Gel that can cure the male menopause/ 'A laser zapped my prostate'/ The three-minute hysterectomy

[Guest guest]

Gel that can cure the male menopause

by ROGER DOBSON, Daily Mail

http://www.femail.co.uk/pages/standard/article.html?in_article_id=184194 & in_

page_id=173

 

A rub-on gel that increases a man's sex drive, boosts flagging energy

levels and improves mood is about to be launched in Britain.

 

The gel, which is rubbed on to the shoulders, arms or stomach once a day,

could revolutionise life for the thousands suffering health problems

associated with low levels of androgens - the male sex hormones that include

testosterone.

 

The prescription-only treatment, the first of its kind, has also been found

to improve bone density and lower fat levels, as well as improving sexual

function and quality of life.

 

Look here too...

 

STORY: HRT for the male menopause

 

GUIDE: how to beat the male menopause

 

EXPERT: does my husband suffer from a hormone deficiency?

 

STORY: how to boost your energy with nutrients

 

SHARE: do you think your man is suffering from the male menopause? Share

your thoughts here

 

 

'This is an important advance in the treatment of androgendeficient men,'

says Dr Fred Wu, consultant endocrinologist at Manchester Royal Infirmary.

'It is likely to be one of the best products available because it doesn't

involve painful injections, and gives very stable levels of testosterone in

the body.'

 

Testosterone is the most vital male hormone produced in a man's body. It

plays a key role in a number of areas, including hair growth, deepening of

the voice, changes in body shape and increased muscle mass. It helps

maintain sex drive and the production of sperm cells.

 

Decline has been linked with age, and increasing numbers of men in Britain

have been using testosterone patches, injections and implanted pellets to

combat the effects of the so-called male menopause or andropause.

 

Symptoms linked to low testosterone levels include decreased sex drive,

lower sperm count, hot flushes, fatigue, trouble concentrating and

depression.

 

Men who have a severe and prolonged drop in testosterone levels are also at

risk of loss of body hair, and reduced muscle and bone size. Some studies

have also shown it can lead to osteoporosis.

 

Sales of testosterone patches doubled in the U.S. last year. An estimated

250,000 American men are taking the hormone to boost flagging levels, and

it's predicted that the number will increase to nearly a million within two

years.

 

There have been concerns about unwanted effects from testosterone

replacement therapy (TRT), including worries that it may increase the risk

of prostate cancer, and of heart attacks and strokes in older men.

 

Side-effects can include acne, skin reaction, headache and hypertension.

Some men may experience enlarged breasts.

 

A Dutch study has found there may also be unwanted psychological effects,

and there is concern that testosterone could increase aggression.

 

The Dutch researchers asked patients to play gambling games, and found that

those taking TRT were more likely to take greater risks. Although the

benefits of use in men with abnormally low testosterone levels are

considerable, there is debate about whether testosterone therapy offers

benefits to ageing men with naturally declining levels.

 

The new gel, Testrogel - being launched in the next few days in the UK -

contains the same type of testosterone naturally produced in the body. Men

apply it once a day to their shoulders, upper arms or abdomen. Its alcohol

base dissolves, leaving a clear, non-oily testosterone film that is absorbed

into the skin.

 

The testosterone is released slowly into the bloodstream. The gel dries in

minutes and normal testosterone levels are restored in most men one to four

hours after application.

 

Although the gel is approved for the treatment of androgen deficiency

syndrome rather than male menopause, the number of men using other forms of

testosterone treatment has been increasing.

 

Some estimates suggest that around 50 per cent of men in their 50s could

benefit from testosterone replacement therapy, which costs around £1,000 a y

ear.

 

So effective is the gel thought to be that in the U.S., there have been

concerns that healthy men with adequate testosterone levels, who are seeking

instant youth, have been tempted to use it.

 

It has also been wrongly seen by some as an alternative to Viagra and as a

performance booster for younger men.

 

 

'A laser zapped my prostate'

by ROGER DOBSON, Daily Mail

http://www.femail.co.uk/pages/standard/article.html?in_article_id=187705 & in_

page_id=173

 

new green-light laser treatment for benign prostate disease takes only 20

minutes and reduces the risk of side-effects, including impotence and

incontinence.

