Here’s one that my 104 year old Sicilian great grandmother taught me. Sunday Gravy Never Tasted So Good.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Ingredients

1 large onion, sliced and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4-cup olive oil
1 28-ounce can tomato puree
1 18-ounce can tomato paste
1-teaspoon dried basil
1-teaspoon oregano
1-teaspoon salt
1/4-teaspoon crushed anise (or 1/2-teaspoon whole)
2 tomato paste cans of water (see note)

Sauté onions and garlic in oil in a large pot. Cook until golden. Add rest of ingredients. After sauce starts to boil, lower heat to a simmer. At this time add a pinch of baking soda which will cause sauce to foam. Remove foam with spoon. Cover pot and let cook for 2 to 2.5 hours. Recipe can be doubled and then frozen for future use. One half-hour BEFORE sauce is finished cooking -add meats such as meatballs, pork or Italian sausage for flavor. If using ground beef, cook separately and drain off fat and then add to cooking sauce.

NOTE: More water may be needed if sauce becomes too thick.

Looking for a Great Italian Meatball Recipe?

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Ingredients

1 pound combined beef, veal, pork (must be fresh)
3 large eggs
1 cup grated Romano Locatelli Cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
1 clove garlic - minced
1 tablespoon salt

Preparation

(All mixing is done be hand)
In a large bowl mix beef/veal/pork with eggs. Then add bread crumb, cheese, and salt. Finally add minced garlic in stages. Add a little then mix. Add some more, then mix. This way all the garlic does not end up in one meatball. Now, it’s time to roll up the balls. Average size is roughly 2 inches in diameter. I usually get around 18 to 20 meatballs per pound.

IMPORTANT! Do not cook meatballs in your pasta sauce! Meatballs cooked in sauce loose their flavor. The real key to a tasty meatball is cooking the them in an oven. So, heat oven to 375. Place meatballs on a rack - then on a cookie tray.

Bake for 12 minutes on one side then 10 minutes for the other.

I freeze the meatballs in bags and take out what I need per dinner. I just drop the meatballs into the sauce as if heats up.

Buon Appetito!

Paul Altobelli is an internet marketing specialist experienced in strategic planning, lead generation, website development, search engine optimization, internet sales and marketing program development. He also loves to cook. For more of Paul’s italian recipes visit http://www.paulaltobelli.com or email Paul directly at pda@paulaltobelli.com

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A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Altobelli

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A high LDL cholesterol level in combination with a low HDL cholesterol level significantly increases your risk of heart disease, the leading killer of men and women. Learn more about trans fat and how to avoid it.

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People with high cholesterol who took red yeast rice and fish oil daily and received counseling on diet, exercise and relaxation techniques showed the same 40 percent drop in LDL cholesterol seen among people taking 40 milligrams of simvastatin daily, Dr. David J. Becker of the University of Pennsylvania Health System’s Chestnut Hill Hospital and colleagues found. And they pared off an average of 10 pounds over 12 weeks, compared to less than a pound for patients taking the statin.

Becker has run a lifestyle program for people at risk of heart disease for 13 years. “People had a uniform desire to get off statins, and when they did their cholesterol was only going down maybe 5 percent at most,” he told Reuters Health. The cardiologist decided to launch the current study after seeing many patients have success in lowering their cholesterol with red yeast rice and fish oil.

With a grant from the state of Pennsylvania, Becker and his team randomly assigned 74 patients to receive 40 milligrams of simvastatin (Zocor) daily along with printed information on lifestyle changes, or to three capsules of fish oil twice daily and 600 milligrams of red yeast rice daily along with the 12-week lifestyle program.

LDL cholesterol levels fell by 42.4 percent in the red yeast rice group and by 39.6 percent in the simvastatin group, not a statistically significant difference. Triglyceride levels didn’t change in the statin group, but fell 29 percent in the red yeast rice group, probably because they were taking fish oil, according to Becker and his team.

People in the red yeast rice group lost an average of 4.7 kilograms (just over 10 pounds), compared to 0.3 kilograms (less than a pound) in the statin group.

Red yeast rice comes from fermenting red yeast with rice. Known as hong ku, the substance has been used as a medicine and food garnish in parts of Asia for centuries, Becker said. It contains a substance called monacolin-K that is nearly identical to the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin (Mevacor), as well as several other monacolins that may also have cholesterol-lowering properties.


