Penis Enlargement

If you tune into late-night TV and are male, you might come away feeling terribly inadequate. Between the ads for herbal "sexual performance supplements" and the ads claiming that there are products available to enlarge one's penis, a man could go to bed at night feeling as though what he thought was normal was now somehow deficient.

Here's the straight deal on these products (and possibly the shortest blog post I will ever write!):

So-Called "Penis Enlargement" Supplements

Male enhancement medications and herbs are just another way that unethical businessmen will play on men's fears of inadequacy to make a buck...in fact, make many millions of bucks. Just good ol' snake oil come back again in a new skin.

Penis Exercises ("Jelquing")

Apparently there are those that believe that their penis is bigger with these exercises. In my practice, I don't think they work.

Herbal Viagra "Substitutes"

These are in the same category with the "Penis Enlargment" Supplements. There are supplements that men can and should take, but they do not contain ingredients marketed as "Viagra Substitutes".

In another post, I'll describe supplements that are helpful to men to maintain good health. In the meantime, keep your money for the advertised "inadequacy substitutes" in your pocket.

Related Topics: Does Size Matter?, Advertising Red Flags

Rising PSA Doesn't Always Mean Cancer

If you are a man in your 50's, you should have an annual PSA test as part of your annual physical. The PSA test is used to screen for prostate cancer by measuring levels of "prostate-specific" antigens. If your results indicate levels higher than the norm, don't panic.

When trying to understand the significance of the PSA, it is important to remember that the PSA goes up with any irritation or inflammation. Prostatitis, an old infection or inflammation, or enlargement of the prostate gland can push the PSA up.

When I have a patient in this situation, I also use a free/total PSA test (lower percents are bad) and the new urine test, UPM3l. There are times where a man's PSA rises up and then stays stable, with no evidence of cancer. Just to be sure, there should be no findings of atypia or high grade PIN, as these are suggestive of an underlying cancer.

If all looks good, then work with your doctor to monitor the PSA regularly and only get excited if it starts to climb with no signs of infection.

Related Topics: Vitamin D May Fight Prostate Cancer, Frequent Ejaculation Good for Prostate

My "Blintro"

Welcome to my "blintro" - that's blog and intro, in case you're wondering. I'd like to give you a little glimpse of who I am and where I'm coming from - as I see myself and as others see me. Here are some of the words often used to describe me: weird; crazy; skeptical; obsessive-compulsive; silly; unconventional. I'm also known to be a perfectionistic workaholic who has a soft heart for anyone in need. Fortunately, all of these traits have served me well in my chosen profession.

Here I sit, just a few months from turning the big "50", looking back at what I've accomplished thus far, and where I'd like to go from here. I am very grateful to have had the life experiences and training that have brought me to this point. I have always appreciated my ability to translate technically confusing and overwhelming facts and concepts into understandable information for real people. In urology, this means that I can spend 90 minutes or more reviewing complicated problems regarding cancer or infertility and have my patients leave empowered with easy-to-understand options. According to my mother, my wife, and many of my patients, I have the unique gift of being able to apply common sense in a complicated medical world that often appears to be devoid of rational thinking. This is what enabled me to write my book on prostate cancer, now a bestseller for more than 10 years around the world. I am currently working on other topics.

My surgical practice, now limited exclusively to microsurgical vasectomy reversals, has allowed me to concentrate all of my surgical expertise in a very narrow sub-specialty. Because I perform more reversals in a week than most urologists do in a year, I feel especially qualified to comment on this topic and others in male fertility as well as general concepts in urology.

And then there's the "other" me. In addition to my commitment to empowering patients and elevating the field of urology, I have always been a strong advocate for personal and community preparedness. Long before anyone even heard of Bin Laden or 9/11, I was involved in biologic, chemical, and nuclear preparedness training for health-care providers as well as disaster education and training for physicians. I have written and talked on a number of preparedness issues. Interestingly, I find that the demand for information increases significantly immediately after a natural or manmade disaster and then fades rapidly until the next disaster.

So...what can you expect from my blog? Observations and commentaries on the world in general, and medicine in particular, through the eyes of a urologist with a slightly cynical view of life and a passion for reconstructive microsurgery, anthrax and duct tape.