PROSTATE - A concern for all men above fifty.

Men’s Health Month

The month of June is marked by the International community as a time that calls to mind issues pertaining men’s health. 

The first thought that springs to mind in this regard is the PROSTATE. 

Prostate is a gland that makes semen, the fluid that contains sperm. The prostate surrounds the tube that carries urine away from the bladder and out of the body. 

Although it is common for men above 50 to have some enlargement, it can cause some problems if it gets too large.

There are three different ways in which the prostate could be affected:

• Prostatitis - an infection usually caused by bacteria
• Benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH - an enlarged prostate, which may cause dribbling after urination or a need to go often, especially at night
• Prostate cancer - a common cancer that responds best to treatment when detected early

It is important that men above 50 get their Prostate checked. Timely medical advice, if sought periodically will help us make an educated decisions about health care.

Are you BLOWING/PUFFING /CHEWING your life away?

Are you knowingly consuming POISON?

Are you ready to forego years of your life for a few minutes pleasure?

Even the cigarette carton warns it is injurious to health, so what the unresistable lure that a roll has over your mind?

SMOKING KILLS!

World over health practitioners have been persistently harping on the fact that smoking a cigarette is equal to digging your grave.

Tobacco is actually an agricultural produce from the leaves of a plant Nicotiana. It can be used as an organic pesticide and has some medicinal qualities too.

Tobacco is commonly used as a recreational drug. It can be smoked, chewed or insufflated. 

Unlike other commonly used recreational drugs, tobacco does not provide an euphoric height, but it is no less life threatening.

Prolonged consumption of tobacco (either smoking/chewing) can quickly become addictive due to the nicotine content in it. The drug nicotine that is present in tobacco causes physical and mental dependence. What it means in common terms is that you are allowing a non matter like nicotine to matter so much that it captures your body and enslaves your mind.

The negative health effects caused by the consumption of tobacco are

-- Smoking tobacco triples your heart attack risk 

-- Smoking just 8 cigarettes a day doubles your heart attack risk 

-- Chewing tobacco doubles your heart attack risk 

-- Light smokers (less than 10 cigarettes per day) who give up return to normal non-smoking risk of heart attack after 3 to 5 years 

-- Heavier smokers (more than 20 cigarettes per day) who give up have a 22% higher heart attack risk even 20 years after they quit 

-- an open invitation to throat and lung cancer,

Besides  active smoking, passive smokers when exposed to 22 hours per week to second-hand smoke bear a heart attack risk of 45%.

The withdrawal symptoms arising after quitting tobacco, is not as intense as the withdrawal from most narcotics. When users cease their intake of nicotine they may feel agitated and on edge. Some chronic users who have quit also complain of headaches and feelings of anxiety and nervousness during the detox process. In most cases, individuals who want to quit the consumption of tobacco products to help wean them down slowly. This makes quitting more comfortable and easier to accomplish.

Any form of tobacco consumption contributes significantly to acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) risk. Chronic tobacco use does lead to health complications that can prove to be fatal in  one’s future, so the consumption of tobacco in any form should be actively discouraged. 

“Every time I started to walk I would feel like I was walking on marbles. Slowly my legs would start becoming numb, and the numbness would slowly move up my legs, and then shocks would rack my body head to toe whenever I bent my head forward.”

“I started to get very itchy in my arm for weeks and it was followed by my legs turning heavy and weak, and overall feeling of fatigue.”

“Blinding headaches that lasted for days before I developed the numbness and the tingling of various body parts, was my first introduction to this condition. The bath water being warm on one foot and cold on the other made me seek the doctor.”

“I was 7 when out of the blue the right side of my face went numb and I started slurring my speech.”

“The first noticeable symptom was hip trouble, it was excruciatingly painful in certain positions, then came the inability to hold a pen/pencil; my writing became more and more childlike followed by my leg feeling literally glued  to the floor - all this while I experienced a prickly heat sensation in my lower legs and my thighs.”

The above statements are but a few instances of symptoms suffered by people who were later diagnosed to have MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease in which the nerves of the central nervous system namely, the brain and the spinal cord degenerate. The myelin sheath, a protective covering that surrounds the nerve cells and provides  insulation  and thereby improves the conduction of impulses along the nerves and maintains  the health of the nerves disappear in the case of a person with MS.

What causes multiple sclerosis?

The cause of Multiple Sclerosis is still eluding researchers and doctors. The immune system defends an aggressor or a foreign object by mounting a defensive action which identifies and attacks the invader and then withdraws. In the case of a person affected by MS a foreign agent such as a virus alters the immune system such that the immune system perceives myelin as an intruder and attacks it. While some of the myelin may be repaired after the assault, some of the nerves are stripped of their myelin covering. Scarring also occurs, and the material is deposited into the scars forming plaques.