 

The laser is attracted to red blood cells, which means that when it is

pointed at the prostate it attacks only the gland itself and not the

surrounding, lighter-coloured area, which may contain nerves and other

delicate tissue.

 

The treatment requires no overnight hospital stay and cuts recovery time,

with some men returning to work the day after the operation rather than up

to six weeks later as with some treatments.

 

Look here too...

 

NEWS: anti-baldness cure cuts prostate cancer

 

REPORT: prostate will be most common male cancer

 

STORY: garlic and onions 'cut prostate danger'

 

EXPERT ADVICE: which natural remedies can help with prostate problems?

 

FACTFILE: more information about prostate cancer

 

 

Benign prostate disease is a big health problem. As men get older, the

prostate gland - which lies just beneath the bladder - may begin to grow,

and the enlargement can eventually cause problems because as it gets bigger,

the gland may pinch off the urethra.

 

The problem occurs most often in men over the age of 55, and up to one in

three men in their 70s have a benign prostate problem.

 

As a man ages, the prostate can increase in size many times without becoming

cancerous. Benign prostatic disease or hyperplasia (BPH) is not the same as

prostate cancer, and doesn't progress to cancer, although BPH and prostate

cancer can exist together.

 

Symptoms differ among individuals, but the enlargement of the prostate gland

stretches and distorts the urethra and obstructs urine flow.

 

Common symptoms include a weak urinary stream, difficulty starting the urine

flow even when the bladder feels full, a feeling the bladder is not

completely empty, and a need to urinate often. Increased need to urinate

during the night is usually a very early symptom.

 

The most common surgical technique available to cure this problem is

transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), where part of the prostate

gland surrounding and constricting the urethra is removed.

 

It is estimated that around 65,000 of these operations are carried out each

year. The downside of TURP is that patients need to stay in hospital for

three or four nights, overall recovery time can be several weeks, and there

may be side-effects.

 

The possible side-effects of TURP - which are avoided with the new laser

treatment - include heavy bleeding, incontinence, impotence and infection.

 

The new green-light laser is fast, accurate and has fewer complications.

 

'It can be performed in as little as 20 minutes,' says Gordon Muir, urology

consultant at King's College Hospital in London, one of two centres in

Britain offering the new treatment, with others expected to provide it soon.

'Recovery time and side-effects are greatly reduced.'

 

The surgical laser system is used to deliver green laser light pulses

through a specially designed fibre optic delivery device that is inserted

through the urethra.

 

The green light is important because it is absorbed at a greater rate by

anything red, and the prostate is full of red blood cells.

 

The light pulses are directed at the prostate's obstructive tissue and

quickly and gently vaporise and remove it completely and bloodlessly,

without harming surrounding tissue.

 

Green-light laser treatment, which is available at King's College Hospital

and Brighton and Sussex Hospital, is based on industrial-strength lasers.

 

Geoffrey Harris, a 61-year-old chartered accountant, was one of the first

men in the UK to have the operation.

 

He says: 'For the past five or six years I have been increasingly

inconvenienced by very poor flow and the need to empty the bladder far too

often. 'In the couple of months before the operation I was getting up at

least six times a night. I had a biopsy on my prostate, which confirmed it

was large but benign.

 

'I arrived at the hospital at 7.30am, had the operation, woke up at 11 o'

clock, and at 1pm went home for a nice lunch in the garden. In fact, it was

less trouble than going to the dentist.

 

'This technique was so quick and so painless, and the improvement was

instant. There were no stitches and no burning sensation.

 

'As the prostate healed, there was blood in the urine for just over a week,

but I was told that would happen, so it wasn't frightening.

 

'I am just very grateful this new technique was around.'

 

 

http://www.femail.co.uk/pages/standard/article.html?in_article_id=187681 & in_

page_id=169

The three-minute hysterectomy

by JAMES CHAPMAN, Daily Mail

 

housands of women will be spared the misery of a hysterectomy by an amazing

alternative that can be carried out in a lunch break.

 

The new treatment takes just three minutes and is expected to be made

available soon to NHS patients.

 

It uses a hand-held 'wand' emitting low-powered microwaves to remove the

lining of the womb quickly and safely.

 

Look here too...

