Dr. Fagin Checkin
Weekly feature - medical check-up with doctor Fagin! And joining us here to sort out some medical problems is doctor Randy Fagin. Thank you so much!
Good morning.
For joining us. And we've got a sensitive topic to discuss today, huh?
Yeah.
October is national impotence month so let's get right to it. How significant a problem is that?
It's actually a huge problem, you know. Over 18 million American men are affected by ED. And it goes right along with the age group. So about 40 percent of the guys in their fourties, about 50 percent in their fifties, 60 percent in their sixties. It's a significant health issue.
Yeah and I know part of the problem is there's sort of a... people sort of giggle when they hear it and it's sort of funny to talk about. But if it's your problem it's not the least bit funny.
No no, it's actually a very very big deal. And what's important to know about ED is that it's not just about the symptom. The symptom actually may be an underlying factor that's causing it. So guys that have ED need to understand. You know, over 70 percent of men who have cardio-vascular disease have ED. Over 60 percent of men who are admitted to the hospital with a heart attack had prior ED. Over half of the guys who have diabetes have ED. So there are a lot of folks walking around there with ED as a symptom but they don't know what the underlying cause is. Which makes it terribly important to go to their primary care doctor and discuss this.
So it's not something you think people should just live with and maybe keep it a private issue between..
Oh no, it's terribly important. Now listen, I mean, 20 percent or so cases of ED are actually truly psychological in nature, OK? Stress, depression, anxiety, all these things can contribute to ED. But that's not always the case. There often are underlying factors. I mean, ED can be thought as cardio-vascular disease below the belt. If you've got ED you need to at least discuss it with your primary care doctor so you can run some basic tests. An EKG, some blood work, blood pressure, some real basic things that can help us to decide is this just something that's all in your head or is this something that is just a symptom of a bigger underlying problem.
So you could actually unlock the door to a much more significant problem that you need to take care of?
Absolutely.
Yeah. Now, I see ads on TV all the time. For Viagra, Cialis, all those drugs. Are you a fan of those.. that whole.. I guess genre of drugs?
Well the drugs do a marvelous job.
Yeah.
They really are very very good at treating the symptom. However, again, you know, we need to understand why they're having it. If we understand why they're having it the drugs are very very safe and very very effective.
I.. But they.. Is it hard to convince men to go in to be treated? To.. To talk about something that's that personal?
It is, you know? But I think if we get the message out there that this is not just you, this is 18 million American men and this can be a sign of other things. You know, you're not alone and your health needs to come first. So to live a long healthy life just talk to your doctors about these simple issues. It may just be something as simple as taking a little pill to help you out. But there may be something else going on there as well.
Maybe a simple solution, maybe a life saver, huh?
Absolutely.
Excellent. Anything else you think people need to know today on our.. our listener.. Sounds like, if you've got an issue, get to your doctor!
Yeah, I mean, our theme throughout this entire series we've been doing is all about prevention. If you can diagnose something before it becomes a major problem - far easier to treat it than if it's left to go on for a long time.
And even though it may be a little sensitive to discuss, still - get to the doctor.
Very, very important to talk about.
Doctors have heard it before and doctor may be able to save.. save your life!
Absolutely.
Well, doctor Fagin, thank you so much for joining us this morning! Important information..
You bet. Have a wonderful day.
You too! Thank you so much!