Men's Health

Poll: How much sex are people really having now?

July 16, 2021 by admin

Half a year ago, when the COVID-19 pandemic was rampant, we asked, “how often are you having sex?”

The COVID-19 Pandemic has made it increasingly difficult to maintain healthy relationships with our significant others. You may have had to social distance for longer durations, or maybe you had actually gotten sick of being cooped up together without a break. Interestingly, the majority of people answered that they had sex weekly; however, the second highest vote was rarely or never.

While we’re now seeing some hope for the pandemic from more vaccinations, AND it’s finally summer – has there been changes to your sex life? Find out what other couples are experiencing too after answering our short poll!

Exosomes. Extraordinary Extracellular Vesicles

July 6, 2021 by admin

Let it never be said that nature has run out of surprises. Or that science has run out of discoveries. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles (EVs) first described as such 30 years ago and since implicated in cells, cell communication and the transmission of disease states. Fundamental questions about their biology remain unanswered. Here is the current definition and some of the outstanding issues in exosome biology –

The exosome is composed of all of the exons within the genome, the sequences which, when transcribed, remain within the mature RNA after introns are removed by RNA splicing. This includes untranslated regions of mRNA, and coding sequence (or CDS). Exome sequencing has proven to be an efficient method to determine the genetic basis of more than two dozen Mendelian or single gene disorders.

Exosomes and the Future of Erectile Dysfunction Treatment.

Erectile dysfunction, or ED, affects nearly half of men between the ages of 40 and 70 to some extent. Vascular diseases interrelated with aging, hyperlipidemia, smoking, diabetes as well as hypertension, are often linked to erectile dysfunction. Furthermore, injury to cavernous nerves in the penile region “comprises an appreciable number of ED cases.” Other causes of erectile dysfunction include, but are not limited to endocrine disorders, as well as fibrosis of the penile tissue and corporal smooth muscle. Overall, both vasculogenic and neurogenic erectile dysfunctions are linked to the loss of normal cellular function or cell death (apoptosis).

Oral medications such as phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE5is), have clear benefits. Most recently, however, scientists and physicians have been focusing on new, next-generation, novel therapy options as a way to restore natural sexual function. One such treatment option includes Stem-Cell-based Bioactive Factor Therapy.

Stem-cell-based therapies focus on the management of erectile dysfunction “through the protection of the threatened host cells via immunomodulatory effects, and the provision of trophic factors or gene delivery.” In recent years, a number of research studies are supporting the concept that stem cell-based bio-active therapy is potentially the next generation therapeutic approach for erectile dysfunction.

https://vimeo.com/495598379

What are Mesenchymal Stem Cells?

Stem cells differentiate into smooth muscle cells, neurons, endothelial cells and other types of varying cells. Stem cells by definition have the capability of self-renewal, meaning that they can make copies of themselves for an indefinite period, and differentiate into a variety of phenotypes. Stem cells represent great promise for regenerative medicine.” Stem cells can be categorized as either embryonic stem cells (ESCs) or adult stem cells (ASCs). Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are adult stem cells which can be isolated from human and animal sources. The word “Stem Cells” more correctly known as “Mesenchymal Stem Cells” (MSCs) were termed MSCs secondary to their innate ability to duplicate while maintaining the attribute of multi-potential lineage

What are Bioactive Factors and EVs?

MSCs are able to secrete “Bioactive Factors”, such as exosomes and other extracellular vesicles (EVs), which aid in modulating the immune system, improve the standard rate of healing injured tissues and reduce inflammation. Stem Cell Bioactive Factors consist of nanoparticles which are released from the membranes of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs). These nanoparticles contain over “200 Growth factors, Cytokines and Nucleic Acids which support healthy cell-to-cell communication and are responsible for the therapeutic effects observed in regenerative medicine,” as well as perform a critical role in important processes such as immune responses, homeostasis maintenance, and more.

Microvesicles, an important EV, may “change functional target cells by delivering intracellular proteins.” For example, MVs released from endothelial cells can promote the regeneration through transfer of growth factors and their activators. MSC-derived EVs (MSC-EVs)-based stem cell therapies are easier to manage and safer “due to their inability to directly form tumors.”

Mesenchymal Stem Cell’s Bioactive Factors

Bioactive Factors demonstrate numerous advantages when compared to Mesenchymal Stem Cells:

Bioactive Factors do not contain DNA as they have no cells therefore there is no risk of a malignant transformation.
Bioactive Factors contain nanoparticles, which can travel systemically without the risks of clumping.
Bioactive Factors have the ability to cross the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) and are able to exert their neurotrophic effects.
MSCs can be perceived as “foreign” by our own immune system (both innate and adaptive); however, Bioactive Factors are able to evade immune response.

Essentially Bioactive Factors exert far more therapeutic effects than Mesenchymal Stem Cells could.

