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I lib Wednesday December 1989 Page Drug shrinks benign prostate gland DEAR DR GOTT What is finasteride DEAR READER Finasteride is a drug made by Merck and Co for treatment of benign prostatic hyper plasia or in men is non cancerous overgrowth of the prostate gland leading to blockage of urine The customary treatment for is surgery to remove part of the gland and allow proper drainage from the bladder Because BPH affects most men as they age the development of drug to shrink the prostate would have far- reaching consequences As yet finas teride has only investigational status meaning that until it has been fully tested it will not be released for gen eral use However preliminary re ports are encouraging To give you more information I am sending you a free copy of my Health Report The Prostate Gland Other readers who would like a copy should send with their name and ad dress to Box Cleveland OH Be sure to mention the title DEAR GOTT My 15yearold daughter has not begun menstruating yet While our family doctor does not seem too concerned he thinks It might be a good idea to start her on hormone treatments I dont like ex posing her to this unless its really necessary Please give me your opinion DEAR READER I dont believe hormone treatments are necessary for your daughter The age at which first menstruation appears varies greatly from culture to culture and race to race For example young black Afri can girls customarily experience several years earlier than their white American counterparts Even among healthy white young sters first menstruation follows a variable pattern some girls menstru ate at 11 or 12 others dont mature until their I think your family doctor is cor rect in adopting a laid back atti tude but I disagree with the recom mendation to start hormone treatments In my opinion the use of hormone pills to stimulate menstrua tion is inappropriate for a 15-year- old I suggest you wait a year or two If your daughter has not menstruated and shown signs of adult sexual devel opment by the age of you might choose to have her examined by an endocrinologist a specialist in the bodys glands DEAR DR GOTT Will you please comment on therapeutic mineral ice I have some shoulder problems that appear to be helped by this DEAR READER Mineral ice is a compound that becomes cold due to a chemical reaction It is easier to use and is less messy than ordinary ice The application of mineral Ice and regular ice helps certain conditions such as sprains bruises and chronic inflammation If mineral ice helps your shoulder pain you can safely use It on a regular basis DEAR GOTT With the recent measles epidemic In our area my husband received an booster I realize that women who receive this shot must wait at least three months before trying to conceive but what about men Do we need to wait before trying to start our family DEAR READER With the recent outbreaks of measles among college students health authorities reluctant ly concluded that many children who received immunization before were inadequately protected There fore the current recommendation is that such young people be reimmu nized with measlesmumpsrubella In areas where measles epidemics have appeared many adults have also chosen to upgrade their Immunization status DEARDR GOTT Two months ago prior to gallbladder surgery I had a CT scan and ultrasound It was covered I bad a 37 millimeter abdom inal aneurysm just above my navel My surgeon felt it was more impor tant to remove the badly infected gallbladder and repair the aneurysm in about six months Can anything be done to treat the aneurysm short of surgery Will a synthetic replace ment of the damaged portion of the aorta last indefinitely DEAR READER Aneurysms bulging weakened portions of an ar tery are potentially hazardous be cause as the contin ues the wall of the blood vessel can rupture or leak blood The only cure for this condition Is surgical replace ment of the diseased portion of the ar tery The bulging segment is re moved and a prosthesis usually a tube is substituted The op eration prevents the lethal complica tions of aneurysm bursting of the artery from occurring DELREX SMOKE SHOP LTD St Clair Ice Cream Cones GEORGETOWN MARKET PLACE Lottery Variety Post Office OPEN 24 HOURS 7 DAYS I I MOVIE RENTALS SI GEORGETOWN 8530101 MUST ACTON ONTARIO These Stores Have The Convenient Hours To Serve You AT ST Tun lj 0 SI STEAK EXPRESS ifcs British Bakers CHRISTMAS EVE Sun Dec am 3 pm 8770596 330 Guelph St Georgetown ACROSS FROM HEPSONS DID YOU KNOW The Halton Hills Herald is distributed to over 14000 homes in Georgetown Acton and surrounding areas When it comes to Halton Hills weve got it covered Our weekly service checks ensure that your newspaper is delivered properly and on time THE HERALD Home Newspaper of Halton Hills Established 1866 HOURS Monday to Friday 830500 pm luce Monday at 3 p Publication Wednesday at pm tor Sal Publication Retail 8772201 Classified 8778822