Low Testosterone And Depression: there is a relationship

Testosterone is more important that sex drive\libido, erections, and energy levels. A new study has documented low testosterone and testosterone that is the lower limits of normal may be associated with depression.

The study from the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, DC. included 200 adult men, who were referred for borderline total testosterone levels between 200 and 350 ng/dL. Doctors typically treat men for hypogonadism or low T if they have symptoms of low testosterone and their testosterone levels are below 300 ng/dL.

The results show that more than half (56%) of the men had depression or depressive symptoms, which is significantly higher than rates seen in general populations. A recent survey of US adults found that 6% of those who are overweight or obese were depressed. One-quarter of the men used antidepressants.

Also worth noting, the men had high rates of overweight or obesity and physical inactivity. Common symptoms were erectile dysfunction, decreased libido, fewer morning erections, low energy, and sleep disturbances.

The study authors concluded that clinicians should consider screening for depression/depressive symptoms and overweight and unhealthy lifestyle risk factors in men referred potential hypogonadism.”

Testosterone replacement therapy can improve the signs and symptoms of low testosterone in these men who have documented low testosterone levels.

The researchers published their results online on July 1, 2015 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Nitrous Oxide Use In the Medical Office Is No Laughing Matter

There is a trend today to do more medical procedures outside of the hospital setting in ambulatory treatment centers or even in the physicians’ offices.  In urology, men are receiving prostate biopsies, cystoscopies and minimally invasive treatments for the enlarged prostate glands in the doctors’ offices.  This can be accomplished because the pain and discomfort can be made tolerable.

In our office we offer the inhalation of nitrous oxide to supplement the local anesthetic effect of topical Xylocaine similar to the use of Novocain by the dentist.

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a clear, colorless, oxidizing liquefied gas with a slightly sweet odor. It has been used for decades by the dental profession and is now gaining acceptance for use by doctors in their office practices.

Nitrous oxide is blended with oxygen when used in sedation applications.

Nitrous oxide’s painkilling and numbing qualities begin to take effect when the gas is inhaled at very low concentrations. At increasingly higher concentrations, a sense of well being, or “high,” is experienced. A person experiencing a nitrous oxide high could:

Have slurred speech

Have difficulty in maintaining his or her balance or walking

Be slow to respond to questions

Be immune to any stimulus such as pain, loud noises, and speech

The gas is mixed with oxygen which is at a greater concentration than what occurs naturally in the air we normally breathe.  The gas is delivered through a mask placed over the mouth and nose.  At first the patient only receives pure oxygen in order to become accustomed to breathing with the mask over the nose and mouth.  Then slowly nitrous oxide is added to the oxygen until the desired analgesic effect is achieved.

There is a trend today to do more medical procedures outside of the hospital setting in ambulatory treatment centers or even in the physicians’ offices.  In urology, men are receiving prostate biopsies, cystoscopies and minimally invasive treatments for the enlarged prostate glands in the doctors’ offices.  This can be accomplished because the pain and discomfort can be made tolerable.

In our office we offer the inhalation of nitrous oxide to supplement the local anesthetic effect of topical Xylocaine similar to the use of Novocain by the dentist.

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a clear, colorless, oxidizing liquefied gas with a slightly sweet odor. It has been used for decades by the dental profession and is now gaining acceptance for use by doctors in their office practices.

Nitrous oxide is blended with oxygen when used in sedation applications.

Nitrous oxide’s painkilling and numbing qualities begin to take effect when the gas is inhaled at very low concentrations. At increasingly higher concentrations, a sense of well being, or “high,” is experienced. A person experiencing a nitrous oxide high could result in:

Have slurred speech

Have difficulty in maintaining his or her balance or walking

Be slow to respond to questions

Be immune to any stimulus such as pain, loud noises, and speech

The gas is mixed with oxygen, which is at a greater concentration than what occurs naturally in the air we normally breathe.  The gas is delivered through a mask placed over the mouth and nose.  At first the patient only receives pure oxygen in order to become accustomed to breathing with the mask over the nose and mouth.  Then slowly nitrous oxide is added to the oxygen until the desired anesthetic effect is achieved.

