Antifungal medications are used to treat to treat fungal infections such as: toe nail fungus, athletes foot, thrush, or blood stream infections.  In the US oral antigun cal medications are by prescription only, and they are very strong, and helpful meds to treat fungus, but there are some things that your HCP might not tell you, that you need to be aware of when taking them.

How do Antifungal medications work?
When you take an oral antifungal, it is absorbed through your gut into your bloodstream and is excreted (filtered out) through your liver. Let’s use one of the most common antifungals as an example, terbinafine (Lamisil), that you are taking for a toenail fungal infection: you take your lamisil every day for three months, and a few days into treatment, your blood has an appropriate level of Lamisil in it because of how slow your liver gets rid of it, and how your gut absorbs it.  The Lamisil attacks all cells that it can find that appear to be fungal cells, thus killing the infection.  Which is awesome! But, there are some side effects such as: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, vision changes, skin rashes, and changes in taste.  Due to the build-up of the drug in your liver, a more serious side effect is liver damage or complete liver failure.  Plus, some other drugs can cause the levels of the medications to become to high in your bloodstream and you can become toxic, which can also cause the liver failure, so you need to discuss all medications, and the type/amount of drugs (non prescribed) that you may/not take, and the amount you drink.

Why shouldn’t I drink on them?
As we all know, alcohol is absorbed in your gut into your bloodstream and also excreted through your liver.  Huh, just like the antifungals! So, when your liver is working really hard to filter out a prescription drug, that is very strong and powerful, it can cause too much stress on your liver to also be expected to filter out alcohol.  The worst side effect can occur, and can occur quickly: complete liver failure.  An the early sings of liver failure are nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and jaundice (a yellowing of the skin).  Once complete liver failure occurs, the only treatment is a liver transplant, which is a lifetime of medications, hospital visits, and having days of feeling well and unwell (which are much more frequently swinging than for someone without a transplant).

Maybe because I have worked with the diseased liver population for a long period of time, I am more sensitive to this, but think about how worth it is to you to drink or take other drugs when you are taking prescription medications. It isn’t worth losing an organ that is super vital, for a few drinks.  Right?

So if you are taking these drugs, lay off the alcohol. And if you are being prescribed this medication, talk to your HCP and be honest with the amount you drink…and LAY OFF THE BOOZE!!  (at least until your fungus is gone!)

Yours in Good Health
B

 We all should know how fab oatmeal is for our body by helping to lower cholesterol levels, thus decreasing the risk of heart disease and the soluble fiber helps to keep your blood sugars leveled for longer (no dips) and keep you feel full longer.  The whole grain addition to your diet can also reduce your risk of type II diabetes, through controlling blood glucose levels and keeping them stabile. AND, the soluble fiber can help to prevent high blood pressure. Not to mention that oatmeal, when you look at the label (if all you are eating is plain oatmeal) has no other ingredients: just oats. They are a totally pure food, and I love that.  I love looking at the ingredients label and just seeing one ingredient, nothing added, just real food. Can you get more fab than that?  Nope! But that does bring up the age old question: Do I eat steel cut or regular milled oats?

old fashioned

Steel cut

What is the big difference between steel cut and regular milled oats?
Honestly, it is the way that they are processed.  All oats, once picked, are cleaned, hulled, and conditioned; the outer shell is removed and the inside little kernel is heated to dry them out, so that the oats can be stored over time and not perish.  This is where oats start to differ: steel cut (AKA Irish oats) are the kernels (post heating) that are literally chopped with steel blades, allowing for chewier oatmeal with more texture, that takes around 30 minutes to cook.  Rolled (AKA old fashioned) oats, take those same kernels, then steamed and run through heavy metal rollers to flatten them very thin so that they can cook in under 5 minutes.  Instant oatmeal is created the same way as the milled oats, but then cooked and dried again, so that they can cook in under a minute….because technically they are already cooked.  So really you are looking at a level of processing, and the steel cut oats are the least processed of the bunch.

Are there nutritional differences?
For the most part, nutritionally they are the same.  The main difference is that the steel cut oats have a slightly higher fiber content, thus making you feel fuller longer, give more benefits to decrease cardiac risks, high blood pressure, and prevent diabetes type II.  But it is really minimal and only due to less processing.  Oats are great for helping to eat a healthy diet when losing weight, low in sodium, and, did I mention, lots of fiber?
Oatmeal contains (on one serving size):
307 calories
5g Fat
5g sodium (virtually NONE)
8g Fiber
11g Protein
and 19% of your RDA (recommended daily allowance) Iron

So, truly the choice is up to you: Do you want to spend 30 minutes making yummy steel cut oats, or 5 minutes making (in my humble opinion) slightly less yummy regular oats?  I switch 50/50 because I don’t have the time or, more importantly, patience to make steel cut oats and they are a little too grainy to add to my morning smoothies, so I have both on hand, and depending on the day/time I eat either.  So eat whichever you would like, but make sure to get some oats in your diet!

