In the womb human embryos have a prenatal tail but as the embryo develops into a fetus the tail is absorbed by the growing body. But this didn’t happen to Oram and he now has a tail 13 inches long. Despite this Oram has refused any operation to have it removed saying he wouldn’t be the same person without it.

Oram lives in West Bengal and  was born on the date known as Rama Navami, which is the birthday of Hindu King Rama. Because of this Oram is regarded by many as an incarnation of the ape like Hindu deity Hanuman. Thousands of people queue up each day to seek blessings from him. In a corner of the courtyard of his home, Oram has set up a small Hanuman temple, where he receives offerings on Ram Navami, which he later offers to the deity.

The monkey god Hanuman

“I was born on Ram Navami (birthday of Lord Ram).” he says. “People have a lot of faith in me – they get cured of severe ailments when they touch my tail. I believe I can do a lot of good to those who come to me with devotion,”

The author writes for The Freaky, a site that posts weird news and strange medical stories from around the world.

In previous years, we tried our best to help spread information and clarify issues about breast cancer, from popular myths to tips for breast self-examination. This time, I find it fit to focus on the often neglected issue of male breast cancer.

Despite much attention given to breast cancer, one thing you will almost never hear even during information campaigns is the existence of male breast cancer. This is understandable considering that male breast cancer accounts for only 1% of all breast cancers; a very small number compared to the thousands of women falling prey to the disease each year. Even that small number is, however, unacceptable since breast cancer is no less fatal in men than in women.

The problem with so little information about male breast cancer is that men tend to put off being checked for the disease even with symptoms that to women would already be considered red flags that cannot be ignored. What happens is that men tend to write the symptoms off as a sign of some other less fatal illness, not realizing that they might actually be at risk for breast cancer. Some of the most common symptoms of male breast cancer that are most often ignored include mass on the breast, redness, scaling and dimpling or puckering of the skin on the nipple or breast area, nipple retraction, and nipple discharge. Other symptoms that are even less obvious include weakness, malaise (general discomfort), weight loss, and pain in the breast area and bones. Pain in bones is considered serious since it can mean that the cancer has metastasized.

If you, or someone you know, have any of the above symptoms, make sure you get checked by a doctor. You might be wrong, but this is a clear case of better safe than sorry.

Image credit: VirtualMedicalCentre

Yeast infection. Yes, men can get yeast infections too. Untreated, male yeast infections can affect reproductive organs and sexual performance.

To be honest, I didn’t really know about this. I have always thought that yeast was mainly a woman’s problem. I guess I was wrong!

Biological clock. Men’s fertility has long been touted as an ageless concept. Studies now show that a man’s ability to reproduce actually goes down after age 35. Additionally, the genetic disorders linked to a woman’s age at time of conception now also applies to men. After age 40, men’s sperm shows more than twice the DNA problems than that of a 20 year old.

So it’s not just women who have to watch the clock. Then again, we have heard of countless men aged over 50 becoming fathers all over again, haven’t we? Still, the potential DNA problems are not something that we should brush off.

“Broken” penis. A man’s erect penis can actually be injured similarly to a broken bone. If while erect, the penis is pushed too forcefully into an object harder than the penis, the result can be a penile fracture that requires immediate medical attention.

Another thing that should not be disregarded. Though I don’t suppose we talk about this as much (I mean, who would want to talk about broken things?), since it is possible, we better watch out.

There, I hope you enjoyed this two-part post on sexual health.

Although osteoporosis commonly occurs in women, men are not totally exempt from this condition. If you are male and you want to ensure a healthy body even when you get older, then I suggest paying particular attention to the risk factors involved in osteoporosis. The National Osteoporosis Foundation lists down these risk factors:

• Prolonged exposure to certain medications, such as steroids used to treat asthma or arthritis, anticonvulsants, certain cancer treatments and aluminum-containing antacids
• Chronic disease that affects the kidneys, lungs, stomach, and intestines and alters hormone levels
• Undiagnosed low levels of the sex hormone testosterone
• Lifestyle habits:
1. Smoking
2. Excessive alcohol use
3. Low calcium intake
4. Inadequate physical exercise
• Age: Bone loss increases with age
• Heredity
• Race: Of all men, white men appear to be at greatest risk for osteoporosis. However, men from all ethnic groups develop osteoporosis

If you think about it, these risk factors are quite similar – if not exactly the same – as the risk factors for other diseases. The bottom line, then, is for men (and women as well) to try and live the healthiest possible lifestyle as early as possible. It is common sense, really, but I suppose that we do not really pay attention to these things until we feel that something is wrong with our bodies.

