Genitourinary
Darling, Did The Doctor Measure Your Anal-Scrotal Length?
How would you react if your doctor said, “Remove your pants and bend over”? Then picked up a ruler and measured the distance from the middle of the anus to the base of the scrotum, the anal-genital distance (AGD). You might decide this doctor is wacky, and quickly find another physician. Dr. Shanna Swan, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Rochester, New York, reports an unusual finding in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Swan and her colleagues discovered that pregnant rats, exposed to phthalates, commonly used chemicals suspected of having adverse effects on hormones, produced infertile offspring. But Swan obviously has a fertile brain. She also noticed that the baby rats had a decreased anal-genital distance. It’s not a...Read More
Cancer, Genitourinary
Cooking The Prostate Gland
How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? No one knows. Nor has anyone, to this point, found the answer to treating prostate cancer. Now, a treatment called high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is available. So could this procedure be the ultimate way to cure prostate cancer? In North America, every three minutes, a man is diagnosed with prostate cancer and every 15 minutes a man dies from it. The major problem has always been, which men should be treated, and when should doctors follow a wait-and-see policy? Waiting to see what will happen has never been a logical move anytime cancer is diagnosed. The result is normally the spreading of the malignancy and eventually death. But prostate malignancy, unlike...Read More
Genitourinary
Circumcision : Does This Brutal Procedure Cause Erectile Dysfunction?
Why did my loving parents do this to me many years ago? I'm sure their doctor told them it was the hygienic thing to do. But I'm equally sure I must have been screaming like hell while it was being done. Today, millions of circumcisions are still performed. But it's time to stop this shocking brutality and the complications associated with it. Dr. Guy Madder, a surgeon at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide, Australia, reports in the Annals of Family Medicine that there is no convincing evidence that circumcision decreases the risk of sexually transmitted disease, urinary track infections or penile cancer. The rituals of some religious faiths require circumcision. But, apart from these circumstances, it's hard to justify this procedure. In...Read More
Genitourinary, Philosophy, Women's Health
Should Women Who Deliver Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) Children Be Sterilized?
Destroying yourself with alcohol is one thing. Destroying an innocent fetus by excessive use of alcohol is maternal madness. Yet every year alcohol-riddled babies are born in this country suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation and birth defects in North America. In 1976 the Journal of the American Medical Association reported a study of 41 infants born with FAS, having both physical and mental defects. Since that time studies show that nine in every 1,000 babies born in this country have some form of FAS. One in three will have the severe form with wide-set eyes, thin upper lips, low birth weight and small head circumference. We now know that FAS occurs in about...Read More
Genitourinary
The Billion Dollar Erectile Race
The race of the century has started. No, it's not a recap of the great horse race between Sea Biscuit and Northern Dancer. It's the erectile dysfunction (ED) contest between three giant pharmaceutical companies. The prize for the winner? Billions of dollars. If you haven't heard of Viagra it's time for a nursing home. But if this name gets you thinking about romance, what should you know about these competing drugs. Moreover, what should you do if they don't produce results? And how many times a week are we supposed to make love? All three impotence drugs work by blocking an enzyme that relaxes muscles and allows increased blood flow into the penis. If you have heart trouble and are taking a...Read More
Genitourinary
Erectile Dysfunction : The Window To The Heart
Mae West, the sex queen of long ago, had a great one-liner when she greeted males, "Is that a gun in your pocket or are you happy to see me?" This line always triggered a barrel full of laughs. But today it's no laughing matter that an increasing number of male are suffering from erectile dysfunction. A report in the British Medical Journal indicates that there's more to this problem than meets the eye. Dr. Geoffrey Hackett, a urologist at Good Hope Hospital in Birmingham, England, says most doctors are uncomfortable asking their male patients if they can have an erection. This oversight amounts to negligence as the onset of ED doubles the risk of heart attack. In fact, it can...Read More
Genitourinary, Gynecology, Infection
Myths About Herpes