Therapeutic Effects of Stem Cell Bioactive Factors

Growth factors, cytokines, and nucleic acids within stem cell bioactive factors are catalysts for regeneration as they contribute to tissue and organ repair, alter inflammation, aid in neural communication, improve mitochondrial viability and participate in the alteration of aging cells. Overall, bioactive factors derived from stem cells aid the body in repairing damaged tissues and injuries.

Stem cell bioactive factors have been utilized by medical professionals for a number or varying aspects including, but not limited to, soft tissue repair, and restoring sexual wellness. In regards to men’s sexual health, Exosomes Therapy rejuvenates, repairs, and regenerates damaged penile tissues, aiding in the restoration of erectile function which may contribute to eliminating the need for long term reliance on drugs.

Some Examples of Bioactive (Growth) Factors

VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors): Aids in the creation of new blood vessels, and in the generation of muscles through bypassing blocked vessels.
PDGF-BB (Platelet Derived Growth Factor Sub Unit B): Stimulates the healing of soft as well as hard tissues.
TGF B3 (Transforming Growth Factor B3): Aids in the conversion of inflammatory T cells into anti-inflammatory Regulatory T cells.
GDF 15 (Growth Differentiation 15): Regulates inflammation and aids in cell repair as well as growth.

How Boston Medical Group Sources Bioactive Factors (Exosomes)

Boston Medical Group utilizes Exosomes produced from an FDA-registered Tissue Bank which follows strict GMP guidelines and implements as well as maintains FDA regulations. The Tissue Bank sources from the highest quality donors and harvests from the healthiest part of the placenta in order to produce viable MSCs from which secreted Exosomes are collected at the highest point potency. Upon the completion of manufacturing, each batch is sent for third party testing regarding microbiology and other safety protocols.

Clinical Trials Regarding Stem Cell Therapies and Erectile Dysfunction

Exosomes Therapy can utilize varying types of stem cells including MSCs. Exosomes may also treat erectile dysfunction by supporting penile tissue through paracrine or hormone effects such as the “release of repair cytokines triggering endogenous mechanisms of regeneration separate from the transdifferentiating of stem cells into different cell types.” Furthermore, MSCs do not necessarily need to be engrafted within tissue to create a functional and structural response to the therapy administered.

Phase one studies in humans have shown “results in terms of tolerability, safety, and efficacy of use of stem cell transplant for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.” Recent studies have also suggested that the combination shockwave therapy and stem-cell bioactive factors or Exosomes Therapy may decrease cell destruction within the penile corpora region as well as promote the growth of new blood vessels.

A literature review from ScienceDirect regarding the efficacy of stem-cell bioactive factors therapy revealed that five previously completed human clinical trials did show promise for the therapy as “being a restorative treatment option for erectile dysfunction,” the five studies included in the literature review utilized different types of stem cells, including various mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). A total of 61 patients were included in the five studies, with mean ages of men being between 50 and 70 years. The literature review found that the majority of the five studies suggested improvement in erectile function and vascular flow in the penile region due to stem cell therapy without the report of serious adverse events occurring during the follow-up period.

Exosomes Therapy may be a paradigm shift in the growing number of treatment options available for erectile dysfunction. Exosomes Therapy has been recognized for its therapeutic properties in regards to aiding in treatment for various conditions including erectile dysfunction. Boston ReGen Therapy embraces the latest in advanced technologies to help men restore erectile function without the use of drugs or the long-term reliance on drugs. Boston Medical Group utilizes treatment protocols which are personalized to the individual’s conditions and may combine regimens such as shockwave therapy called RejuvaPulse™ Therapy, BostonPRP Injections and Exosomes Therapy. Thanks to a vast amount continuing research and development, Boston Medical Group physicians have utilized the most efficacious treatment protocols and continue to be the market leader in the field Erectile Dysfunction.

Boston Medical Group’s Optimum Regenerative Solution

Boston Medical Group utilizes the latest in next generation revolutionary treatment options for Erectile Dysfunction while upholding to GMP guidelines, and the utmost standards or requirements regarding the utilization of FDA registered tissue procurement organizations for Exosomes Therapy. Boston Medical Group utilizes Stem-Cell Bioactive Factors secreted from the membranes of placental-derived MSCs (mesenchymal stem cells) which possess more than 200 growth factors as well as other immune factors which can render considerable therapeutic benefits.

References:

This Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Are Heated Car Seats (and more) Making You Sterile?

January 21, 2019 by admin

Researchers noted in a Fertility and Sterility journal that sitting for 90 minutes in a heated car seat may not be as luxurious as expected. Because sperm are dependent on a constant temperature lower than that of body temperature, direct heat from seat heaters may have long-term effects on male fertility.

Ideally, sperm production occurs at around 93.2 F (34 C). This is 5.4 F (3 C) below normal body temperature of 98.6 F (37 C ). But your testicles can get too cold for good sperm production, too.

Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of Fire

The above is an expression, and part of the lyrics of a Jerry Lee Lewis song popularized in a 1957 record release, which is actually an old Southern saying, meaning “OMG” or “Holy Cow.” But if you are at all athletically inclined or able to work up a sweat, you might experience a sensation whereby your testicles seem to be abandoning your body – lowering to escape spermicide caused by too much body heat.

