Category: English

Men – What You Do On A Daily Basis Affects Your Sperm Maturation Process
While a woman is born with all the eggs she’ll ever have, men produce sperm on a continual basis. Therefore, what a man does on a daily basis can affect the sperm maturation process.

Smoking, drinking, drugs, stress, poor nutrition and lack of exercise all can contribute to poor sperm quality. And, it was recently discovered, a man’s sperm quality begins to decline around the age of 25.

There are five main factors that contribute to overall sperm quality. They include sperm motility, speed, count, concentration and morphology (shape and size).

A weakness in any of these areas can affect the chances of conception.

Motility
Sperm motility is a term that describes sperm’s ability to move in an active fashion: in other words, are the sperm “strong swimmers?” In healthy sperm, typically more than 50% are active with over 25% moving forcefully in one direction. Motility enables the sperm to travel through the cervical canal, into the uterus and the fallopian tubes and, finally, to penetrate the egg.

Speed
The forward movement of sperm called progressive motility, forward progression or rapid linear progression. There are also several different ways to classify forward movement.

According to the World Health Organization (1999), in a healthy male, greater than 25% of sperm will exhibit progressive motility. It is thought that these are the sperm with the best chance of successfully fertilizing an egg. Rapid linear progression showed a greater than 60 % improvement after four months of treatment with acupuncture, herbal medicine and supplements.

Sperm Count
Sperm count refers to the number of sperm in the fluid that is ejaculated (semen). There are over 40 million sperm in a normal ejaculate. A total count below 40 million may indicate decreased fertility.

With the Berkley Center’s unique protocol of acupuncture, herbal medicine and supplements, count increased more than 14 % after four months of treatment.

Concentration
Concentration is a measure of the number of sperm cells in a milliliter of semen. Normal concentration is at least 20 million sperm cells per milliliter of semen.

With the Berkley Center’s unique protocol combining acupuncture, herbal medicine and the appropriate supplements, concentration improved after four months of treatment.

Morphology (shape and size)
A healthy sperm cell will have a shape similar to a tadpole. The sperm’s oval head contains the genetic material, the center provides energy and the tail propels the sperm forward.

Using the strict criteria put forth by the World Health Organization (1999), studies of Assisted Reproductive Technology programs show lower pregnancy rates with less than 15% normal forms. Furthermore, experts believe that abnormally shaped sperm cannot fertilize an egg.

Subfertility
The term, subfertility, refers to couples that are unable to achieve conception after a year of unprotected intercourse (or 6 months if the woman is over age 35). It is different from infertility. A subfertile couple merely has lower odds of conceiving during any given month than fertile couples.

Statistics at a glance
Human reproduction is surprisingly inefficient and quite complex — the likelihood of pregnancy within any given month is believed to be only 25 percent among fertile couples.

1 out of 12 couples have subfertility.

Male-related factors account for 40 percent of subfertility. Female-related factors account for another 40 percent and a combination of male- and female-related factors account for about 20 percent.

About 90% of all subfertility can be traced to specific causes that can be treated.

Typical causes of male subfertility
Sperm production problems

Blockages in the sperm’s delivery system

Injuries to the testicles

Low or high hormone production

Anatomical problems

Varicocele (varicose veins around the testicle)

Past illnesses/infections/various diseases

Certain medications

Sperm quality
Sperm quality is a contributing factor for 40 percent of couples experiencing infertility. There are five main factors that contribute to sperm quality:

Motility: The ability to move in an active fashion. In healthy sperm, typically more than 50% are active with over 25% moving forcefully in one direction. Motility is what enables a sperm to travel up the cervical canal, into the uterus and the fallopian tubes and, finally, penetrate the egg.

Speed: Progressive motility. In a healthy male, greater than 25% of sperm will exhibit progressive motility. It is thought that these are the sperm with the best chance of successfully fertilizing an egg.

Count: The number of sperm in the fluid that is ejaculated (semen). There are over 40 million sperm in a normal ejaculate. A total count below 40 million may indicate decreased fertility.

Concentration: A measure of the number of sperm cells in a milliliter of semen. Normal concentration is at least 20 million sperm cells per milliliter of semen.

Morphology: The shape and size of the sperm. A healthy sperm cell will have a shape similar to a tadpole. The sperm’s oval head contains the genetic material, the center provides energy and the tail propels the sperm forward.

Using the strict criteria put forth by the World Health Organization (1999), studies show lower pregnancy rates with less than 15% normal forms. Furthermore, experts believe that abnormally shaped sperm cannot fertilize an egg.

Motility, speed and morphology appear to be the most important factors to assess the fertilizing capability of sperm. Despite a low sperm count, many men with high-quality (viable and highly mobile) sperm may still be fertile.

