Ten errors from urology are cleared up

Many popular wisdom does not stand up to closer inspection

06/24/2014

Numerous myths circulate around urology: Often, however, they do not stand up to expert scrutiny. Dr. Reinhold Schaefer, urologist and managing director of the medical network Uro-GmbH Nordrhein explains about ten common mistakes.

Myth # 1: Laptops, heated seats & Co. make impotent
Common theme: male virility and fertility. Especially technical devices are always suspected of endangering masculinity. According to popular belief, for example, heat through seat heating or the use of laptops on the lap impairs fertility. „It is true that testicles can not tolerate strong heat“, explains Dr. Shepherd. „For permanent damage but would require weeks to months overheating.“

Myth # 2: Lame sperm from mobile phone radiation
Mobile phones, on the other hand, are considered to be harmful to fertility, mainly because of the radiation emitted by them. However, this fear seems unfounded according to the current state of scientific knowledge. Here, too, at most heat, which give mobile phones, especially when wearing in trouser pockets, as a cause for a temporarily limited sperm quality in question.

Myth # 3: Cycling endangers masculinity
Also persistent is the rumor that cycling is impotent. But urologists also contradict this frequently expressed conjecture. Even those who cycle a lot and a long time will not be harmed. Any pain after long tours lead experts back to a malposition of the saddle. „Even these painful irritations, however, in no way point to potency limitations,“ emphasizes Shepherd.

Myth # 4: Cold causes bladder infections
In the female sex, however, folk wisdom often turn to a disease that many women really often suffer from: bladder infections. According to popular opinion, it is caused by hypothermia. There is at least a spark of truth in this statement, as wetness and cold promote the development of cystitis. However, the disease is caused by bacteria that reach the urinary bladder in various ways.

Myth # 5: Cranberry juice as „Miracle Weapon“ against urinary infections
As a gentle remedy for urinary tract infections, many recommend the use of cranberry juice, capsules or the dried fruit. But here, too, shows that myth and reality often do not agree. „A substance contained in the berry, although studies actually make it difficult for bacteria to settle on the walls of the bladder, but it does not represent a reliable protection or an effective remedy for an existing inflammation“, puts Dr. Schaefer clear.

Myth # 6: „I'm about to burst the bubble“
„I'm about to burst the bubble“ - a sentence that often falls when the next quiet place is unreachable. But can a full bladder really burst? A healthy bladder holds between 250 and 500 milliliters of urine, depending on gender and body size, and does not simply burst if emptying fails. However, if the amount exceeds the maximum filling volume, even the strongest muscles can no longer withstand the pressure and the bladder empties. Unpleasant, but not dangerous.

Myth # 7: STDs die out
Sexually transmitted diseases are the downside of pleasure. However, although everyone can protect themselves effectively with these condoms, some of which are extremely harmful, more and more carelessness is spreading. Tripper, syphilis & Co. are considered extinct „threatened“. In truth, however, all these infections increase again. Since certain venereal diseases can cause cancer or make them infertile, those affected should seek immediate urologist - and best prevent it.

Myth # 8: Only women get into menopause
Hot flashes, sweats and mood swings - there are easier phases than the menopause of a woman. But not only the female sex is affected by the consequences of the so-called climacteric. About every third to fourth person also discovers unpleasant symptoms such as loss of performance, sexual aversion or erectile dysfunction due to hormonal changes.

Myth # 9: Men can always
It is only too happy that most men want to live up to this myth. But even with the strong sex, the sexual desire decreases in certain phases of life and with increasing age. In younger men - up to 45 years - erectile problems often arise as a result of stress, drugs or alcohol. In older age, physical factors are often in the foreground. In both cases urologists help to find individual triggers and appropriate therapies.

Myth # 10: Blue wonder pill makes tired men happy
When, at the end of the 1990s, the first erection-promoting agents came on the market, the blue pills were not just literally on everyone's lips. But now the big excitement is over. Although potency pills are still considered a successful remedy for erectile dysfunction, but men without this organic dysfunction describe the never-ending steady high rather annoying. Side effects such as headache and nausea are also concomitant. In addition, there are many other causes of erectile dysfunction that can not be treated by these drugs. (Pm)