Yours in Good Health
B

I know that I was just touting how fab fish oil is: filled with Omega-3’s, DHA, and EPA.  And it really is awesome for you, but if you eat a lot of fish, depending on the types you eat, you can be at risk for mercury poisoning.  With every positive, there has to be a negative, right?  Maybe not! As long as you are informed about the signs and symptoms of mercury poisoning and know what fish tend to be lower mercury fish, and steer clear, it can be all good!

What is mercury poisoning?
Basically, mercury poisoning is, by definition, a high level of mercury in your system.  Normally humans have little to no mercury in their bodies, it is not something that we need to live or to survive, but it can be introduced into our systems from foods.  The most common sources are fish (from the environmental circumstances) and some meats as well (due to poor living habits by the poor creatures before they are on your plate).   There are all sorts of issues that can occur from high mercury levels depending on the dose and the amount of mercury in your system.

What are the signs and symptoms?
The signs and symptoms can vary based on the level present in your system.  One of the most common first signs is peripheral neuropathy (either an itching, burning, or tingling in your fingers/hands or toes/feet), skin discoloration of the cheeks/fingertips/toes, heavily shedding skin, and swelling.   Mercury can also effect the ability of the body to respond appropriately to epinephrine, it cannot stop epinephrine surges, so you can have high blood pressure, tachycardia (rapid heart rate), anxiety, profuse sweating, and increased saliva production.  For children, the symptoms can vary a little in that they do get flushed cheeks, noses, and lips, along with losing hair, nails, and teeth.  They can also get rashes that come and go randomly, muscle weakness, and increased sensitivity to light.  Also, emotional irritability, insomnia, and memory impairment can also occur.  Some of the symptoms can be very subtle, and it can be hard to tell that mercury poisoning is occurring…of course reading this, it seems like you would be able to tell right away, the sweating and saliva alone!  Mercury poisoning can be diagnosed through blood levels (should be around 6ug/L but can be as high as 200ug/L), or through hair testing.

What is the treatment?
Chelation therapy is the standard treatment for mercury poisoning, along with removing mercury from the diet.  Basically, chelation therapy is used to bind heavy metals and remove them from your system.  Ethylene diamine tetraacedic acid (EDTA) is injected into the body, the EDTA then binds the heavy metal in the blood, it is brought through to the kidneys and leaves the body through urine.  This is the only known treatment to decrease mercury levels.

What are mercury levels of fish?
The fish/seafood with the highest mercury levels are:
Mackerel, Whale, Shark, Swordfish, Dolphin (only eaten outside the US/EU), and tilefish
Lowest levels:
Anchovies, butterfish, shrimp, clams, salmon, cod, crab, haddock, lobster, mullet, scallops, tuna, trout, and tilapia.
*You can get full lists of fish mercury levels on the FDA’s website, in case I haven’t listed one of your favorites!

I fully encourage you to eat fish, just make sure that you are eating fish that is low in mercury and full of those yummy Omega-3’s!  And if you do like to eat fish which is higher in mercury content, then just make sure to keep the signs of mercury poisoning in mind….it is better to be safe than sorry!

Yours in Good Health
B

Fish oil has tons of good stuff in it.  I know that not everyone loves eating fish as much as I do, so there is good news that there are plenty of Omega-3 and fish oil supplements on the market, that are mercury free and are odorless.  What worse than tang fish oil in the morning?  Burping it up later!  I am so glad that they fixed that one right quick.  But I am sure you are wondering why it is so good for you…

What’s so great about fish oil?
Fish oil is known to contain docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).  These acids in the fish oils have been shown in numerous studies to lower triglycerides (a dense fat found in the body that can cause plaques in arteries), reduce the risk of death, heart attacks (probably due to less plaque build up in the arteries), cardiac dysrhythmias (when the heart beat abnormally), and decreases risk of stroke in people with known cardiac disease.  With lowered triglyceride levels, the plaques can still form, but at a much slower rate and decreased amounts, so there is less risk of hardened arteries.  So, taking fish oil is great….but beware that high doses can cause and increased risk of bleeding.

