Patient Newsletter | April 2023
Do you dribble when you sneeze?
You don’t have to live with incontinence.
If you leak urine when you laugh, cough, sneeze, or lift something heavy, you’re not alone. The accidental leakage, called stress urinary incontinence, is common as you age, especially in women over age 50. But men can suffer from stress incontinence too.
The good news: in most instances, stress incontinence (and other types of incontinence) are treatable. First, try these at-home remedies:
- Wear protective pads
- Strengthen your pelvic floor with Kegel exercises
- Cut back on caffeine, alcohol, and citrus
If that doesn’t make a noticeable difference, contact your urologist at MIU. For a day or two before your appointment, track what you drink, when you leak, and what you were doing at the time. This will help your
urologist more quickly determine the cause and best treatment options.
Your urologist may recommend:
- Improve pelvic muscle tone: Kegel exercises, biofeedback,
vaginal weight training, electrical stimulation of your pelvic floor - Prescribed medications
- Outpatient surgeries including slings, bladder suspension, implanted artificial sphincter
Incontinence isn’t something you have to live with. Talk with your MIU urologist if you’re experiencing incontinence. We have a solution for you.
Nightly trips to the bathroom?
Beginning at age 50, many men experience an enlarged prostate, or BPH. It’s common, non-cancerous, but can affect urination to the level that sacrifices quality of life. Learn what BPH is and how it’s treated in a FREE webinar presented by Dr. Brian Seifman.
Click to watch Dr. Seifman’s webinar (originally recorded on April 4, 2023).
What you need to know about prostate cancer
It’s understandable why you may not look forward to being screened for prostate cancer. We get it. There are a lot of things you’d rather be doing! But if you knew the statistics about prostate cancer, you may be more inclined to be screened as often as your doctor suggests:
- Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in men. It trails only lung cancer.
- Aggressive (metastatic) prostate cancer cases doubled between 2003 and 2017, going from 4% to 8%.
- African-American men are 50% more likely than white men to get prostate cancer, and twice as likely to die from the disease.
- Finding and treating prostate cancer early, when treatment might be more effective, can save your life.
When and how often should you be screened?
A screening looks for signs of disease even when you have no symptoms. There are two methods of screening for prostate cancer:
- Digital Rectal Exam (DRE). Your doctor inserts a gloved and lubricated finger into your rectum to feel the back portion of your prostate for anything unusual.
- Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. It measures the amount of PSA in your blood which can indicate the likelihood of cancer being present.
Medical experts recommend that all men who have a life expectancy of at least 10 years have the PSA test and the DRE every year beginning at age 50. Your doctor may want you to be tested more often if:
- You’re African-American, or
- Your father or a brother has/had prostate cancer, or
- A previous test raised concern
If it’s time for your screening, give us a call.
Patient Portal for easy access to your medical information
Our online Patient Portal is the place to check test results, review your medical history, communicate with your doctor’s office, schedule appointments, and update important information.
Already registered? Access our portal here. Not yet registered? Call 586-771-4820 for a temporary password.
Patient Portal for easy access to your medical information
Our online Patient Portal is the place to check test results, review your medical history, communicate with your doctor’s office, schedule appointments, and update important information.
Already registered? Access our portal here. Not yet registered? Call 586-771-4820 for a temporary password.
Physician Spotlight
Meet two of our physicians: Dr. Joshua Palka and Dr. Jennifer Kuo. Both physicians see patients in our Howell – St. Joseph-Livingston office, as well as our Novi office. Dr. Palka also sees patients in Huron Valley and Lakes Medical Center offices.
Joshua Palka, D.O.
After earning his degree as a doctor of osteopathic medicine at Michigan State University, Dr. Palka completed a surgical internship and urology residency at the Detroit Medical Center. He moved to St. Louis to specialize in robotics and minimally invasive urologic surgery at Washington University. He specializes in kidney and prostate cancer, complex kidney stones, BPH, and erectile dysfunction in addition to minimally invasive (both robotic and laparoscopic) surgery.
Jennifer Kuo, M.D.
After earning her medical degree followed by her urology residency at the University of Florida, Dr. Kuo moved to New Jersey to specialize in robotics and minimally invasive urology surgery at the Hackensack University Medical Center. She has a special interest in treating kidney stones, urologic cancers, and robotic/minimally invasive surgeries.
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