At the end of the urologic procedure the nitrous oxide is turned off and the patient breathes pure oxygen for several minutes and then the mask is removed.  Most patients are comfortable afterwards and can walk out of the office without assistance and can even drive themselves home.

There are very few contraindications to using nitrous oxide.  These include patients with significant respiratory conditions such as severe COPD or emphysema.

There are very few side effects associated with the use of nitrous oxide.  The most common side effect is temporary nausea and rare vomiting.

Bottom Line:  Doctors make every effort to reduce or control pain associated with the medical procedures they perform.  The use of nitrous oxide in the outpatient or office setting helps patients eliminate pain associated with urologic procedures.  It is safe and there are few side effects.  For more information speak to your physician or give me a call at 504 891-8454.

Blood Pressure Up? Lower It Without Medication

Millions of Americans have hypertension. Millions are taking medication to lower their blood pressure. Now the new guidelines indicate that blood pressure should be less than 120 systolic or the highest number and less than 80 diastolic or the lowest number. Here are a few ways to lower the blood pressure that do not require medication.

Exercise more

By following current guidelines on exercise—30 minutes a day, most days a week—you can bring down your blood pressure significantly. If you’ve been sedentary, try aerobic exercise to reduce your systolic blood pressure—the top number—by three to five points, and the bottom by two to three,.

People who get moving are often able to reduce the number of hypertension medications they’re on, he adds. Pick something you like—walking, running, swimming, cycling—and stick with it.

Eat bananas

You probably know that eating too much salt can raise blood pressure, but most people aren’t aware of the benefits of potassium, which counters sodium’s ill effects. Most don’t get enough of this mineral.

According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, people with hypertension may especially benefit from upping the amount of potassium in their diet. Adults should get at least 4,700 milligrams a day. A few good sources: bananas (422 milligrams each), a baked potato with skin (738 milligrams), orange juice (496 milligrams per cup), and nonfat or low-fat yogurt (531–579 milligrams per 8 ounces).

Cut salt

People with normal blood pressure, moderately high blood pressure, and full-fledged hypertension can substantially reduce their blood pressure by cutting salt intake. The Dietary Guidelines recommend that people with hypertension limit their intake of salt to less than 1,500 milligrams (600 milligrams of sodium) a day.

We get most of our sodium from processed foods, so stick with whole foods. When you do eat foods with nutrition labels, be sure to check their sodium content.

Don’t smoke

Smokers are at higher risk of hypertension. But even though tobacco and nicotine in cigarettes can cause temporary spikes in blood pressure, smoking itself is not thought to cause chronic hypertension.(Instead, factors associated with smoking, like heavy alcohol consumption and lack of exercise, might be responsible.)

Nevertheless, quitting smoking may help you lower your blood pressure a bit, the other health benefits are countless.

Lose weight

Research has consistently shown that dropping just a few pounds can have a substantial impact on your blood pressure. Excess weight makes your heart work harder. This extra strain can lead to hypertension, while losing weight lightens your cardiovascular workload.

If you’re overweight or obese, losing weight may be enough to get your blood pressure under control.

Cut back on alcohol

Even though moderate drinking—no more than one drink a day for women, and two a day for men—has heart-health benefits, drinking too much can elevate blood pressure in some people.

Research has found that consuming more than two drinks a day increases the risk of hypertension for both men and women. If you do drink, enjoy your alcoholic beverage with a meal, which may blunt its effects on blood pressure.

Reduce stress

Managing the stress in your life effectively may help reduce your blood pressure, but there’s not enough research to offer a step-by-step stress-reduction plan for everyone.

There are a number of things that people have developed as practices to induce a state of relaxation and … which one is better, which is the right one, these are questions that remain to be answered in clinical trials. Nevertheless, Burg recommends that people with high blood pressure look into stress management and find an approach they will be able to practice consistently.

