OK men, here’s a study that I’m sure some will be glad that researchers decided to undertake. The results of this study, the results presented today at the 25th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, show that daily sex (ejaculation)  improves men’s sperm quality by reducing the amount of DNA damage. The length of time studied for the daily ejaculations was 7 days.

Australian researchers studied 118 men who were found to have more abnormal sperm due to DNA damage than was considered normal. The men had an average of 34% DNA damage when they abstained from ejaculating for 3 days. Overall, the damage ranged from 15% and 98%. The men weren’t treated medically but were advised to ejaculate once a day for seven days.

On day 7, after the final ejaculation of the 7 days, the men’s sperm was tested again. The researchers found that most of them (81%) had a 12% decrease in sperm damage; 19% had an increase in sperm damage of almost 10%.

Overall, the average of the whole group dropped from 34% to 26% - when including the men whose damage increased. If that group isn’t included in the calculations, the average dropped to 23%.

There have been many myths circulating about ejaculation and sperm quality. It’s often been said that men shouldn’t have sex often because it decreases the volume of semen, giving the sperm less volume to work with, so to speak. However, the researchers found that the lesser volume didn’t compromise the sperm quality or mobility.

More studies need to be done, but this is a promising finding.

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Images: iStock.com and MorgueFile.com

How many of you

• have high blood pressure?
• have family members with high blood pressure?
• say that you live a healthy life and you can’t possibly have high blood pressure?
• know that high blood pressure is called the silent killer because it, literally, kills people without any advanced warning?

Hypertension - high blood pressure - is a serious health issue and it’s growing.  Some groups of people are at higher risk of developing high blood pressure than others. Did you know that African Americans are at higher risk than any other ethnic group in North America?

To raise awareness, retired NBA star Darryl Dawkins, who was shocked to discover that he had high blood pressure, has teamed up with other NBA stars to tell their stories. To see what they have to say, click on the TV screen below:

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Image: iStock.com

You’ve just been told that your doctor wants you to have a biopsy of your prostate to rule out prostate cancer. What exactly is a biopsy and how is it done?

A biopsy is a test that allow your doctor to remove a small amount of tissue from the prostate and send it to a lab for testing. A needle biopsy is - as the name implies - done with a needle rather than with surgery.

Click on the TV screen below to watch a quick video explaining how a prostate needle biopsy is done. Just scroll down a bit when you get to the video page:

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Image: iStock.com

Being told how to do something and knowing we should do something are completely different from actually doing something. The perfect example of this is how we use our body to lift things. How many of you actually bend at the knees to lift anything off the floor - even a pencil?

Now, there’s a video you can watch that can help you understand.

We’ve all heard about folks who have thrown out their backs picking up a box. And most of us have received the advice, “Lift with your knees!” at one time or another. You can imagine how important it is to adhere to the rules of good posture if you’re a weight lifter. Good posture and maintaining strength in the center of the body are two golden rules of proper weight training. Join our experts as they discuss the principles of proper posture and “core strength.”

Just click on the TV screen below to watch the video:

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Image: iStock

Cycling may be a great way to get from point A to point B, as well as a great form of exercise, but a bicycle seat designer is warning you that an improperly fit seat could result in “male problems,” such as erectile dysfunction.

Now, this is an article about a seat designer, not a medical study - so take it for what it’s worth. But, it is interesting though: Medical Professionals Warn About Bike Seats

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Image: Courtesy PhotoXpress.com

Two men with prostate cancer experienced seemingly miraculous improvement following experimental drug treatment that was used in combination with hormone treatment and radiation therapy. Both men were part of a trial that involved men who had no other options when it came to treatment. Their tumors had gone outside of the prostate and were found in their abdomen.

The treatment involved receiving androgen ablation , removing testosterone. After that therapy was completed, the patients then received one dose of an antibody called ipilimumab . The goal was to reduce the size of the tumors so surgery could be done. The results astounded the researchers:

“The tumors had shrunk dramatically,” says Michael Blute, M.D., Mayo urologist, co-investigator and surgeon, who operated on both men. “I had never seen anything like this before. I had a hard time finding the cancer. At one point the pathologist (who was working during surgery) asked if we were sending him samples from the same patient.”

To read more about the study, go to a press release issued by the Mayo Clinic: Mayo researchers: Dramatic outcomes in prostate cancer study .

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Image: Courtesy PhotoXpress.com

Being a father seems to increase the likelihood of a man seeking help for mental illness, say researchers for the American Psychiatric Association.

