Strong study shows no link between vasectomy and prostate cancer
In the 1980s, reports began to surface of a potential connection between vasectomies and prostate cancer. This worried men considering vasectomies for birth control, but it was also controversial. Some studies detected an association while others didn’t. Harvard Prostate Knowledge last covered the topic in 2015, after the largest study to that point detected slightly higher risks of high-grade prostate cancer among men who had a vasectomy compared to men who hadn’t.
Now that study has been eclipsed by an even larger one.
Here’s how the analysis worked
For this new effort, researchers with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 23, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Charlie Schmidt Tags: Family Planning and Pregnancy Prostate Health Source Type: blogs
Combination hormonal therapy boosts survival in men with aggressive prostate cancer
A standard approach for treating aggressive prostate cancer is to give therapies that block testosterone, a tumor-stimulating hormone. Should initial hormonal therapies fail, doctors can switch to other drugs that suppress testosterone in different ways. One of them, a drug called abiraterone, has been shown to significantly extend lifespans in men who have become resistant to other hormonal treatments.
But in June, two major studies reported simultaneously that abiraterone also prolongs life in men with aggressive prostate cancer that’s been newly diagnosed. One of the studies, a phase 3 clinical trial called LATITUDE, ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 18, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Charlie Schmidt Tags: Cancer Health Men's Health Prostate Health Source Type: blogs
Yoga improves treatment-related symptoms in men with prostate cancer
Decades of research show that yoga can reduce the emotional and physical fatigue brought on by cancer treatment. Now researchers have shown for the first time that’s also true specifically for men being treated for prostate cancer. Men who took a yoga class twice a week during treatment reported less fatigue, fewer sexual side effects, and better urinary functioning than men who did not, according a new study. “The data are convincing,” said the study’s principal investigator, Dr. Neha Vapiwala, an associate professor of radiation oncology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. “Wha...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 4, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Charlie Schmidt Tags: Cancer Complementary and alternative medicine Prostate Health Yoga Source Type: blogs
Vitamin K and Osteoporosis — What ’ s the connection?
Before you are prescribed bisphosphonates: Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva, Reclast or Zometa, maybe you should consider the Undoctored strategy.
The grain-free diet, vitamin D, and magnesium protocols in the core Undoctored program provide the bulk of bone health benefits through a variety of mechanisms, including increased intestinal calcium absorption, reduced urinary calcium loss, and reduced levels of the parathyroid hormone that weakens bones.
You should also avoid calcium supplements, as the effects of vitamin D and the increased intestinal calcium absorption that develops after eliminating calcium-binding phytates from gr...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - August 1, 2017 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Undoctored Vitamin K Wheat Belly Lifestyle anti-aging bowel flora Dr. Davis gluten-free grain-free health osteopenia osteoporosis Wheat Belly Total Health Source Type: blogs
Cancer patients can ’t afford care
Lost in the debate on “Trumpcare” versus “Obamacare” is the proper consideration of the factors driving increasing health care costs. In cancer, the pharmaceutical industry plays a major role setting drug prices that exceed reasonable returns on research and development. The economics of treatment were again apparent during the plenary session of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in June, aka the cancer community’s Super Bowl. Two years ago, Dr. Leonard Saltz of Memorial Sloan Kettering implored us to pay attention to the cost of drugs being presented, emphasizing during the plenary session...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - July 28, 2017 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/syed-m-ahmed" rel="tag" > Syed M. Ahmed, MD, PhD < /a > Tags: Physician Cancer Source Type: blogs
Should we screen African-American men for prostate cancer?
Regular readers of my blog know that I believe that the harms of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer outweigh the benefits — if benefits exist at all. That isn’t to say that I will not order the test in a man who understands the risks and expresses a clear preference to be screened. In a recent editorial in American Family Physician, I explained my approach to counseling patients about potential screening harms:
Many older men, especially those who have received PSA tests in the past, may be surprised to learn that screening is no longer routine. Primary care physicians should anticipate t...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - July 23, 2017 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/kenneth-lin" rel="tag" > Kenneth Lin, MD < /a > Tags: Conditions Cancer Source Type: blogs
Vitamin D: Finding a balance
Over the July 4th weekend, my non-physician husband with a history of skin cancer tried to justify not wearing sunscreen in order to get some vitamin D. My husband, of course, has no idea how much vitamin D he needs or why, and I suspect he is not alone.
Why do we need vitamin D?
