Blog Articles

How a PSA test saved Ben Stiller's life

Just a few months ago, Ben Stiller shocked his fans, movie lovers and the wider world by revealing that, at the tender age of 48, he had a scary brush with prostate cancer.

The Hollywood funnyman is not alone. After skin cancer, prostate cancer is the number 1 cancer among men, affecting over 160,000 people in Stiller’s native USA. And in Australia, there were about 18,000 diagnoses of prostate cancer in 2016, including almost 3,400 deaths.

According to Cancer Australia, in Australia, prostate cancer is actually the most diagnosed cancer of all, beating bowel, breast, melanoma and lung cancer.

Luckily, as Ben Stiller himself will tell you, the news is not all scary. So let’s dive in and take a closer look.

What is prostate cancer?

By the age of 85, 1 in 5 Australian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. About the size of a walnut, the prostate is a gland of the male body involved in the production of semen, located just beneath the bladder.

Men can be alerted to the potential of prostate cancer by frequent urination, pain when urinating, blood in the urine, a weak stream and the feeling that the bladder is not being fully emptied, or more serious symptoms that may indicate advanced disease.

Read More »How a PSA test saved Ben Stiller's life

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Restoring Intimacy with Erectile Dysfunction: Is there such a thing?

Advances in knowledge, science and technology are helping Urologists make life-changing difference to patients who suffer Erectile Dysfunction (ED) according to Dr Phillip Katelaris.

One of the leading urologist at the San, Dr Katelaris has been a urologist for over 25 years and says 1 in 5 men over 40 suffer with it and this incidence increases with age.

Read More »Restoring Intimacy with Erectile Dysfunction: Is there such a thing?

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What is a vasectomy and are there any risks involved?

What is a vasectomy?

A vasectomy is considered one of the most effective methods of birth control, and the operation is given to around 10,000 Australian men each year.

A vasectomy is a small operation</a> that prevents the release of sperm during male ejaculation. The procedure involves clamping, severing or sealing the vas deferens from each testicle. This prevents sperm, the male reproductive cells, from mixing with the semen that is ejaculated from the penis. This means that, even if your ejaculate comes into contact with an egg, it cannot be fertilised. This procedure does not prevent sperm from being produced; sperm will still be produced by the body, but it will simply be reabsorbed. This is a normal occurrence and happens to sperm that remains dormant and is not ejaculated, even in men without a vasectomy. Due to the fact that the vas deferens tubes are blocked before the seminal vesicles, you will still produce the same amount of fluid when you ejaculate.

Read More »What is a vasectomy and are there any risks involved?

Botox for overactive bladder syndrome

Botox treatment for overactive bladder syndrome?

While more commonly known for its role in cosmetic treatments, Botox can also provide relief from a host of other conditions. One of these is the use of the protein Botox in the management of an Overactive Bladder Syndrome (OAB).

This gives sufferers, who don’t respond to drug treatments and exercises, a very effective medication-free approach.

Botox for OAB as a treatment is safe and has been subject to a number of different studies with two recent and widely published studies in 2015.

For people struggling with an overactive bladder, this uncomplicated approach, repeated every four to nine months, will allow for a medication-free solution to something no one should have to face.

Read More »Botox treatment for overactive bladder syndrome?

Overactive Bladder: The Facts Vs The Myths

Overactive bladder remains one of the mostly commonly undiagnosed conditions in amongst the general population. An oft research paper from BJU Int estimates 4 out of 10 patients with symptoms of overactive bladder may not actually seek medical help.

Overactive bladder, or OAB, is a condition where the bladder can no longer hold urine normally. This is accompanied by urinary urgency and is often accompanied by frequency and nocturia. Indeed the most common symptom of OAB is the sudden, difficult to control, urge to urinate. This may result in some leakage.

Leakage of urine is called “incontinence” and because the two are linked, a common question we often hear is: So what is the difference between having an overactive bladder and urinary incontinence?

Well urinary incontinence isn’t itself a condition like OAB is, it’s a symptom which could be a result of a number of issues. For instance, incontinence could be a sign of something simple like excessive fluid consumption. But, it also can signal a more serious problem, like a urinary tract infection (UTI).

OAB itself is caused by premature, uncontrolled contractions of the detrusor muscle (the bladder muscle) which results in the feeling to urinate.

However, these contractions and subsequent ‘feeling’ or urinate does not always in actual urination. A person can also have ‘dry’ OAB as the mind registers these contractions as an urgent need to urinate. You’ll make it to the bathroom on time but it can cause a lot of frustration, worry and anxiety.

‘Wet’ OAB on the other hand means you may not always make it to the bathroom without leaking urine.

In terms of the lifestyle causes of OAB, these vary from person to person and it is best to speak to your urologist or Dr Phillip Katelaris to diagnose your particular situation.

Common causes include (but are not limited to):

Read More »Overactive Bladder: The Facts Vs The Myths