6 Top Health Threats in Men

Statistically, more males are born than females every year. Surprisingly, women are healthier than men. Men take the lead for all known diseases in the medical field except for Alzheimer's Disease. 

The top 6 health threats in men are:

Prostate Cancer

Lung Cancer

Suicide/Depression

Cardiovascular Disease

Diabetes

Erectile Dysfunction

Prostate Cancer

It is predicted that about 200,000 American men will develop prostate cancer this year. Although one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his epoch, studies indicate that only one in 35 will die from it. One in 10,000 men under the age of 40 will develop prostate cancer, whereas, one in eight men between the ages of 60 and 80 will suffer from it. These figures suggest that prostate cancer is likely to impact the lives of a substantial proportion of men.

Prostate cancer is diagnosed through the biopsy of the prostate gland. An early diagnosis of the PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) level being abnormal will require further testing to see if there is cancer. Aside from the PSA levels, there are other less common symptoms of prostate cancer that men should watch out for:

Blood in the urine

Blood in the semen

New-onset erectile dysfunction (impotence)

Bone pain (especially in the lower back, hips or ribs)

Loss of bladder control

Quick Facts about Prostate Cancer:

Many men die with prostate cancer, but not from it.

Early baldness may be a sign of high prostate cancer risk.

Men whose mothers or sisters have developed breast cancer are also at increased risk for prostate cancer.

Lung Cancer

Attributed mainly to the use of tobacco, lung cancer has plagued approximately 170,000 Americans every year. Lung cancer, most of the time, does not manifest symptoms until its advanced stage, making it difficult to diagnose early.

Quick Facts about Lung Cancer:

Recently, there has been a decline in cases amongst men but the ailment is becoming more common amongst women.

The reason for the hike in cases amongst women is the increase in the number of women who began to smoke in recent years.

Cancer may form in the lungs or in the bronchi (the air passageways leading into the lungs).

There are two major types of lung cancer; small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. This is determined by the way the cells appear under a microscope.

Suicide / Depression

Depression is an emotional disturbance that affects the entire body and overall health.

According to a study done in 2010, approximately 5 million men were treated for depression. The actual figure is likely to be greater because men simply refuse to admit being depressed. They usually resort to alcohol and drugs to overcome their depression instead of seeking professional help.

Developed countries have the worst rates of depression. 15 percent of men in these countries suffer from severe depression. Just 20 percent of these severe cases receive treatment and 15 percent are likely to attempt suicide.

Top Causes of Suicide / Depression:

Divorce

Unemployment

Forced retirement

Separation from close family members

Bankruptcy

Quick Facts on Suicide / Depression:

Those with depression have four times the risks of a heart attack compared to those who do not have depression.

Depression is hereditary.

Depression affects 121 million people throughout the world. Less than 25 percent of those affected have access to effective treatment options.

Although depression is recognized as a mental illness, it certainly affects the physical part of the body. It weakens the immune system, increasing the risks for other diseases to develop.

Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is the world's top killer, claiming at least 17.1 million lives every year.

Since 1900, Americans have been plagued by cardiovascular disease. Doctors have concluded that men experience heart attacks approximately 10 years earlier in life than women do.

Quick Facts on Cardiovascular Disease:

More than 2,500 Americans die from heart disease each day.

About 250,000 people die of heart attacks each year before they reach a hospital.

Almost 6 million hospitalizations are due to cardiovascular disease each year.

The risk of cardiovascular disease can be reduced by avoiding tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and alcohol.

Diabetes

According to the World Health Organization, there are 246 million people in the world living with diabetes.

Most men experienced the typical symptoms of frequent urination and thirst before finally seeing the doctor. Excess glucose becomes toxic to blood vessels and nerves in the entire body.

Quick Facts on Diabetes:

3.9 billion dollars in emergency room costs are attributed to diabetes.

Approximately 71,000 lower limb amputations per year are due to diabetes.

Americans lose about 1,600 gallons of blood every year as a result of glucose monitoring blood tests.

Besides amputation, diabetes can lead to other complications like blindness, gangrene, and end-stage renal disease.

To learn more about healthy blood sugar maintenance, visit ayurgold.com.

Erectile Dysfunction (ED)

This disease has plagued approximately 20 million American men and about 1 in 10 adult males suffers from long-term ED.

Men with diabetes tend to develop erectile dysfunction 10 to 15 years earlier than men without diabetes. Erectile dysfunction is also believed to be caused by atherosclerosis, the same process known to cause heart attacks and strokes.

Quick Facts on Erectile Dysfunction:

Long hours of cycling increase the risk of developing ED.

Obese men are more likely to have ED.

Stress and anxiety are leading causes of temporary ED.

Every man at least once in his life has a problem with attaining erection.

Men with diabetes are likely to have ED.

NEWS BY vholistics

Killing Your Sex Life with Too Much Sweets

Did you know that uncontrollable consumption of sugar can eventually kill your sex life? Indeed, researchers have determined that high concentration of sugar in your bloodstream can switch off the gene that controls your sex hormones. Excess glucose and fructose are stored as fat lipids after they are metabolized in the liver. The synthesis of these excess fats deactivates the SHBG genes (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin) which control your testosterone and estrogen levels. 

The bioavailability of the sex hormones is greatly influenced by the levels of SHBG. The imbalance in these hormones may lead to deterioration of your sexual function. This also increases the chances of acne, polycystic ovaries, uterine cancer, heart disease, and infertility. Research also found that sugar can negatively impact your lipid profile. Anything that disrupts your lipid profile can lead to impotence and erectile dysfunction.