There are seven recommended health screening tests that all men should consider having run in the interest of their own good health and long life. All seven tests may not apply to all men. Four of these tests, however, do apply to all men at different ages.

Health Screening Tests for Cholesterol

Most men just don’t believe they have High Cholesterol and don’t take the time to have it checked.

For most men, you should have your cholesterol checked every 5 years starting at 35.

However, if you smoke, have diabetes, or if heart disease runs in your family, you need to start testing at the early age of 20.

If you are overweight – you need to get that check up now no matter what your age.

Testing Your Blood Pressure

You should have your Blood Pressure checked at least every 2 years. You need to see your physician for this. The blood pressure machines at the corner drug store may need calibration and are not accurate.
High blood pressure does not have any symptoms and you won’t even know you have a problem until it is too late and a stroke cuts you off at the knees.

Colorectal Cancer Health Screening Tests

Regular Colorectal Cancer testing should begin at 50. There is more than one kind of test available, so don’t chicken out. Just get it done.

Diabetes Screening

If you have high blood pressure and or high cholesterol, your physician is going to test for Diabetes. If you are overweight, your physician is probably going to run this screen at the same time as the cholesterol screening.

Prostate Cancer Screening

Talk to your doctor about the possible benefits and harms of prostate cancer screening if you are considering having a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test or digital rectal examination (DRE).

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

You need to be up front with your physician on this subject. You also need to consider an HIV problem if you have ever had a blood transfusion. Hiding your head in the sands of denial will not change the reality of the situation.

Depression Screening

This is probably the most controversial subject after sexually transmitted diseases. Many men were brought up to “bite the bullet” and keep quiet about any problems they are having. Generations of women have complained that their men just don’t share.

Everyone goes through periods of depression occasionally and for most people those periods only last for a few days and it is easy to say the reason why you are depressed. There are certain “acceptable” reasons for depression – losing a job, illness or death of a loved-one, or work stress just to name a few.

However, if you’ve felt sad, or hopeless, or have little interest or pleasure in doing things or if you just want to sleep all the time for a period of 2 weeks straight, talk to your doctor. You might find that with just a little help you can get back to your normal happy self.

Do not allow your physician to just put you on anti-depressants. Taking pills without doing something to change the situation or your attitude will only make it worse in the long run.

Remember guys, Real Men Take Care of Themselves in order to take care of others. Real Men Ask for Help and Directions when necessary. Real Men take steps to insure they will be around to bounce their great-grandchildren on their knee.

Making sure that your family is able to stay healthy partly depends on having a good health insurance program for them. One of the more recent new additions to the health insurance industry is called the Health Savings Account (HSA). This new program enables you to have reduced insurance rates because of a higher deductible, and a tax deferred savings program with it. Here are some of the features of this program.

Reduced Rates

By getting a health insurance program with a high deductible, you are able to greatly reduce your monthly premiums. This is an especially good way to go, if you are younger and currently have pretty good health. The deductible amounts are pre-determined by the government, and you are required to have deductible amounts between $1,050 and $5,250 for singles, and it needs to be between $2,100 and $10,500 for families.

Savings Are Tax Exempt

One of the great benefits of this type of plan is that, like an IRA, you enjoy tax-free income, and interest on the amounts you have in the program. You can put into the plan money that comes off the top of your taxes. There are limits, though, and for singles it is up to $2,700, and for families it is $5,450. A little extra benefit is that you are able to take off of your taxes any money that is deposited into the account all the way up to April 15th. So, if you are coming up to tax time, and find you need to reduce your taxes some more, you can put it into your HSA, and find the tax break you need.

Better Coverage

The new HSA’s have an extra real nice feature – they cover more. Some things that you may not have been covered for under another type of policy, you may find that you are covered for with an HSA. This could actually allow you to get a better coverage for less. Things like dental coverage, therapy, even non-prescription medicines and some alternative treatments may also be covered, and even some mental illness treatments, too.

You Keep Control

Under an HSA, you are the one in control of the money. It is yours to use. You can take money out of the account when you want, but only the money that is used only for medical purposes is tax-exempt. Generally, you will be given a card, like a credit card, that gives you access to the account. Whenever you use money from the account, the insurance company automatically gets a receipt, and it is subtracted from your account, and your deductible – and it remains tax exempt.

Like any other insurance policy, once you have paid the deductible amounts, the rest is up to the insurer to pay. By having the high deductible you reduce the premiums considerably. The savings account can also provide a good hedge for your medical insurance program for the future, too, because any money not used toward the deductible remains your money – to use next year, if you need it. On the other hand, the money in your HSA might also be used to provide some money for retirement – assuming you maintain your good health.

