Asalam alaykum. I hope you are doing great. Below is a message copied from a group chat room
and I think it’s share worthy.
FULL TEXT OF PROSTATE HEALTH
AWARENESS LECTURE PRESENTED AT MEETING OF FGBMFI (NORTH-GATE CHAPTER) ON
SATURDAY 19th SEPTEMBER 2015
MEN - MY CHILDHOOD; MY MANHOOD;
MY PROSTATE. MUST READ!!
Ladies and Gentlemen
I am here to speak with you on
Prostate. The topic is misleading. Is prostate strictly for men? Yes, ONLY men
have prostate and ONLY men over 40years but the healthcare enlightenment is for
everyone. There is no woman who does not know a man 40 years and above –
father, uncle, brother, son, friend, neighbour, colleague …
Essentially what I will be
doing today is health promotion. Responsible health promotion must provide
three things:
1. Information
2. Reassurance
3. A plan of action.
Let me start with a background
on prostate health.
Everyone has a pair of kidneys.
The job of the kidney is to remove waste. It is the waste management company of
your body. Everyday your blood passes through the kidney several times to be
filtered. As the blood is filtered, urine is formed and stored in a temporary
storage tank called the urinary bladder.
If there were to be no urinary
bladder, as a man walks on the road, urine will be dropping.
Now think of the plumbing work
in your house. Think of the urinary bladder as the overhead storage tank. From
the storage tank, a good plumber will run pipes to other parts of the house,
including the kitchen. God in His wisdom ran pipes from our urinary bladder to
the tip of the penis. The pipe is called the urethra. Just below the bladder
and surrounding the urethra is a little organ called the prostate gland.
The prostate gland is the size
of a walnut and weighs about 20grams. Its job is to make the seminal fluid
which is stored in the seminal vessicle. During sexual intercourse, seminal
fluid comes down the urethra and mixes with the sperms produced in the
testicles to form the semen. So semen technically is not sperm. It is sperm +
seminal fluid. The seminal fluid lubricates the sperm.
After age 40, for reasons that
may be hormonal, the prostate gland begins to enlarge. From 20 grams it may
grow to almost 100 grams. As it enlarges, it squeezes the urethra and the man
begins to notice changes in the way he urinate.
If you have a son under 10, if
he has a little mischief like we all did at that age, when he comes out to
urinate, he can target the ceiling and the jet will hit target. Call his father
to do same, wahala dey. His urine stream is weak, cannot travel a long distance
and sometimes may come straight down on his legs. So he may need to stand in
awkward position to urinate.
Not many men will be worried
their urine stream cannot hit the ceiling. Toilets are on the floor and not on
the ceiling. But other symptoms begin to show.
TERMINAL DRIPPING:
The man begins to notice that
after urinating and re-packing, urine still drops on his pants. This is the
reason why after an older man urinates, he has to ring bell. A younger man
simply delivers to the last drop and walks away. Just see an older man coming
from the bathroom. Sometimes he may clutch the newspaper closely to hide the
urine stains, particularly on plain colored trousers.
HESISTANCY
At this point you wait longer
for the urine flow to start. There are 2 valves that must open for you to
urinate – the internal and external sphincters. Both open but because of
obstructions in the urethra, you wait long for the flow to start.
INCOMPLETE EMPTYING
You have this feeling
immediately after urinating that there is still something left.
As all these things happen, the
bladder begins to work harder to compensate for the obstruction in the urethra.
The frequency of urination goes up. Urgency sets in. sometimes you have to
practically run into the toilet. Nocturia also becomes common. You wake up more
than 2 times at night to urinate. Your wife begins to complain.
Men being men may not talk to
anyone even at this point. Then the more serious complications start.
Stored urine gets infected and
there may be burning sensation when urinating.
Stored urine forms crystals.
Crystals come together to form stone either in the bladder or in the kidney.
Stones may block the urethra.
Chronic urinary retention sets
in. The bladder stores more and more urine. The size of the bladder is 40 - 60
cl. A bottle of coke is 50cl. As the bladder stores more urine it can enlarge
up to 300cl. An overfilled bladder may leak and this leads to wetting / urinary
incontinence. Also the volume may put pressure on the kidney and may lead to
kidney damage.
What may likely bring the man
to hospital is acute urinary retention. He wakes up one day and he is not able
to pass urine.
Everything I have described
above is associated with prostate enlargement, technically called benign
prostate hyperplasia.
There are other diseases of the
prostate like:
1. Prostatitis – inflammation
of the prostate
2. Prostate cancer – cancer of
the prostate.
This discussion is on prostate
enlargement.
I have bad news and good news.
The bad news is that everyman
will have prostate enlargement if he lives long enough.
The good news is that there are
life style changes that can help the man after 40 to maintain optimum prostate
health.
NUTRITION
Look at what you eat. 33% of
all cancers, according to the US National Cancer Institute is related to what
we eat.
Red meat everyday triples your
chances of prostate disease. Milk everyday doubles your risk. Not taking fruits
/ vegetables daily quadruples your risk.
Tomatoes are very good for men.
If that is the only thing your wife can present in the evening, eat it with
joy. It has loads of lycopene. Lycopene is the most potent natural antioxidant.
Foods that are rich in zinc are
also good for men. We recommend pumpkin seeds (ugbogulu).
Zinc is about the most
essential element for male sexuality and fertility.
Men need more zinc than women.
Every time a man ejaculates he loses 15mg of zinc. Zinc is also important for
alcohol metabolism. Your liver needs zinc to metabolize alcohol.
ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
As men begin to have urinary
symptoms associated with prostate enlargement, it is important they look at
alcohol consumption. More fluid in means more fluid out.
Drink less. Drink slowly.
EXERCISE
Exercise helps build the muscle
tone. Every man should exercise. Men over 40 should avoid high impact exercise
like jogging. It puts pressure on the knees. Cycling is bad news for the
prostate. We recommend brisk walking.
SITTING
When we sit, two-third of our
weight rests on the pelvic bones. Men who sit longer are more prone to prostate
symptoms. Do not sit for long hours. Walk around as often as you can. Sit on
comfortable chairs. We recommend a divided saddle chair if you must sit long
hours.
DRESSING
Men should avoid tight
underwear. It impacts circulation around the groin and heats it up a bit. While
the physiological temperature is 37 degrees, the groin has an optimal
temperature of about 33 degrees. Pant is a no - no for men. Wear boxers. Wear breathable clothing.
SMOKING
Avoid smoking. It affects blood
vessels and impact circulation around the groin.
SEX
Regular sex is good for the
prostate. Celibates are more prone to prostate illness. While celibacy is a
moral decision, it is not a biological adaptation. Your prostate gland is
designed to empty its contents regularly.
Thought: when someone shared
something of value with you and benefit from it. You have a moral obligation to
share with your loved ones!
I'll be back, In sha Allah.
You can find more information
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