevented by exercising regularly. In fact, doing this can even aggravate your condition. Based on doctors' studies, they have found out that this disorder is usually inherited through genetics. If anyone in your family has hernia, then it is possible that you can also acquire this ailment. The best way to avoid this is to visit your doctor regularly. It is helpful if you reduce your strenuous workouts to lessen the stress in your abdomen or groin area. Wednesday, December 21. 2005Types of Hernia Most common to men, the Hernia is a disorder wherein your abdominal wall becomes weak in its muscular tissue and bulges. This bump becomes more obvious when your muscles become tightened, and so pressure in your abdomen is increased. This disorder can be aggravated when you lift heavy objects, cough, or strain yourself when you poop. Common symptoms of this hernia are discomfort, swelling, as well as pain on your groin and even abdomen area. When you are already experiencing these things, then you should go to your doctor right away. If not, then serious complications that result from trapped tissues in your hernia may arise. Because hernia is most common to men, it is usually located in your groin, which is also known as the inguinal area. There are many reasons why this happens. The first reason can be caused by a natural and anatomical weakness in your groin area. Sometimes, it can result from your upright human posture. When this happens, you will feel a greater force in the bottom of your abdomen and this adds stress on your weaker tissues. When these factors are combined, your support tissues will definitely break down. As a result, the hole in your groin gets bigger, or another hole is formed in your groin. The most popular types of hernia are femoral, direct, indirect, umbilical, epigastric, Spigellian, internal, hernia. These are categorized by their locations of their openings in your groin or abdomen. Aside from those, there is a painless hernia called ventral hernia which happens in your abdomen's midline. Tuesday, December 20. 2005Penis Piercing Guidelines Penis piercing is one of the most popular trends in men today. This is done by piercing a hole in your penis and inserting a ring. For sure, it will really hurt and sting but you may do it because it sounds cool. However, you may neglect the fact that it may be an unhealthy and unsanitary practice. Before putting a hole on your penis' shaft, or foreskin, it is important to note that it may never close again if you remove your ring. With that said, you may already have second thoughts on penis piercings. But if you decide to get one, then there are some things you have to consider. To make sure that your piercing will have no compilations, it is better when you hire a professional do it. If one of your friends can recommend someone who has a good reputation, then go with him or her. He or She may even advise you to get the ring size appropriate for your penis. Before each piercing, make sure that the needle is sterile to avoid tetanus. Once he or she has already pierced your penis, then do not play with the wound. Also, it is not recommended to remove the ring while it is still healing. You should also remember to clean your raw wound everyday to prevent any forms of infection. Every piercing has its complications. For the male sexual organ, the most common is your allergic reaction to the jewelry. This may appear as a rash located on that area around the ring. Before you put a ring, know the metals where you can have an alleric reaction. Other complications are soreness or redness, as well as bleeding. However, the most serious problem is acquiring HIV. One reason for this is that the needle was used by an infected person. As such, it is important to check the needle that will be used. Monday, December 19. 2005Ulcer in Men Ulcer can happen to you when the acids in your stomach penetrate the protective coating in your belly. When this happens, these will eat away your tissues and cause sharp pains in your stomach. In males, the most popular type of ulcer happens in your duodenum. Its main function in your body is to connect your small intestine to your stomach. If this gets damaged, it also damages your other body organs as well as their functions.There are times when you already have ulcer, but you are still not aware of it. As such, you should pay attention to its common symptoms. The primary symptoms of this ailment are sharp pains under your sternum. Usually, you experience this after you eat, when you are hungry, or if you are about to sleep in the evening. In most cases, you can also experience symptoms such as vomiting, indigestion, nausea, as well as a bloody stool. If you are already having these symptoms, it is important that you go to your doctor immediately. If not, then your situation may get aggravated and expand to the body. There are some serious cases when a tiny hole forms in your duodenum, and this causes some contents of the digestive tract to enter the abdominal cavity. As a result, you may experience internal bleeding which can cause your body great damages or even kill you. The most popular cause of Duodenal ulcer is the bacteria called H. pylori, as well as the medicines ibuprofen and aspirin. This causes your protective lining to contract, and this makes you more prone to ulcer. Aside from this bacteria, using drugs, smoking cigarettes, tobaccos, and drinking alcohol can also boost the chances of you having ulcer. Men who have an O blood type is also more proned to ulcer. When you seek a doctor's help, he or she will use a small camera and put it inside your stomach. If he or she finds out that your disease is caused by a bacteria, then he or she will give you antibiotics. Sunday, December 18. 2005How to Quit Smoking In your life, you might have heard of the saying, Once a man starts smoking, he starts digging his own grave. Despite this clear warning, you may still consider smoking because you may think it is a cool habit. One more reason is that most of your friends are smoking, and you want to fit in your group. As such, you start the habit become addicted.This is becoming more popular in male youth of today and they bring this habit until their older days. In recent studies, the American Cancer Society found out that around 400,000 lives are taken every year because they smoked tobacco, cigarettes, etc. Smoking is among the common causes of death that can easily be prevented. All it takes is the right attitude and the right mind. As a person trying to break the habit, it is important to note that smoking is the cause of one out of five deaths every year. This may be because of the sicknesses such as emphysema, lung cancer, and a lot more deadly diseases. Once you know this things, you may already have second thoughts on puting a cigarette on your mouth. In order to help you quit the habit completely, you can try using nicotine patches, gums, inhalers, nasal sprays which can be purchased over the counter. All the products' purpose is to stop your craving for a smoke. If you really want to quit the habit, you must prepare yourself from relapses or difficult moments. This usually occurs within three months after you stopped smoking. Some hard situations you may experience are having to quit alcohol, gaining weight, becoming depressed, an a lot more. As much as possible, you should stay away from smokers. They might influence you to smoke again. This will only ruin your effort to quit smoking.
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