Aside from this harmful impact, sugar also has a negative effect on your eating habits. It provides a sudden boost of endorphin production, stimulating you to eat more than you should. The extra calories will make you put on extra pounds which are directly associated with lower testosterone and increased risks of erectile dysfunction. 

Most men are completely oblivious to the food that they are eating. Either they are aware of the sugar content and pretend to not know or they assume they know the content but because the numbers are not known to them, they continue to eat foods high in sugar content. 

Here is a list of foods with high sugar content that might be quietly killing your sex life: 

1. Original glazed doughnut - 10 grams

2. Vanilla ice cream - 17 grams

3. Starbucks caffe latte grande - 17 grams

4. Subway 6" sweet onion teriyaki chicken sandwich - 17 grams

5. Sweetened yogurt - 27 grams

6. Vitamin water - 33 grams

7. Coca-Cola Classic - 39 grams

8. Starbucks caffe vanilla frappucino grande - 58 grams

NEWS BY vholistics

Ukraine court jails Tymoshenko for 7 years

(Reuters) - A Ukrainian court on Tuesday sentenced former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko to seven years in prison for abuse of office in relation to a 2009 gas deal with Russia that she brokered, a case regarded widely in the West as politically orchestrated.

Judge Rodion Kireyev handed down the sentence -- the maximum sought by state prosecutors -- at the end of a three-month trial that has polarized society in the ex-Soviet republic and risks undermining Ukraine's relations with the West.

"The court has ... found Tymoshenko guilty... and sentenced her to a prison term of seven years," he said. Her lawyers said they would appeal against the verdict.

The European Union, a major trading partner for Ukraine, immediately denounced the judgment as politically motivated and told President Viktor Yanukovich's leadership that it would boomerang seriously against relations.

"The way the Ukrainian authorities will generally respect universal values and rule of law, and specifically how they will handle these cases, risks having profound implications for the EU-Ukraine bilateral relationship," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement on behalf of the bloc.

This included "the conclusion of the Association Agreement, our political dialogue and our cooperation more broadly," the statement issued in Brussels said.

Her supporters say Yanukovich wants to neutralize her as a political force before next year's parliamentary election.

The EU had earlier warned that jailing the charismatic Ukrainian opposition leader will jeopardize ratification of the agreement, which entails the creation of a free trade zone and is due to be signed later this year.

Tymoshenko, 50, who described the trial as a "lynching" organized by Yanukovich and denied any wrongdoing in negotiating the 2009 deal, smiled faintly as the sentence was pronounced.

But the former Orange Revolution leader then rose to her feet and -- even as Kireyev continued in a monotone to deliver the rest of his judgment -- denounced Ukraine's "authoritarian regime" and decried the lack of justice under Yanukovich.

Kireyev said that she had exceeded her powers by stampeding the state energy concern Naftogaz into signing a 10-year gas supply contract with Russia that resulted in Ukraine paying an exorbitant price for gas.

"In January 2009, Tymoshenko Yu. V., exercising the duties of prime minister ... used her powers for criminal ends and, acting deliberately, carried out actions ... which led to heavy consequences," he said.

Her actions had led to a loss for Naftogaz of 1.5 billion hryvnias ($188 million), he said.

SUPPORTERS, SCUFFLES

Though Russia has rejected charges by the Yanukovich leadership that the deal was improperly negotiated, it is again talking with Ukraine about its terms. The Kiev government says it hopes a new contract will be tied up by the end of the year.

The deal struck between Ukraine and Russia in 2009 was greeted with relief by the EU since it ended a pricing dispute that led to disruptions in gas supplies to parts of the bloc.

At least 2,000 Tymoshenko supporters massed outside the courtroom in Kiev city center to hear the verdict, shouting words of encouragement and waving flags in solidarity with her.

When the verdict was pronounced, there were scuffles with police, but no serious clashes. Tymoshenko was driven away in a police van within minutes of the trial ending.

At the start of the day, Tymoshenko, wearing her trademark peasant hairbraid, bristled defiance. Flanked by her daughter, Yevhenia, and husband, Oleksander, in court, she told reporters: "You know very well that the sentence is not being pronounced by Judge Kireyev but by President Yanukovich.

"Whatever the sentence pronounced, my struggle will continue. This sentence, written by Yanukovich, will not change anything in my life or in my struggle."

OPPONENTS, POLICE

Apart from Tymoshenko supporters, scores of riot police and crowds of anti-Tymoshenko demonstrators who turned out at the behest of the ruling Regions Party gathered outside the court for the end of a trial which kept political tension high throughout the summer in Ukraine.

When the judge late last month called an adjournment until Tuesday it was widely seen as a strategic pause to give Yanukovich and his advisers time to consider their options in the face of the Western criticism. He has maintained that her prosecution is a matter for the courts.

EU diplomats had urged Yanukovich to use his powers to "decriminalize" the charge against her -- reclassifying it as an administrative rather than an criminal offence -- to allow her to go free. But on the eve of the trial resuming there was no sign of a move in this direction.

She and Yanukovich have been at each other's throats since 2004 when Tymoshenko used her PR savvy and rhetoric as a leader of the "Orange Revolution" uprising to doom his first bid for the presidency, with mass protests leading to a court ruling that overturned his fraud-marred election victory.

She went on to hold the post of prime minister twice under then-President Viktor Yushchenko, who gave evidence against her at her trial after they had a bitter falling-out.

The election run-off between Yanukovich and Tymoshenko was a particularly bitter affair and she refused to recognize his victory for weeks. She stepped down finally as prime minister, but has continued to heap scorn on his leadership and on the wealthy industrialists who support him.

News by Reuters