Whether we are talking about osteoporosis or any other condition, the moral of the story is that we should take care not to subject our bodies to undue conditions.

Morning sickness would usually be such reactions that would occur when a person would wake up after a good night’s sleep. This habit is considered to go on and on for years to come. While there is no clear explanation on how to cure such, they usually would last for an hour or two and would suddenly disappear as fast as it came.

For pregnant women, this is normal since their immune system is a whole lot delicate. Their morning sickness can go to as much as a day in the process of their current state of pregnancy.

According to Karen Collins, M.S., R.D., C.D.:

A study of children fed soy protein formula for more than six months showed no hormonal effects. A study of men in their 50s and 60s found that the men who ate soy foods twice a day for three months showed no change in testosterone levels, but had a 14 percent drop in levels of PSA (an indicator of prostate growth used in screening for prostate cancer).

She goes on to say that all the noise about the negative effects of soy on men is actually NOT based on sound scientific research. However, she also says that the idea that soy and other soy based products can prevent prostate cancer has NOT really been proven yet.

Another interesting thing that Collins points out is how different types of soy products can have different effects:

Fermentation may change how easily our bodies absorb isoflavones, which means that fermented soy foods (miso, tempeh, natto) may have a different effect on prostate cancer risk than non-fermented soy foods (soy milk, tofu and edamame). Some studies suggest that the effect of soy foods may depend on its interaction with other food compounds; the lycopene from tomatoes is one such interaction under study.

The bottom line is that you SHOULDN’T fear soy foods. If you like it, go ahead and eat it!

Men are less likely to suffer from chronic pain due to extreme activities than men due to the hormone testosterone which has been shown to help lessen the damage to muscles and tissue, thus leaving women to suffer more. Statistically, women suffer an average of 15 episodes that can lead to depression due to their biology, having them experience fluctuations in their hormonal levels each menstrual cycle.

Headaches, if they are persistent enough should be consulted to a health professional for it may be a sign of underlying disease, or it may just be you drinking too much coffee through the day to keep you awake at your boring desk job!?!

I suppose that the last two points can come as a relief to some people but the others do not really give much information as to the nature of the disease. As such, researchers have been continuously stepping up their efforts in order to gain more understanding of Alzheimer’s. Some areas that they have been delving deep into are:

-Family history: so far, they have seen a clear relationship between family history and Alzheimer’s disease. This does not mean that the relationship is fully understood, however. For some people, the risk is higher while for some it is lower.

-External environment: researchers are trying to ascertain whether the cause may lie in one’s surroundings. Perhaps there is something in the natural environment that causes the diseases.

-Internal environment: it might be that the cause of the disease is a virus (albeit a slow acting one) or a change in chemical levels inside the body.

As you can see, there is no definite answer as to what causes Alzheimer’s. We can talk about risk factors, though, which may help give a better understanding of the disease. Let’s do that in the next post.

The three questions are:

What could put me at risk for prostate cancer?
Is genetic testing for prostate cancer available?
If I decide to have genetic testing, what should I expect?

It may sound morbid to some people but I think we should all think in practical terms. I never thought that we would have a case of prostate cancer in our family but my uncle died of this disease 2 years ago. He was married to my aunt so we weren’t related by blood but still, the fact that I personally know someone who died of prostate cancer is enough to make me want to answer those three questions above, especially since prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer in American men.

Is testing going to help? According to Angela Trepanier, president of the NSGC:

Genetic tests for prostate cancer can help save lives, but they can also raise more questions than answers. It is important that someone who has expertise in genetics helps you understand and interpret your risks, options and the impact that test results could have on you and your family.

Photo courtesy of Melilotus