Doctor….DRE

When you are over 40 and male, DRE no longer represents your favourite Rap artist of your teenage years. DRE stands for Digital Rectal Exam which is a major barrier for men getting their regular physical exams. Many men just don’t want to go there, well actually they just don’t want the doctor going there and fair enough but having a DRE has been used clinically to help doctors look at your full prostate risk profile. The DRE is just a piece of the examination process and a full history is needed to make the best recommendations. Consult your doctor to make sure you are doing all you can to reduce your risk. UPDATED: We have removed the recommendation to include the PSA test with the DRE to meet the current best practice in Canada, based on the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care

In Canada, On average, 58 Canadian men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every day; however, only 11 men die daily from this condition. That is why early detection is key to reducing the mortality rate and increasing the survival rate. We would all ignore below-the-belt issues if we could, however we need to continue talking about these concerns to keep the conversation on early detection going.

Men diagnosed with prostate cancer have many treatment options with today’s advanced medical practices.

Treatment Options:

1. Multiple Surgery Options

2. Radiation Therapy

3. Hormone Therapy

4. Chemotherapy

5. High-intensity focused ultrasound

From some of these treatment options there are possible side effects. One of which is urinary incontinence (peeing yourself) following a below-the-belt surgery. However, this can be very treatable with pelvic health therapy by a qualified Physiotherapist.

In 2015 Dr. Patel, a Urologist, published results in the European Urology journal, concluding that “preoperative pelvic floor muscle exercises may help early continence recovery, but may not influence long-term incontinence rates beyond six months”. Essentially, pelvic health therapy can help you get back the control sooner than not doing it.

Keep your buddies accountable and make sure you get the necessary tests done and don’t ignore any below-the-belt concerns.