"How could it happen to me I'm often asked?" My answer? Genital herpes can infect anyone very easily. Especially if they fail to make love like the porcupine, very, very carefully. Today it's estimated that 50 million North Americans have genital herpes and each year another 500,000 are diagnosed with this infection. But there are many misconceptions about this common and worrying problem. Myth # 1- You can't get herpes from sitting on a toilet seat. Doctors have said for years that the herpes virus dies quickly on exposure to air. But Dr. Trudy Larsen, a researcher at the University of California, startled the medical world several years ago. She had a patient with an active herpes lesion sit on a toilet...Read More
Genitourinary
The Powder Room : Course 101 In Overactive Bladder
Whoever remarked, "Timing is everything", was right. I recently wrote about simple ways to prevent urinary infections. This triggered numerous requests from readers saying, "But what can be done when you're constantly rushing to you know where?" Their timing couldn't have been better. The Powder Room web site now has a bilingual course 101 on overactive bladder (OAB). It contains "Everything you've always wanted to know about OAB and didn't know who to ask". OAB can range from a terrible nuisance to a problem that has a dramatic effect on lifestyle. And, if you think you're the only one in town that suffers from this disorder, think again. Several years ago one of my patients hit the nail on the head with...Read More
Genitourinary
Preventing Urinary Infections
Today, the Golden Rule of medicine should be, "Keep it simple." The reason is simple. The less complicated the treatment, the fewer the complications. Besides, in an increasingly complex medical environment doctors tend to overlook simple treatments that work. It's a simple as that. So this week, simple ways to prevent annoying urinary infections (cystitis). It's estimated that every year 30 t0 50 million North Americans, mostly women, suffer from cystitis. Few ever forget the first attack. Its severe pain on urination and the constant running to the bathroom. Then the shear terror if blood appears in the urine. Urinary infections can be due to a variety of causes and are usually cured by antibiotics within a few days. But in recent...Read More
Genitourinary
How To Correct Common Medical Errors
Talleyrand, the witty and cynical French diplomat, once remarked to Napoleon, "Sire, worse than a crime, you have committed an error." Today I often see lesser mortals than Napoleon committing medical errors that could be avoided. These are not life-threatening problems but cause needless daily annoyance. There are simple ways to treat these conditions. Thousands of people who suffer from rectal irritation are often given the wrong diagnosis and incorrect treatment. They've suffered discomfort for years using various hemorrhoid preparations and ointments and failed to obtain relief of embarrassing symptoms. There's a good chance these patients have "anusitis", a frequently overlooked condition. It's an inflammation just inside the anus. The best kept secret is Anurex, a reusable probe containing a gel. It's...Read More
Genitourinary, Gynecology, Infection
A Condom In The Mail? – Chlamydia
"What a unique way to get attention" I thought as I opened the morning's mail. What usually arrives on my desk is a host of medical reports. So I was surprised when two condoms fell out of one envelope. I wondered what was expected of me at 10:00am? And have I since put these condoms to good use? Eventually I discovered that Toronto Public Health had initiated a communication campaign for doctors to alert young people to the dangers of sexually transmitted infections (STI), particularly chlamydia. To see the whole campaign visit www.gettested.ca The package also contained informative posters about STI for examining rooms and an offer to doctors of a free supply of condoms for patients. It was hoped this would...Read More
Genitourinary
Cranberry Women’s Formula For Improved Health
"How can I rid myself of recurrent urinary infections?" a distraught patient asked me. Several courses of antibiotics had failed to end her discomfort. Now, with Cranberry Women's Formula, there's a natural treatment that helps to prevent frequent bladder infections, improve general health and, in the bargain, fights obesity. Every year an estimated 30 to 50 million North American women suffer from cystitis. And they're tired of hearing, "We know where you're going!" Few women ever forget the first attack of cystitis, the severe pain of urination, increased frequency and fear of seeing blood in the urine. Antibiotics will often cure the initial attack. But overuse has made many antibiotics ineffective. Moreover, they are often associated with troublesome side effects. Women should have listened...Read More
Genitourinary, Gynecology
Diapers Are Not Just For Babies – Urinary Incontinence