People in the red yeast rice arm of the study were taking the equivalent of 10 to 15 mg of lovastatin, Becker said. “This lovastatin dosage is quite small, yet the effects we saw with the red yeast rice were akin to those one would generally see with a much higher dose of lovastatin.”

“However, it is not risk-free, and it must be used carefully and in conjunction with your physician.”

If more studies bear out the current findings, he added, the supplement/lifestyle intervention he and his colleagues tested could offer an alternative to people with high cholesterol who don’t want to take statins, or who can’t tolerate the drugs. However, he added, people who actually have heart disease should stick with statins, because they have been shown to reduce mortality.

Becker noted that a recent analysis by ConsumerLab found red yeast rice products varied sharply in their potency, and some were contaminated with a toxic byproduct called citrinin. “This paper is a call for better regulation of this supplement as well so that we know consistently what’s in it,” he said.

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A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

(source: mayo clinic)

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The findings “do not support the current health claims for soy protein in a general population,” said study author Peter R.C. Howe, director of the Nutritional Physiology Research Centre at the Sansom Institute for Health Research at the University of South Australia in Adelaide.

He’s referring to the health claims approved for soy foods in both the United States and the United Kingdom that link daily consumption of 25 grams of soy protein to a reduction in heart disease risk through a lowering of LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol.

Howe’s team studied 35 men and 58 women, average age 52, who had mildly high cholesterol levels. He assigned each participant to rotate through one of three diets for six weeks each. Each diet had varying amounts of soy protein and isoflavones, substances in soy that some experts say may have cholesterol-lowering powers.

One diet contributed 24 grams of soy protein and 71 milligrams of isoflavone equivalents, one had 12 grams of dairy protein and 12 of soy protein, with 76 milligrams of isoflavones. The dairy diet, which served as the control, had 24 grams of dairy protein without isoflavones.

Howe’s team measured each person’s blood cholesterol — LDL, HDL and trigylcerides — at the start of the study and after each six-week diet.

They found no significant effect of the diets with either 24 grams or 12 grams of soy protein on LDL levels.

In his research, Howe also looked closely at whether a person’s ability to maximize the body’s response to soy protein had a better cholesterol-lowering effect. These people are termed “equol producers” because of their above-average ability to make equol, a substance produced in the intestines as a metabolite of a potent soy isoflavone called daidzen. Equol is thought to inhibit LDL.

When Howe compared the cholesterol-lowering effects of those who were equol producers with those who were not, he found no differences.

Howe’s study was confined to those with mildly high cholesterol; he said it may have an effect on those with higher cholesterol levels. And the soy diets did lower triglycerides, a blood fat, by 4 percent.

The findings were published in the August issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Even though the study found no effect of the soy protein on LDL cholesterol, Dr. Frank Sacks, a professor of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, called the research interesting. One facet he finds especially intriguing, he said, is the finding that equol producers have no benefit either.

After a series of studies on soy and its effect on cholesterol, the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee, of which Sacks is vice-chairman, reviewed the evidence and issued an advisory, saying there is “nothing special” about soy or isoflavones for improving cholesterol and that the heart association doesn’t recommend isoflavone supplements.

However, “there are other benefits to soy foods,” Sacks said. They are healthy due to high levels of polyunsaturated fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals. But, he added, “forget soy protein for lowering LDL.”

source

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A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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One thing you must realize is that weight loss cannot be confined to just one area of the body and any expert who tells you otherwise is offering false promises. There is no magic pill, exercise, food or anything else that will help you lose inches off your waist and only off your waist. Fat loss will occur all over the body if you start doing the right things - regular exercise and changing your eating habits. Usually the first place you put on weight will be the last place you lose it from so keep on going even if at first you aren’t noticing the kind of results you are looking for. Perseverance is key in weight loss and if you are determined and stick to it you will lose inches off your waist!

I now want to offer you 3 nutritional tips to help you lose inches off your waist, feel better and look great! So lets get started…

1. Be sure you are eating enough fruit and vegetables - listen to the 5-a-day advice!
Fresh fruit and vegetables should be a staple of anyone’s diet, especially if you want to change your body shape and lose inches off your waist. They contain a whole host of different vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals that are known to provide health benefits and control weight. Fruit and veg are low in fat and calories and a good source of dietary fiber; helping provide you with extra energy and focus for the day. Because they are low in calories we can eat a lot without consuming excess energy and the fiber content helps to keep you full for longer meaning far less food needs to be eaten to feel satisfied helping you lose inches off your waist.

