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A FULL TEXT OF PROSTATE HEALTH AWARENESS LECTURE
PRESENTED AT MEETING OF FGBMFI (NORTH-GATE CHAPTER)
ON SATURDAY 19th SEPTEMBER 2015
STRICTLY FOR MEN - MY CHILDHOOD; MY
MANHOOD; MY PROSTAGEL
Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen
I am here to speak with you on Prostagel.
The topic is misleading.
Is prostagel strictly for men?
Yes, ONLY men will use prostagel 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, neighbor, 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 LAWMA (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 vesicle.
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 urinates.
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 DRIPPLING:
The man begins to notice that after urinating and repacking,
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.
Now I have given you a reason to cheer up.
Please send to your male friends.
Thank you
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