His kidney harbored a cancer and it needed to be removed. As a first year surgeon-in-training, I was consenting him for surgery at the Veterans Hospital in Philadelphia. Unlike most patients, he was unusually calm as I talked him through the procedure and its potentially life threatening complications. At one point, he gently put his...Continue reading
Category: Fatherhood
A trip to the White House
It was a “seminal” event, and by White House invitation. The topic? The future of men’s health. Why are men medically underserved in America? What cultural factors are at play that we can change? Who should be involved? Seeds of Change An impressive array of stakeholders was present for the dialogue. Hats off to the...Continue reading
How to Help Men Live Longer
He was desperate, despondent and depressed. Both his life and marriage were falling apart, literally unraveling right in front of him. He mustered the strength to reach out and seek help. And he was cured of his disease. Sounds like the “C” word, eh? Nope, he was cured of the “I” word: Infertility.
The Flipside of Living Forever
Name some issues brand new to this world in the last 100 years. How about nuclear war, environmental pollution and climate change? Medically, we can blame carpal tunnel syndrome on the typewriter or computer keyboard, and “automobile knee” on that awful car commute. Hard to know whether these marks on modern society are preferable to...Continue reading
A Tale of Three Testicles
Its funny what people think about every day. Some decide exactly where to paint the lines in our streets. Others, called Gumbusters, remove gum stuck to park benches. Jelly Doughnut Fillers do precisely that, and Golf Ball Divers find stray golf balls that land underwater. And what would casinos do without certified Dice Inspectors? Better...Continue reading
9.5 Reasons You Should Sleep Nude
According to a recent study, only eight percent of adults sleep naked. If you’re not among the 8%, here are 9 ½ reasons why you should donate your PJs and anything else you wear to bed at night to the nearest thrift store. These include: You’ll sleep better. You’ll burn more calories It’s...Continue reading
Getting Out of the Fast Lane
The eggs didn’t fertilize. No sperm was found. The embryos fell apart in the dish. The pregnancy test was negative, again. To boot, you’re out of money and utterly and totally exhausted. Your mind is an empty room on a cold, gray day, filled only by the scattered noise of rustling leaves outside. And now...Continue reading
Making Mapping Matter
She approached the microphone slowly from the back of the room, appearing to float, wrapped in her colorful hijab. A doctor from Pakistan, she had some questions and a comment after hearing my talk. A Kind Interrogation “Your Sperm Mapping technique for azoospermic men” she stated softly, “is it done under just local anesthesia?” “Yes,” I responded....Continue reading
A Toast to the Jewels on World Vasectomy Day
You might think that publicly celebrating vasectomies is like celebrating root canals! But think about it. You have a root canal to relief pain and to be able to eat again, but you have vasectomy not only for you, but also for others, like family, and for the world at large. It’s taking one for...Continue reading
Getting Men Over the Infertility Hump
You’ve heard of gene therapy right? What ever happened to it? Born back in the 1990’s, the same decade that Viagra was introduced to the world, gene therapy has not fared nearly as well as the little blue pill. Why not? First of all, gene therapy, in which DNA is put into cells to treat disease,...Continue reading