How much Omega 3 Fatty Acids should I take?
The recommended amounts of DHA/EPA (in the form of Omega-3’s in Fish Oils) are:
Infants: 5g/day
Children 1-3yrs: .7g/day
                  4-8 yrs: .9g/day
                  9-13 yrs: 1.2g/day
Adults: 14 yrs +  Males: 1.6g/day Females: 1.1g/day
Pregnancy: 1.4g/day
Breastfeeding: 1.3g/day

And in, for example, a 3 oz (single serving size) of salmon, you can get 1.3 grams of Omega 3’s, which is OK because you aren’t eating salmon every single day, right?  Other fish sources high in Omega 3’s (that contain DHA and EPA) are Tuna, Mackerel, Halibut, Herring, and Sardines.

For  those of you who hate fish, go to your closest pharmacy and grab some mercury free/odorless supplements, and for those of you who like to eat fish, chomp away, but do be weary of high mercury intake with certain fish.  So eat up, slurp down, but get your fish oil on!

Yours In Good Health
B

I am sure we have all heard tales of swimming down in South America, people peeing while they are swimming, and getting some sort of a fish or parasite in their urethra, and the terror that exists after. Now, I can’t even begin to tell you why I have gotten such a slew of emails regarding this in the past week, but I have, so I decided to investigate it.  I kind of assumed it was true, and figured that if I went to South America, before I went swimming, I would get to the bottom of this caper.  Looks like I have to put on my Encyclopedia Brown cap early!

Are there Urethra loving fish?
Well, here is where here adventure begins. There are fresh water fish known as Candiru (or toothpick fish), that live in the Amazon river.  They are small translucent fish that act as parasites: they live in the gills of many of the catfish in the amazon, sucking their blood as food. The Candiru have small, sharp, teeth that can penetrate flesh.  Since the 1800’s there have been numerous reports by scientists that have observed men and boys with amputated penises in various South American tribes, and other males of the same tribes, that would go into the water to bath, fish, etc and wear covering for their penises.  Due to language barriers and keen observation, these scientists deduced that the Candiru fish are attracted to urine so swim up in it and into the urethra.  The fish do have barbs on their heads, and it was assumed that the fish swim up the urethra as far as they can go, then hook in with barbs, hang out, and suck on blood.  At the time, the only way that the fish could be removed was through amputation.  Yikes! Well, this is really only fiction.  The only documented case was in 1997, but the issue is that the facts do not add up: the video of the cystoscopy (the procedure in which a scope is inserted into the penis through the urethra) appears to show that the fish was pulled out by its tail.  That wouldn’t be possible because the barbs from the fishes head would dig into the canal and not come out easily. The specimen of the fish had all barbs intact. Plus they have found that these fish are not attracted to urine at all. So really, the whole story seems to be false as far as males are concerned.  All of the penis amputations were related to piranha bites, and males cover their penises to prevent the risk of being bitten by piranhas that are in the water.  Looks like those scientists needed to think outside the box a little bit!

But, there is some bad news for ladies: the Candiru fish have been found on multiple occasions in women’s vaginas! They were once touted as fish that entered the anus and penile urethra…which are both false accusations. They seem to have an easier time entering the vaginal canal and hooking in their barbs to suck blood, possibly due to the size of the entry and the tissue inside the vaginal canal. The good news is that they are easily removable by pushing the fish further in to unhook the barbs, flipping the fish, and pulling them out head first…although I suggest getting that done by a medical professional!

So, I hope you all you men out there feel a little better about swimming in the fresh waters of the Amazon, and having a fish free urethra when you get out of the water…but I never suggest peeing when you swim, its just kind of gross.  Ladies, beware when swimming in those same waters- and wear a bathing suit, that will keep those pesky fish out of your vaginas!  Rest your minds at ease and swim away (well, except for piranhas, snakes, etc.)!

Yours in Good Health
B

For those of you who read my blog loyally, you know that I am always touting exercise and healthy diets as the best way to get into shape and live a healthy lifestyle.  And there have been numerous studies showing that a healthy lifestyle helps to prevent disease, increase your immune system, and allow to live a longer life (with the caveat that there obviously are some genetics that come to play in this as well!)But, for the most part, it is pretty interesting that after studying people that have lived to over 100 years, they do have some similar traits.