"We know where you're going!", is not a phrase that women want to hear. But due to an aging population increasing numbers of women are rushing to the bathroom. Some are suffering from urinary infection or an overactive bladder. But increasing numbers of women need frequent changes of diapers due to urinary stress incontinence. Unfortunately, many women with this problem are too embarrassed to seek help. But there are ways to help relieve patients of this annoying disorder. Urinary stress incontinence occurs when the pressure inside the bladder exceeds the pressure in the urethra, the small tube that conveys urine to the outside. The first symptom is urine leakage on occasions of stress such as coughing, sneezing, sitting down or jogging....Read More
Genitourinary, Gynecology, Infection, Sex
Sexually Transmitted Disease In Middle-Aged Adults
"Do you know where your children are and what they are doing?" is a question that often worries parents. Today sexually transmitted disease (STD) is on the rise in the teenage population. But what about the other side of the coin? A recent report shows that there's also good reason for teenagers to ponder, "Where are my parents tonight and what are they doing?" Studies show that STD rates, particularly chlamydia, are soaring in middle-aged adults. Dr. Colm O'Mahony is a urologist at the Countess of Chester NHS Trust in the U.K. He recently reported to the Women's Health Education and Research Society that now there is now a "second wave" of STDs occurring. The first wave is in the 16 to...Read More
Genitourinary
Scotty Bowman’s Teaching More Than Hockey – Levitra
There's a funny cartoon in the New Yorker magazine. It shows an elderly couple at the pharmacist's counter. The man is saying, "I want the night-before- pill and she wants the morning-after-pill! Let's hope these cartoon characters had a pleasant and successful evening. But what happens to real people? And also can the world's most famous hockey coach make a difference for males too embarrassed to seek help for erectile dysfunction (ED)? Unlike cartoon characters the majority of men do not seek help for erectile dysfunction (ED). It's estimated that one million Canadian males suffer from ED and only 20 percent are being treated for this condition. This in spite of the huge public promotion of ED drugs. Since sex is such a...Read More
Genitourinary
A New Treatment For The Overactive Bladder
Have you ever heard of "Toilet Mapping"? The best description of this comes from a patient of mine who asked, "Do you know how to get to know a city well?" I replied, "I guess when you've lived there a number of years". "No" she responded, "It's when you know where all the bathrooms are located." This patient like millions of other people suffered from overactive bladder (OAB). And she knew where every washroom was located in downtown Toronto. Now a new novel skin patch has helped her with this common problem. OAB has been called the "closet disorder". The reason is it's socially acceptable to discuss cholesterol at a dinner party. But who wants to admit that they often wet...Read More
Genitourinary
What Men and Their Wives Don’t Know About Andropause
Has your husband become grumpy, sad, lacking in energy, falling asleep after dinner and finding less enjoyment in life? You may even have noticed that his pants are longer than they used to be. And that for the first time he's having sexual problems. If so, he may be suffering from the male change of life, known as Andropause. And a wee dab of AndroGel may be all that he needs. Dr. Jean Mailhot, endocrinologist and Director, Laval Andropause Center, says that one million Canadian men suffer from testosterone insufficiency. And that in the U.S. as few as five per cent of American men with low testosterone are being treated. It's not surprising. In 2002 a national survey showed, that of Canadians...Read More
Cancer, Genitourinary, Psychiatry
The Prostate Dilemma In Treating Cancer
What should I do? I've been diagnosed with cancer of the prostate gland and my doctor has suggested a radical prostatectomy. He claims that a new report shows that surgery is the best way to ensure a cure. Of all the letters I receive this question is always the hardest one to answer. The New England Journal of Medicine recently published a study from Sweden in which doctors followed men with an average age of 65 years with prostate cancer for 10 years. 695 men with prostate cancer were treated with radical surgery. In radical prostatectomy surgeons remove the prostate, as well as surrounding tissue and lymph nodes. Another group of 347 men with the same problem were treated by watchful waiting. At...Read More
Genitourinary
Operation Helps Men Urinate Like Teenagers – Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH)
What should men and their wives know about the New Gold Standard? No, not the one associated with the London England Gold Market. Rather, the new gold standard of treating benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) in men. A report from The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is good news for hundreds of thousands of males who every year require surgery for this condition. And worry that it may affect their sexual health. Normally during male urination the size of the stream is about one-quarter of an inch. But as men age the prostate gland enlarges and squeezes the urinary tube, its size may decrease to one-sixteenth of an inch. And if it reaches zero it obviously requires emergency surgery. For years the gold...Read More
