P08 05072017

8 Wednesday 5 July 2017 THE NAMIBIAN THE NAMIBIAN
HeartBeat
Wednesday 5 July 2017
9
Making a Difference.
www.erongomed.com
No. 6 Copper Street, Prosperita, Windhoek,
Tel: +264 61 296 5900, Email: info@erongomed.com
Opinion
Vaginal Infections
BUY DIRECTLY FROM THE DEVELOPER
SELLING FAR BELOW VALUATION.
BRAND NEW DEVELOPMENT
• 3 Bedrooms
• 2 Bathrooms
• Lounge
• Kitchen
• Braai Area
• Total size - 107m 2
The risk factors of prostate cancer are a high-fat
diet, being overweight, and obesity, smoking, family
history and high alcohol intake. These are the reasons
we should be more concerned about prostate cancer.
This is the most common cancer amongst men in
Namibia, and in the beginning of the cancer, there are
no signs and symptoms. But when the prostate gland
enlarges, the patient will experience symptoms.
– Rolf Hansen
Ejaculation and
prostate cancer myth
• NOMHLE
KANGOOTUI
EVER come across the scare
story about how if you don’t
ejaculate 21 times a month,
you’ll develop prostrate cancer?
Well, it’s not true, according
to medical experts spoken
to this week for this column.
According to Dr Emmanuel
Johnson, a urological
surgeon at Lady Pohamba
Private Hospital and Windhoek
Central Hospital, the
ejaculation story is a myth.
“In the past, we used to
think that was the case. But
with new and improved studies,
there is no evidence that
if you don’t ejaculate, you are
most likely to get prostate
cancer,” Johnson said.
However, Johnson said
regular sex was good for
one’s health, physically
and mentally, and that
it can reduce stress,
the risk of developing
cancer and improve the
heart condition.
The chief executive
officer of the Cancer Association
of Namibia, Rolf
Hansen, said there were
many myths around cancer
and related illnesses.
“The risk factors of prostate
cancer are a high-fat
diet, being overweight, and
obesity, smoking, family
Contact Michele Mouton
to reserve your unit.
Office: 061 269 457
Cell: 081 231 0372
Dr Emmanuel Johnson
history and high alcohol intake. These are the
reasons we should be more concerned about
prostate cancer. This is the most common cancer
amongst men in Namibia, and in the beginning
of the cancer, there are no signs and symptoms.
But when the prostate gland enlarges, the patient
will experience symptoms,” Hansen explained.
He said some of the symptoms entail having
problems with starting or stopping urinating,
not being able to urinate, needing to urinate
often, and pain or a burning sensation during
urination.
“There is also difficulty having an erection.
You also get a feeling of heaviness in the scrotum.
Some of the signs are blood in the urine or
semen, and frequent pain in the lower back, hips
or upper thighs, amongst others,” said Hansen.
Fast facts
What happens to sperm if I don’t have sex
or masturbate?
The body can happily cope with unused
sperm, with no impact on fertility or sex drive.
If it doesn’t come out in a wet dream, the body
will absorb what it doesn’t use or need.
What happens if a man doesn’t ejaculate
for years?
Not much. The testes are self-regulating. If
there is no demand for sperm, the testes will
stop making them until you ejaculate.
If you don’t ejaculate for a long time, you
may (or may not) have a ‘nocturnal emission’
– “involuntary ejaculation’ that happens during
sleep.
Most of the volume of ejaculation comes from
fluids from the prostate gland, not the testes.
Black men have the highest rate of prostate
cancer in the world.
Prostate cancer occurs primarily in older men.
Nearly two-thirds of men diagnosed with
prostate cancer are 60 or older.
Contact our friendly sales team for your advertising requirements in The Namibian
Newspaper and Online.061 279 664, 061 279 692, 061 279 661, 061 279 693
or Fax: 061 229 206
Email: sales@namibian.com.na
• CHRIS OYAGA
DISORDERS of the vagina caused
by infections present discomforting
symptoms like vaginal discharge, a bad
smell, painful urination, painful sexual
intercourse and itching, among others.