What will help me live longer?
–Retire later: After retirement rates of obesity and chronic illnesses increase. So, if you want to retire, go for it, but keep active!  Have a hobby that is active, like gardening, volunteering with kids or animals, join a walking club…keep yourself moving and have goals, even if it is just a goal to travel to your next place, but make sure you go on walking/biking tours!
–Keep up your oral care:  Keeping your toothbrushing up and regular flossing (at least twice a day) keeps down the risk of gum disease related bacteria that can enter your bloodstream and cause artery inflammation and lead to cardiac disease.  Long story, short: inflamed arteries due to oral bacteria is bad, so brush your teeth!!
–Get your move on: a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise per day is required by your body to feel better, and to keep your heart and lungs in shape.  exercising daily boosts your immune system, so not only do you feel better and look better, but your body will actually benefit and you could live longer too.  See?  There’s a reason I tell you to exercise!! 🙂
–Boost your fiber: Eating a diet high in whole grains and fiber, will help to keep your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day, thus leading to a reduced rate of diabetes, and will help keep your colon running smoothly.  Plus, it keeps you full longer, so you will tend to eat less during the day and skip snacking!
-Sleep!  Getting 6-8 hours of sleep, helps your body to relax and recharge, making you more energized for the next day. Some people tend to skip on sleep, so that they can be “more productive” one day, will end up actually not being super productive, and it will take a while for your body to recharge.  When you can, get sleep, and wake up early to jump on it!
-Eat FOOD: People who have a vitamin rich diet, tend to live longer and be healthier, but supplements and vitamins aren’t absorbed as well so people who eat crappy diets but supplement with pills, don’t gain the same benefits form the vitamins.  Try eating colorful plates filled with lots of yummy and healthy foods; you’ll boost your vitamin intake, which will stimulate your brain, and make you feel better.
–Chill out: We have got to learn not to stress out as much and dwell on things. People who live longer tend to not get stressed out easily (this knocks me out of the box of living long….) Or if they do, they deal with it and move on, they tend to get over things quickly and don’t sweat the small stuff.  Try to take a different outlook on life, especially with little things that annoy you…try to not let them (I totally get that this is easier said than done- it is a total life change!)
–Make it a habit: Live your life based on routine. I’m not saying do the EXACT same thing every day, but if you have a basic routine for life, you tend to be more accomplished during your days.  For example, I have a morning routine that includes waking up, drinking tea, cuddling with my dogs, then heading out for my morning run; I clear my head, get focused and ready for the day, and I know exactly how long I need SO if I need to add an early morning meeting, or get a bunch of errands done, I know when to wake up, and I feel less rushed and less stressed starting my day.  So, if you have basic routines, you can figure out how to alter your schedule when you need to, but it also gives you time to go through your day the way you want to.
–PARTY! Well, not really. But hang out with your friends, stay connected socially.  Those who tend to be socially withdrawn are more prone to depression later in life vs those who keep close friendships and are socially active have less risk of depression and live longer. Of course, steering clear of drugs and alcohol also helps to increase your longevity!

All in all, not difficult goals to set for yourself (well, besides the whole stress thing- at least for me!) and as I said before, genetics does play a role, so we are all predisposed to some sort of length of life or possible chronic illness, but I think that these are good goals to set for yourself to try and get the most out of life.  So get your 30 minutes of exercise, ditch the vitamins and eat a healthy salad while chilling with your girlfriends, just like the Golden Girls and you will live forever, just like Betty White 🙂

Yours in Good Health
B

We have known for ages that flavonoid-rich foods are good for you and can help to prevent heart attack and stroke. A new research study published in the American Heart Association’s journal, Stroke, recently has touted the role that citrus fruits can play in preventive health for women.

What are Flavonoids?
First of all, we need to discuss flavonoids!  Flavonoids are compounds found in fruits and vegetables, along with dark chocolate, red wine, teas, coffee, etc. and they act just like antioxidants.  The flavonoids appear to protect against damage to the blood vessels.  So by having a higher intake of flavonoids, there is a decreased risk of cardiac disease.  Basically free radicals are chemicals that flow throughout the body and can cause damage to various parts of the body, but specifically blood vessels and cells, the flavonoids help to prevent the reactions with the free radicals before any damage can occur: the flavonoids are an awesome defensive line against very aggressive offensive line up!