Next time you hear a guy address another, “How’re they hangin’?” you might be reminded that nature has imbued testicles with the ability to sense variations in body and outside-of-body temperatures. They rise to the occasion of a lower outside air thermometer reading, and descend when the opposite happens within the body.

This actually is also the case with mammals in general. Sperm production is intrinsically dependent on the temperature of the testicles. Sperm is best produced when testicles are below body temperature. The scrotum, you know, that pouch of skin containing the testicles is the regulator. Kind of the mechanism to protect the species survival, you might be inclined to think.

Expansion and contraction allow heat transfers between blood that flows into the testes via spermatic cord arteries. Blood also flows out via veins in the same cord. Results? The blood is cooled or heated before entering the testes. There are, of course, limits to temperature control.

In extreme heat, this natural cooling mechanism may not be sufficient to prevent testicular temperature rise that can cause the quality and quantity of sperm produced. Most unsafe heat exposure occurs in occupational situations.

“A number of studies have demonstrated an association between sperm quality and heat exposure. A large case control study found that men exposed to heat because of their occupation were 1.8 times more likely to have morphologically abnormal sperm. They were also 1.8 times more likely to have been trying unsuccessfully to conceive for more than one year, than men who had not been occupationally exposed to heat.

Studies have also demonstrated that the following occupational groups have a higher risk of infertility, which is thought to be related (at least in part) to testicular heat exposure.”*

Another study, from the ASRM (American Society for Reproductive Medicine), discussed the influence of a heated versus an unheated car seat on scrotal temperature. This study suggests that the frequent use of a heated car seat represents an additional scrotal, and consequently, testicular heat stress factor to that which is present by merely sitting for long periods.

“It is too early to (make) any conclusions concerning the influence of heating car seats on semen quality,” researchers told Reuters Health.**

Another more recent comprehensive evaluation (of relevant articles published between 1970 and 2017) cited “Hypogonadism and erectile dysfunction can be associated with sports with high rates of head injuries, such as American football. Although early reports linked other sports, such as bicycling, to erectile dysfunction, subsequent studies isolated these associations to sports cycling rather than recreational cycling. Certain sports (football, basketball, handball, and volleyball) were linked to increasing prevalence and severity of varicocele, offering a potential link to male infertility. In addition, recreational activities such as sauna, hot tubs, Jacuzzis, heated car seats, and laptop use were associated with high testicular temperature, which can impair spermatogenesis. Radio frequency electromagnetic waves from cell phones and laptops have also been shown to have deleterious effects on sperm viability and motility.” ***

* https://healthengine.com.au/info/effect-of-environmental-factors-on-sperm-health

** https://www.reuters.com/article/us-heated-seat/heated-car-seat-may-be-too-hot-for-men-idUSCOL66403220080916?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

*** https://www.eu-focus.europeanurology.com/article/S2405-4569(18)30103-2/fulltext

The Boston Medical Centers & Your General Health

Having treated hundreds of thousands of men worldwide, Boston Medical Group physicians understand both the physical and psychological effects of sexual dysfunction. With that in mind, all of Boston Medical Group medical centers are built with individual waiting rooms to create comfortable and private patient experience.

All visits are by appointment only to limit the number of patients in the office at any given time. Further, The Boston Method® is designed so that all testing and treatment is completed right there in the office without the need for any off-site travel. http://www.bostonmedicalgroup.com/the-boston-method

Ask Men’s Top 10 Myths About Sex

December 26, 2018 by admin

Our BMG doctor Barry Buffman gave an interview for the popular web publication Ask Men. In this interview, Dr. Buffman helped men understand 10 basic myths about sex that are very widely believed among U.S. males.

2019 is here and these myths still stand the test of time.

Read: Top 10 Myths About Sex – AskMen.com

Physical Fitness and Sexual Health

July 9, 2013 by admin

Being physically fit is easy for some, but what about for those who have trouble keeping motivated and interested in a fitness routine?

Sometimes the hardest part of working toward a goal is not having a goal to reach and the best part of working out is reaching your goal. So working out without a plan can be quite frustrating. Don’t be unreasonable with yourself, set attainable goals at first and as time goes on- challenge yourself a little more.

Working out shouldn’t feel like a chore, make it part of your everyday schedule and you’ll be more likely to look forward to time spent improving your physical health. Even if it’s taking the stairs a few flights, the incorporation into your daily life can improve the way you see physical activity.

You’re not alone if you dread running around the block by yourself, so finding a workout partner can motivate the both of you. Having a friend there can also make exercising more fun and enjoyable. Additionally, Boston Medical Group

Plan a diet and fitness schedule, keep on track and as you reach your goals you’ll see a huge improvement in your physical body as well as your fitness attitude. Being overweight can lead to a number of unwanted health conditions so keeping yourself fit and cared for is of everlasting importance.

Men's Health

This Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of Fire

The Boston Medical Centers & Your General Health

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