October 26, 2010 is a date that radically changed my life forever. It was my mother’s 80th birthday and I planned a big party for her in Mexico. We had lots of wonderful food. I made arrangements for a mariachi band to sing her favorite romantic ballads or boleros and I ordered 80 red roses...
Sperm Archaeology
“I heard that that you can get sperm from a rock,” said the patient. Eyebrows raised, I responded: “Actually, I’ve never tried.” But his statement did get me thinking: I am a sperm archaeologist of sorts. Sands of Time Growing up, who hasn’t thought about being archeologist at some point? Sifting through sand in exotic...Continue reading
Critical Health Care Issues and Obamacare
The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, is a federal law that has an impact on every American citizen. The bill requires all of us to either have insurance or pay a penalty. If you already have health insurance, Obamacare may substantially change the type of coverage you have, the benefits you receive, and...Continue reading
Top Health Conditions Men Are At Risk For
Men are more likely to die from most of the leading causes of death in the United States than women. It is unclear exactly why this is, but it is partially due to biological factors and partially due to personal lifestyle choices. On average, men die five years earlier than women. It’s important for men...Continue reading
Yep, There’s a Test for That, Part 2: Kidney Cancer
Kidney cancer is one of the 10 most common cancers for both men and women (although for women, it’s number 10, for men, number 7). More than 60,000 Americans (2/3 are men) are diagnosed with kidney cancer every year, and 14,000 (again, 2/3 are men) will die. The good news is that, caught early, about...
Just Say “No” to Behavior-Calming Drugs for Alzheimer’s Patients
A press release from the University of Michigan Health System Caregiver-based approaches would work better – if they were used & paid for as often as anti-psychotic drugs targeted by new federal report ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Doctors write millions of prescriptions a year for drugs to calm the behavior of people with Alzheimer’s disease...Continue reading
The Role of Sperm DNA Fragmentation in the Evaluation of the Male Fertility Patient
DNA is the genetic information contained in all cells, including sperm. Intact sperm DNA is necessary for normal egg fertilization (1, 2). Sperm that has DNA with breaks in the strands is abnormal, and is called “DNA fragmentation” This may cause sperm to function poorly and is not measured by the standard semen analysis. There...
Yep, There’s a Test for That, Part 1: One Drop, Results in 90 Minutes
Remember the expression, “there’s an app for that”? That’s soooo 2014. Sure, apps are still everywhere, but new expression we’ll be hearing a lot in the years to come is, “there’s a test for that.” A new test invented by scientists at the University of Queensland (Australia) uses a single drop of fluid to detect...Continue reading
Does He Have What I Had?
The case of the month is an actual patient of The Turek Clinic. “Doctor Turek, thanks for talking with me. I’ve been married to John for 30 years and lately it seems like his sex drive which has been pretty even-steven is now much lower. Not only that, his erections don’t last very long and he’s...Continue reading
High-pesticide Produce Causes 49 Percent Lower Sperm Count
Certain fruits and vegetables are known to contain pesticide residue. Farmers spray their crops with pesticide to keep pests from harming their agriculture. When pesticides are applied to crops, it can leave residue on the food which is then sold in grocery stores. While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates the amount of pesticide that...Continue reading