Health info at no cost my new series of informative articles and research

GOOD HEALTH TO YOU
Health info at no cost  my new series of informative articles and research
WE HOPE YOU FIND THESE ARTICLES INFORMATIVE AND USEFUL IN YOUR COMPENDIUM OF KNOWLEDGE I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY  AND MAKE LEGAL STATEMENTS OF NON RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR APPLICATION  THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO ALL ARTICLES I SUBMIT TO MY BLOG

Diabetes drug may delay prostate cancer progression

Among older men, prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer.

Type 2 diabetes is a common condition as well — and it’s not uncommon

for older men to have both diseases.

This information set the stage for a recent analysis of men who had

prostate cancer and diabetes and who frequently used a diabetes drug called

metformin (Glucophage, Glumetza, Fortamet). About half the men in the

study took metformin. Men taking metformin for their diabetes had a 24

percent lower chance of dying of prostate cancer in the first six months of

metformin use than did men taking other diabetes medications.

The research, published in the Journal of Clinic Oncology, was based on

past medical records. In addition to a significantly reduced risk of dying of

prostate cancer, men taking metformin for diabetes also experienced a 7

percent reduction in risk of death by any cause over two years, compared

with men who didn’t take the drug.

Mayo Clinic doctors say that this intriguing analysis suggests the possibility

that a relatively safe and inexpensive drug may be helpful in treating

prostate cancer. However, the link in this study is merely an association.

More robust research is necessary to determine true cause and effect. In addition,

other questions remain, such as whether metformin may be helpful

in those with prostate cancer who don’t have diabetes. It’s too early to recommend

metformin for anyone with prostate cancer, but for those with prostate

cancer and type 2 diabetes, metformin may be a treatment choice

Nerve damage — Injury to nerves

that sense stool in the rectum or that

control the anal sphincters can lead to

fecal incontinence. Damage may be

related to childbirth, a habit of straining

to pass stool, a spinal cord injury, a

stroke and even certain diseases —

such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis

— that may affect these nerves.

■ Chronic constipation — Ongoing

constipation can lead to a mass of hard,

dry stool in the rectum (impacted stool)

that’s too hard to pass. As a result,

muscles in the rectum and intestines

stretch, eventually weakening and allowing

watery stool from farther up to

leak out around the hard mass. Nerves

in the anus and rectum may become

less responsive to the presence of stool

when there’s chronic constipation.

Loss of storage capacity in the rectum

— Changes in the rectum wall that cause

the rectum to stiffen — such as may occur

from radiation treatment, rectal surgery

or inflammatory bowel disease —

reducing its capacity to hold stool

Treatments vary

Once fecal incontinence is diagnosed

and the likely cause is identified,

your doctor can discuss treatment options

that may be best suited to your

situation. It’s not unusual to use multiple

approaches to treat fecal incontinence.

Among the conservative options are:

■ Dietary changes — What you eat

and drink affects stool consistency and

how fast it passes through your digestive

system. If constipation is causing

fecal incontinence, your doctor may

recommend drinking plenty of fluids

and gradually increasing your intake of

fiber-rich foods. Getting adequate fiber

can help with diarrhea, too, as it bulks

up stool, making it less watery

Medications — Your doctor may

recommend anti-diarrheal drugs or

laxatives, depending on what’s causing

the incontinence. Sometimes, medications

you’re taking for other conditions

can contribute to fecal incontinence. If

that’s the case, your doctor can work

with you to make appropriate medication

changes to help reduce aggravation

of fecal incontinence. With this in mind,

it’s important that your doctor is aware

of all prescription and nonprescription

drugs and supplements you’re taking.

Biofeedback and pelvic floor exercises

— Restoring pelvic floor muscle

strength can improve anal sphincter

muscle control and awareness of the

need to have a bowel movement. Biofeedback

may be used to help you learn

how to properly squeeze and relax pelvic

floor muscles. During biofeedback,

a trained physiotherapist uses special

sensors to measure bodily functions

that help teach you what it feels like

when you actively squeeze and relax

your pelvic floor muscles

Sacral nerve stimulation

A relatively new treatment option

is electrical stimulation of the sacral

nerves. This option may be considered

if more-conservative measures

aren’t successful.

Your sacral nerves run from

your spinal cord to muscles in your

pelvis. These nerves regulate the

sensation and strength of your rectal

and anal sphincter muscles. The

device is implanted in the upper

buttock under the skin and delivers

continuous small electrical impulses

to the sacral nerves to help strengthen

muscles in the bowel.

Sacral nerve stimulation is much

less invasive than are other surgical

approaches, and it carries low risk

of serious complications. Although

long-term results are unknown at this

point, multicenter studies of sacral

nerve stimulation have reported

marked and sustained improvement

in bowel control