One other great benefit of eating regular portions of fruit and veg is the fact that they are naturally low in sodium - something that cannot be said about most of the processed foods a western diet often contains. This facet alone will help reduce weight, the average person may be holding as many as 5 pounds of excess water due to the high intake of sodium! So start eating more fruit and vegetables on a daily basis and you’ll be off to a great start, helping you to lose inches off your waist!

2. Cut out ALL the soda!
Fizzy drinks and sodas are one reason that waistlines have increased over the last few decades, they should be completely eliminated from your diet if you are serious about wanting to lose inches off your waist. A regular can of soda can contain 150-200 calories which quickly adds up. The recommended daily intake of calories is 2000 for women and 2500 for men so those cans of pop, in many cases, can be responsible for nearly half of your recommended calorie intake! Some of those ’super-sized’ drinks can contain as many as 410 calories and over 35 teaspoons of sugar - disaster if you want to lose inches off your waist! Sugar isn’t the only weight loss ‘culprit’ - sodas also contain high levels of sodium and we already know what that does to your weight

3. Boost your protein intake whilst cutting down on carbs.
The amount of protein western people consume is normally very low in comparison to the amount of carbs they eat. In order to lose inches off your waist you should start to curb the carbs and boost the protein intake, thus bringing the percentage of each closer together which can help fat loss. Protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle which in turn boosts your metabolic rate - protein is more difficult for your body to process that either carbohydrates or fat and so simply by eating it you are burning more calories. So choose lean cuts of meat such as chicken and turkey and try to have a portion of protein at every feeding opportunity in order to lose inches off your waist.

Well there you have it, utilize these 3 nutritional tips and you WILL lose inches off your waist quickly and easily. For more sensible, no nonsense information on weight loss, health and fitness visit Extreme Weight Loss - it’s completely free and is a superb resource for anyone looking to lose weight and feel great! I hope you enjoyed this article, good luck!

You now have some of the knowledge needed to lose inches off your waist but wait - there’s more! Discover the hidden fat loss secrets that the top fitness professionals want to keep for themselves by visiting Fat Burning Tips. By doing so you will be ready to create the body you have always dreamed about.

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_Depp

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You probably know that hundreds of different fad diets, weight-loss programs and outright scams promise quick and easy weight loss. But the foundation of every successful weight-loss program still remains a healthy diet combined with exercise. You must make permanent changes in your lifestyle and health habits to lose significant weight and keep it off.

How do you make those permanent changes? Follow these six strategies.

1. Make a commitment

Permanent weight loss takes time and effort. It requires focus and a lifelong commitment. Make sure that you’re ready to make permanent changes and that you do so for the right reasons.

No one else can make you lose weight. In fact, external pressure — often from people closest to you — may make matters worse. You must undertake diet and exercise changes to please yourself.

As you’re planning new weight-related lifestyle changes, try to resolve any other problems in your life. It takes a lot of mental and physical energy to change your habits. So make sure you aren’t distracted by other major life issues, such as marital or financial problems. Timing is key to success. Ask yourself if you’re ready to take on the challenges of serious weight loss.

2. Get emotional support

Only you can help yourself lose weight by taking responsibility for your own behavior. But that doesn’t mean that you have to do everything alone. Seek support when needed from your partner, family and friends.

Pick people who you know want only the best for you and who will encourage you. Ideally, find people who will listen to your concerns and feelings, spend time exercising with you, and share the priority you’ve placed on developing a healthier lifestyle.

3. Set a realistic goal

When you’re considering what to expect from your new eating and exercise plan, be realistic. Healthy weight loss occurs slowly and steadily. Aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. To do this, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day through a low-calorie diet and regular exercise. Losing weight more rapidly means losing water weight or muscle tissue, rather than fat.

Make your goals “process goals,” such as exercising regularly, rather than “outcome goals,” such as losing 50 pounds. Changing your process — your habits — is the key to weight loss. Make sure that your process goals are realistic, specific and measurable, for example, you’ll walk for 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

4. Enjoy healthier foods

Adopting a new eating style that promotes weight loss must include lowering your total calorie intake. But decreasing calories need not mean giving up taste, satisfaction or even ease of meal preparation. One way you can lower your calorie intake is by eating more plant-based foods — fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Strive for variety to help you achieve your goals without giving up taste or nutrition. Cutting back on calories is easier if you focus on limiting fat.