Yoga

Yoga is a great de-stressor. A recent study from India recently found that yogic breathing exercises reduced blood pressure in people with hypertension, possibly through their effects on the autonomic nervous system, which governs heart rate, digestion, and other largely unconscious functions.

But people should not think of yoga as providing the same benefit as aerobic exercise. Each potentially produces benefit in different ways.

Skip caffeine

Coffee has some health benefits, but lowering blood pressure isn’t one of them. Caffeine can cause short-term spikes in blood pressure, even in people without hypertension.

If you have high blood pressure, it’s a good idea to moderate your caffeine intake to about two cups of coffee per day. You can check whether you’re sensitive to caffeine’s blood-pressure-boosting effects by checking your blood pressure before and within a half hour after consuming your caffeinated beverage. If it increases by 5 or 10 points, you could be caffeine sensitive.

Meditate

Meditation—whether it involves chanting, breathing, visualization, or all the above—can be an effective stress-management tool for many people, Burg says. Again, the important thing is that it makes you feel good, and that you can commit to doing it consistently.

Bottom Line: High blood pressure should be controlled in order to avoid heart disease or a stroke. Many people can decrease their dependence on medication if they use a few of these ideas to lower their blood pressure. Of course, if the blood pressure does not decrease, you should speak to your doctor about one of the many blood pressure lowering medications.

The Pill May Not Be Hard To Swallow

The Pill May Not Be Hard To Swallow

No one likes to take medication especially if you have difficulty swallowing the pill.   Age doesn’t really impact your ability to swallow a pill. A teenager can have just as many problems as a 5-year-old. It likely has to do with anxiety and the negative associations with swallowing a pill. This blog will discuss some techniques that can be helpful if you or a family member has trouble swallowing medication.

It is estimated that 40 percent of American adults have difficulty swallowing pills, even though most have no problems with food or liquids. Eighty percent said they did not like the feeling of having a pill stuck in their throat, 48 percent said pills caused a bad aftertaste, and 32 percent said pills caused them to gag.

While some medications can be taken in liquid form or crushed, time-release medications and those with certain coatings cannot be crushed.

Some solutions:

A child might experiment, for example, with putting juice or water in his or her mouth first, followed by the pill — or the other way around. With younger children, guided imagery also may help, such as imagining that the tongue is a water slide, the pill is the rider, and the pill rides the water slide into the pool (stomach), Dr. Bradford said.

Specialized pill-swallowing cups, sold in pharmacies and online, help the user “drink” a pill — the cup is filled with fluid, and the pill is placed in a reservoir so the liquid and the pill mix in the mouth.

A 2014 study of 151 adults up to age 85, published in The Annals of Family Medicine, reported that the so-called pop bottle method can work with larger tablets. The tablet is placed on the tongue, the lips are tightly closed around the opening of a plastic bottle, and “the tablet is swallowed in a swift suction movement to overcome the volitional phase of swallowing,” the authors write. The “lean forward” approach works with capsule avoiders: Place the capsule on your tongue, take a medium sip of water and tilt your chin forward while swallowing.

One final option: giving patients liquid medication instead of a pill, especially a liquid that tastes terrible. If it tastes so horrible that they can’t get it down, sometimes that’s enough motivation to swallow the pill!

Again, no one likes to take medication, but a few of these simple avoidance techniques can make the medication easier to swallow.

Swish Swash, You Gotta Wash…Your Hands

We all know that we carry bacteria on our hands and that the bacteria increases especially after wiping following a bowel movement. Nearly every American agrees that it is a good idea to wash up after bathroom time and 85% of parents intend to teach their kids to wash hands after using the toilet.

But, it’s not what people say; it’s what they do.  In 2013, researchers watched and recorded the habits of 3,749 people in a college town, noting 1) if people washed, 2) how long they washed, 3) if they used soap and 4) if they dried their hands after washing. The results: 10.3% did not wash their hands at all after using the bathroom. Twenty-three percent used water but NO soap.