Some of these symptoms may be
chronic and very frustrating to the patients
and their quality of life is generally
lowered. They feel uncomfortable when
they are in public because of a presumed
smell which other people are often not
aware of.
This could reduce a woman’s interest
in social gatherings.
Vaginal infections can affect females
of all ages although they are not as common
in pre-pubertal girls and post-menopausal
women as they are in sexually
active women. Frequencies are higher in
women with frequent sexual intercourse
than their inactive counterparts.
In this article we are going to have
an overview of the types of vaginal
infections, their causes, signs and
symptoms, the risk factors involved.
By the end we shall also understand
which of these infections, by nature
of the prevailing symptoms, are treatable
with over-the-counter (OTC)
medications or require a visit to the
doctor.
We should also be able to differentiate
between those that are sexually
transmitted and the ones that are not
acquired through sexual intercourse.
Complications that may be caused by
some of these infections will also be
mentioned here.
Types of Vaginal Infections:
They can be categorised into bacterial
infections, trichomonas (protozoa)
infections and yeast (candida)
infections. It is possible to have a
combination of these infections in a
single episode.
Causes, Symptoms, Risk
factors and management
of Vaginal Infections:
1. Bacterial Vaginosis
Bacterial vaginosis is caused by
an excessive growth of the resident
bacteria (normal flora) in the vagina.
Normally there are both good and bad
bacteria in the vagina which must
exist in balance. But if the balance
is upset, then the overgrowth of the
bad bacteria will result into a bacterial
vaginal infection.
Most experts are not sure what
causes the imbalance between the
good and bad bacteria, but it is
believed that a woman’s risk of getting
bacterial vaginosis increases if,
among others:
• She smokes
• She douches or uses scented
vaginal preparations
• She has more than one sex partner,
• She has been on a broad-spectrum
antibiotic course
• She has other infections
• She has diabetes mellitus
• She has a shorter distance between
her anus and vagina.
It affects both the sexually active
and sexually inactive women. The infection
may not show any symptoms
although in most cases it manifests in
a fishy smelling vaginal discharge.
This infection is usually mild and
may clear in a few days, but it should
be properly diagnosed and treated by a
doctor (no effective OTC remedy) since it
may lead to the following complications:
• Preterm labour (miscarriages)
• Pelvic inflammatory diseases (which
may consequently lead to infertility)
It also increases a woman’s chances
of getting HIV.
2. Trichomonas
(Protozoa) infections.
This is a sexually acquired infection
that frequently occurs together with
gonorrhea and chlamydia trachomatis.
Trichomoniasis is the most common
sexually transmitted infection. Because
it causes inflammation of the vagina
lining, this infection increases one’s
risk of getting HIV and other sexually
transmitted infections (STIs).
It presents with a great quantity of
yellowish, pus containing, frothy and
sometimes a foul-smelling vaginal discharge.
However, the majority of patients
as well as their male counterparts are
asymptomatic.
This infection, like all other STIs,
should be diagnosed and treated by a
doctor who may have to treat your male
partner(s) as well. No OTC medicine is
appropriate for its treatment.
3. Yeast (Candida) Infections
Also known as vaginal thrush, yeast
infections affect the majority of women
(approximately more than 75%) at least
once in their lifetime.
It is not classified as a sexually transmitted
infection.
Candida albicans is normally present
in the gastro-intestinal tract and
vagina but it overgrows and becomes
problematic when there is a disruption
of the normal flora or a defect in one’s
immune system.
GET BACK
ON YOUR
FEET WITH
NEDLOANS.
When it comes to making the seemingly impossible
possible, paying an unexpected medical bill, doing
home repairs or improvements, furthering your
education, repairing appliances or even consolidating
multiple debts - a personal loan can be a stepping
stone to better your life.
We offer the right loan amount at the best interest
rates, ensuring that you maintain a good credit
record.
Visit Nedbank, call 061 299 4200 or go to www.nedbank.com.na
see money differently
Chris Oyaga
GREAT
VALUE
NEDLOANS
BELIEVES IN
RESPONSIBLE
BORROWING