Give yourself some ReAssure-ance

There are some words that are just plain scary. Right at the top of the list is cancer. There is no good kind of cancer but, for men, one type of cancer can be especially fearful—prostate cancer. AIM ReAssure® can help alleviate some of those fears.

To understand the disease one must understand the prostate gland and what can occur when men reach around the age of 50. The prostate is doughnut-shaped. It is located below the bladder and surrounds the tube that carries urine and semen through the penis. The tube is called the urethra. During puberty the prostate, which to that point had been small and marble-like in size, grows to about the size of a golf ball.

Assuming a normal, healthy life from puberty to age 50 or so, the prostate then begins to grow again. What commonly results is one of three things: (1) An enlarged prostate which, if not treated, can lead to other problems. (2) One of the other problems with an enlarged prostate is called prostatitis, or an inflammation of the gland. Prostastitis can occur from the enlargement or from an infection of some kind. (3) The most extreme problem with the prostate is cancer, the most common form of cancer among men. The older a man becomes, the greater the risk. Figures show that 80 percent of prostate cancer occurs in men age 65 or older.

The cancer risk aside, an enlarged prostate can result in frequent and painful urination, sexual dysfunction, blood in the urine, general pain in the lower back and prostate area, chills, fever, and testicle pain.