Health Risk Alert For 'True Man' And 'Energy Max' Products

Sexual Enhancement Products
The Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers not to purchase or use "True Man" or "Energy Max" products promoted and sold as dietary supplements throughout the United States.
Both products -- touted as sexual enhancement products and as treatments for erectile dysfunction (ED) -- are illegal drug products that contain potentially harmful, undeclared ingredients.The products contain substances called analogs that have similar structures to active ingredients in approved prescription drugs.
Consumers should discontinue use of True Man and Energy Max and consult their health care professional about approved treatments for ED.FDA encourages men who experience ED to seek guidance from a health care professional.
FDA has not approved True Man and Energy Max; therefore the safety and effectiveness of these products are unknown. Both products are often advertised as "all natural" alternatives to approved ED drugs in advertisements appearing in newspapers, retail stores, and on the Internet.
"These products threaten the health of the people using them because they contain undeclared chemicals that are similar to the active ingredients used in FDA-approved prescription drug products," said Steven Galson, M.D., MPH, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research."The risk is even more serious because consumers may not know that these ingredients can interact with medications and dangerously lower their blood pressure."
The undeclared analog ingredients in True Man and Energy Max may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs such as nitroglycerin and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels. Men with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or heart disease often take nitrates.
FDA chemical analysis revealed that Energy Max contains thione analog of sildenafil, a substance with a structure similar to sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, an FDA-approved drug for ED.Substances like this are called analogs because they have a structure similar to another drug and may cause similar side effects and drug interactions.
True Man contains a thione analog of sildenafil or piperadino vardenafil, an analog of vardenafil, the active ingredient in Levitra, another FDA-approved prescription drug for ED. Neither the thione analog of sildenafil nor piperadino vardenafil are components of approved drug products.
True Man is sold in boxes containing a 10-capsule blister pack. Energy Max is sold in boxes containing two 10-capsule blister packs.Both products are distributed and packed by America True Man Health, Inc., West Covina, Calif.A review of the ingredient statements for both products revealed that neither piperadino vardenafil nor thione analog of sildenafil are listed as an ingredient, even though one or more of those ingredients is present in the products.

Researchers Find An Increase In Prostate Specific Antigen Testing

Researchers affiliated with Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System (VA) and the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) found that many physicians are ordering prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing at an increasing rate despite any clear evidence of the test’s benefit. The greatest increases are among younger men, black men and those who have insurance. These findings appear in the December 10, 2007 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
PSA is a protein produced by the cells of the prostate gland that is used by many physicians to screen for prostate cancer. To date, no studies have found that men screened by the PSA test survive longer than men who are not. While the test detects some prostate cancers early, it also leads to many false positives, subjects men to needless invasive tests and leads to substantially higher healthcare costs. As a result, most medical societies do not recommend screening all men with the test.
In this study, the researchers examined the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey that collected data regarding visits to primary care physicians by healthy men aged 35 years or older. They found that between 1995 and 2004, primary care physicians were 50 percent more likely to order PSA tests during a typical clinic visit and nearly three times as likely to order a test during a preventive general medical exam. Specifically, PSA testing rates increased 8 percent per year during all primary care visits and 14 percent per year during visits for general medical examinations.
The researchers noted that prostate cancer screening is now more common than colorectal cancer screening, although the evidence for prostate cancer screening practice is much weaker.
"We expected to find an increase in PSA testing over the years, but were surprised to see such an increase among younger men aged 35 to 49 because the test is not widely recommended for these men," said Wildon R. Farwell, MD, who is a physician in the Division of Aging at BWH.
The researchers explained that the overall increase in PSA testing may be the result of several factors, which include greater patient awareness leading to increased requests for prostate cancer screening and greater belief among physicians that this test is a useful way to screen for prostate cancer. Another possible explanation is that physicians may be ordering more testing because of perceived protection from malpractice suits.
"Until we know PSA testing is effective in reducing deaths associated with prostate cancer among men of any age, we should be more judicious with this test," said Ashish Jha, MD, MPH, a physician in the Department of General Medicine and Primary Care at BWH and an assistant professor at HSPH.
"The hope is that the results from two PSA testing trials, which are expected in 2009, will help physicians understand how to best optimize prostate cancer prevention services," added Farwell, who is also a physician at the VA.

