Dr. Keith Roach
Dear Dr. Roach: I used to be recognized with an enlarged prostate two months in the past. I assumed it was one other kidney stone I wanted to go, however I had a completely blocked urethra. I used to be despatched dwelling from the emergency room with a two-week catheter. My urologist prescribed 5 mg of finasteride and alfuzosin.
I spend winters in Florida, however my urologist in Florida says to not use finasteride, because it doesn’t work. I’m caught within the center now with my prescription. What is your skilled opinion on taking finasteride?
— D.T.
Dear D.T.: Your urologist in Florida is being overly dogmatic. The research clearly present that finasteride (Proscar), like its cousin dutasteride (Avodart), are efficient at treating an enlarged prostate. There is robust proof that they shrink the prostate, gradual development of prostate enlargement, enhance signs, and scale back the necessity for surgical procedure, all of that are good issues. Furthermore, additionally they scale back the chance of prostate most cancers with estimates of a 25% to 50% decreased relative danger in creating prostate most cancers.
What is true and what the urologist might actually imply is that these medicine work very slowly. You’ll get about half the profit you’ll ever get after six months of remedy. This is in sharp distinction to alpha blockers like alfuzosin, which work properly the day you are taking them.
Many urologists will prescribe each courses of medication to males who’ve a excessive danger of not responding to alpha blockers alone. The reality that you simply had whole obstruction appears to help the prescription of finasteride, and the earlier you begin it, the faster it turns into efficient. This resolution takes scientific judgment, however the information usually help your first urologist’s resolution.
Dear Dr Roach: During the previous couple of weeks, there have been quite a few articles within the information about eliminating black utensils attributable to flame retardant and different chemical substances. It says that 85% of black utensils and pans might have this downside. My husband and I are in our early 80s and have good well being. Is this actually one thing to fret about?
— E.M.
Dear E.M.: A examine was printed in October exhibiting that many family merchandise made from black plastic are contaminated with flame retardants. The authors famous that these are sometimes constructed from recycled supplies, a few of which comprise giant quantities of flame-retardant chemical substances.
Some of those chemical substances have well being considerations, reminiscent of presumably rising the chance of most cancers, disrupting hormones, and doubtlessly inflicting developmental defects in kids. These chemical substances have largely been banned, however they proceed to be recycled and reused. The examine doesn’t give an estimate of how giant the chance may be, however the ranges they discovered are actually in extra of what’s really helpful.
I typically see research the place there’s a negligible danger that’s blown out of proportion by the press. This could also be related. However, because it isn’t exhausting to cut back danger, it’s affordable to exchange black plastic merchandise you employ day by day with one thing safer like metallic, wooden, bamboo or silicone. I did.
Readers might e mail inquiries to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu.