Would you consider yourself to be in good health? I think a lot of people have the misconception regarding their physical and mental well-being that they’re totally fine. This is often not the case. In fact, you may even be far from it. Let’s take a look at common health afflictions. First there’s diet. If you already eat healthy and avoid junk food, then more power to you. You’re on the right track. Secondly there’s exercise. This aspect of everyday life is imperative. I’m always amazed at how many people fail to exercise regularly. Your body craves this physical regime. It’s what keeps you physically strong and trim. And finally there is mental health. Now, this one is certainly the most over-looked of the three. However, without mental wellness, you can be in all sorts of trouble. Maybe it’s time for meditation health. Are you familiar with this concept?

Meditation is a practice that’s been around for as long as anyone can recall. Aside from the Westerners, other cultures have been taking full advantage of meditation health for centuries. In fact, we employ this practice in the Chinese martial art I study. It’s a way to break free from it all. You can toss aside the stressful and mind-depleting aspects of life. Meditation allows you to enter a realm of complete and utter peace and tranquility. And one of the best parts about meditation health is that you can learn it and practice on your own. This is what I did. Now, there are different ways to approach meditation health. As I mentioned, it’s rather common in martial arts circles. This beneficial routine is also found in routines like yoga. My wife recently got interested in meditation health after taking a basic yoga class. So far, she loves it and couldn’t be happier. Lord knows she needs an escape from work related stress and the overwhelming projects she takes on.

To learn more about meditation health is simple. There are a number of great books available on this subject that can be purchased on the web. You can also take advantage of meditation retreats with your spouse. This is not only a wonderful way to relax, but it’s also great for bonding. Give meditation a shot today.

According to Buddhism, a person can reach “Nirvana” or the highest state of enlightenment through continuous meditation and by participating in the Buddha’s daily service, among other things. Through time, many people have benefited from the practice of meditation.

Meditation, as practiced by Buddhist monks and practitioners, has become a spiritual tool and health enhancer in one. More than just the chants and meditative posture, meditation is about proper breathing and concentration of one’s thoughts. As a health and spiritual practice, meditation came into prominence centuries ago in the East where people’s lives and culture demanded a way to “escape” the realities of life.

How do we know if we are already in a state of meditation or just wasting away time with our eyes closed? Meditation is a state of mind that leads to inner peace, self-fulfillment, self- improvement, and the development of a positive outlook in life. There are two types of meditation; the concentrative and the mindfulness type. Concentrative is more on the person’s concentration, sitting quietly and calmly with good breathing patterns. It is said that the one’s mind is somewhat connected to one’s breath of air. Continuous rhythm of inhales and exhales of the breath will make the person feel more calm and relaxed, focusing on their steady flow of air in and out of their bodies. This will result in the mind being more aware and tranquil at the same time. Mindfulness, on the other hand, involves attention and awareness on passing wave of sensations, images, feelings, thoughts, sounds, smell, anything that your body can interact with. This in turn will give the person a more non-reactive mind state, much like looking at a television, without any feeling or thoughts that can bother you away.

Meditation and relaxation often go hand in hand. In scientific studies, it has been proven that there are health benefits in practicing this kind of activity. By being in a relaxed state of mind, the person is also regarded to as in alpha state, of which is a level of consciousness that promotes good healing. Relaxation in a person is highly recommended, since people always move and think, and by being relaxed it can also give relaxation to the body and mind that will eventually enhance our well-being as well.
Knowing all this, one can see the connection of both scientific and religious factors, all because of meditation. Indeed, this activity shows a unique philosophy that can really help oneself. In practicing such kind of relaxation process, the person sees the innermost self at its fullest. This helps the person in dealing with external difficulties, seeing past all this and in a way becomes humble and calm in dealing with situations. This relaxed state of meditating allows the person in helping oneself health-wise, since this to can take away simple headaches, stress, or even mild anxiety. It began way before, and it will never go away. This kind of activity brings out the person in you. By meditating, this will give you a sense of calmness in a positive state. There are no known facts that this can be harmful to you, so why don’t you give it a try?

You walk into a moderately business office sit down a chair in a well-dressed lobby and wait for your name to be announced. Finally, it comes and you are assessed by an intake worker, finally sent to a therapist a week later, and then recommended to the staff psychiatrist. In this short time, you were diagnosed with Bipolar, Depression, which is an element of bipolar, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

You also have a history of Diabetes, High-Blood Pressure, and Allergies. Now the doctor is not aware of the inflammatory fiber nerve disease underlying the symptoms. You continue to visit the mental health experts complaining constantly of your symptoms, and they begin treating you like a Hypochondriasis. (Someone occupied with health issues and most times are exaggerated)…you begin feeling confused, disappointed with the therapist, and decide to go to see a physician that finds a fiber nerve disease, which proves that you complaints are valid.

