Mens Health Blog. Medical Blog

posted by admin on May 8

The relationship between the incidence of skin cancer and exposure to sunlight has been firmly established, chiefly due to two significant observations. Firstly, skin cancers are more prevalent on those areas most continuously exposed to the sun. such as the face and ears. Secondly, the overall incidence of skin cancers is much higher in those areas of the world where there are many months of high intensity solar radiation and there is a tradition of sunbathing (Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world).

It has also been established that some people are genetically prone to develop skin cancer. Persons with blue or green eyes, fair or red hair, and pale skin—notably Irish and other Celtic peoples—are especially vulnerable. Ireland has the world’s largest skin cancer death rate after South Africa and Australia, even though Ireland is in a latitude that receives less than half the ultraviolet radiation of either of the other countries. The overall incidence of cancer amongst Caucasians in the United States is 15 times greater than for Negroes. For predisposed individuals of Celtic ancestry, living in potentially sun-intense countries, such as the United States, South Africa, and Australia, skin cancer is a real hazard, although there is a considerable latent period between the time of damage and the appearance of the consequences. This may in fact range from 10 to 30 years.

It is estimated that about half a million people will develop skin cancer this year in the United States, and that more than 5000 of them will die of it this year alone. Australia has a significantly higher incidence of skin cancer than the United States, and medical authorities estimate that one out of every five Australians will develop some form of it.

Skin cancer, like all cancers, is marked by the uncontrolled growth of certain cells. There are three common forms of skin cancer, named from the cells from which they develop. The most common is the basal cell carcinoma (B.C.C. U which rarely spreads to other tissues. The next most common is the squamous cell carcinoma (S.C.C.), which does spread or metastasize, and may arise from a pie-cancerous lesion known as a solar keratosis. Finally, there is the highly dangerous melanoma.

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posted by admin on May 8

‘What I felt wasn’t just ordinary itching. I felt as if insects were crawling around on my skin, especially around my abdomen. I would wake up in the night itching like mad, which was another reason I didn’t sleep so well.’

‘An unexpected benefit of HRT has been that my skin has looked so much better. It was beginning to get noticeably thinner, and quite dry and flaky, and that in itself made me suddenly feel about 10 years older – but I’m not trying to look like a film star!’

Improved skin texture is a visible — and welcome — result of taking hormone replacement therapy.

Skin consists of two principal parts: a thin outer layer called the epidermis, and a thicker lower layer called the dermis. Within the dermis is a substance called collagen, and this becomes thinner as oestrogen levels fall, causing the skin as a whole to become thinner. This could be because collagen increases the moisture content of the skin and ‘fills it out’. Collagen is lost from the dermis most rapidly in the years immediately after the final period, with up to 30 per cent being lost in the first five years, and about 2 per cent a year after that.

As the thickness of the skin depends on its collagen content, skin condition is related more to the number of years since the menopause than to actual age. Once oestrogen is restored, the collagen starts to increase; where conditions such as thin skin, dry flaky skin, and skin that becomes easily bruised are caused by low oestrogen they are almost always reversible within the first six months of taking HRT. This improvement doesn’t continue indefinitely, and balances out after about two years of treatment. However, although skin texture improves significantly, there is no evidence that HRT slows the development of wrinkles!

Not only can good skin improve a woman’s self-esteem, it can also be an indication of the state her bones are in. Collagen is also present in bone and, if collagen is being lost visibly from the skin, it is also probably being lost invisibly from the bones. Women with transparent skin are much more likely to have osteoporosis than women with opaque skin. If your skin appears to be getting noticeably thinner, it might be a good idea to talk to your doctor about osteoporosis.

A skin condition that quite a few women suffer from during the early days of the menopause is known as formication. The name comes from the Latin formica, meaning ‘ant’, which aptly describes the feeling you may get of insects crawling just underneath or on top of your skin. It doesn’t produce a rash, but the itching can be maddening, and can wake you up in the night. Formication is probably caused by changes in the nerve endings, and the condition can be helped by HRT.

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posted by admin on May 8

In severe cases of primary dysmenorrhoea (painful periods) the pain can be stopped by suppressing ovulation. Drugs such as the contraceptive pill or NSAIDs with anti-prostaglandin activity may be useful.

Painkillers are widely used to deal with this pain and a variety of non-drug approaches may also help. Weekly acupuncture has been shown to ease painful periods in 90% of women, with a 41% reduction in the use of painkillers. This approach may be attractive to women who want to handle their menstrual pain without medication, either because it is no longer effective or because of unacceptable side-effects. There is also evidence that lifestyle changes such as stopping smoking can reduce menstrual pain. Women treated non-surgically for painful periods report increased physical activity levels a year after starting treatment, but the majority are negative about the prospect of continuing on with their nonsurgical efforts at pain relief.

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posted by admin on May 8

This supernatural experience can sometimes be very real during dreaming and it may not be easy to tell what is real and what is a dream. My daughter Melinda told me about a dream she once had. We had been playing billiards the night before and she lost. That night she dreamt that she was pushing the billiard ball with her teeth and tried to get it into the side pocket of the billiard table. She tried so hard that her front tooth became loose. She touched her gum and there was blood on her hand and the tooth fell out. She was not frightened as somehow she knew she was in a dream. She made a conscious effort to wake up, as she thought if she could wake up and look in the mirror she would see that her tooth was still there. Still asleep, she dreamt that she woke up, and pinched herself just to make sure. She felt relieved and looked in the mirror. To her horror the tooth was still missing. The rest of the dream was vague and hazy. When she was telling me this dream, she still touched her teeth to make sure the dream was really over. Dreams can be so real, that pinching yourself and feeling the pain does not imply that you are not still in the dream. Sometimes I wonder if there is anything you can do to tell for sure whether you are actually in the dream or the real world.

Throughout the ages, philosophers have marvelled at the reality of dreams. A sleep researcher, G. W. Leibniz, talked about a dream consciousness lasting the life of a man. In other words, we are two people, going side by side, one in the dream state and the other in the waking state. The Nobel Prize winner, Bertrand Russell, went one step further, and stated that real life was actually the dream and waking life a persistent nightmare.

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