Time matters: clean hands require 15 seconds of rubbing with soap.  In this study, researchers recorded hand washing as the time spent pre-rinsing, using soap (if used at all), rubbing and drying.  Only 5% actually spent 15 seconds on the whole process.  The average time spent washing hands was 6.27 seconds for men and 7.07 seconds for women.

Other studies confirm improper technique.  A 2013 survey asked 1,047 people about hand washing habits.  Seventy percent said that they didn’t use soap when washing up.

Germs.  Viruses, parasites and bacteria on your hands spread to everything you touch.  If you don’t wash, only wash with water or don’t wash long enough, germs\bacteria stay on your hands.  All day long, people touch their eyes, nose and mouth, allowing germs to enter the body.

Here are a few of the tough germs let in by poor hygiene.

Norovirus accounts for almost half the stomach “flus” that occur.  Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, and fever.

Cryptosporidium, a microscopic parasite causing a diarrheal disease, can be caught by touching surfaces that someone infected.

Clostridium difficile (C-Diff) is another bacterial illness causing diarrhea and abdominal cramping.

Adenovirus causes common colds, sore throats, stomach inflammation and even bladder infections. A person can “recover” from an adenovirus, yet continue spreading the virus for months.

Here’s hand washing technique that works to decrease the bacteria count on your hands.

1)   Wet hands with clean water.

2)   Apply soap

3)   Rub hands together, (especially around the nails) while singing the Happy Birthday song twice (15 seconds)

4)   Rinse off the soap

5)   Use a paper towel to turn off the water

6)   Use that same paper towel to open the door.  Dispose of the paper towel.

Use the paper towel to turn off the water and open the door—it helps keep your hands clean.

Bottom Line: Just remember the 15-second (Happy Birthday song) + soap and water rule, and you may significantly lower your chances of getting sick.

Prostate Cancer prevention-Diet and Exercise

I am often asked what can patients do to prevent prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and is the second leading cause of death from all cancers in the U.S. following lunch cancer, which is the most deadly cancer in men. In fact, half of men in their 80s have prostate cancer. While this may sound scary, the good news is that prostate cancer is usually slow growing and if caught early on, can be treated and stopped.

The truth is that prostate cancer is regarded as one of the most curable cancers, if caught early.

Signs of prostate cancer

Let me start that from the onset, early prostate cancer may have NO signs and NO symptoms.

If prostate cancer is advanced or spread beyond the prostate gland the signs may include:

• Trouble urinating
• Decreased force in the stream of urine
• Blood in your urine or semen
• Pain in your lower back, hips or thighs
• Discomfort in the pelvic area
• Erectile dysfunction
• Elevated prostate-specific antigen test (PSA)

You may assume your urinary symptoms are a sign of a bladder infection or a kidney problem, but get it checked out. This can be especially true for younger men. While most cases of prostate cancer occur in men over 50, if you have difficulty starting a urine stream, have weak flow or have to go frequently, especially at night, get it checked out. It may not always be prostate cancer but does require an evaluation by a urologist.

Trouble urinating might simply indicate that your prostate is enlarged due to benign or non-cancerous causes. Having an enlarged prostate is not a sign of prostate cancer nor does it increase your risk of getting it.

Annual prostate screenings

Prostate cancer screenings work, especially for men ages 50 to 69. In recent years the formal recommendation for prostate screenings has changed. The U.S. Preventative Task Force on Health now says annual prostate screenings are not advised across the board, and are rather an item to be discussed and decided between a patient and doctor on an individual basis. If you have a family history, it’s a good idea to get checked regularly.

During a prostate screening, the doctor will test your PSA level, which is a simple blood test which measures a protein produced by your prostate gland. The higher the number, the greater chance you might have prostate cancer. (You should know that not all elevated PSAs point to cancer — some are caused by infections and even an enlarged prostate gland can elevate the PSA test.) Then, a physical exam is completed.

