On Call for Men's Health

Today, Dr. Michael Lutz's guest is award-winning filmmaker Landi Maduro. Her documentary, The Silent Killer: Prostate Cancer in the African American Community has been screened by the Congressional Black Caucus and has been used by health care professionals and scholars educating on healthcare disparities and prostate cancer survivorship. As a Black female, Landi got involved with this topic when her filmmaking partner, Chris Edwards, learned of his father's prostate cancer diagnosis. Then, within 6 months of working on the film, Landi's own father was diagnosed with the same disease. Armed with what she learned making the movie, Landi took an active role in her father's treatment and care. And when the movie came out, she found a number of females actively engaged with it - those helping to care for a spouse or other family member. In researching her film, Landi heard every excuse in the book for why men, particularly Black men, don't get screened for prostate cancer. She set out to attack those excuses, one by one, leaning on clergy and other community leaders to get the message out. She also featured a number of prostate cancer patients, all but one of whom survived. Another focus of today's guest is sharing family history. For many, they don't know what their relatives died from. And knowing this history can lead to more advanced and preventative screening. We also touch on an important subject in underserved communities - disparities in treatment. While Landi's father was undergoing active surveillance for his prostate cancer, his team found pancreatic cancer. They gave him a death sentence. It was a sentence that Dad accepted, but his daughter would not. She advocated for him, found him the best treatment, and he's still here. It's also important for Black men to participate in clinical trials, despite some very ugly history in that area. This is a prioirty for Landi as a member of the ZERO Prostate Cancer Health Equity Task Force. More information: ZERO Prostate Cancer Health Equity Task Force Website: https://zerocancer.org/our-mission-impact/zero-team/health-equity-task-force The Silent Killer documentary on Tubi: https://tubitv.com/movies/100003487/the-silent-killer-prostate-cancer-in-the-african-american-community MIU Men's Health Foundation Website:https://www.miumenshealthfoundation.org/

For years, urology has operated under the assumption that high testosterone was a risk factor for prostate cancer. Thanks to new research, we are now learning that low testosterone could be a greater cause for concern. At the forefront of this research is Dr. Ananias Diokno, Professor of Urology at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine and University of Central Florida College of Medicine. He and Dr. Lutz have worked together in the past, when Dr. Diokno served as Chairman of Urology at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. This isn't the first time that our guest has been front and center for a major new development in urology. He worked with his mentor, Dr. Jack Lapides, to make intermittent self-catheterization the new norm for patients at home. We spend some time talking about the special relationship between the two men. At nearly 80 and still very active, Dr. Diokno talks about the role of natural supplements in his life, and how it's helped him with gout and severe cervical arthritis. There may also be implications here for natural ways to boost testosterone in the body. Ananias suggests men have their testosterone checked around age 30 as a baseline, then to have it checked routinely in order to stay ahead of risk factors for BPH and prostate cancer. MIU Men's Health Foundation Website:https://www.miumenshealthfoundation.org/

Dr. Deanna Lites has over 20 years of local and national health reporting experience on television and on the radio. She's interviewed Dr. Lutz many times over the last 10 years, but today we are turning the tables on her. She tells stories of covering many different aspects of health, what got her into the field, and the phenomenon of men often putting off their own health care. Dr. Lites tells the story of her own personal health scare. She was doing a story on heart screenings. And the results of her own screening, despite having no symptoms or issues, would forever change her life. It's a story that underscores the importance of staying on top of your health, even if nothing appears to be wrong. Resources: MIU Men's Health Foundation Website:https://www.miumenshealthfoundation.org/

Ken Hayward is a Vice President for Community Relations at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. He joins us today to discuss his journey as a prostate cancer survivor. Ken talks about his experience from diagnosis to treatment to survivorship, and how his experience as a collegiate baseball player at the University of Michigan informed his perspective. He needed "teammates," from his wife to fellow survivors and more. This came in the form of education, emotional support, and more. Gone are the old days of "rub some dirt on it and move on." Being your own best advocate with your health care provider is vitally important. It was Ken's request to have his PSA levels checked that led to his diagnosis, and the chance to catch the cancer in time. Dr. Lutz and Ken spend the end of the conversation swapping stories that any sports fan would enjoy - from Gordie Howe to Bo Schembechler and more. Resources: MIU Men's Health Foundation Website:https://www.miumenshealthfoundation.org/

