Men's Health Archive

Transient ischemic attacks, or TIAs, can signal an impending stroke, but prompt care can minimize damage.

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Have you ever experienced a brief episode when your body seemed to be a little off—your vision was blurry, your speech slightly slurred, or one side of your body felt weaker than the other? If so, you may have experienced a transient ischemic attack (TIA), says Dr. Natalia Rost, a neurologist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. She notes that many women may assume they have suffered a migraine and get back to life as usual once the episode has passed. In fact, a TIA is a serious medical issue and warrants getting immediate treatment.

Why white matter really matters

Men should always seek out a second medical opinion anytime they are given a diagnosis of serious illness or a recommendation for surgery. Also, when seeking a second opinion, it is best to visit a different medical center to get a truly independent diagnosis, and to bring along a family member or friend to accurately record the new information.

Knowing what to expect as you age can make intimacy more enjoyable for you and your partner.

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Your sex life doesn't end once you reach a certain age. Older people continue to enjoy active sex lives well into their 70s and 80s, according to a study in the January 2016 issue of Archives of Sexual Behavior. In fact, 54% of men over age 70 report they are still sexually active. Still, older men need to change their mindset when it comes to this next phase of their sex life.

"Our culture has a narrow perspective of what is considered good or 'normal' sex," says Dr. Sharon Bober, director of the Sexual Health Program at Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Center. "Your body and mind change as you age, which means your sex life does, too."

Often referred to as a ministroke , a transient ischemic attack, or TIA, often lasts only minutes, but acts as a warning for a potential full stroke.

Stumble walking across the room? You simply aren't watching your step. Forget a name or can't get out the right words? It's just a fuzzy senior moment. Feeling a little dizzy? You only need to sit down for a second.

Often considered an ailment of only military veterans, this condition also can affect many older men.

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Mention post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and most people immediately think of military veterans. While this group is highly susceptible to PTSD, research has shown that older adults, specifically men, are also vulnerable.

PTSD is a potentially debilitating condition that can occur in people who have experienced a natural disaster, war, terrorism, serious accident, violent personal assault, or similar traumatic event.

Used alone or with hormone therapy, radiation can be a viable option for men at any stage of prostate cancer.

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Nowadays, men diagnosed with prostate cancer are often given two treatment choices, on opposite ends of the spectrum. First is active surveillance, where you forgo immediate treatment and monitor the cancer's growth. The other is surgery to remove the cancerous prostate.

But an in-between option might be a better choice for men who do not want the anxiety of wait-and-see or the physical hardship of surgery: radiation therapy.

Dr. Terry Schraeder talks with Dr. Michael Miller about the symptoms of depression in men and getting over the gender hurdles to find the right treatment.

Age-related drops in sex hormone levels sometimes cause undesirable symptoms. But is hormone therapy safe for the heart?

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A decline in sex hormones is a natural part of growing older. Still, it's only natural to want to feel robust, mentally sharp, and healthy as we age. So it's no surprise that hormone therapy—which has been touted by drug companies as a way to restore youthful vigor, first for women and more recently for men—has generated so much interest.

But hormone therapy has a long, controversial history, particularly with regard to how it may affect the risk for common, chronic health problems. The following is a summary of what we know—and don't know—about the cardiovascular effects of hormone therapy for women and men.

It is normal to lose some weight as a person ages. In fact, an estimated 10% to 20% of men older than age 65 lose 5% or more of their body weight over the rest of their lifetime. However, losing 5% of total weight in one year or 10% over two years warrants some medical testing.

The hype around human growth hormone (HGH) comes from a few studies that showed HGH injections can increase lean body mass and shrink body fat, which led to claims of HGH as an “anti-aging” hormone. Yet, the benefits of HGH supplementation for older adults are unproven, and there are concerns about potential side effects.