Preventing prostate cancer

Some risk factors for prostate cancer can’t be prevented, such as genetics and race. If you have a relative such as father, uncle, brother, or cousin with prostate cancer, then your risk is higher for prostate cancer. Also, African-American men have a higher incidence of prostate cancer and need to be screened at an earlier age.

While one in six men are diagnosed with prostate cancer at some time in their lives, that number increases to one in three for African Americans. Also, if you have a first degree relative who had prostate cancer — a dad or brother — your risk is doubled or tripled.

There are things you can do to prevent prostate cancer and cancer in general. Did you know that exercising three hours a week has been shown to greatly reduce your cancer risk overall? Eating well has similar results.

Live a healthy lifestyle: eat well, watch your weight and exercise frequently. By adopting a healthy lifestyle, you’ll decrease your risk for prostate cancer and other cancers as well.

 

Bottom Line: Prostate cancer is a common medical condition. Leading a health lifestyle with frequent exercise and a good diet can decrease your risk of developing prostate cancer.

What steps can people take today to ensure healthy aging in their future?

I am frequently asked by patients about how to grow old gracefully and in good health. Unfortunately, the fountain of youth has not been discovered. However there are steps that everyone can take to make the senior years enjoyable ones providing we have our mental and physical health. This blog will provide some suggestions that I think can lead you to healthy lifestyle in your middle age and older years.

The risk of Alzheimer’s disease
One in eight adults above the age of 65 years old in the United States has Alzheimer’s disease and some cognitive decline is a normal part of aging. The greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer’s is advancing age. The likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s doubles about every five years after age 65 and after age 85, the risk reaches nearly 50 percent.

Those who have a parent, brother, sister or child with Alzheimer’s are more likely to develop the disease. The risk increases if more than one family member has the illness.

Genetics (heredity) also plays a role. There are two types of genes that can play a role in affecting whether a person develops a disease—risk genes and deterministic genes. Alzheimer’s genes have been found in both categories. Risk genes increase the likelihood of developing a disease, but do not guarantee it will happen. Deterministic genes directly cause a disease, guaranteeing that anyone who inherits them will develop the disorder.

So what can you do?
Live an active life. Regular exercise is one of the greatest keys to physical and mental wellbeing. Regular exercise may prevent or even provide relief from many common chronic conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, depression and arthritis

Maintain your brain. Studies have shown that a lifestyle that includes cognitive stimulation through active learning slows cognitive decline. That means getting off the couch and onto the sidewalks, parks, or jogging paths. A brisk walk 20-30 minutes a day is all that you need.

Get enough sleep. Older adults need just as much sleep as young adults – seven to nine hours per night. Lack of sleep can cause depression, irritability, increased fall risk and memory problems

Make an effort to reduce stress. Long-term stress can damage brain cells and lead to depression, memory loss, fatigue and decreased ability to fight off and recover from infection.

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What are some foods people can eat now for healthy aging later?
Eat nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables and whole-grains to keep your body and mind sharp.
Colorful fruits and vegetables contain antioxidant which help stop unstable molecules from damaging healthy cells. I suggest you consume colorful vegetables and fruits, such as leafy greens, tomatoes, blueberries and carrots as they contain the highest quantities of antioxidants. You want to enjoy five to nine servings a day.

You need calcium and vitamin D. The calcium and fortified vitamin D in dairy foods are crucial to strong bones and help prevent osteoporosis. I suggest 3 cups of low-fat milk, yogurt, or other dairy products a day.

Whole grains are rich in fiber and help lower cholesterol and provide for regular bowel movements. Examples are oats, quinoa, barley, wheat and brown rice, which also lowers your chance of developing type 2 diabetes and keeps blood vessels in peak condition. You should strive for three servings of whole grains a day.

Fish contains omega-3 fatty acids in fatty fish help protect your heart, lower your odds of having a stroke and may even help guard against Alzheimer’s disease. Help yourself to two servings a week of fatty fish such as salmon or tuna.

