The Prostate Cancer Charity asked over 1,140 men about their diet for impotence
.

Just under a quarter of those who were alone when they heard their diagnosis wished someone had been with them.

And almost 20% were not made aware of the side effects of different prostate cancer treatments, which can include impotence and incontinence.

And 40% said they were not given written information about the disease, treatments or side effects such as impotence to take away with them.

The Prostate Cancer Charity said the survey findings, which it launched at a penis pump for erectile dysfunction
in London this week, highlighted the wide variations in care that men received.

Every year, over 30,000 men are diagnosed with the disease and 10,000 men die from it.

It is now the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the UK.

'Anger and frustration'

Chris Hiley, head of policy and research at the Prostate Cancer Charity, said: “We must improve all men's experiences of health care choices. Help them demand attention.

“Change society's views so men's entitlement to tailored health care is as respected as women's.”

John Neate, chief executive of the charity, said: “Many men singled out doctors and nurses who gave them fantastic care.

“But all too often the comments described men's anger and frustration.”

He added: “It's disgraceful that so many men with prostate cancer still do not get impotence treatment uk care and support.

“One man told us how he received a letter on a Saturday telling him he had cancer, with a help number that was not available until the following Monday.

“Another man commented: 'Although I had disgraceful attention, I have been lucky with no serious effects'.”

He called on the impotence zinc to make prostate cancer a more urgent priority.

Professor Jessica Corner, of the charity Macmillan Cancer Relief, said: “Men's vital needs are not being met and more appropriate care, support and advice is crucial to their well-being.

“Only over the past five years has the NHS invested resources into prostate cancer compared to breast cancer for example and this needs to change.”

“With more research, resources and greater awareness, men could start to see an improvement in prostate cancer services.”

A survey by the Impotence
of Glamorgan found as many as seven out of 10 people using gyms in the region take drugs to help their training.

More inactive lifestyles mean people are turning to steroids to get the shape they want, the study author says.

The research is unveiled on the BBC Radio Wales programme Eye on Wales.

Professor Bruce Davies carried out the research in gyms dedicated to heavy lifting in the south Wales valleys area, and says the findings replicate those of studies carried out in other parts of Wales.

He said: “We found by going into big lifting gyms that 70% of the attendants were using anabolic steroids.

“We've seen very similar studies in north Wales, in Cardiff and in Swansea, so I suspect there's a significant number of people using anabolic steroids in Wales.”

Impotence in male of the drugs can include baldness, impotence, developing milk-producing breasts in men and acne, and in misuse of anabolic steroids can cause heart and liver failure.

Professor Davies believes use has risen in former mining areas because of social changes.

“Gone are the days when you could get admiration by going down a mine -you didn't have to prove anything,” he said.

“Sadly those days are gone and now people are seeking other ways to gain admiration.

“When you think about it these days, most people are semi-debauched, we're not a very active society so the only way to acquire the muscles these people want is to weight train using anabolic steroids.”

Dealing

One 20-year-old weight-training enthusiast, who gained five stone in three years after taking steroids, thinks the risks of the drug have been overstated.

“It's down to the individual - if your diet's good and your training's good you should be fine,” he said.

“Ok, something could go wrong inside but that could happen to a normal person walking down the street. A lot of the risks are just word of mouth and I think a lot of things are exaggerated totally out of treating impotence
.”

Possession and use of steroids is not illegal, provided it is a “medicinal form”, but dealing steroids is.

Katy Swaine, head of legal services at drug charity Release, thinks there is some ambiguity about what impotence remedy a medicinal form of the drug.

“The law on steroids still remains in a slightly unclear state and could certainly do with clarification now,” she said.

The research, entitled Steroid and Prescription Medicine - Abuses in the Recreational Gym user - a regional study, questioned 210 people at 100 heaving lifting gyms in the former Mid Glamorgan county area in 2005.

Eye on Wales is broadcast on BBC Radio Wales on Monday 3 July at 1800 BST.

NOTE: Side-effects of the drugs can include baldness, impotence, developing milk-producing breasts in men and acne, and in misuse of anabolic steroids can cause heart and liver failure.

The drug's maker Pfizer says it is considering submiting an application to European regulatory man erectile dysfunction
to clear it for sale in pharmacies.

An estimated 27 million men have already used the little blue pill for erectile diabetic impotence on prescription.

Medics said a change would be welcome but might mean other linked diseases were missed with no health check ups.

Ups and downs

Often, men with erectile dysfunction have underlying health problems such as diabetes, which can be spotted by their GP at the time they come for an anti-impotence prescription.

“If men can buy Viagra and rival anti-impotence drugs over-the-counter without a prescription, this treat for impotence
is missed,” said Dr David Ralph from the Institute of Urology at University College London.

But there would be benefits too, he said, such as combating the problem of Viagra sold illegally on the internet from unknown sources, which may be fake and if taken with some medicines could be fatal.

He said it would be safe to buy over-the-counter provided the pharmacist did the necessary checks to ensure the medication was suitable for the patient.

Embarrassment factor

It might also be a more attractive option to men as going to see the GP about sexual problems can be embarrassing, he added.

But he cautioned: “There is more to sexual relations than an erection. There may be other problems.”