What is the Study?
For a period of 14 years, over 69,000 women were followed and the overall study was looking at the protective nature of flavonoids, and the women were asked to report their intake of fruits and vegetables.  So, not only looking at the overall effect of taking in flavonoids on risk factors for stroke and heart attack, but then they more specifically looked at the intake of citrus fruits (and their flavonoids).  So they already found that flavonoids decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke, but now they have found that higher intake of citrus fruits (with high levels of flavonoids) had a 19% decreased risk of ischemic stroke.  (Ischemic strokes are strokes where blood flow is impeded to a part of the brain and can cause pretty significant long term damage if not treated quickly!)  This is kind of a big deal that they have been able to hone in on a specific food, with higher levels of flavonoids, and find a direct link to the health effects.

What does this mean?
In all honesty, I am a huge citrus fruit fan, and I usually eat a minimum of a grapefruit and an orange per day, but as long as you like citrus fruits, and you don’t take them at the same time as any medications you are taking (sometimes they can interact- especially grapefruit you need to be really careful with checking interactions) go for it!  Eat your fresh veggies and get your citrus on.  They are full of vitamin C, to prevent scurvy, yummy, and full of fiber which makes a happy and healthy body!!  There is no recommended daily dose of flavonoids but an orange has about 45-50mg, so that is a good base start, and eat as many flavonoid rich foods each day as you can!  So get your fruit on, and reduce your risk of stroke and cardiac disease ladies! And for the men: it can’t hurt for you to get your citrus on too!

Yours in Good Health
B

Remember how I always tell you to be careful when taking supplements that you get at GNC, Vitamin Shoppes, and other “health” food stores?  Well, here is one of the reasons why: the market is totally overwhelmed with these supplements, and thy FDA does eventually test them, but the man power needed to test these drugs, on top of new drugs, study drugs, etc. the FDA is just trying to keep up with the market. Usually by the time they test these “supplements” they are removed from the market…..just like these products that are being removed form the market immediately:

Mince Belle (dietary supplement)
Everlax (dietary supplement)
Ever Slim Shake Mix (strawberry & chocolate flavors)
Acai-Man Mangosteen Herbal Drink
Perfect Men (dietary supplement)

What was found?
The US FDA found FDA approved drugs IN these supplements that are being sold over the counter as supplements, and they need regulation because every drug has side effects and interactions; they are recalled purely for consumer safety.  Sibutramine, which is an appetite suppressant to help treat obesity, is a schedule IV controlled substance, and can have risks of increased blood pressure and heart rate, which leads to an increased risk if you have a history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrythmias, or stroke. Sibutramine was found in the Mince Belle, Everlax, and Ever Slim Shake mixes….no wonder why people saw results!  Tadalafil is a male Erectile Dysfunction (ED) drug, also FDA approved, that was found in the Acai-Man and Perfect Men supplements, which can have deadly interactions when a man is also taking a nitrate, which is found in some prescription drugs (like nitroglycerin) can cause a drop in blood pressure to dangerous levels.

Obviously the drugs found in the supplements were not listed on the label, called something else, which is why it is really important, and I cannot stress it enough, not to take herbal or health supplements, without the approval of your HCP.  You really don’t know what is lurking in these supplements and it is really important if you are taking other medications or have chronic medical conditions….be careful!! No offense to the people that work at the “health” stores, but don’t trust them that the supplements are healthy, because as you can see by this one minor recall, they can sometimes kill you.

Yours In Good Health
B

Walking through the mall a week ago, my friend and I were being harassed by the workers at a kiosk for power bracelets. We politely declined, but they started telling me how awesome the bracelets were super amazing at increasing strength, power, and balance.  Of course, me being who I am, asked how a little bracelet could, without any exercise or training, make me stronger and more powerful.  Let me give you some insight: there was no science at all behind his answer, but he did tell me that lots of professional athletes use them to help with strength and power. Clearly I’m skeptical, but I decided to look into it and find out more about these “magical” bracelets.

What’s the deal with power bracelets?
The main claims of the power bracelet are that they use “holographic technology” that responds to the “natural energy field” of your body to increase your sporting ability.  Sounds pretty darn scientific to me! There were all sorts of paid professional athletes as spokespeople saying that there was scientific research to back up the claims…not so.  In fact, there were numerous studies disproving that there was any effect at all, including placebo effect.  Two of the largest studies were performed by the University of Wisconsin and the Independent Investigations Group which found that all of the claims related to the power bracelet were bunk.  Sorry dudes and dudettes, but they don’t work….and the company was actually sued for false accusations and were forced to refund all bracelets they sold under false pretenses.  But, if you just want to look super cool wearing a plastic bracelet on it, with a hologram sticker for $30, be my guest!

