Monday, September 18, 2006
Expert Advice on Health and Fitness
Expert Advice on Health and Fitness
`I'm 49 and already experiencing what could be the beginning of impotence.'
TREATMENT FOR IMPOTENCE
Q I just recently turned 49 and already am experiencing what could be the beginning stages of impotence. It scares me because I don't want to lose the intimacy that I enjoy with my wife. I know that the miracle drug Viagra is supposed to work very well, but if it doesn't, short of an implant, what other possible steps could correct my situation? M.M., Oakland, Calif.
A Your concern is understandable, but the first thing that you should do is schedule an appointment to see your doctor for a complete physical examination. Impotence, also known as erectile dysfunction, can be caused by a number of factors, and an examination is the only way to determine what steps should be taken.
Erectile dysfunction, described as the inability to get and maintain an erection satisfactory for intercourse, affects 30 million Americans, and doctors say 50 percent of all men who are 40 to 70 years old experience some form of erectile dysfunction. The condition can be related to physical causes, including diabetes, high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries leading to the penis. There also are non-physical contributors like depression and stress, but when they disappear, doctors say the impotence usually disappears.
Until the widespread use of Viagra two years ago, patients could choose from a variety of basically undesirable treatments--including prostethetic devices, pumps, suppositories and injections. Today, in addition to Viagra and other medications, possible solutions include sexual counseling and hormone replacement therapy.
POLIO SHOTS OR ORAL VACCINE?
Q Help me, please! I'm a concerned mother, and I need some answers. In the past few weeks, I've heard that there could be some danger associated with the way the medication used to prevent polio is given to children. Which way is safer for my 6-year-old child, polio shots or the oral vaccine? B.J., Columbia, S.C.
A There has been ongoing controversy concerning which vaccine is better and perhaps safer. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently said polio shots are better than the oral vaccine for children because of the slight chance that the oral dose can lead to polio infection.
The oral vaccine, which was developed by Dr. Albert Sabin, has been used for nearly 40 years and has played a huge role in the elimination of polio. But doctors says because the vaccine is made with a live virus, each year it causes about eight people in the United States to become infected with polio.
The injectible vaccine, which was developed by Dr. Jonas Salk almost 50 years ago, relies on a killed virus. Although Salk and some other medical experts have insisted that the polio shot is safer than the oral vaccine, other scientists believe it isn't as effective at providing lifelong immunity.
The CDC recommends that the oral vaccine should be used only in cases of widespread outbreaks, for children traveling to areas where polio is widespread and for children whose parents stop short of pursuing all four shots in the polio regimen.
NEW TEST FOR CERVICAL CANCER
Q Although I don't like to visit my doctor for an examination, I routinely get a regular Pap smear because cervical cancer has struck some of my close family members. I don't particularly like the test and recently heard about a new one that could replace the Pap smear. What is it, and is it available now? P.N., Philadelphia
A You are referring to a new gene-based test that medical experts believe is better than the Pap test at identifying precancerous and malignant changes in the cervix. The test, which is not yet available for widespread use, would allow women to test themselves at home for human papillomavirus, which is linked to cervical cancer.
Until the new test is available, the Pap smear is the best defense against cervical cancer, which doctors say is "a virtually preventable disease." Testing is vital, since more than half of the women who develop the cancer in the United States had not had a Pap smear in the three years before they were stricken.
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