Issue No. 67 - November to December 2011 - DOH

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swell.Sometimes, the testicles stayinside the lower abdominal tract or whatis called undescended testes. Surgery cancorrect and put the testicles in the scrotum.Like the ovaries of the female,testicles are components of both thereproductive system (being gonads) and theendocrine system (being endocrine glands).The respective functions of the testiclesare: producing sperm (spermatozoa) andproducing male sex hormones, of whichtestosterone is the best-known.The testicles are well-known tobe very sensitive to impact and injury. Blueballs is a slang term for a temporary fluidcongestion in the testicles and prostateregion caused by prolonged sexual arousal.The most prominent diseases oftesticles are: testicular cancer and otherneoplasms; swelling of a testicle, causedby hydrocele testis; inflammation of thetesticles, called orchitis; inflammation of theepididymis, called epididymitis;spermatic cord torsion alsocalled testicular torsion;varicocele or swollen vein fromthe testes, usually affecting theleft testicle; and anorchidismis the absence of one or bothtesticles.The removal of oneor both testicles is termed asorchidectomy, in medicineand castration in generaluse, especially when done aspunishment or torture, or as acatch-all term for orchidectomyin a veterinary context. On theother hand, it is called geldingspecifically in the equine sense.Know Your Own BallsBecome familiar with16 HEALTHbeat I November - December 2011the look, feel and shape of your own testiclesbecause this will help you notice just in caseanything goes wrong.Let’s do a recap. The characteristicsof healthy testicles include:• each testicle feels like a smooth,firm egg;• one testicle tends to hang lowerthan the other;• one testicle may be slightly largerthan the other;• there is no pain or discomfortwhen the testicles and scrotum arehandled gently; and• the testicles and scrotum will bepulled up close to your body whenthey are cold. They will be hangingdown loose when hot. This is handledautomatically to keep the testicles atthe right temperature.Once a month, check each testicleby gently rolling it between your thumb andone or two fingers. Perform this check afterOrchidometer - used to measure testicle size and track sexual developmentin boys.a warm shower or bath when the scrotumskin is soft and the testicles are down furtherfrom the body. You need to get to know whatyour testicles feel like and what is normal foryou.Look for lumps (usually on the frontor side of the testicle), swelling, discomfort,change in size and shape (other than normalteenage growth of the testicles), a sensationof heaviness in the testicles. If you have aproblem, it is important to realize that youmay have only some of the symptoms listedhere and not all of them.In case of injury, you canunderstand what it feels like to have thetesticles hit by something - even lightly. Thepain and discomfort is beyond words andgoes right up through the whole body. If thepain does not go away after a reasonableperiod of time or new lumps or swellingappears, have your balls checked by a doctor.Immediately swallow your prideand get medical advice. A doctor willexamine your testicles andadvise you if there is a problem.If testicular cancer is detectedearly in its development, thenthe cure rate is almost 100%.If there is a problem, the longeryou put off going to the doctor,the less chance of total recovery.The lifetime risk of amale developing testicularcancer is 1 in 316. It is the mostcommon cancer experiencedby men, 15-35 years old. Thoseoutside this age group canstill develop this cancer, theonly difference is that it is notthe most common cancer forthat age range. The cause oftesticular cancer is unknown,but the rate of having thiscancer is rising.- o O o -
personal HEALTHThoughts and Feelings of HavingVASCULITISbyJOEREM P. CERIA, RNDOH National Center for Health PromotionFrom Bad to WorseIt was a typical happyfamily day - Sunday, September11. Everything was okay, until thetime I took my pants off to changethat night and noticed a rash on myright leg. I ignored the rash thinkingthat maybe I had scratched my legearly that day, not knowing thiswas the start of almost a monthlong misery.Two days passed,Wednesday after lunch, I feltsomething wrong with my left leg.At first I thought I was just havinga slight cramp but it was gettingbad and I got home limping. Therash on my right leg had alreadyspread all over to both legs andfeet. The condition of my legs hadgone bad to worse because asidefrom the rashes, my legs and feetbecame swollen. At this point, mybrain cells were shifting gears fromcool mode to panic mode! Whereon earth did I get this disease? Inmy exciting 29 years of existence, itwas my first time to encounter thiskind of disease – not only to see but also toexperience it myself! I was not able to go towork the next day and Friday.I am a Department of Healthemployee and also a registered nurse,but with an unknown condition like this, Ieasily turned to folkloric culturalbeliefs of kulam (witchcraft spell),sumpa (curse) and other unseenelements of nature. Bewildered,confused and getting impatient toknow more about my condition,I began to point to the nuno sapunso (dwarf-like creature inPhilippine mythology). I recalledan incident a day before I felt thesigns and symptoms, of killing bigants crawling my feet. I thoughtI may have disrespected the littlepeople who live in their dwellingand they have put a hex on me. Thisis the reason why before I broughtmyself to a hospital, I had a stop atLola Ana’s house. Lola Ana is a wellknown“magtatawas” in our place.("Pagtatawas" is a ritual inFilipino superstition where anaffliction or psychological disorderis diagnosed by interpreting theform produced in a basin of wateras heated alum or molten wax dropfrom a lighted candle as the onecausing the condition.)She performed a ritual, whichwill tell what or who caused mycondition. She melted a candle using a flatiron and then let the wax drop in a basinof water. After a few seconds, she took theNovember - December 2011 I HEALTHbeat 17
Page 3 and 4: HEALTH examQuotes of the YearMake a
Page 5 and 6: contents172066 The 7 Billionth Baby
Page 7 and 8: part of the solution.Ona added that
Page 11 and 12: ...continued from page 9Demographic
Page 13 and 14: RESEARCH briefWith research growing
Page 15: HOW YOURBALLSmen’s HEALTHHANGSorr
Page 19 and 20: Days passed without anyimprovement.
Page 21 and 22: and reversal of age-related dysfunc
Page 23 and 24: strength, boost immunity, bulks mus
Page 25 and 26: MMDA Chairman Francis N. TolentinoH
Page 27 and 28: TOP: Inspection of Ali Mall bus ter
Page 29 and 30: uses or 70.81 percent of the total
Page 31 and 32: stress RELIEF“Sa hinaba-haba man
Page 33 and 34: YEAR-END reviewHEALTH NEWSTop 10 in
Page 35 and 36: the movie industry warned Tolentino
Page 37 and 38: 7 Woeful SuicideOn February 8, cont
Page 39 and 40: (P32,000); essential hypertension (
Page 41 and 42: activities in their areas of jurisd
Page 43 and 44: ought about by tobacco use,excessiv
Page 45 and 46: la Paz’s motives for going to cou
Page 47 and 48: quoted as saying that he applies di
Page 49 and 50: TEST resultsAnswers to “Quotes of

Issue No. 67 - November to December 2011 - DOH

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