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You can take steps to reduce your risk for heart disease. Find out more about preventing heart disease by taking this quiz.
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The fact is, you might not care as much about looks as your wife does, but that fat around your abdomen is no laughing matter. A man's potbelly often warns of later problems ranging from heart disease to cancer, diabetes, arthritis, back pain and sleep apnea.
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Atherosclerosis can be devastating, causing strokes, heart attacks and death. The good news is that you can take steps to protect yourself from this disease.
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Heart disease is a killer, but you can do plenty to reduce your risk and prolong your life. Research shows that making lifestyle changes can decrease your risk of cardiovascular heart disease and help you control it if you already have it.
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Millions of people diagnosed with heart disease enjoy active, satisfying lives. Instead of looking on their diagnoses as sentences to be invalids, they have used them as catalysts to make positive changes in their lives.
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Strokes occur when something interferes with the normal flow of blood to the central nervous system. Stroke is the third-leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease and cancer.
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Strokes don't have to be disabling or deadly. Knowing the warning signs of a stroke and acting quickly may help you or your loved one escape the damaging effects of a "brain attack."
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It is normal for men to experience changes in erectile function, such as taking longer to achieve an erection. When the problem becomes persistent, it can be a sign of a physical or emotional problem.
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Nearly all American men experience occasional impotence, and an estimated 30 million suffer from chronic impotence. But despite its prevalence, the condition is treatable in most cases.
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The penis is made up of spongy tissue that holds blood. When the penis is flaccid (soft), blood flows in and out of the tissue. During sexual excitement, extra blood flows into the tissue.
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An erection requires a healthy mind-body "team effort" on the part of blood vessels, nerves, and hormones, led by the brain.
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Many men have ED sometime during their lives. It can be discouraging, but it can also be treated. Work with your doctor to find the best treatment for you.
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Evaluating ED begins with your patient history. Your doctor will ask about your physical health, sexual health, relationship, and emotional health. Your answers will be kept confidential, so answer as completely as you can.
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Be aware that men with certain health problems should not use some of these medications. And all medications may cause side effects.
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Special erectile aids are sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED). These are prescribed by a doctor.
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Renew your intimacy along with your sex life. Learn to talk with, and listen to, your partner. And remember that your value as a man goes beyond what you do in bed.
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Cancer occurs when cells in the body begin changing and multiplying out of control. These cells can form lumps of tissue called tumors. Cancer that starts in the prostate is called prostate cancer. Cancer can grow and spread beyond the prostate, threatening health and life.
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Important answers about prostate cancer and the fears that accompany it.Q. What is prostate cancer?
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When problems occur in the prostate, the bladder and urethra are often affected as well. Urinary symptoms can result.
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If your health care provider has told you that you have prostate cancer, you may soon face a difficult choice of treatment options.
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PSA, an ingredient of semen, is made by the prostate. Some PSA naturally leaks from the prostate into the bloodstream. The PSA test measures the amount of PSA in the blood. As a man ages, more PSA leaks into the blood.
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If a potential prostate problem is identified through a digital rectal exam or a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test, your doctor may suggest that you have an ultrasound.
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If the results of your exam and tests lead your doctor to suspect prostate cancer, a core needle biopsy will be done. A thin needle is used to remove small samples of prostate tissue. These samples are checked for cancer.
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If you are a man, you are at risk for prostate cancer. The risk for prostate cancer increases with age. Your risk is also higher if you are African-American or have a family history of prostate cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends that men over age 50 get tested for prostate cancer once a year.
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The best weapon against prostate cancer is catching it early.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. It affects about 230,000 men each year. It is the number two killer, with 29,200 deaths annually. It makes up more than 30 percent of all new cancer cases in men.
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Healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Not all bodies are made to be thin. For some people, a healthy weight is higher or lower than the average weight listed on weight charts.
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Experts say the long-term success at weight loss requires a balance between diet and physical activity.
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A Swedish study, over 29 years, finds 33 percent more cases of cancer among obese people than in the general population.
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High blood cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for heart attack, the leading cause of death in America.
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Diabetes occurs when there are high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. All three types of diabetes involve problems with insulin, a hormone that removes glucose from the blood and allows it to enter the body's cells. (The cells use it for energy.) If your body is unable to make or use insulin properly, you have a high blood glucose level.
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Your risk of heart disease increases if you're more than 30 percent overweight. Obesity raises cholesterol, blood pressure, and can lead to diabetes, another risk factor for heart disease. You can reduce your risk for heart disease by losing as few as 10 pounds if you are overweight.
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High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the most common chronic adult illness in the United States. There is no cure for high blood pressure, but it can be controlled.
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The American Diabetes Association estimates at least 20.1 million people in the United States have pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes means having a blood sugar level that is higher than normal, but not yet persistently high enough to be considered type 2 diabetes. By taking steps to control your blood sugar, you can delay or prevent type 2 diabetes from developing.
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Take this quiz to find out how to cut your risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
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Research shows that if you are overweight or obese, a little weight loss goes a long way toward reducing your risk for disease and protecting your health.
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Using body mass index (BMI), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) puts the definition of overweight at 25 to 29.9 BMI. A BMI of 30 and above qualifies a person as obese. A person with a BMI of 30 is about 30 pounds overweight, the equivalent of 221 pounds for a person who is 6 feet tall, or 186 pounds for someone who is 5-foot-6.
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Research clearly shows that most diets don't work. Even those of us who lose weight on a diet generally regain most or all of the weight within a couple of years.
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True or false? Most overweight people got that way because they're self-indulgent weaklings without the will power to say no to super-sized french fries and fudge-slathered ice cream.
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There is an epidemic of obesity in this country, health experts say. But what is obesity? How is it measured? Find out the answers to these questions and others by taking this quiz, based on information from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).
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