This little instrument opened up the world of sperm to us (Courtesy Unsplash) Given the burgeoning popularity of egg and sperm freezing, you might think that this is new technology that quickly hit its stride. Although true with eggs, sperm freezing techniques developed even before the United States was born. It all started with Anton van Leeuwenhoek, the Dutch father of microbiology, who invented the compound microscope in 1677 and months later cast his magnified eye into his own semen. To his surprise, quite unlike the mites and bacteria that he first described, he found moving sperm dancing ..read more

Which path will you choose? (Courtesy: unsplash) I can’t think of two ways of conceiving a child that could be more different. Now, I’m not referring to sex positions that might be more likely to produce a boy or girl. No, this is not a discussion of missionary vs. doggie, or cowgirl vs. kneeling lotus, or quarter moon vs. full moon at the time of rapture. Rather, this is about whether after having had a vasectomy and now wanting to conceive again, one should give it a go in the bedroom or in the laboratory. It was Woody Allen who said in Annie Hall that sex “is the most fun I’ve ever had with ..read more

Return of sperm is the key piece of the conception puzzle (Courtesy: Unsplash) They sat down nervously in my office after we shook hands, primed with pen and notepad in hand like school kids before an exam. He was newly hitched, having just sorted out the four C’s of the diamond ring thing. The visit was to discuss vasectomy reversal. We dove right in. I took a thorough history to ensure that he was living what I call a “fertile lifestyle” that is so important for fertility two decades after his vasectomy. As a microsurgical Midas guy, I can properly fix the exhaust but if the engine isn’t run ..read more

Where is all began: The “brick” cell phone (Courtesy: unsplash) How much do you know about your cellphone? Did you know that the first cell phone call ever made was in 1973 on a 2.2 lb. Motorola? The first cell phone was released to the market in 1984 at a cost of $4,000, with a battery life of only 30 minutes. Currently, there are more cell phones in America (>400 million) than people and there are more than 1 million apps available. With all their addictive features and computing power, it’s no wonder there’s a word to describe mobile phone addiction: nomophobia. But do cell phones affect ..read more

The startling curve of how opioids deaths are increasing over two decades (Courtesy: CDC) The opioid epidemic is one of the most lethal and pressing health issues in America right now. Deaths from opioid overdose now surpass 80,000 annually. That’s more than the number of deaths due to colon and breast cancers combined! Sure, much of the problem rests in the streets where fentanyl runs rampant. But realize too that 88% of opioid abuse (not deaths) results from legally prescribed medications. So, it is incumbent on medical providers to seek alternative approaches to treating pain. To be fair, m ..read more

The soil is the thing… for good health and fertility (Courtesy: Unsplash) You may remember the movie Raising Arizona, the hyperactive Coen Brothers comedy in which Nicholas Cage and Holly Hunter, an unlikely and infertile couple (petty thief and policewoman), steal a baby to start their family. According to Cage, “Her insides were a rocky place where my seed could find no purchase.” This earthy analogy surfaced again recently at a workshop of holistic and Eastern medicine providers where I spoke. Providers of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine value and prioritize mind-body balance a ..read more

Lots of happy campers! Although a “no scalpel” anything is vastly more attractive than the alternative, is it really all it’s cracked up to be with a vasectomy? Or is it a marketing ploy to get men in the door? After all, who needs another bait and switch play when it comes to the family jewels? I have to say, in this instance, it’s no gimmick: the no scalpel vasectomy is the best thing to happen to men’s reproductive health since Viagra®. The Early Years The first vasectomy was performed in the UK almost 200 years ago. It gained notoriety in the roaring 20s as a male rejuvenation technique un ..read more

Starry, starry, night…great for ZZZZs (Courtesy Unsplash) Bedrooms are many things to many people. Usually, we view it as a place of rest, sleep and possibly sex. Lady Gaga called it her “stage,” albeit one that others aren’t allowed to see. Moby sees himself as a “weird, bald musician who makes records in the bedroom.” In many businesses, bedrooms are also boardrooms or, according to Theo Paphitis, a place where “you can have a worldwide shop.” Will Durst considers it a “place to laugh, so long as you don’t point.” Moon Unit Zappa thought of her bedroom as where she could be “miserable about ..read more

Stay active, stay creative, stay fertile! (Courtesy Unplash) Not sure why, but I’m a big fan of manual labor. Maybe it’s because my dad was a blacksmith and welder who could build or fix anything. A true master of manual intelligence, his self-worth was tied to the fact that the building stands, the gadget works and the lights are on, and not on “chattering interpretations of himself.” Pretty sure that’s why I became a surgeon, a real hands-on craft within medicine. But the benefits of a life of manual labor go beyond the practical and the satisfying. It improves sleep: Farmers get the most sl ..read more

Stress: Now you know what it is, let’s gets control of it! (Courtesy G. Habeshaw, Unsplash.com) I never actually considered my practice to be an emergency room for men’s sexual health until a man in his mid-20s called and said: “I really need to see you…today! I had a problem down there last night!” Soon after, he sat in front of me, looking exhausted and beside himself and blurted out “I lost my erection during sex for the first time ever! Something’s definitely wrong with me; I hope it’s not serious.” I had him take a few deep breaths and began my investigation into his sexual conundrum. A T ..read more