The Two Types Of Incontinence

June 21, 2007

Many men and women suffer from incontinence and a weak bladder. Although this medical condition is treatable, most people are very embarrassed to discuss this situation with their doctor. Almost never do the victims of incontinence talk to friends or family about this condition. The stigma of being seen as weak and imperfect + the nature of the topic can be very embarrassing for anyone suffering from Incontinence.

What are the two main types of Incontinence? Incontinence has two basic types: Fecal Incontinence and Urinary incontinence.

Urinary Incontinence

This is the most common type of Incontinence. Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control. This medical condition can happen to anyone, but it is more common with older men and in women. Incontinence can happen in any age, but usually starts somewhere during the 50s of a victim. Some symptoms include mild leaking and uncontrollable urinal wetting. These embarrassing symptoms might be due to problems such as weak bladder muscles, overactive bladder, or blockage from an enlarged prostate, damage to nerves that control the bladder, and diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

There are four types of urinary incontinence: stress incontinence, urge incontinence, overflow incontinence, and functional incontinence. The options for treatment for urinary incontinence depend on its type. Treatment options include Kegel exercises, bladder training, medications, and even surgery. Most health care providers pick up the cost for the treatments.

Most bladder control problems happen when the bladder muscles are too weak or over-active. If the muscles that keep the bladder closed are too weak, a patient may have (urinal) accidents when she sneezes, laughs or has to lift a very heavy object. This is a type of stress related incontinence. If bladder muscles become too active, you may feel a strong urge to go to the bathroom when you have little urine in your bladder. This is urge incontinence or overactive bladder.

Fecal Incontinence

What is Fecal Incontinence? The lesser known type of Incontinence is fecal incontinence. Fecal continence is a medical condition characterized by leaking or poorly controlled bowel movements. In the United States, more than 6 million Americans are suffering from fecal incontinence. Like urinary incontinence this medical condition can affect people of all ages. But according to modern research and studies, fecal incontinence is more common in women than in men and more common in older adults than in younger people.

Fecal incontinence can have several causes. These include (but are not limited to) muscle damage, particularly to the anal sphincter muscle; nerve damage, loss of storage capacity in the rectum; diarrhea; and pelvic floor dysfunction.

What are common symptoms for fecal incontinence? Loss of bowel control, diarrhea, and leaking bowel movements are some of the better known symptoms of fecal incontinence. If you experience these kind of symptoms, you should never ignore them or mistaken as just a part of a loose bowel movement. Please consult with your primary care physician for medical advice and for early diagnosis and treatment. Various treatments for fecal incontinence are available and include diet changes, drugs and medications, bowel training, and surgery.

About the Author
Brenda T. Watson is a well-known writer and author. She consistently is thriving to provide free information and helpful advice about different topics. Brenda is currently writing about female incontinence.


Spice Up You Sex Life With Levitra

February 22, 2007

by Joseph Oliver

The expression of love is the most satisfying expression that exists in a relationship. It can fill your life with colors. Sex is the significant aspect of life that helps to rejuvenate human existence. Sexual intercourse gives one the feeling of fullness and can unite two souls. Alas! There are millions of men who are debarred from enjoying this pleasure because they suffer from a sexual dysfunction such as erectile dysfunction.

Erectile dysfunction commonly known as impotence in men occurs when the men are unable to maintain penile erection. In many cases, men hardly attain an erection. Such a health condition expels one to seek pleasure during a sexual intercourse. Various psychological factors are responsible to contribute to erectile dysfunction. But physical discrepancy remains the major factor. The hardening of penile arteries restricts the blood flow to the penis which prevents attaining an erection.

With the increasing concern over men’s sexual health, the pharmaceutical industry has launched various oral prescription drugs to cure erectile dysfunction. Levitra- the FDA approved drug has confirmed its trustworthiness amongst other drugs in the competitive pharmacy industry.