Finally, maintain a healthy sex life. Sex serves as a form of exercise and can help reduce stress, improve moods and increase overall health. Another advantage of regular sex is that it can actually lower your total cholesterol level, and increase the high-density lipoproteins (HDL) or the good cholesterol. And besides….it’s a lot of fun!

Bottom Line: You can’t change your genes or your parents but you can lead a healthy lifestyle by having a regular exercise regimen and having a healthy diet. Both of these will lead to good health and enjoyment of your senior years.

What Women Need To Know About Their Partner’s Health

Women are drives of healthcare. They are responsible for helping to see that their partners take good care of themselves. My wife makes an appointment for my annual physical exam each year and accompanies me to the doctor to be sure that I explain all of my concerns and that she has the instructions for the recommendations and follow up. I don’t think my situation is unique as most women not take care of themselves but also the healthcare of their partner. This article will discuss 5 conditions that can impact a man’s health and should come to the attention of a physician\urologist.

Erectile dysfunction is often a sign of something more serious. About 70% of ED cases are caused by existing medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or heart disease. The more advanced these diseases are, the more at risk a man is for ED. In most cases, ED is treatable. If you loved one has ED, encourage him seek medical care.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men. About 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. The number jumps to 1 in 5 if he’s African-American and 1 in 3 if he has a family history of prostate cancer. Men should know their risk and talk to their doctors about whether prostate cancer screening is right for them.

Male infertility is more common than you think. In about 40% of infertile couples, the male partner is either the sole cause or a contributing cause of infertility.

If he has blood in his urine, pay attention. This can be a sign of a urinary tract infection, kidney stone, enlarged prostate or an early sign of bladder or kidney cancer. All men who have blood in the urine should see their doctor\urologist.

Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men ages 15-35. Although there is nothing to prevent testicular cancer, if the cancer is caught early, there is a high cure rate. Signs of testicular cancer include persistent pain or a bump in the testicular area.

Finally, if they are going to the bathroom more than three times each night, they should be seen by a doctor. This could be a sign of a prostate or bladder problem, or potentially something more serious.

Bottom Line: Men have unique medical problems and women can be so helpful in directing men to a healthcare provider. I hope this article should be kept in mind regarding your male loved one’s medical health.

What Does It Mean To Get a Vaccine-The Truth About Autism and Vaccines

The medical profession debunked vaccines as a cause of autism years ago. Now the topic has entered the political arena on Wednesday night, September 16, 2015 when Donald Trump weighed in on the relationship. This blog will give you the medical facts on vaccines and that they are not implicated in the cause of autism.

Donald Trump, a real estate mogul with no medical background, confidently strode on stage Wednesday night and explained to millions of Americans on live television his version of the heart-rending science of why so many children are being diagnosed with autism these days.

“We had so many instances, people that work for me, just the other day, 2 years old, a beautiful child, went to have the vaccine and came back and a week later got a tremendous fever, got very, very sick, now is autistic.” That’s hardly a scientific study when he reports on one child and one family.

In 1998, a well-respected medical journal published a paper by researcher Andrew Wakefield and 12 of his colleagues linking a standard measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism. Despite its tiny sample size of 12 and its speculative conclusions, the study was publicized far and wide — launching a global movement involving celebrities like Jenny McCarthy, Jim Carrey (and of course Trump) who warned parents to stop vaccinating their children. The result was what public health officials reported was a dangerous drop in MMR vaccinations.

On further scrutiny by medical experts, the study was an elaborate fraud and riddled with flaws

Editors of the Lancet, a highly respected medical publication from England, which published the original piece, discovered that Wakefield had been funded by attorneys for parents who were pursuing lawsuits against vaccine companies and that a number of elements of the paper were misreported.

In February 2010, Lancet retracted the piece, and in 2011 an investigative piece appeared in the British Medical Journal and found even more errors and mistakes in the way the study was conducted. Some parents of children in the study reported by Wakefield to have autism said they did not, and others who were listed in the study as having no problems before the children received the vaccine actually had had developmental issues.