Do any of the health bracelets work?
Since I figured that the power bracelet is a bunch of crap, and despite two of my friends touting how awesome the Ionized bracelets are.  One claimed that their balance is so much better wearing one…and that they are so much stronger.  Again, I called BS early on, but I figured I’d check this one out too.  It is hard for me to wrap my brain around a bracelet totally changing how your body functions and reacts, but I am all about it, if it works!  The most famous is probably the Q-Ray Ionization Bracelet, it supposedly works with your bodies Chi to relieve bone pain from arthritis and muscle pain.  It first came to the market in 1996 (in the US- they had been available in the EU for years before) and millions of people bought them, thinking they would be relieved from chronic pain merely by changing/manipulating their Chi. In 2002, the Mayo Clinic performed a rather large study, in which they found that there was no significant difference in comfort levels between placebo and non-placebo groups.  In other words, the Ionized bracelets are bunk too….and they can cost up to $350!  All that being said, there are plenty of people that wear them and absolutely swear by them, I guess those people just aren’t in any of the study groups 😉

My best advice? Skip the bracelets and if you want strength lift weights, for balance try yoga, and if you want pain relief, talk to your HCP about anti-inflammatories and physical therapy!  Your money would be better spent on co-pays and gym memberships than buying these bracelets.  Hold onto your cash and remember that if something seems to good to be true, it is!!!

Yours in Good Health
B

WARNING: There are graphic pictures in this blog.

I will be completely honest, I was asked about a surgical procedure this weekend that I didn’t know existed; I should have known it existed, but seeing as I am not a man and I don’t think about these things, why would I know about scrotum reduction surgery?  It seems like you can get everything else nipped and tucked, so why not your scrotum!  I also had no idea how much the average man worries about this issue.

Why does my scrotum hang?
To make it simple, there is a muscle completely responsible for your scrotum to tighten and loosen up (the testicles need to be about 2 degrees colder than the body so that your sperm can swim, live, and be merry.) Your scrotum helps to regulate that by moving them closer to your body when they are super cold (think jumping into the cold ocean) and when they are getting toasty (after a long hot shower…..or run.)  The lovely muscle in charge? The cremaster muscle.  It is a two sided muscle that runs from the internal obliques, to under the testicles.  Unfortunately, just like any other muscle, and with that constant pull of gravity, it can lose muscle tone with age, and just start to droop. It’s a bummer, but it’s part of the aging process.  It seems that there are no true “medical” issues that arise from this issue, but it is more of an aesthetic issue, although I hear a lot of complaints about inner thigh irritation, skin ” sticking” to thighs, etc causing a lot of discomfort …. and quite honestly, awkward situations.

What can I do to prevent it?
The good news for all you men out there, you can do Kegel exercises (I have blogged extensively already, so click the link and check it out if you are interested) but hey help to keep that cremaster muscle in shape; like yoga for your scrotum. Just bear with me, dig deep, and get through it!  If kegels don’t work, and you feel like they are really causing you discomfort and you just don’t dog staring at a sagging scrotum sack, there are surgical options: scrotal reduction.

What’s the deal with scrotal reduction?
Really, all that happens is that the excess skin of the scrotum is cut off (surgically they say the skin is “excised” but all that means is they remove it by cutting it off).  It is a relatively minor surgery, and is usually one day surgery, meaning that you have the procedure (30 minutes to an hour), recover from anesthesia, and go home later that day.  The recovery period is usually 4-5 days, because the more you rest the area and allow it to heal, the better the results will be from the surgery; but immediately after the surgery you will have bruising, swelling, and some small scars (all of which will fade/go away over time).   But of course, like any surgery, there are risks associated with it, like bleeding, infection, poor wound healing (it can re-open), and chronic pain (from nerve damage). If the muscle is damaged in any way during surgery, it may create an issue with muscle mobility which can lead to sterility or decreased viability of sperm (they may be too hot or too cold in the scrotum- apparently sperm is very finicky!)  And, if you have any chronic medical conditions, it may make anesthesia more difficult for you, so you will have to be pre-screened and possibly get a letter from your Primary HCP stating that you are fit for surgery.  Most insurance will not cover this surgery, it is considered cosmetic, so be ready for a hefty bill (It can cost $850-2000 depending on who you go to, their experience, etc.)

If you are having changes due to age, or you feel like you are having problems with your scrotum, it is worth it to go talk to your HCP and see if this is right for you. If you have the means, are prepared for the complications versus what you deal with day to day, this may be beneficial for you and your lifestyle…..but try the kegels first, won’t you??

Yours in Good Health
B