Gary Thompson is not A beer guy. He's THE beer guy. For 40 years he worked in the beer industry. He's now retired from Michigan's Powers Distributing. We open the show with the big question. Is "breaking the seal" an urban legend, or is it true? Your friends often warn you against making that first trip to the men's room in the bar. What's the science behind beer and urination? What about kidney stones? Dr. Lutz tells us about the connection between beer drinking and passing those awful kidney stones, and he jokes about a near sure-fire way to pass a stone that, frankly, sounds like a lot of fun. While Dr. Lutz's expertise is in urology, Gary's is in beer. And we spend a fair amount of time in today's episode talking about all things beer. We cover the importance of water in brewing beer, home brewing, and even so-called "rehydrating beers." Gary tells us what his absolute favorite beer is, what it pairs well with, and why. We also get into other ways to pair beer with food that you might not know about. For example, there are beers that pair well with dessert! Beyond, urology and beer, Gary and Dr. Lutz discuss overall men's health. Both are self-described exercise "freaks," and we cover the importance of taking care of your body, especially as you get older. And yes, that CAN include drinking beer. We also talk about community events through the MIU Men's Health Foundation, including both men's shared passion for taking care of our military veterans and first responders. Resources: Admiral McRaven's 2014 University of Texas Commencement Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxBQLFLei70p MIU Men's Health Foundation Website:https://www.miumenshealthfoundation.org/

Dr. Michael Rovito founded the Male Wellness Collective (formerly the Men's Health Initiative) in 2010. He's often collaborated with us at the MIU Men's Health Foundation and was very intentional in choosing his organization's new name. He explains why. Dr. Rovito had a testicular cancer scare at the age of 16, a time in a male's life when he may not be comfortable discussing such things. He talks us through that today. Now, as a certified health education specialist, armed with a PhD in Public Health, he's trying to shape the conversation. In this wide-ranging discussion, Dr. Lutz and Dr. Rovito talk about the need to change our "health care" system to a more preventative "well care" system. How do we get there? Why do men not talk about their health, and why are we statistically less likely to go see a doctor? Why did the US Preventative Services Task Force give, frankly, bad advice about testicular self exams, or TSE's? Today's episode, however, reaches far beyond the genitals. Doctors Lutz and Rovito have a very honest conversation about struggling with their weight, even discussing the psychological trauma of gynecomastia, more commonly referred to as "man boobs." Dr. Rovito has struggled with his mental health, body issues, and even suicidal thoughts. These are all topics we feel men need to be discussing more. Finally, Dr. Rovito credits his wife, Kathy. She's been his partner in life and in the Male Wellness Collective. This serves as a reminder that men's health is a topic not just for guys, but also for the women who love them. Dr. Michael Rovito is a testicular cancer researcher, and he teaches at the University of Central Florida. Resources: MIU Men's Health Foundation Website:https://www.miumenshealthfoundation.org/ Male Wellness Collective Website: https://malewellnesscollective.com/

Come on, man. Let's talk about the stuff you don't want to talk about, even though you're thinking about it. It could save your life. And women,. let's talk about how your man can get healthy and stay healthy. All topics will be fair game from hair loss and penis size, to premature ejaculation and testicular cancer. We're going to talk about all of it on the On-call For Men's Health Podcast. I'm Dr. Michael Lutz, urologist and founder of the MIU Men's Health foundation. On each episode, I'll be joined by a special guest to talk about the most common issues men are facing today. We'll hear from my colleagues in the medical field, cancer survivors, and regular guys. Together, we'll navigate tough but important conversations that are critical to you and the men you care about. We are On-call For Men's Health. More: https://www.miumenshealthfoundation.org/