Levitra increases the blood flow to the penis by relaxing the smooth muscles. It helps to achieve an erection when you are sexually aroused. A harder quality erection can kindle your sexual appetite. It further helps you to reach an orgasm giving you complete ecstasy during those intimate moments.

Contentment in sex is necessary for a relationship to continue smoothly. Levitra can ignite your desire for sex. It is a promising drug that ensures to give you complete satisfaction with your partner in bed.

Attaining and maintaining an erection for a longer time becomes very easy with levitra. It can facilitate you to enjoy every single moment of sexual intercourse. You can simply remain motionless inside your partner after reaching the climax of sexual intercourse, feeling every part of her. Such a wonderful experience is not possible without levitra. Levitra has been tested on thousands of men. The results observed were positive and the medicine has been diagnosed to treat diabetes and prostate cancer as well.

Although levitra is safe for use, it should not be taken without the prescription of a doctor. It is advisable to take the dosage as prescribed by your physician. Necessary precautions must be taken while consuming this medicine. Do not try to overdose the medicine as it may cause some grave side-effects. Take the dose in a single gulp with a full glass of water. Crushing or chewing the pill may lessen its effect.

The advent of levitra has emerged like a ray of hope for those suffering from erectile dysfunction. It can quench your sexual thirst, leaving you more delighted during those warmest moments. Buy levitra and experience the magic of love.

About the Author
Joseph Oliver has been working in the same field and writes informative articles for Levitra Power subject. To find erectile dysfunction, levitra, buy levitra, levitra info, Levitra online visit http://www.levitrapower.com


Current test for prostate cancer is inadequate

February 2, 2007

Britain’s top cancer scientists claim that men’s health is at risk because the current test for prostate cancer is inadequate. The warning comes as The Institute of Cancer Research launches the 7th Everyman Male Cancer Awareness Month to alert men to the risk of prostate and testicular cancer.

With research into male cancers still 10 years behind other cancers, the Everyman scientists are calling for £500,000 to help fund their research into developing better methods of testing men for prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer to affect men in the UK, with 27,000 diagnosed each year, and one man dying from the disease each hour.

Recent research shows that half of all men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer by PSA testing do not need any treatment at all for their cancer, but the PSA test is incapable of discriminating between those who do need treatment and those who do not.

The controversial PSA test is currently the only method of screening for early prostate cancer, but many doctors believe it to be too unreliable to recommend to patients routinely.

Professor Colin Cooper, Head of the Everyman Male Cancer Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research comments:

“PSA testing has two major failings; firstly it doesn’t detect all cancers, and secondly when it does detect cancer it cannot predict how that cancer will behave. This often results in men being given invasive treatment that they do not require. What we
urgently need is a test which can differentiate between cancers that are aggressive, the tigers, and those that are pussycats, but meantime PSA is the best we’ve got.”

Treatment options for prostate cancer most commonly include the removal of the prostate (prostatectomy), radiotherapy and hormone treatment, but these treatments can leave the patient with serious long-term side effects that can include incontinence and impotence. So ideally, such treatment would be restricted only to the 50% of prostate cancer patients who need it.

Dr Chris Parker of The Institute of Cancer Research comments:

“Prostate cancer is the only human cancer that is curable but which commonly does not need to be cured. It can often be so slow growing as to never cause the patient any ill effects. So it can be a case of the cure being worse than the disease. The challenge is to identify who needs to be treated and who doesn’t.”

By the age of 65, many men will have some cancer cells in the prostate, but most will live out their natural span without the disease ever causing them any ill effects. This presents patients with the dilemma of whether or not to go for treatments which carry a real risk of incontinence and impotence.

In the United States men over 50 are routinely given PSA tests during health checks with more than half having a test each year. This level of testing has led to the incidence of prostate cancer in the USA more than doubling since the introduction of screening. The standard approach in the US is to offer radical treatment to all men with localised disease, resulting in up to 50% being over treated and subjected to significant risks of incontinence and impotence. Without a new prostate cancer test, this trend for PSA testing looks set to continue, and treating all cases in this way will become increasingly difficult to justify.