Genitourinary
The Testicles Top Song: “It’s Too Darn Hot”
There's a story that should have made headlines around the world, but somehow it collected dust. In 2002, the British Journal Lancet, reported that a scientist had suffered burns to his penis and scrotum while using a laptop computer. You might quickly conclude that he was naked and had fallen asleep with his laptop on his lap, but that was not the case. Rather, he was working with his trousers and underpants on. For want of a better word he had simply been "lap-scorched". The report doesn't mention how long it required for his burned parts to heal. But being lap-scorched is one thing. Now, another report says it's also possible to be "fertility-scorched" by prolonged exposure to laptop computers. Dr. Yefim...Read More
Genitourinary
ED drugs + Testosterone = End of ED – Levitra
"Sex is not only for Valentines Day" was the message awaiting me when I arrived in London, England. And to drive home the point, the fearless British racing car driver Sir Stirling Moss had just announced that he used erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs. And urged others to seek treatment. So the timing for the 4th International Meeting of the Andropause Society to discuss ED and testosterone couldn't have been better. Moss had two brushes with ED, the condition that men fear. His first followed a racing car accident in 1962. He refused to see a doctor about it, but met a cute nurse who said, "Don't worry, it will be all right." And it was. But following an operation for prostate cancer...Read More
Cancer, Genitourinary
Darling, I Decided To Get a Second Opinion – Prostate Cancer
"How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" That's a tough question to answer. Almost as hard as providing logical answers to questions of the PSA test used to detect prostate cancer. A recent report in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) claims that the accepted normal PSA value of 4.1 misses 15 per cent of prostate malignancies. To correct this problem it's been suggested that the normal level for PSA should be lowered to 2.5. But a Texas study of 3,000 males aged 62 to 91 revealed that 6.6 per cent of these males with PSA levels of only 0.5 had prostate cancer! It appears no value is totally safe. The PSA test measures the level in...Read More
Cancer, Genitourinary
Cran-Max Cranberry To Prevent Urinary Tract Infections
Why didn't doctors listen to their mothers? For years she counseled that cranberry juice was a sound way to treat urinary tract infections (UTI). Yet doctors have passed off her advice as just another old-wives tale. Research now proves them wrong. And there's a new super-charged cranberry supplement, "Cran-Max", to help people suffering from the "We-know-where-you're-going" syndrome. Maurice Chevalier often said "vive la difference!" when comparing men and women. He wasn't, of course, thinking about bladder infections. But when the Great Creator designed the female anatomy he or she made a structural error. Women have a short urethra, the tube that carries urine to the outside. This makes it easier for bacteria to enter the bladder causing cystitis. Few women ever forget...Read More
Genitourinary
Mind Your Bike Seat Before Romancing Your Lady
Mountain bikers are an athletic macho group. But are they good lovers? And how many have trouble getting their wives pregnant? Recent studies show that mountain bikers get more than exercise when they travel over the Swiss Alps. Dr. Ferdinand Frauscher, head of the department of radiology at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, recently reported interesting findings about mountain bikers to the Radiological Society of North America meeting. Frauscher and his colleagues studied 40 male mountain bikers ranging from 18 to 44 years of age. The bikers road two hours per day for six days a week covering a distance of over 5,000 kilometers a year. They were compared with 35 healthy non-bikers with an age range from 17 to 42 years The...Read More
Cancer, Genitourinary
His Sex Prowess May Enter The Guinness Book of Records
Every year thousands of men face a dilemma. Their blood test for prostate cancer (PSA) suspects a malignancy. Later biopsies prove that cancer is present. But today the wisdom of Solomon is required to know what to do about it. Particularly, when the first question they and their wives ask is, " Will the treatment result in impotence?" Dr. Gary Onik is a radiologist and Director of the Centre for Surgical Advancement in Celebration, Florida. He recently reported to the Radiological Society of North America meeting in Chicago that freezing the prostate gland (cryosurgery) can save men from impotence, urinary incontinence and injury to bowel. Cryosurgery kills the malignancy by freezing only part of the gland, but spares the nerves responsible for...Read More