Out of 138 million men in the United States (2002 U.S. Census), as many as 6 million men live with depression. Depression, true depression, isn’t about feeling blue or just not feeling right. Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain that leads to the signs and symptoms we see. But, men don’t react to depression in the same way as women, as a rule. While women may admit to feeling worthless, sad or guilty, men are more likely to admit to being fatigued, irritable, and no longer have interest in activities that they once enjoyed.

Men are also more likely to self-medicate than women, using alcohol or drugs to help themselves feel better. They may start doing very risky things or become workaholics, to try to avoid what they are feeling.

The American Psychiatric Association published results of a study that looked at men and depression.

Over 90 percent of men surveyed said their role as a father or legal guardian would have an impact on their decision to seek help if they were feeling depressed. Survey respondents were more likely to say they would encourage their fathers to seek help for depression if they are parents themselves. More than 90 percent of parents or guardians who still have contact with their fathers said they would be likely to encourage their own fathers to seek help for depression if they felt it was interfering with his work or relationships, while only 85 percent of the non-parents would encourage their father to get help.

This interesting finding places even more emphasis on the effects of fatherhood - a role long depicted has hardly necessary in today’s society.

Also interesting are the results that showed men would rather discuss more serious physical issues than depression or mental health:

While stigma surrounding mental health issues has declined, many men indicated that they are more comfortable discussing other health issues. Half of the men surveyed said it would be easier or equally easy to talk to their fathers about depression, while a third said it would be easier to talk to them about screening for cancer than seeking help for depression.

What are the symptoms of depression in general? According to the National Institutes of Health, depression can be shown by:

• Persistent sad, anxious or “empty” feelings
• Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness and/or helplessness
• Irritability, restlessness
• Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
• Fatigue and decreased energy
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering details and making decisions
• Insomnia, early–morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
• Overeating, or appetite loss
• Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts
• Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment

What do you think? Are men becoming more comfortable with discussing issues like depression? If you’re a man, have you sought help for depression? Do you know someone who has?

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Image: Courtesy PhotoXpress.com

If you’re in the United States or in many parts of Canada where you can watch U.S. television, you must have seen the Flomax (tamsulosin) commercials. The usual format is men are missing out on having fun (watching a sports event, golfing, etc) because they’re going to the bathroom all the time.

The medication is mostly for men who have benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), although some women may be prescribed the medication for urinary retention (unintentional holding back of urine).

Anyway, if you see the ad, you may remember hearing, in the long list of cautions, that the men should tell their doctor that they’re taking Flomax if they’re considering having cataract surgery. Now, how does a drug for your prostate affect cataract surgery? You may be surprised.

Although it doesn’t happen often, men who have taken Flomax and had cataract surgery have a higher risk of certain complications, such as intraoperative floppy iris syndrome (IFIS), lens loss, retinal detachment, and inflammation, say researchers in an article published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

This doesn’t mean that you can’t or shouldn’t have cataract surgery if you take Flomax - it just strengthens the warnings that you should mention it to your eye surgeon, so he or she can make adjustments to your surgery to reduce any risks that may be associated with the medication.

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Image: Stock.xchng

Who’d have thought that a vitamin could cause so much controversy? Certainly not Bayer, the makers of One A Day vitamins.

According to the Bayer website, “One A Day^® Men’s Health Formula is a complete multivitamin plus key nutrients to support a healthy heart, and Selenium to support a healthy prostate.*”

But, if you notice the asterix (star) at the end of the statement and you look further down on the website, you see:

*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

So, is this a true claim or isn’t it? A non-profit group, Center for Science in the Public Interest, says it isn’t and is threatening to file a law suit against the makers of the vitamin.

According to the CNN article, Group threatens suit over vitamins’ anti-cancer claims, there is little evidence to support Bayers’ claims:

The center isn’t acting alone and has the support of  researchers and medical professionals from the Harvard School of Public Health, American Cancer Society and University of Illinois at Chicago Division of Pathology Research. The authors of the article wrote:

A seven-year, $118 million study funded by the National Institutes of Health found last year that selenium does not prevent prostate cancer in healthy men, the center said.

The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial involving 35,000 U.S. and Canadian men was halted in October when researchers determined that selenium was not protecting the men from prostate cancer and may have been causing diabetes in some of them.

The study was financed by the federal government and was one of the largest ever on this subject.

Bayer refuses to back down on its claims. What do you think the outcome will be?

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Image: Bayer

Finding the right gift for Dad isn’t always easy. Some dads have lots of hobbies or passions, but other dads keep saying that they don’t need anything. But, a big part of days like Father’s day is that their children *want* to do something for their dads and they want to find a way to honor these men.

Yesterday, I wrote about 12 tips to help Dad celebrate a healthy Father’s day and here is another idea for you: An e-card, part of the Take Dad to the Doc campaign.

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Image: Newscom.com