However, you were already given prescriptions for psychotic and depressive symptoms. You begin taking the medications and suddenly your insurance policy stops payment on the drug Effexor XR. Suddenly, you explode feeling aggressive, wanting to kill, wanting to die, wanting to harm and there is no explanation since these feelings has never occurred to this magnitude before you took the antidepressants prescribed. Now the problem has increased and you are searching desperately for an answer, yet you find nothing. What went wrong you might ask?

Well, Effexor XR is given to patients with depression and bipolar symptoms. Since Effexor is said to target the brain chemicals increasing the Norepinephrine and Serotonin in the brain, it is claimed to eliminate symptoms of depression and bipolar. Now Effexor XR is notorious (once the medication is stopped abruptly) for increasing behaviors including, suicidal thinking, impulsive behaviors, violent outburst and so forth.

The Prescription has caused increase in Blood making it a bad deal for patients with High-Blood Pressure. Now you went to the therapist to fix a problem and your problems has increased dramatically at it is all because of health care, mental health, medical, and so on. You start feeling that it cannot get any worse, but the doctors continue increasing your medicines prescribing Tenormin (Atenolol) for your pain and after prescribing numerous doses of inflammatory prescriptions, which lead to stomach disorders, you are now taking meds to control your stomach. Moreover, it does not stop here. Next, you are given Impramine HCL for pain, Tramadol for pain, and rotated between antidepressants finally prescribed Effexor XR again.

If you are feeling alone you are not, since many times doctors, mental experts, and health care providers make this mistake excessively many times to count. It is ludicrous to go to mental health experts all to find severe complications exploding your life and you are the one to blame, when in reality these experts made a serious mistake. Since the mental health expert obviously had no choice but to eliminate Hypochondriasis, and claim that they were only searching for answers to the problem (making excuses) you finally say I am searching for another mental health expert, since you have no idea what you are doing.

You go to the next office; sit, wait, and when you are called you talk to an intake worker, then a therapist, and finally a psychiatrist. You go through the same procedures wondering if these experts are smarter than the other experts you just left, and soon find yourself on Effexor XR, Impramine HCL, Tramadol, and a variety of other medications.

I told you people what happen before you tell the experts, yet they ignore your cries and tell you to take your medications as prescribed. Are we fixing problems or are we adding to the many problems we face every day. Some mental diagnoses were later proven a medical problem or central nervous interruption that created a series of symptoms delusional to mental health experts, believing that the patient was mentally ill.

Caught in a web of testing and despair we often fight to find a reason that our minds are tricking us into acting out of accordance to the so-called normal. The solution is right in front of them in most cases, yet everyone is turning their heads and looking for another answer.

With Medicare’s new prescription drug coverage program, “Part D,” you could pay $5 or less for many of your prescription medications.

Because the program is still new, understanding how it works can seem challenging. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

Step 1: Don’t go it alone

• Talk to other seniors who have gone through the process. To date, surveys show the majority of people who have signed up for a Part D plan say their efforts to understand the plans and enroll are worth it.

• Take advantage of meetings available in your community to help you understand the drug program and to get assistance signing up. Check with the local AARP office, local senior centers, the library, your health insurer or other experts for educational events.

Step 2: Learn As Much As You Can

• Go to libraries, publications and your Medicare & You handbook for toll-free phone numbers of the plans available in your area.

• If you think you may qualify for extra help with your Part D costs you should call: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY/TDD users should call 877-486-2048, (24 hours a day/7 days a week), or your State Medicaid Office, or the Social Security Administration a4 1-800-772-1213 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. TTY/TDD users should call, 1-800-325-0778.

• If you have Internet access, visit Medicare’s Web site at www.medicare.gov. It has a wealth of information, including a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder that helps compare plans in your areas. Other helpful Web sites include www.aarp.org and www.MedicareRxInfosource.com.

• Caregivers can go to www. PartDCentral.com or www.family caregiving101.org

Step 3: Make Sure You’re Signed Up

• Once you’ve enrolled in the plan, your acknowledgement letter from Medicare and/or the enrollment confirmation letter from your health plan serves as temporary proof of coverage. The letter plus your Medicare and/or Medicaid ID cards, will allow you to fill prescriptions until you receive your health plan’s ID card.

• If you are a Medicaid enrollee and have not received information about which plan you have been enrolled in you should call: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY/TDD users should call 877-486-2048, (24 hours a day/7 days a week), or your State Medicaid Office, or the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. TTY/TDD users should call, 1-800-325-0778.

• Enroll before the 15th of the month. This helps ensure your enrollment information is in the pharmacy computer systems by the first of the following month.

• If you currently receive drug coverage through a Medicare Supplement plan, check with your Medicare Supplement plan provider: You may be able to realize additional savings under Medicare Part D.

Remember, if you are currently eligible for Medicare, enrolling before the May 15 deadline will help you avoid late enrollment fees. While the process may seem challenging, enrolling in a Part D plan may save money and help you get the drugs you need now and in the future.

Tom Paul