What is the prostate?

The prostate gland is part of the male reproductive system. Its secretions help nourish the sperm and aid fertility.About the size and shape of a walnut, it is sited below your bladder and above the base of your penis, between your pubic bone and your rectum. It encircles the urethra (the tube through which urine passes from the bladder).

How it develops

• In newborn boys the prostate is about the size of a pea. It grows very slowly until puberty.
• Then it doubles in size in a dramatic growth spurt.
• When a man reaches his 40s it begins to increase in size again.
• Various hormones control its growth and function. The most important is the male sex hormone, testosterone.

Signs of a problem

The most common sign of a prostate problem is difficulty in passing urine. Changes in the prostate narrow the urethra, the tube which carries urine from the bladder.
You might experience:

• a weak flow
• intermittency — a flow which stops and starts
• hesitancy — having to wait before you start to go
• frequency — having to urinate more often than previously
• urgency — finding it difficult to postpone urination
• nocturia — having to get up at night to urinate

A Quick Guide to Quickies

Tips for a revved-up romp

By Jennifer Benjamin
In bodice-ripping romance novels, hours of lovemaking sounds wonderful. In real life, marathon sessions can leave you wondering, Are we done yet? In fact, surveys show that most of us prefer sex to last less than 15 minutes.

Makes sense: In a speedy session, not only is there less pressure to have the best sex ever, but the lightning-fast factor can be exhilarating ("I must have you right now!"). To make a minutes-long romp even more satisfying, try these tricks.

When Health and Wealth Work Together – Everybody Wins

Health and wealth are inextricably connected. We’re reminded of that in each paycheck. Employers are reminded of it at each health plan renewal. Unfortunately, the relationship between the two – health and wealth – has long been a dysfunctional one in the context of employer sponsored health. Sort of like a failed marriage – they’ve been in the same room, but they haven’t really been speaking with one another.
Until now.
RedBrick Health is thrilled to announce our alliance with Fidelity Investments. Together, we are providing an effective alignment of health and finance not formerly available.
We all know the real problem with health care cost control – the 50% of avoidable costs tied to unhealthy behaviors (and in direct consumer control). To generate impactful behavior change, individuals need the right planning tools and support for both their health and finances. They need to see them as related. Our unique solution enables consumers to earn the rewards of good health and immediately invest those earnings into a tax-advantaged retirement vehicle, the 401K.
Why is this link so important? Individuals need the right combination of motivation and support to change unhealthy behavior. And because individuals are motivated by different forms of investment, our platform provides consumers choice – they can invest their ‘health dividends’ via premium reductions, HSA deposits or 401K investment. Either way, a positive tie between healthy behavior and finances is made inseparable.
In many ways, it changes everything about how consumers will view health benefits and how their individual behaviors simultaneously impact cost and wellness.
The alliance of RedBrick Health and Fidelity Investments brings together the combination of support employees and employers need. From a consumer’s perspective, setting up and managing a 401K can be intimidating and confusing. Fidelity has provided the tools, support and expertise to help individuals navigate and make smart individualized choices. Getting healthy can likewise be intimidating and daunting. RedBrick Health provides the tools and support to help make it simple, and even fun.
From an employer’s perspective, the unyielding burden of financing avoidable unhealthy employee behavior is not sustainable. Just as Fidelity helped employers transition from the retirement liability of pension plans to 401K in a manner that enabled employees to gain in the transition, the RedBrick Health/Fidelity solution provides a similar advantage. Employers get out from under the looming shadow of spiraling health care costs, and employees are provided an opportunity to earn healthy rewards that pay, now and in their future.
Financial rewards and investment options for healthier behavior aren’t the whole solution, of course. Employers also need to have direct conversations with employees about the impact of their behaviors and cost. And employees need the support necessary to change those behaviors. The first step is flanking the financial accountability with a real “roadmap” to better health. Combine the financial, personal and social aspects of getting healthy within a positive consumer experience and exceptional engagement and results follow.

Is obesity contagious?

Yes according to a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine. Our social circle can have a dramatic impact on our own weight.
Obesity, it turns out, is infectious. On average, having an obese friend made a person gain about 17 pounds. In fact there is a better than a 50/50 chance that you can predict someone’s weight health by looking at those in their immediate social circle.
And, it even seems to infect at a distance: friends who live far away and see each other infrequently are just as influenced by each other’s weight gain than friends who live near one another.
We tend to pattern our behaviors after our friends and establish personal norms that reflect our social network. Friends and family members – and even co-workers – tend to shape our choices. Light up or lace up?  Hit the gym, or beers at the bar? It often depends on what those around us are doing. In fact some social ties have a stronger impact than even spouses and siblings.
The impact of this snowball effect around obesity is huge for employers. It is estimated that this country spends over $150 billion a year on diseases related to obesity like heart disease, hypertension and diabetes.
However there is good news here too: the same ripple effect through our social networks that causes obesity can also create positive health changes. Studies have shown that getting friends, family or workplace groups involved in a nutrition/physical activity programs is contagious. By participating in programs with others it is proven that more weight is lost and kept off longer than doing it alone.
One trend that’s catching fire is the use of healthy social competition within the workplace.  Done right, this kind of activity can spread virally, drive new social norms around eating, exercise, and weight management, and even add a dimension of freshness and fun to employee health initiatives.
We’re doing our part to spread positive health contagion through employer-based social networks. In late May we deployed web and mobile technology that’s helping a whole bunch of employers across the state of Minnesota get healthy and fit – through a cross-company competition rolled out by the Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota.  It’s the “Biggest Loser” corporate challenge. For the latest standings check out the leaderboard at www.competeforhealth.org.
And if you happen to be in San Diego at Healthcare Unbound on July 19-20 stop by our panel session to learn more.
Good health can be contagious too – let’s spread some around.
- Eric Zimmerman, CMO, RedBrick Health