Causes blindness? You must be joking!

An informative look at recent Holistic Fitness News

DR KAPLAN'S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

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Less than 100 years ago masturbation (or 'self-abuse' as it was commonly termed) was thought to be very bad for ones health. Children were even told that it could cause blindness.

Later in the 20th century, doctors started to change their tune about masturbation and even started to say that it might be considered 'normal' especially when statistics started to show that it was practiced by at least 75% of males and 65% of females. Still, it was slightly frowned upon and said to 'weaken' people in various ways.

In the last week the medical world has been turned upside down by a dramatic revelation about masturbation. A trial has shown that frequent masturbation may actually decrease men's chances of acquiring prostate cancer. This is indeed medical news.

It was the turn of the men in white coats in Australia. In an article published in the New Scientist it was convincingly shown that men who had masturbated more than five times a week while in their 20's had approximately two-thirds the chances of developing prostate cancer, compared to men who had done so less frequently. This may spawn a 1001 jokes but cancer of the prostate is no laughing matter, believe me. It is a serious cancer responsible for many thousands of deaths every year. Perhaps the anti-masturbation propaganda can finally be put to bed, so to speak.

Is the 'male menopause' complete nonsense?
People, especially women, often talk about something called a 'male menopause' where men go through a difficult period sometimes compounded by a drop in libido and even weight gain and night sweats. The 'condition' is treated with testosterone replacement therapy just as women take oestrogen hormone replacement therapy. But does the syndrome have any physiological basis? It seems that the answer is a definite 'no'. While womens' reproductive years come to an end between 45 and 55 due to a big and often fairly sudden fall in oestrogen levels, there is no such drop in testosterone in men, say the men in white coats in New England, USA. So why do men get these symptoms? Ever heard of a thing called the 'mid-life crisis'. That one does exist and it can produce all the symptoms of the so called 'male menopause.'

Homeopathic Tip

I thought that we would stay with the health of the prostate:

The most common condition to affect the prostate is not cancer but something called BPH which stands for benign prostatic hypertrophy. From the age of approximately 40, the prostate starts to enlarge naturally under the influence of testosterone. Eventually it can cause some obstruction to the flow of urine, giving men the symptoms of a weaker flow, having to wait longer before the flow starts and the familiar waking up at night to urinate.

Orthodox medicine has a number of drugs to try to help (Flomax and Proscar are examples) but if your symptoms are mild you might like first to try some natural or homeopathic treatment. The most famous homeopathic and herbal treatment for BPH is Sabal serulata (also known as Saw Palmetto). A lot of men report benefit, but always get your prostate checked out by a doctor before trying it.

Dr Kaplan's personal website is: www.drkaplan.co.uk and his practice website is www.140harleystreet.co.uk and he can be contacted on (020) 7487 3416