The issue became so controversial back then that dozens of studies were launched to address the question Wakefield posed.

The research, published in top journals including Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, is consistent and confident in its conclusions: There’s NO link between autism and vaccines.

One of the largest was published in JAMA in April 2015 and looked at 96,000 children in the United States and analyzed which ones got the shot and which ones were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. They found “no harmful association” between the two.

Another large study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002, involved a half-million children in Denmark’s health registry. Its takeaway: “This study provides strong evidence against the hypothesis that MMR vaccination causes autism.”

On Thursday, medical associations and patient advocacy groups criticized Trump’s remarks as false and potentially dangerous. The American Academy of Pediatrics said that “claims that vaccines are linked to autism, or are unsafe when administered according to the recommended schedule, have been disproven by a robust body of medical literature.” Autism Speaks, a science and advocacy group, expressed similar sentiments noting that “extensive research has asked whether there is any link between childhood vaccinations and autism.”

“The results of this research are clear: Vaccines do not cause autism,” the organization said in a statement.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explicitly states that there is no link between vaccines and autism, that vaccine ingredients do not cause autism and that vaccines in general are very safe.

It cites numerous studies, including a 2013 study that looked at the substances in vaccines that cause the body’s immune system to produce disease-fighting antibodies, showed that the total amount from vaccines received was the same between children with autism and those without.

The CDC said it has looked specifically into thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used in multidose vials of vaccines that has been a source of concern among those who believe in an autism-vaccine link, and found no link. A review in 2004 by the Institute of Medicine concluded that “the evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism.”

Today, most scientists believe that autism has no single cause, but that genetics and abnormalities in brain structure or function may play a role.

Bottom Line: I believe that vaccines and autism is not a topic for Donald Trump to discuss especially when there were two physicians, Dr. Ben Carson, a pediatric neurosurgeon, and Dr. Rand Paul, an eye surgeon, would be far more qualified to discuss the subject. So what are young parents to do? Speak to your pediatrician and discuss the minimal risks of the MMR vaccine vs. the risks of getting measles, mumps and rubella.

Non-Medical Steps To Control Bladder or Urine Leaks (Overactive Bladder)

Urine Leaks/loss of bladder control is common among women and is one of the most embarrassing maladies affecting anyone who suffers from this problem.

The condition affects women between ages 18 through 65 and it could get worse it not properly managed.

Loss of bladder control/urine leaks/urinary incontinence can be contained with simple lifestyle changes without having to undergo any form of surgery or take any medications with its associated side effects.

Tips that work:

1. Kegels

Kegels are known to help tighten the pelvic floor muscle. Try ‘squeezing’ the pelvic muscle slowly.

A common way to do this is to stop urine flow while at it counting up to 20 before starting the flow, holding each squeeze for 10 seconds.

2. Reduce fluids intake

Drink water when you have to/regularly but don’t drink too much to overwork the bladder.

3. Reduce acidic foods in your diet

Foods with high acid content should be reduced. Oranges, apples, lemon and alcohol contain acid known to irritate the bladder. If you have urinary incontinence, reduce intake of these foods.

4. Relax

It’s best to relax as this also helps the whole body relax which reports reveal could reduce urinary incontinence.

5. Use tampons

You can use tampons to stay dry especially when involved in high impact activities or moving around a lot.

Tampons slightly lift up the urethra (which is the bladder opening) to support it when you are moving around. Be sure to remove it as soon as you are done with the activity.

Bottom Line: You don’t have to suffer in silence. Help is available. If you suffer from urinary incontinence or other problems “down there”, see your doctor.

For more information on “down there”, I recommend my book, What’s Going On Down There- Improve Your Pelvic Health, available from Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Going-Down-There-Siddighi/dp/1477140220/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1442165577&sr=8-13&keywords=What%27s+Going+On+Down+There)

What’s Going On Down There-Improve Your Pelvic Health (amazon.com)