Health is a very basic requirement of human beings.No wonder drug manufacturing is big business and becoming a doctor still a prestigious career option for young kids. Moreover, as general awareness about health-related matters has been on the rise, people the world over have begun to pay more attention to health and hygiene. A fresh look is being taken at alternative medicine and "holistic healing" is the mantra of our age. Those leading sedentary lifestyles have started sweating it out in gyms. Although most ailments are common to people of both sexes, there are some that are quite unique to men.

Coping with male hair loss
Can excessive hair loss, the kind associated with male pattern baldness, be prevented - that is, reduced to acceptable levels? That depends on who you ask. And ultimately, who you are? Facts Pertaining to Hair Loss and more STDs - Loving safely!


Therapy
The biggest problem with therapy, is that it is "shaped to be effective with women." Talking and expressing emotions are difficult for most men because it is not in their nature to seek help. Boys won't open up one on one, but they will talk while playing basketball.

Ritual
A ritual is a routine activity that helps people move from one state of mind to another. It is often a critical part of a man's healing process. Sometimes men express their grief symbolically. Symbolic actions can include dedicating a game during a sporting event or building a memorial.

Mixed signals
Men often get mixed signals when it comes to expressing grief. The message they receive growing up; is to take loss "like a man." When they reach adulthood, though, the messages become contradictory. Thus, men are criticized when they don't grieve, and their masculinity is questioned when they do.

Physical differences
Biological differences also offer some insight into why men grieve the way they do. Compared with women, men have less prolactin, a hormone excreted by the pituitary gland, which is associated with emotional tears. Boys and girls have equal amounts until about age 12, then the level in boys plummets as testosterone levels rise.

In the brain, the corpus callosum (the band between the two hemispheres) is a link between emotions and words. In men, the connection appears to be slower, which means men take longer to process emotions.

Infertility is defined as the failure of a couple to become pregnant after one year of regular, unprotected intercourse. In both men and women the fertility process is complex, and, in many cases, infertility is caused by a combination of problems in both partners that conspire to prevent conception. About 10% to 15% of couples experience some form of infertility, and, in approximately 40% of these cases, male infertility is the major factor. Another 40% of infertility problems are caused by abnormalities of the woman's reproductive system, and the remaining 20% involve couples who both suffer reproductive difficulties.

Experts suggest that sperm counts tend to fluctuate widely from year to year and also from season to season. Sperm counts appear to differ by region. Temperature and climate may play some role in the differences seen from country to country and from year to year.

General Problems with Sperm Production and Quality
More than 90% of male infertility is due to low sperm counts, poor sperm quality, or both. In 30% to 40% of cases of sperm abnormalities, the cause is unknown. Abnormal sperm production is categorized by the following terms: oligospermia (less than 10 million sperm per cubic centimeter of semen), azoospermia (no sperm), dysspermia (low-quality sperm), or aspermia (no ejaculate). One study reported that fertilization rates were 71% for men with a single defect in sperm count, motility, or morphology (structure), 50% for a double defect, and 39% for triple defects. Although it has been thought that fertility and sperm quality decline after age 40, a recent study has reported that sperm number, structure, and motility (the ability to move) do not decline until beyond age 64.

Low Sperm Count
A normal sperm count is considered to be 20 million/mL. A lower than normal sperm count can be caused by a variety of defects, which usually occur later in sperm development, since most men have an adequate number of sperm-creating germ cells. When the cause is not known, which occurs in half the cases, the condition is known as idiopathic oligospermia.
Sperm count may vary widely over time as well, so a single test that reports a low count may not be a representative result. Temporary low counts can be caused by many conditions, including high fever, stress, various drugs, chemotherapy, environmental toxins, overheating, and lack of sleep.Complete failure of the testes to produce any sperm is relatively rare, affecting less than 5% of infertile men. Low counts do not preclude fertilization if the woman is fertile. In the past, less than 40 million sperm per cubic centimeter (cc) in the ejaculate was believed to cause infertility. Now, however, if the woman is fertile and young, it is believed that a sperm count as low as 10 million cc can accomplish conception over time, even without treatment.

Sperm Motility
The quality of the sperm is often more significant than the count. Sperm motility is the ability to move. If motility is slow, not straight forward, or both, the sperm have difficulty invading the cervical mucous or penetrating the hard outer shell of the egg. If 60% or more of sperm have normal motility, then the sperm is at least average in quality. If less than 40% of sperm are able to move in a straight line, the condition is considered abnormal. Sperm that move sluggishly may also have other defects that render them incapable of fertilizing the egg. Sperm motility can be affected by infections in the semen, semen that is too thick, or a poor environment within the epididymis.

Sperm Morphology
Morphology refers to the shape and structure of an object. Morphology may be even more important than count or motility in determining potential fertility. Abnormally shaped sperm cannot fertilize an egg. About 60% of the sperm should be normal in size and shape for adequate fertility. The perfect structure is an oval head and long tail. Abnormally shaped sperm may include a very large round head, an extremely small pinpoint head, a tapered head, a crooked head, two heads, or a tail with kinks and curls. Such an abnormality indicates early unraveling of genetic material.

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