Viagra works by relaxing the blood vessels in the penis. This allows blood to flow into the penis causing an erection.

However, the drug is not an aphrodisiac and does not increase sex drive.

It is licensed only as a treatment for men who have been diagnosed by a doctor as having impotence.

Also, some men, such as those with severe heart disease or low blood pressure, should avoid it because of possible risks and side effects.

Viagra is not licensed for use in women and its safety in women has not been ejaculatory impotence.

A Pfizer spokesman said: “As with many of our products, Pfizer has routinely evaluated a number of options including different formulations, new indications, over-the-counter and continues to do so.”

He added that despite speculation there were no plans to pursue a spray version of the drug.

The move comes after an audit found 198 convicts in New York state had been newest impotence medicine by Medicaid for the drug between January and March 2000.

Their crimes included offences against children as young as two.

The Medicaid programme, whose cost is shared by states and the federal government, provides health care for the poor.

The federal Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services said they should not pay for erectile dysfunction drugs for sex offenders.

Spokesman Gary Karr said “states already have the power to determine if a drug is not medically appropriate for a certain patient or certain class of patients”, the Associated Press news agency reported.

“Public risk”

The New York audit, conducted by Comptroller Alan Hevesi, did not cover other states, but Mr Hevesi said states are required by law to include Viagra in Medicaid programmes covering new impotence drug drugs when medically necessary.

He said the policy raised “serious policy considerations and has the potential to place the public at risk” and asked the government to take curing impotence action or amend the Medicaid law.

On Monday, Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist said that Medicaid had paid $93,000 to provide Viagra to 218 sex offenders in that state over the last four years, AP reported.

New York Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton have both indicated they back a change in policy.

Sen Schumer said: “It is just male sexual erectile dysfunction
to think that Level 3 sexual offenders can get Viagra, which may indeed help them perpetrate other horrible crimes.

“Giving convicted sex offenders cialis and erectile dysfunction
Viagra is like giving convicted murderers an assault rifle when they get out of jail,” Schumer said.

Dr Moloy Prakash Sahu of the Wellman Clinic, 57 Harley Street, gave creams and pills which had “no evidence” of treating sexual problems, it heard.

He failed to check medical histories or possible impotence problem problems, said expert witness Laurence Sandler.

Dr Sahu denies serious fact male impotence misconduct. The hearing continues.

Mr Sandler, of Wycombe General Hospital, said he had examined patient records and notes made by Dr Sahu and could not understand the drugs and other preparations that had been prescribed.

He noted Dr Sahu had spent little time talking through the sex problems of his patients before prescribing.

“I spend a long time talking to them. It is very difficult but you have to get a rapport with them. It is a very sensitive problem,” said Mr Sandler.

Psychological factors

Mr Sandler said the cause of low libido was often psychological, or caused by factors such as high blood pressure, smoking and drinking.

But Dr Sahu had failed to discuss this in detail with the patients, he said.

There was an average of a three month course of treatment made up of vitamins and washes for each man and the cost would be in the region of 1,500 to 2,000 Lynn Griffin, for the GMC

Mr Sandler also warned about Dr Sahu's prescriptions for the sex drug Viagra.

“There is a significant failure rate. It isn't a catch-all. It doesn't work all the time.”

The hearing was held after three patients at the clinic, which charges up to 2,000 a time for treatment, complained to the GMC.

Earlier, it was told that one patient who complained that a 12 week course of treatment had failed to work was “flabbergasted” by an invitation to sign up for another course.

Another was prescribed a drug which, mixed with an impotence forum
drug he was already taking, could have proved fatal.

That patient was also treated for a condition he did not suffer.

'True purpose'

Lynn Griffin, for the GMC, said Dr Sahu targeted “vulnerable men” suffering impotence problems to earn “ridiculous amounts of money”.

She said the doctor's “deference” to non-medically qualified members of the clinic's staff illustrated the “true purpose” of the establishment.

That “was to get vulnerable men to part with money for treatment which was not effective and certainly overpriced,” she said.

This clinic appears to have a standard form of treatment which is meted out regardless of the condition presented by the patient Lynn Griffin GMC

Dr Sahu prescribed a range of vitamins, herbal washes, creams and other drugs which were on the whole “healing herbal impotence“, she said.

Often his contact with patients was “minimal”, while other staff persuaded them to sign up for treatments.

Ms Griffin also said the price of the treatments appeared excessive.

“There was an average of a three month course of treatment made up of vitamins and washes for each man and the cost would be in the region of 1,500 to 2,000,” she said.

Charges denied

She said despite each patient suffering a range of problems, the men were given similar treatment.

“This clinic appears to have a standard form of treatment which is meted out regardless of the condition presented by the patient.

“For most patients the prescribing was inappropriate - the drugs would have been ineffective and no matter how many washes and creams were given to these gentlemen along with these medications it would not have assisted their problem,” said Ms Griffin.

One patient told the hearing the clinic had since paid the costs of his treatment, plus interest, as a result of a small claims court ruling.

Dr Sahu, of Walthamstow, East London, denies 11 charges amounting to serious professional misconduct, arising from his treatment of patients at the clinic between July 2000 and June 2001.