Men's Health Tips

Men's Health Tip #1 - Safer Alternative to Vasectomy Reversals

Men who have had vasectomies but now want children no longer need to have the surgery for vasectomy reversal. Instead, a small amount of sperm-containing tissue can be removed using local anesthesia- a procedure that takes only about a minute in the doctor's office, compared with about three hours in the operating room for a vasectomy reversal. The sperm is then injected into the wife's eggs through in vitro fertilization. About 500,000 men each year have vasectomies, and 1-2% have them reversed.

Men's Health Tip #2 - Saw Palmetto Benefits

The effectiveness of saw palmetto against urinary problems associated with an enlarged prostate has been proven in numerous studies in other countries. But in the first US study of its kind, say palmetto was shown to shrink swollen prostate tissue, thereby relieving the frequent urge to urinate, difficulty urinating and the inability to empty the bladder fully.

Men's Health Tip #3 - Viagra Warning

A very small percentage of men who have taken Viagra, Cialis or Levitra have suffered sudden, permanent vision loss. Men who have diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol and/or triglyceride levels are at greatest risk. The theory remains that these drugs alter the blood supply to the optic nerve. Ask your ophthalmologist to check your optic nerve and its "sup-to-disc" ratio. A ratio of 0.2 or less increases the risk.

Men's Health Tip #4 - Cigar Danger Alert

Cigars have all of the health risks of cigarettes including lung cancer, heart disease and stroke. If you think smoking cigars is safe because you don't inhale, you're wrong. Cigar smoke contains more tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide than filtered cigarettes. You may not inhale as you puff, but you still breathe in the "secondhand" smoke.

Men's Health Tip #5 - Green Tea May Help Prevent Prostate Cancer

In a recent study, men who had pre-malignant prostate lesions took 200 mg of a green tea supplement or a placebo three times daily for one year. Only 3 percent of the men in the green tea group developed prostate cancer, compared with 30 percent in the placebo group. Green tea contains catechins, chemicals that inhibit a key molecule involved in the development of prostate cancer. However, simply drinking green tea is not practical. You would need to drink 20 cups to get the level of catechins found in one supplement.

Men's Health Tip #6 - Dandruff Help

It's natural for dead skin cells to flake off and fall away, but people with dandruff can shed skin cells up to three times more quickly than normal. Dandruff is linked to Pityrosporum ovale, a tiny fungus that lives on the skin. It's not clear if the fungus promotes rapid skin turnover or if it happens to thrive on people with an abundance of flaky skin.

Daily use of ordinary shampoo can dry out the skin and make flaking worse. Use a dandruff shampoo that contains selenium sulfide such as Selsun Blue, or ketoconazole such as Nizoral, every day for about a week. Then use it every few days, alternating with your regular shampoo to keep dandruff under control. When shampooing, let the lather stand for about five minutes before rinsing it off.