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   Erectile Dysfunction w/Video

   Testosterone Levels

   Cancer and Your Prostate
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Three Cups of Tea Daily Reduce Heart Risk

Drinking at least three cups of tea daily cuts the risk of a heart attack. A new study found that in addition to being heart-healthy, tea may also help make bones stronger. This is in direct opposition to earlier beliefs that the caffeine and fluoride in tea had a negative effect on bone health. The study found other bonuses from tea including improved alertness and mood levels and protection against cavities.

British dietician Dr. Carrie Ruxton reviewed literature on black tea, the most common type of tea. She discovered that clinical studies showed that polyphenols, which are natural antioxidants found in tea, have a beneficial effect on the heart.

“The clearest consistent evidence points to an association between tea consumption, in excess of three cups per day, and a reduced risk of myocardial infarction or a heart attack.”

Dr. Ruxton found that drinking up to eight cups a day would deliver optimum benefits from polyphenols without affecting sleep quality.

Weight Loss Surgery Cuts Cancer Risk

People who are deemed morbidly obese typically are at least 100 pounds (45 kg) overweight. The researchers tracked 1,035 such patients who had bariatric surgery for five years. They also monitored 5,746 patients who matched the surgery group in age, sex and weight but did not have this surgery.

Those who underwent bariatric surgery had about an 80 percent lower risk of developing cancer, the study showed.

"The evidence is mounting that weight loss through weight-loss surgery, if you are extremely obese, is extremely beneficial both to your health as well as to your quality of life," Dr. Nicolas Christou, McGill's head of bariatric surgery who led the study, said in a telephone interview on Thursday.

In addition to cutting the incidence of breast cancer by about 85 percent and colon cancer by about 70 percent, those who underwent bariatric surgery also saw reductions in the risk for pancreatic cancer, skin cancer, uterine cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the researchers said.

Obesity raises the risk for several types of cancer, including cancers of the breast, colon, esophagus and kidney, as well as numerous other diseases.

"There's an old misconception that this is cosmetic surgery. But actually, people who are overweight don't live as long because a lot of them develop weight-related health problems that shorten their lives. What we see in all these studies is that when people lose the weight, their health gets better," said Dr. Daniel Gagne of the Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh, who presented another study at the meeting.
 

Watch Information Video here!

When it comes to drug interactions - what you don't know can hurt you.

Watch this informative video from Medical News Today
 

ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION

Men with erectile dysfunction should be examined for testosterone deficiency and the metabolic syndrome, because these conditions commonly occur together, a new study shows.
 

“Erectile dysfunction is a portal into men’s health,” said the study’s senior author, Aksam Yassin, MD, PhD, of the Clinic for Urology and Andrology of the Segeberger Clinics in Norderstedt, Germany. “It is becoming clear that obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol problems and erectile difficulties are intertwined, and a common denominator is testosterone deficiency.”

Yassin’s research, performed with scientists from The Netherlands, Germany and the United Arab Emirates, aimed to determine in men with erectile dysfunction (ED) the prevalence of hypogonadism, the scientific term for testosterone deficiency.

Over a two-year period the investigators studied 771 patients who sought treatment for Erectile Dysfunction. Their average age was 56. The patients received a comprehensive screening for low testosterone and indicators of the metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors that increase the chances of developing heart and vascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Having three of the following five risk factors establishes the diagnosis of this syndrome: increased waist circumference (abdominal fat), low HDL (“good”) cholesterol, high triglycerides (fats in the blood), high blood pressure, and high blood sugar.

Among the 771 men, 18.3 percent of the men (141 men) had testosterone deficiency, which had previously been undetected, the authors found. The prevalence of hypogonadism in the general population of men age 45 and older is about 12 percent, Yassin said.

Of all the men in the study, 270 (35 percent) had type 1 or type 2 diabetes; in eight of the men, diabetes was a new diagnosis, according to study data. High blood pressure was found in 239 men (31 percent), and 12 of these men had been unaware of it. Among the 162 men (21 percent) who had dyslipidemia—abnormal cholesterol or triglycerides—nine of them had not previously been diagnosed. And 108 men, or 14 percent, had varying degrees of coronary heart disease. Five of them received this diagnosis for the first time, Yassin said.

Men with Erectile Dysfunction —especially older men—should therefore receive evaluation not only for Erectile Dysfunction but also for testosterone deficiency and any underlying signs of the metabolic syndrome, he advised.

Detailed results were recently presented at The Endocrine Society’s 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.


To learn more watch the informational video below from Sciencedaily.com

Erectile Dysfunction Video

PROSTATE CANCER

New research shows Finasteride (Proscar) reduces the risk of prostate cancer in all men, regardless of their risk level for the disease, .
 

JOE

Joe doesn’t know it, but his 70-year-old prostate gland harbors cancer cells. This isn’t so unusual. In fact, by the time men get to Joe’s age, over 2/3 of them carry cancer cells in their prostate glands. Fortunately, only one in 13 will develop the disease. And Joe is one of the lucky ones.

MEL

Mel developed prostate cancer in his 50’s. Fortunately, he will live long enough to end up dying of natural causes — not prostate cancer. His cancer is one of many cases of prostate cancer that grow very slowly and rarely metastasize to other organs. You might also consider Mel lucky.

SAM

On the other hand, Sam was not so lucky. He started out with a slow-growing prostate cancer, diagnosed in his mid-40’s. Unfortunately, it progressed into a highly malignant cancer — and his prognosis for survival is poor. In fact, Sam’s devastated wife is investigating options for hospice care.

Three men — three different outcomes. All related to one small reproductive system gland normally about the size of a walnut.

scientific evidence now indicates that you can take a number of pro-active steps to reduce your risk of prostate cancer (or reduce your risk of dying, if you do end up with the disease). This way, you’re no longer totally at the mercy of chance, or luck — or other factors outside your control.

The keys? Two simple things: knowledge and action.

The latest studies show that 230,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in the U.S. Too many men relying solely on luck.

Get checked by your doctor.  We cannot stress the importance of getting a prostate cancer check.

Be sure to read more on prostate cancer in our June 2008 Issue.

Special Notes:

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Thanks for the article on Depression and the foods that we eat.  I never connected food with my depression.  I don't know if it's true yet, but I have decided to pay attention to what I eat, and have included more Omega-3 and even went to the store to buy flaxseed.  I sprinkle it on other food I eat and don't even notice it is there, but knowing that it is makes me feel better already.  When a person is depressed they will try a lot of different ways to heal, and this is one way I can try without drugs.  A simple prescription.  Will let you know in a month or two if changing my diet helps or not.  It is worth a try, and it makes sense.  We are what we eat...so we also feel by what we eat.  - Sue B., Pinckney MI

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