Dr Chris Parker at The Institute of Cancer Research is currently conducting a study of a new approach for men with early prostate cancer called Active Surveillance. Any men whose tumours show early signs of growth are treated, but the rest continue on the surveillance programme with no ill effects from the disease and no need for
treatment. Early results of the Active Surveillance programme suggest that two thirds of selected patients may be safely spared invasive treatment for their prostate cancer.

Professor Peter Rigby, Chief Executive of The Institute of Cancer Research concludes:

“At the moment we simply don’t know what causes prostate cancer. We desperately need more funds to enable us to carry out that research, and to develop a test which can distinguish between the pussycats and the tigers, between those men who can be spared treatment, and those with an aggressive cancer who need to have life saving treatment to beat the disease.”

http://www.icr.ac.uk


Study Looks at Risk Factors for Range-of-Motion Limitations In Young Males with Hemophilia

January 9, 2007

Men’s Health News

A paper in the April issue of Blood detailed research on the prevalence and risk factors joint range of motion (ROM) limitation among young males with hemophilia.

Researchers collected data from more than 4,000 males with hemophilia between the ages of 2 and 19 who received care at 136 hemophilia treatment centers. ROM measurements were obtained on hips, knees, shoulders, elbows and ankles.

These measurements, taken into account with several other factors, like age, race, hemophilia type, prophylaxis use and body mass index (BMI), allowed the researchers to see that in all disease severity groups, ROM limitation was greater for patients who were older, were non white and those with a greater BMI. For those with severe hemophilia, ROM limitation increased with the number of bleeds and the presence of inhibitors or recent orthopedic procedures.

Those with factor VIII deficiency had a greater degree of ROM limitation than those who were factor IX deficient. The study’s analysis focused on ROM limitation that was accompanied by asymmetric joint mobility. “We conclude that ROM limitations begin at an early age, especially for those with severe and moderate disease, and that BMI is an important, potentially modifiable risk factor,” say the authors.

The authors note that current health recommendations for people with hemophilia include regular exercise using low-impact activities to increase muscle tone and strengthen joints. “An additional component that may be considered is routine monitoring of BMI,” the paper says.


Male Impotence

January 4, 2007

by Kent Pinkerton

Male impotence, or erectile dysfunction, is the inability to maintain an erection for a long enough time to have sex. A man who suffers from impotence may be unable to have an erection altogether, be unable to maintain it for more than a short period, or may be able to have an erection sometimes and not at other times. Approximately 10 to 15 million American men suffer from some form of impotence. The good news is that it is easy to
understand and can be treated in all age groups.

To understand impotence, it helps to have a basic understanding of how an erection happens. The penis has a large amount of spongy tissue, through which blood vessels run, and some muscle. When a man is sexually stimulated through touch or mentally, nerve signals trigger a flow of blood from arteries into the spongy tissue in the penis. This tissue becomes engorged,
making the penis erect. When an erection subsides, muscles in the penis contract, effectively squeezing the blood of the spongy tissue through veins. If there is any interference with the nerve signals or blood flow that cause an erection, impotence may result.

In the majority of cases, male impotence has an underlying cause. Diseases like diabetes, alcoholism, and kidney disease may affect both nerve signals and blood flow. Surgery or injuries to the bladder, prostate, and male urethra may cause nerve damage. Cardiovascular disease or other diseases of the blood vessels may interfere with blood flow. Nerve signals may be
altered due to psychological reasons including anxiety and stress.

How does one deal with impotence? Going to a doctor is the first step, because this may help identify an underlying medical condition that should be treated. Exercise may reduce impotence in older men. Other lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking and losing weight may also help.

About the Author
Impotence provides detailed information on Impotence, Male Impotence, Female Impotence, Psychological Impotence and more. Impotence is affliated with Chronic Insomnia.