 

EXPERT: how long does it take to recover from a hysterectomy?

 

REPORT: women having 'needless' hysterectomies

 

NEWS: doctor 'carried out hysterectomies without consent'

 

ADVICE: hysterectomy and common operations

 

FOCUS: the keyhole hysterectomy

 

 

Instead of a recovery period of up to two months after a hysterectomy,

patients can go back to work or resume a full family role the same day.

 

The new technique - called microwave endometrial ablation or MEA - does not

have the same high risk of complications as hysterectomies, which have a

death rate of between one in 2,000 and one in 5,000.

 

It could save the NHS an estimated £30million a year and free thousands of

hospital beds. The Government's advisory body on health treatment, the

National Institute of Clinical Excellence, has now decided that MEA

represents a major breakthrough.

 

A source close to the panel said: 'There's little doubt that it offers huge

benefits to patients and will actually save health service money. It's being

seen as a huge step forward in women's health.'

 

A preliminary recommendation from NICE's expert committee says MEA should be

offered to all women suffering heavy menstrual bleeding - the reason for

half the 60,000 hysterectomies in the UK each year.

 

The final goahead, which will also cover a similar technique using a heated,

fluid-filled balloon, is likely next month.

 

As many as one in five women between 39 and 54 suffer from painful and

distressing heavy monthly bleeding - a condition known as menorrhagia.

 

It often restricts their social life and disrupts their work and can even

trigger anaemia because of a lack of iron.

 

At present they are offered either hormone treatment, which is often

ineffective, or a procedure where the womb lining is shaved away with a wire

loop.

 

This needs high surgical skills, however, and can lead to complications. The

only other option is for their healthy wombs to be removed.

 

The scientists who have developed the MEA treatment say it could save all

those women from such major surgery.

 

Trials have been hugely encouraging - more than 99 per cent of 600 women who

had MEA reported that blood loss was significantly reduced and said they

were satisfied with the outcome.

 

Blood loss stopped completely for 62 per cent, overall, and in hospitals

with the most experience of the technique the rate was above 80 per cent.

 

The treatment also offers major savings, costing the NHS less than half as

much as a hysterectomy. If the eligible menorrhagia patients all had

ablation treatment, it could save the NHS an estimated £30million a year.

 

Women who have a hysterectomy normally stay in hospital for at least 48

hours, so the wider use of MEA would also free up thousands of beds.

 

The treatment, which has been pioneered by a Hampshire-based company,

Microsulis, uses a handheld rod- shaped device which is inserted into the

uterus.

 

The surgeon cannot see inside the womb but is guided by a sensor which gives

a readout on a computer screen.

 

Microwave emissions from the 'wand' quickly heat up the tissue of the

uterine wall, destroying it.

 

The temperature is controlled at between 60 and 85C, ensuring there is no

burning or scarring. MEA can also be used on patients with fibroids.

 

Like all treatments which remove the womb lining, however, it means the

patient can no longer have children.

 

Sir Charles Masefield, chairman of Microsulis, said that only a handful of

hospitals are currently offering ablation treatments but he hoped the NICE

ruling would lead to it quickly becoming available in at least 500

nationwide.

 

'They should all transfer to this technology,' he said.

 

'A hysterectomy is an extremely traumatic operation. Recuperation takes

several weeks and a good proportion of women need hormone replacement and

other treatments. All that is avoided with the new technique.'

 

As well as the wand technique, heat treatment can be carried out using a

fluid-filled balloon pioneered by Johnson & Johnson.

 

The preliminary recommendation from the NICE appraisal committee says women

should be offered either treatment as an alternative to hysterectomy on the

NHS.

 

It is expected that some women will still choose to have a hysterectomy, or

their doctors may recommend it.

 

More than 500 women have been offered tests for hepatitis and

sexually-transmitted diseases after the discovery that a GP's nurse had

failed to sterilise instruments properly for the past 12 years.

 

Sabariah Derar, who worked at her husband Ibrahim's surgery in Darwen,

Lancashire, had rinsed speculums used in smear tests in disinfectant instead

of sterilising them.

 

The women at risk had smear tests between 1991 and April this year. They

have all been notified and will have blood and urine checks.

 

Mrs Derar has been suspended and will face disciplinary action.