Latest Health News

Impotence is defined as a permanent inability to maintain an erection. As a result, sexual activity—including masturbation—reaches a near standstill. Sometimes impotence results because a man’s sexuality changes with age: after the age of 50, his sexual activity can decline rapidly. One study shows that sexual activity in a man drops by 10% in his 50s, 20% in his 60s, 20% more when he’s in his 70s, and 50% or more in his 80s.

But health problems and illness can also cause impotence. Stress can be one factor; heart disease may be another, since an erection occurs when the tissues in the penis fill with blood. If there is a problem with getting the blood to these tissues, an erection cannot occur. And high blood pressure can also cause impotence, as can prostate disease. After a man has prostate surgery, he may be in doubt about his sexuality; however, the surgery can also permanently alter his physical ability to achieve an erection.

Medications, such as drugs to control blood pressure like beta-blockers, can also be responsible. Smoking and alcohol both dilate the blood vessels, which again means there’s less blood available to reach the penis. Depression is also a very common cause of impotence, and an underlying medical illness such as stroke or cancer can not only cause a man to lose all interest in sex but make him physically unable to have an erection.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Have I been depressed or ill lately?

2. Am I unable to have and maintain an erection at all? Or am I comparing it to the erections I had when I was 20 years old?

3. Have I become suddenly impotent, or has the condition developed more slowly?

4. Am I unable to achieve an erection all the time or only occasionally?

5. Are my legs cold or swollen?

6. Have my breasts or testicles become enlarged?

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If you have diarrhea and notice that it has become bloody, you should see your doctor right away, especially if you have a fever and feel weak along with a general malaise.

Bloody diarrhea can be a sign of a viral or bacterial infection that is becoming more severe. It can also occur if you have a long history of ulcer disease or as the first indication of a bleeding ulcer. In this case, you will probably have a stool that is black and tarry or resembles the consistency of putty. If blood appears on the surface of the stool, it is probably due to hemorrhoids.

If bloody diarrhea occurs in a person in his 40s or 50s, it’s possible that a condition known as diverticulitis, a sudden infection in the lower left-hand part of the intestine, may be the cause. Diverticulitis appears when the small pockets in the large intestine—called diverticula— become inflamed because small particles of food, especially seeds, get caught in them, resulting in inflammation and infection. Diverticulitis occurs most often among sedentary people who eat a high-fat, low-fiber diet. If you have diverticulitis, you may also have a fever. If you have a history of irritable bowel syndrome or colitis, you’re more likely to develop diverticulitis. People with irritable bowel syndrome become used to living with an unpredictable bowel, but if diverticulitis develops, you will find that the pain is worse than usual and occurs over the entire abdomen.

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If the shortness of breath does not disappear with rest or quickly recurs during any kind of physical activity, it is a medical emergency and professional care should be sought.

Your doctor will perform a number of tests, including a complete medical history and physical exam, a blood test, a chest X ray, an electrocardiogram, an echocardiogram, a stress test, and/or an angiogram.

Once you’ve been admitted to the hospital, your heart will be constantly monitored with electronic monitoring and blood tests to see if the heart has been damaged. The treatment will depend on what shows up on the various tests. The problem could be angina pectoris. If you do have angina pectoris, your medication might include beta-blockers, nitrates, and calcium channel blockers, depending on your age, your health, and the condition of your heart. Your doctor might also recommend that you carry sublingual nitroglycerine tablets to place under your tongue whenever you experience chest pain or shortness of breath.

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As the skin ages, it becomes thinner and naturally less resistant to bacteria, viruses, and allergens that can irritate it, either on the surface or below, in the epidermis.

A variety of infections and allergens can cause the skin to appear red and swollen. Most are easy to treat.

Sometimes an insect bite, a scratch, or inflammation of a hair follicle can become infected and cause the surrounding skin to become red and swollen. This frequently occurs when bacteria enter the skin through the wound and then cause an infection. Frequently, however, an infection occurs when the skin has come into contact with a substance that has caused an allergic reaction—anything from poison ivy to a new brand of makeup.

Because older skin is also more sensitive to trauma, sometimes it may seem as though your skin is constantly red and irritated. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be the rule for you.

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Description and Possible Medical Problems

Everyone’s tongue feels coated at one time or another, especially after a few drinks, but a whitish, thick tongue is an indication of oral candidiasis, commonly known as oral thrush.

Oral thrush is caused by the same fungus that causes vaginal yeast infections in women. Candida albicans is a fungus that exists in your body in relatively small numbers. It can rapidly multiply to create oral thrush.

Treatment

Frequently, oral thrush strikes when your immune system has been disturbed in some way. This might be due to illness, to certain medications that can affect your immunity, such as antibiotics or corticosteroids, or to chemotherapy. If not treated, the infection can spread to the roof of your mouth as well as to the tonsils and esophagus. If you think you have oral thrush, see your doctor, who will recommend an antifungal prescription medication such as Mycelex tablets, which slowly dissolve in your mouth, or a nystatin mouth rinse, both of which should be used three to four times a day. Unlike a vaginal yeast infection, oral thrush is not caused by an underlying yeast infection, so home remedies such as drinking cranberry juice and eating yogurt are not effective.

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