Is it normal aging or low testosterone?

This is the question being asked by government researchers, specifically, the National Institute on Aging, which has seen big advertising dollars spent pharmaceutical companies hoping to turn old age into a treatable disease.

There is no real agreement on what the effects of low testosterone as one ages has on the body.

The normal range of 300 and 1,000 nanograms per deciliter fluctuates during the day and what seems low for one individual produces no adverse affects in another.

Unknown side affects, and dubious claims made by research funded by drug makers calls into question the validity of treatment claims.

Baby boomers are also pushing an industry to supply the “fountain of youth” when real vitality is better obtained through lifestyle choices than through medicine.

Adding to the confusion over what defines “low testosterone,” there’s not much understanding of whether testosterone replacement therapy actually improves men’s symptoms. Evidence of the benefits of testosterone is mixed, and the potential health risks are serious. The largest study conducted to date, a 2008 trial involving 230 patients in the Netherlands, found no improvement in muscle strength, cognitive thinking, bone density or overall quality of life among men taking testosterone. Muscle mass increased 1.2 percent, but not enough to improve physical mobility.
The National Institute on Aging is currently conducting an 800-man trial to definitively answer whether testosterone therapy improves walking ability, sexual function, energy, memory and blood cell count in men 65 years and older. But those results aren’t expected until 2014.
In addition to concerns about testosterone’s effectiveness, the long-term side effects of the hormone are not entirely understood because most trials to date have only followed patients for a few months. But the most serious risks include heart problems and prostate cancer. In fact, all testosterone drugs carry a warning that the hormone should not be given to men who have a personal or family history of prostate cancer.

Chocolate has been lauded in the news for it’s health benefits.

Now a Swedish study has found that men, in particular, may benefit from the flavonoids in cocoa to ward off strokes.

The study, which was funded by a Swedish research council and published Wednesday in the journal Neurology, adds to the growing evidence that chocolate, or rather cocoa, has some heart-healthy properties.
Cocoa contains flavonoids, compounds that have been shown to lower blood pressure, increase “good” cholesterol (HDL) and improve the function of arteries.
Flavonoids, a type of antioxidant, also may thin the blood and prevent clotting, which could help stave off heart attacks and strokes.

Although there are definite health benefits from chocolate, moderation, healthy diet and exercise work together to maintain optimal health.

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhea.

Those infected with gonorrhea often show no symptoms, however, the disease can lead to serious complications, including infertility and chronic pelvic pain in women, and in men, a painful inflammation of the ducts attached to the testicles that may cause infertility.

Left untreated, according to the CDC. If the bacteria spread to the blood or joints, the condition can be life-threatening, the CDC says.

Over the last several decades, the bacteria that cause gonorrhea have developed resistance to many antibiotics used to treat the condition, including penicillin, tetracycline and fluoroquinolones.

That left just one class of drugs, called cephalosporins — which include the drugs cefixime and ceftriaxone — to be used as treatment.

But today, the CDC announced it no longer recommends cefixime, an oral medication, as a first-line treatment for gonorrhea, citing data over the last several years that show cefixime has become less effective at treating the infection.

The debate continues over Prostate Cancer Screening tests and the new opinion is that screening with the PSA ( prostate specific antigen) may prevent 17,000 advanced cases yearly.

The problem with screening is how to proceed going forward if cancer is detected.

Watchful waiting or invasive treatments which may cause serious side effects are often the choice.

Many times the cancer is slow growing and would never had been detected as there are often no symptoms.

Last year, an influential organization called the U.S. Services Preventive Task Force (USPSTF) recommended against prostate cancer screening altogether, saying its harms outweigh its benefits.

Recent studies on the topic have also had conflicting results, with some suggesting prostate cancer screening saves lives, and others finding no benefit.

The researchers say their new findings should be taken into consideration when creating PSA screening recommendations.

“There are trade-offs associated with the PSA test, and many factors influence the disease outcome,” said study researcher Dr. Edward Messing, chairman of urology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “And yet our data are very clear: not doing the PSA test will result in many men presenting with far more advanced prostate cancer.”

The definitive answer is in on regular PSA screening for men.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force suggests that the prostate-specific antigen test is not providing ample benefit and the risks of population-wide screening outweigh the benefits.