Dont's Use Sexual Dysfunction Products With Undeclared Ingredients

The Department of Health strongly urged members of the public not to consume products for managing male impotence from unknown sources following notification from the Hospital Authority of two patients seriously affected by this kind of products found to have contained undeclared ingredients.
A DH spokesman said the affected men, aged 76 and 87 respectively, were found collapsed in late May. Both patients once required intensive care in Mainland China and Hong Kong respectively. They are now under treatment in public hospitals. One of them was still in serious condition and the other in stable condition. Their urine specimen found the presence of undeclared drug ingredients glibenclamide and sildenafil.
Investigation showed that both of them had taken a kind of brick red rhomboid tablets. Laboratory tests on the tablets found at their homes were confirmed to have contained glibenclamide and sildenafil.
Further enquiries revealed that the 76-year-old man had also taken an unnamed blue/white capsule while the 87-year-old had taken an unlabelled blue rhomboid drug. Both of these drugs were found to have contained sildenafil.
In the past two weeks, DH received notification of two other similar cases involving patients taking brown rhomboid tablets. They claimed that the drug that they had taken named "Jiu Bian Wang"(???).
The spokesman said that "Jiu Bian Wang"was not a registered pharmaceutical product in Hong Kong. DH's earlier laboratory tests on "Jiu Bian Wang"revealed the presence of sildenafil and a high dosage of glibenclamide. DH's further investigation into these cases is on-going.
Today's notification brings the number of cases related to unregistered virility products to a total of 58, affecting 56 men aged between 39 and 87. Among them, two patients passed away.
The spokesman said that glibenclamide is a diabetic drug. It could cause nausea and gastro-intestinal upset. Improper use may cause a significant fall in blood sugar level with serious health consequence and even death
The side effects of sildenafil include low blood pressure, headache, vomiting, dizziness, and transient vision disturbances. It may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs (such as nitroglycerin) and may lower blood pressure of patients to dangerous levels. Improper use of sildenafil may pose serious health risks, especially for patients with heart problems.
Under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance of Hong Kong, products containing sildenafil or glibenclamide must be registered before sale and can only be sold on a doctor's prescription and under supervision of a pharmacist.
The spokesman urged the public not to consume virility products of unknown or unclear sources, because the efficacy, safety and quality of such could not be assured, the spokesman said.
"Members of the public and the trade who have in their possession similar products are urged to stop consuming or trading them immediately," he said.
They should destroy and dispose of the products or submit them to the Department's Pharmaceutical Service at 3/F, Public Health Laboratory Centre, 382 Nam Cheong Street, Kowloon during office hours.
"People who have problems of sexual dysfunction should consult medical professionals for appropriate advice or medication," the spokesman said.

Unsafe Sex, Contraception And The Discipline

The New York City Health Department reports that the residents of New York City practice unsafe sex, which is a cause of disease and more health and family problems. The department tries to promote more contraseption use when practicing sex. However, is the the contraseption use that is lacking or the discipline and the responsibility?
Here is an issue where many Evangelicals feel the Catholic Church is “behind the times.” They think that Catholics should get with it and not be so uptight. Some Evangelicals think that Catholics who refuse to give into the “culture of contraception” are taking an almost hostile attitude against their spouses. They think that Catholics are anti-sex. Nothing can be further from the truth.
Actually, the desire to have natural relations with a spouse without anything interfering with God’s miracle of conception creates a deep bond between a husband and wife. It is well documented that married couples who don’t use contraception have fewer divorces and report much greater intimacy than those using contraception
Advocates of contraception promised lower divorce rates, but divorce has doubled in direct proportion to availability of birth control. Barrier contraceptives were supposed to reduce sexually transmitted diseases.
The opposite has occurred, The National Post reported that 25% of women between 15-25 years old have venereal warts. HIV and other STD’s are on the rise in every country.

Penile Fracture: Fact or Fiction

Last night on Grey's Anatomy, Dr. Mark "McSteamy" Sloan, suffered a penile fracture during sex with intern Lexie Grey. Did they make up a medical issue or is penile fracture something that can truly happen?
Penile fracture is a true medical problem. Medical literature reports about 2,000 cases each year, so it is likely to be twice that number. It is a problem that is under reported. Patient's are embarrassed by the problem.
The human penis does not actually contain a bone, so fracture is not the most "correct" term. Still that is the generally medically accepted term for penile trauma. The "fracture" occurs when the engorged penis is in the wrong position and is bent too much. The "fracture" can be defined as a rupture or tear of the tunica albuginea of the corpus cavernosum that occurs from the trauma.
The most common reasons for a penile fracture involve sexual intercourse, masturbation, and trauma such as a car accident.
Until the early 1980's, the management of fractured penis was highly controversial. Many conservative treatments have been employed. Compression bandages, ice packs and anti-inflammatory agents were also used. Conservative management is associated with significant complications such as delayed chordee (a bent penis due to scar tissue) and formation of a firm fibrous plaque similar to Peyronie's disease, which can occur in as much as 30-53% of cases.
Other complications include organized hematoma formation, cavernous fibrositis, severe angulation and impotence.
Currently, it is felt that the best treatment is immediately going to the operating room. There a small longitudinal skin incision can be placed directly over the fracture site allowing evacuation of the clot and primary repair of the tear in the tunica.
An urethral (the tube through which urine passes) injury will complicate management. Whether the urethra should be managed conservatively or operated on remains controversial. Both methods have been tried with equally good results.
Patients should be advised to avoid intercourse for at least 6 weeks to allow for healing of the tear. This period should be increased, if the fracture is managed conservatively. Some advocate the use of diazepam or other sedatives to prevent premature erections.