There’s been a lot of controversy over the past few years about the health benefits—or dangers—to men of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Several recent studies, for example, purported to show that in healthy men, TRT increased the risk of stroke and heart attack. Two recent papers, however, have reached the opposite conclusions. The first, written...Continue reading
Over-The-Counter Viagra for Erectile Dysfunction As a urologist at Urology Associates, with over 10 years of expertise in erectile dysfunction and sexual medicine, I’m often asked about the legitimacy and safety of over-the-counter (OTC) herbal “Viagra” supplements that are made to assist with erections. This year, these inquiries skyrocketed following the tragic news of Lamar Odom’s overdose at...Continue reading
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
How come men don’t live as long as women? Is it because they do things like big wave surfing, base jumping in squirrel suits or highlining between buildings? Maybe we have a testosterone-fueled, Evil Knievel gene within us, right next to the air guitar and channel surfing genes, and are simply destined to break 433 bones, just...Continue reading
From the time we’re little, we’re taught that big boys don’t cry and told that when times get tough, we just need to “man up.” The message is so strong that even a baby could figure it out (and plenty do): boys shouldn’t cry. Put a different way, boys–and later, men–need to be tough. “Real”...Continue reading
How many times have you heard “enough is enough.” After you’ve told too many silly jokes? As a kid insisting on ice cream on a hot summer afternoon? Well, it may also be true for how the male hormone testosterone works on your body. More Is Not More But there’s also a corollary: “more is...Continue reading
I’m sorry, but after delivering hundreds of lectures worldwide over the past two decades, this invitation is different. It’s from the Feds, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to be exact. They want me to speak at a think tank in Washington about the future of men’s health. It’s a great honor, but a very intimidating...Continue reading
He was an elegant man in his late-80s and he came to see me for help. Widowed for 20 years, he recently met a younger woman; she was in her 70’s. He hadn’t had a sex life for many years and also noted “erection issues” for during that time. Still Dreaming “I would really like...Continue reading
Active Surveillance/Watchful Waiting These are not types of treatment, but ways to monitor prostate cancer when it is very low-risk or slow growing. During active surveillance or watchful waiting, your doctor will keep track of the prostate cancer using various tests including a PSA blood test, digital rectal exam, and ultrasound. If the prostate cancer...Continue reading
Is there anything as amusing as watching Dr. Paul Turek do a double take? Picture us, at the Integrative Fertility Symposium in Vancouver, sharing the podium for an East/West panel discussion on Men’s Reproductive Health, and, as often happens, the conversation takes an inevitable turn towards the male erection. We were discussing the difficulty men might...Continue reading