The test, which measures a protein in the blood, does not diagnose cancer. It looks for a tell-tale sign that cancer may be present. (The other commonly used technique, a DRE, or digital rectal exam, is used by doctors to feel for prostate abnormalities that have already become palpable.) A positive test usually kicks off a series of events such as a confirming biopsy, and then treatments including surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and hormone deprivation.
Because the test often results in false positives, and because it can’t tell how aggressive or benign a cancer may be, doctors and patients are often in the dark about whether the tumor requires treatment. So, out of caution, most men with positive PSA tests are biopsied and, if cancer is found, treated.
“Thus,” the task force stated, “many men are being subjected to the harms of treatment of prostate cancer that will never become symptomatic. PSA-based screening for prostate cancer results in considerable overtreatment and its associated harms.”

This decision, however, is met with controversy and you should always consult with your physician.

All cases are different and mitigating circumstances come into play with the health of each individual.

Male testosterone should never be below normal, according to Dr. Larry Fisch, Urologist and author of, “The Male Biological Clock”.

Those men who have low levels of testosterone may experience fatigue, low sex drive and loss of strength.

Many men with large bellies may have low levels of the male hormone as well as those with diabetes.

Check with your physician to see if you could benefit from testosterone replacement therapy.

A London study has found that that ultrasound used to destroy prostate cancer does so without side affects or residual damage to surrounding tissue.

The experimental procedure called High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (Hifu) to destroy tumours in what they called the “male lumpectomy”.

According to researchers;

None of the 41 men had incontinence, and only 10% had impotence, according to results in the journal Lancet Oncology.
Dr Hashim Ahmed of University College London Hospital said: “Our results are very encouraging.
“We’re optimistic that men diagnosed with prostate cancer may soon be able to undergo a day case surgical procedure, which can be safely repeated once or twice, to treat their condition with very few side effects.
“That could mean a significant improvement in their quality of life.”
The doctors used high resolution MRI scans of the men’s prostates to map the precise location of the tumours.

In the news recently Warren Buffet has announced that he has stage 1 prostate cancer and will undergo surgery with radiation.

When it comes to energy drinks and potions you may be wasting your money.

Sugar, caffeine, B-12 and herbal concoctions do little to truly increase your energy level.

In fact, hospital visits related to energy drinks have surged more than tenfold since 2005, reports the U.S. Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. And most of those amped-up patients are men.

Regular sleep of 7-8 hours, a healthy diet and moderate exercise are the best ways to maintain an energy level which will allow you to stay awake and alert, productive and energized throughout your day.

“We don’t use our bodies the way they’re built to be used,” says Dr. Edlund. “We guzzle energy drinks and then can’t sleep at night. We sit all day and then read e-mails at 3 a.m.” It’s no wonder we walk around like zombies, and treat these drinks like liquid life support. As sales and heart rates spike, it’s a good time to question the trends and find healthier ways to power up.

Tom Cruise is the poster boy for plastic surgery done well.

Male vanity aside, Cruise is a great example of age/gender appropriate procedures which produce masculine good looks.

And you don’t need to be a movie star to “freshen up”.

Men are flocking to surgeons to look as good as they feel and recapture their youthful glow in growing numbers.

The popularity of using natural remedies to treat illness and disease is not only becoming more prevalent but more practical, as well.

The effects of Curcumin on prostate cancer and dementia shows promise as a treatment.

The lack of side effects and accessibility of natural treatments make them attractive to those who have little or no insurance and those who are extremely sensitive to pharmaceuticals.

The researchers found that curcumin blocked two genetic receptors necessary for prostate cancer advancement. These receptors have been shown is past studies to predict cancer incidence and rate of growth of existing tumors. They noted that the spice extract was “a potent inhibitor of both cell cycle and survival in prostate cancer cells.”

In a separate research body, scientists found that curcumin prolongs life and enhances activity of brain neurons, acting as a neuroprotective shield against Alzheimer’s disease advancement. The research team determined that curcumin acted to prevent the damaging accumulation of amyloid fibrils around the nerve synapse. Amyloid tangles are known to prevent normal electrical and chemical transmissions required to form memories and maintain cognition.