According to the Men’s Health Network, “there is a silent health crisis in America” as men die approximately 5 years earlier than women based on CDC data from 2014. They die at higher rates than women from the top 10 causes of death, and they...
When it comes to ED, the five treatment options are Pills, Injections, Urethral Suppositories, Vacuum Erection Devices, and Penile Implants. The first four treatment options are all long term medical therapies that can help manage the problem, but none of them actually provide a cure for...
By Shawn Blick, MD
Over the last 2 decades, there has been growing awareness of the impact of testosterone deficiency (TD) on men’s health. This includes body composition (reduced muscle mass and increased body fat), bone density, mood, and quality of life. New evidence suggests that TD may be related to several key medical conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome, and may even be associated with reduced longevity. These new data make it more important than ever to be aware of TD, to diagnose it when suggestive symptoms are present, and to initiate testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) when indicated.
Testosterone Treatment and Prostate Cancer Risk: A review of a recent study on the safety of long-term treatment.
By Shawn Blick, MD
Despite the well-proven benefits for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), physicians are still fearful that testosterone may cause the progression of undiagnosed prostate cancer (PCa) or its development with advancing age. This is despite the evidence from several published reviews (Morgentaler and Roddam et al.), suggesting that the concept above is a “myth”. Similarly, Shabsigh et al. concluded from an extensive analysis of 44 studies that “none” demonstrated that TRT for hypogonadism increased prostate cancer risk or increased the Gleason grade of cancer detected in treated vs. untreated men.
Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is defined by the National Institutes of Health as the inability of a man to achieve and maintain a penile erection sufficient for sexual activity. ED is extremely prevalent, affecting up to 30 million men in the United States, suggesting that 52% of men aged 40-70 years experience ED to a greater or lesser degree. Since 1998 and the launching of Viagra to the public, ED has become an openly discussed topic in the community and in doctors offices. We are infiltrated with TV, Radio, and Newspaper advertisements that seek to enhance our sexual function with the aid of a simple pill; however, it is less commonly discussed or advertised that ED may be a predictor of cardiovascular disease (e.g. heart attacks and strokes). In other words, “Could ED be the first sign of a blood flow problem that could cause a heart attack or stroke?”