Although its role is unclear, statistics suggest that genetic factors play a major role in multiple sclerosis. However, other data suggest that environmental factors also play an important role.

What are the types of multiple sclerosis?

There are different clinical manifestations of multiple sclerosis.

During an attack, a person experiences a sudden deterioration in normal physical abilities that may range from mild to severe. This attack, sometimes referred to as an exacerbation of multiple sclerosis, typically lasts more than 24 hours and generally more than a few weeks.

About 65%-80% of individuals begin with relapsing-remitting (RR) MS, the most common type. In this type, they experience a series of attacks followed by complete or partial disappearance of the symptoms (remission) until another attack occurs (relapse). It may be weeks to decades between relapses.

In primary-progressive (PP) MS, there is a continuous, gradual decline in a person's physical abilities right from the outset rather than relapses. About 10%-20% of individuals begin with PP-MS.

Those beginning with RR-MS can then enter a phase where relapses are rare but more disability accumulates, and are said to have secondary-progressive (SP) MS. About 50% of RR-MS individuals will develop SP-MS within 10 years. Over several decades, most RR-MS persons will experience progression to SP-MS.

Progressive-Relapsing (PR) MS is a type of multiple sclerosis characterized by a steady decline in abilities accompanied by sporadic attacks. There are cases of multiple sclerosis that are mild and can be recognized only retrospectively after many years and also rare cases of extremely rapid progression of multiple sclerosis symptoms (sometimes fatal) known as malignant or fulminant (Marburg variant) multiple sclerosis.

What are the symptoms of multiple sclerosis?

Symptoms of multiple sclerosis may be single or multiple and may range from mild to severe in intensity and short to long in duration. Complete or partial remission from symptoms occurs early in about 70% of individuals with multiple sclerosis.

·         Visual disturbances may be the first symptoms of multiple sclerosis, but they usually subside.

·         Limb weakness with or without difficulties of coordination and balance may occur early.

·         Muscle spasms, fatigue, numbness, and prickling pain are common symptoms.

·         There may be a loss of sensation, speech impediment (typically a problem articulating words), tremors, or dizziness.

·         decreased concentration,

·         attention deficits,

·         some degree of memory loss,

·         inability to perform sequential tasks, or

·         impairment in judgment.

·         depression,

·         manic depression,

·         paranoia, or

·         an uncontrollable urge to laugh and weep.

As the disease progresses, individuals may experience sexual dysfunction or reduced bowel and bladder control.

What are the types of tests available for multiple sclerosis?

Due to the broad range and subtleties of symptoms, multiple sclerosis may not be diagnosed for months to years after the onset of symptoms. Physicians, particularly neurologists, take detailed histories and perform complete physical and neurological examinations.

·         MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans with intravenous gadolinium helps to identify, describe, and in some instances date lesions in the brain (plaques).

·         An electro-physiological test, evoked potentials, examines the impulses traveling through the nerves to determine if the impulses are moving normally or too slowly.

·         Finally, examining the cerebro-spinal fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord may identify abnormal chemicals (antibodies) or cells that suggest the presence of multiple sclerosis.

Collectively, these three tests help the physician in confirming the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

What are the treatments available for multiple sclerosis?

There are many issues for the patient and physician to consider in treating multiple sclerosis. Goals may include:

·         improving the speed of recovery from attacks (treatment with steroid drugs);

·         reducing the number of attacks or the number of MRI lesions; or

·         attempting to slow progression of the disease (treatment with disease modifying drugs or DMDs).

An additional goal is relief from complications due to the loss of function of affected organs (treatment with drugs aimed at specific symptoms).

Most neurologists will consider treatment with DMDs once the diagnosis of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis is established. Many will begin treatment at the time of the first multiple sclerosis attack, since clinical trials have suggested that patients in whom treatment is delayed may not benefit as much as patients who are treated early.

Finally, utilizing support groups or counseling may be helpful for patients and their families whose lives may be affected directly by multiple sclerosis.

Once goals have been set, initial therapy may include medications to manage attacks, symptoms, or both. An understanding of the potential side effects of drugs is critical for the patient because sometimes side effects alone deter patients from drug therapy. Patients may choose to avoid drugs altogether or choose an alternative drug that may offer relief with fewer side effects. A continuous dialogue between the patient and physician about the medications is important in determining the needs for treatment.

Multiple Sclerosis At A Glance

·         Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease which progressively injures the nerves of the brain and spinal cord.

·         Injury to the nerves in multiple sclerosis may be reflected by alterations of virtually any sensory or motor (muscular) function in the body.

·         The cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown, but it has become widely accepted that genetic, immunological, and environmental factors play a role.

·         The selection of drug treatment/therapy should be made after the patient with multiple sclerosis has been properly informed of drug efficacy, particular FDA-approved uses, administration routes, risks of adverse events, and methods to enhance tolerability and compliance.