The Tool-Kit

Frequently asked questions about the male tackle

The penis, as you have probably discovered, is used for peeing, making babies and generally having fun with. You're very lucky to have one so take care of it.
Malehealth gets more questions about the male tackle than any other subject. We've gone through the lot and tried to answer them in this section. If you read the whole thing - by following the links under In This Section on the right - you should find the answer to whatever is bugging you. If you can't, drop us an email but remember we can't answer your question individually although we will try to update the site.
First up, here's your tackle in technicolour complete with a few technical terms that we use in the section.
Sperm are manufactured in the testicles and pass along the epididymis where matured sperm hang out. The epididymis is a microscopically narrow tube 6m long folded into a space of 5cm - an engineering masterpiece. Just before you come the sperm travel along two narrow tubes of muscle called vas deferens. These meet with the seminal vesicles which are behind the bladder just above the prostate gland.
The seminal vesicles and the prostate gland add their own secretions to the semen. These fluids are alkaline which protect the sperm from the acid in the vagina. At orgasm, the semen is propelled from two ejaculatory ducts along the urethra which runs the length of the penis and out of the urethral opening.

To find your way round the Tool-kit, follow the links under In This Section on the right or use the drop down menus along the top under Physical Health > Penis and Testicles.

How are you?

Health begins between the ears. If it's not right there, it doesn't matter how much you can bench-press, how much you earn or how often you get laid, you won't feel good.
This section of malehealth lets you read all about the key issues in men's mental health today at your pace and as you want to. Nothing flash, just the facts in the words of the men who know: men who have experienced mental health problems themselves. Your comments are welcome but they're not necessary. Just take what you need and get on with your life. This isn't Facebook.
If you're not feeling great, you're not alone. One in six people -  nearly 10 million people across the UK - will experience depression or another mental health problem at any one time.
But that doesn't mean it's easy to talk about it. We all know it isn't - including the men talking on this website. It can be difficult to put how you're feeling into words. This section of malehealth is designed to help you do that. You can be strong without being silent. In fact, strength is often to be found in talking. Without words, mental health problems can kill.
Follow the links below for the main sections and the 'In This Section' links on the right hand side for more.

What is the prostate?

The prostate gland is part of the male reproductive system. Its secretions help nourish the sperm and aid fertility.
About the size and shape of a walnut, it is sited below your bladder and above the base of your penis, between your pubic bone and your rectum. It encircles the urethra (the tube through which urine passes from the bladder).

How it develops

• In newborn boys the prostate is about the size of a pea. It grows very slowly until puberty.
• Then it doubles in size in a dramatic growth spurt.
• When a man reaches his 40s it begins to increase in size again.
• Various hormones control its growth and function. The most important is the male sex hormone, testosterone.

Signs of a problem

The most common sign of a prostate problem is difficulty in passing urine. Changes in the prostate narrow the urethra, the tube which carries urine from the bladder.
You might experience:

• a weak flow
• intermittency — a flow which stops and starts
• hesitancy — having to wait before you start to go
• frequency — having to urinate more often than previously
• urgency — finding it difficult to postpone urination
• nocturia — having to get up at night to urinate

What Health Care Can Learn from a 200 Year Old Economics Lesson

Say you were in a different line of work – the prisoner relocation industry, for instance, and the year was 1790…what’s your most significant business challenge?  Well, if you were doing business out of England, transporting your cargo to Australia without killing them would likely be right up there.
Finding themselves with a homeland prison system bursting at the English seams in the 18^th century, the British government began hiring ship captains to transport masses of prisoners to Australian penitentiaries.  Unfortunately, rough seas of the crossing and ineffective nutrition and medical care along the way took a fatal toll on the individuals being transported – 30% mortality rates per crossing not uncommon.
Over time, the toll also cost the British government.  Yes, these were prisoners, but the public and church railed against the government’s morality failing in allowing the ongoing carnage – the government soon embroiled in scandal.
The British government responded with a host of new rules for prisoner transport – the requirement of medical care practitioners and onboard inspections, lemons to prevent scurvy, raising captains’ salaries, etc.  And although these reforms came with incentives for the captains, they weren’t aligned effectively with the sought-after result – captains finding more reward in selling the government-issued supplemental food at port rather than giving it to the prisoners to keep them alive.  The prisoner shipping program was costing the government even more money, and the high mortality rates continued.
But enter a smart economist of the time who proposed a better idea, and everything changed.  What was it?  Pretty simple really – only pay the sea captains for each prisoner that walked off the ship alive in Australia (not for how many boarded in England).
Fairly immediately, survival rates shot up to 99%.
What’s the parallel lesson for today’s health behavior dilemma?  If we want to truly motivate real and lasting healthy behavior change, incentives must be directly aligned with the outcome we want to achieve.  The fierce tides of maintaining health and wellness can be foreboding and challenging.  But solutions that focus more on the journey, less on the desired outcome risk missing the harbor completely.  Incenting individuals to complete health assessments and screenings is a first step – it begins the engagement process.  But participants need to also be incented to follow through on healthy actions.
Beyond engagement, incenting individuals for health improvement follow-through and results is a game changer in the rough seas (and high stakes) of health improvement.  Isn’t it time we cross the ocean?

All doctors to have mental health and anti-stigma training

We, the undersigned, believe that it is important for all doctors to have some degree of mental health training. We believe that this is important as sometimes through a lack of knowledge or understanding of a topic this may make a patient uncomfortable, sometimes they may even inadvertantly come across in a judgemental mannor.
This is esspecially prevalent in cases of self-injury and less common disorders. We feel that an increased knowledge base for doctors and other health professionals will help with this and may also encourage more people to go to a doctor wen they need to and to therefore gain help for their disorders.
I (the petition starter) suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, dissociative identity disorder and have also been a self-harmer for 16 years. As such I hae a lot of person experiance with the above and know how much it can impact on a person.

A Quick Guide to Quickies

Tips for a revved-up romp

By Jennifer Benjamin
In bodice-ripping romance novels, hours of lovemaking sounds wonderful. In real life, marathon sessions can leave you wondering, Are we done yet? In fact, surveys show that most of us prefer sex to last less than 15 minutes.

Makes sense: In a speedy session, not only is there less pressure to have the best sex ever, but the lightning-fast factor can be exhilarating ("I must have you right now!"). To make a minutes-long romp even more satisfying, try these tricks.

37,000 Pounds Later

It’s hard to scan any wellness related publication and not see an article on the obesity epidemic in our country. Even in the short span of our blog, we’ve already posted three pieces related to our overweight population (Obesity – It Gets Worse, Is Obesity Contagious?, Reversing the Health Map). It’s easy to find the problems, often harder to find solutions. Today, RedBrick Health is thrilled to announce we’re the technology powering the amazing results of the The Biggest Loser Summer Challenge, a weight loss competition held by the Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota between Minnesota’s largest employers. The impact of this social contest is clear. Three months. Over 10,000 employees engaged. Over 18 tons lost. Over 16.5 million minutes exercised. Employees motivated to move more and eat better. Read more at Employees at Seven of Minnesota’s Largest Companies Shed 37,000 Pounds in Three Months.