The easy answer is for bones. Vitamin D facilitates absorption of calcium and phosphate, which are needed for bone growth. Without sufficient vitamin D, bones become brittle (in children this is called rickets and in adults it is called osteomalacia) and break more easily. Vitamin D is likely beneficial for other parts of the body as well; studies...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 21, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Emily S. Ruiz, MD, MPH Tags: Drugs and Supplements Health Prevention Source Type: blogs
The Messenger Also Matters: Value-Based Payment Can Support Outreach To Vulnerable Populations
With the proliferation of value-based payment initiatives and implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) coverage expansions, states have had many opportunities in recent years to improve the health of vulnerable populations through health promotion, prevention, and care coordination. We believe value-based payment models can and must support accountable health care delivery systems in partnering with community-based “messengers” to engage vulnerable individuals in health education and promotion. We explore one such messenger program, ACCESS, a Brooklyn-based project of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban ...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - July 10, 2017 Category: Health Management Authors: Ruth C. Browne, Marilyn Fraser, Judith Killen and Laura Tollen Tags: Health Equity Medicaid and CHIP Population Health Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health New York New York State Social Determinants of Health value-based payment vulnerable populations Source Type: blogs
The Contribution of Decreasing Cancer Mortality to Gains in Life Expectancy
This study provides an assessment of the impact of improvements in cancer prevention and cancer therapies over the past few decades, based on observed changes in life expectancy. In the opinion of the authors, better prevention is the more important contribution to these results - which doesn't say much for the current high level strategy in cancer research aimed at production of better therapies, given the vast sums devoted to that industry. Because of its focus on cancer, an unusual life expectancy construct is used in this study, considering only ages 40 to 84; cancer has a very low incidence at younger ages, and the ri...
Source: Fight Aging! - June 29, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
10 Key Ideas from The Truth About Cancer
I don’t read many books on health. A while back, however, I came across The Truth About Cancer and decided to read it. I was interested in it because cancer is one of the top killers in the modern age. More personally, my mom passed away because of cancer. I also have two friends who passed away because of cancer at the young age of 32 and 33.
I’m glad I read the book. Honestly, the content of the book is not what I expected. I expected a positive attitude toward popular cancer treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. But the book is actually against them. It’s eye-opening for me.
You might want to read ...
Source: Life Optimizer - June 29, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Donald Latumahina Tags: Health Source Type: blogs
Men ’ s Health Month: Getting Back to the Basics
You know the type. The macho guy who’s rough, tough, go-it-alone, leader-of-the-pack, help-not-wanted. Macho man may put off seeing a doctor for a checkup – because he thinks he’s invincible, doesn’t get sick, it’s a waste of time, only for the weak.
Physicians at the University of Maryland Medical Center say some men only give in when they have symptoms, when major treatments are required, or when preventive steps are more demanding. Even so, it’s never too late to start on the road to health.
June, Men’s Health Month, is a great time to focus on preventable health problems and encourage early detection and ...
Source: Life in a Medical Center - June 28, 2017 Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: UMMC Tags: Health Tips Heart/Cardiac Care heart health mens health Source Type: blogs
Exosomes, The Elusive Tiny Vesicles Produced by Cells, Have Lots of Potential for Medicine
Exosomes are tiny capsules (30-130 nanometers) produced by cells that seem to be involved in all sorts of processes within the body, but only lately have they been properly studied. Because these natural nanoparticles are involved in many different biochemical processes, they may be relevant for a wide variety of clinical applications including diagnostics, therapy, and tracking of disease progression. For example, exosomes are able to easily pass through the blood-brain barrier and the plasma membranes of cells, potentially serving as drug carriers. Discovered less than forty years ago, there’s a lot of work to be d...
Source: Medgadget - June 26, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Nanomedicine Source Type: blogs
Don ’t Underestimate Patients
By GEORGE BERGER, PHD
I was diagnosed with aggressive but localized prostate cancer at a major Dutch academic hospital. My parameters were PSA 29 or 31, Gleason sum 4 + 4, and stage T2c. Fortunately, there were no detectable distant metastases. The specialist drew a simple image of my urinary tract and told me I was excluded from brachytherapy, which I had never heard of before, because of the size of my prostate. I had to choose between external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and radical prostatectomy (RP). How on Earth could I choose rationally while knowing so little about prostate cancer? However, I had studied maths and phy...
Source: The Health Care Blog - June 17, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: Uncategorized ADT Dutch Health Care System Gleason Prostate Prostate Cancer Sweden Source Type: blogs