To lose weight, talk to your doctor about setting these daily calorie goals:

Very low calorie diets aren’t a healthy long-term strategy. Fewer than 1,200 calories a day for women and 1,400 calories for men aren’t generally recommended. If your calories are too low, you run the risk of not getting all of the nutrients you need for good health.

5. Get active, stay active

Dieting alone can help you lose weight. Cutting 250 calories from your daily diet can help you lose about half a pound a week: 3,500 calories equals 1 pound of fat. But add a 30-minute brisk walk four days a week, and you can double your rate of weight loss.

The goal of exercise for weight loss is to burn more calories, although exercise offers many other benefits as well. How many calories you burn depends on the frequency, duration and intensity of your activities. One of the best ways to lose body fat is through steady aerobic exercise — such as walking — for more than 30 minutes most days of the week.

Even though regularly scheduled aerobic exercise is best for losing fat, any extra movement helps burn calories. Lifestyle activities may be easier to fit into your day. Think about ways you can increase your physical activity throughout the day. For example, make several trips up and down stairs instead of using the elevator, or park at the far end of the lot.

6. Change your lifestyle

It’s not enough to eat healthy foods and exercise for only a few weeks or even several months. You have to include these behaviors into your life. To do that, you have to change the behaviors that helped make you overweight in the first place. Lifestyle changes start with taking an honest look at your eating habits and daily routine.

After assessing your personal challenges to weight loss, try working out a strategy to gradually change habits and attitudes that have sabotaged your past efforts. Simply admitting your own challenges won’t get you past them entirely. But it helps in planning how you’ll deal with them and whether you’re going to succeed in losing weight once and for all.

You likely will have an occasional setback. But instead of giving up entirely, simply start fresh the next day. Remember that you’re planning to change your life. It won’t happen all at once, but stick to your healthy lifestyle and the results will be worth it.

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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Belly Fat is very common these days. The truth is, the reason most people have belly fat is due to three main things. Belly fat is stored energy. To get rid of the layer of fat you need to burn more energy (calories) than you eat.

Belly fat is linked to insulin resistance, which in turn is linked to our eating and exercise habits. Insulin is released when we eat; it moves digested sugars from our blood into our cells. Belly fat is worse for your health than fat in your butt or thighs. Yes, belly fat tends to trigger your liver to release its stored fatty acids — raising your cholesterol levels. Belly fat is one of the easiest to gain - one big dinner before going to bed is enough to gain belly fat. If after the big dinner you spend some days on your normal diet and don’t eat excessive quantities of food, the negative effects of the big dinner will not stay for long.

Belly fat is bad for everyone but, it can have dire consequences especially for men. The amount of abdominal fat one carries is a sure indicator of heart disease risk.

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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Saturated fats and animal cholesterol in the food intake can raise blood cholesterol to significant amounts. Saturated fats are found in animal products such as pork, beef, whole milk, cheeses, ice cream, egg yolk and foods that are made out of these products. Transfatty acids are found in margarines, commercial baked goods and in processed and fried foods.

Saturated fats include animal products like beef, pork, whole milk, ice cream, cheeses, egg yolks, and other foods that are made out of these products. Transfatty acids are mostly present in margarines, processed and fried foods, and in commercial baked goods. Saturated fats are generally contained by almost all processed food. Coconut, cocoa and palm oils are included.

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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But even if you do have high cholesterol right now, you can still do something about it, with changes in diet and activity levels.

To reduce high cholesterol level problems, it can be helpful to know exactly what cholesterol is. Read our explanation of what cholesterol is here.

It is also important for you to know exactly what your cholesterol levels are. That way you can keep them at a healthy level prior to problems developing. Your physician will be able to perform tests to give you the readings.

If you prefer not to visit your doctor you may be able to get a home testing kit, depending on where you live. Whatever else you do, if you’re worried that you may have high cholesterol it pays to have it checked out.

If you have soft yellow skin near your eyes that can sometimes be a symptom of high cholesterol. Don’t ignore such warning signs.

There are may treatments and options these days, for treating high cholesterol levels. Anyone thinking about treatment for high cholesterol should consult with their physician and follow his guidance.

A research study has shown that high levels of cholesterol can even increase how fast prostate tumors grow, so it’s even more important to know your ldl and hdl levels.

If you have had the tests done and the results say you have high cholesterol you really should think about making some serious changes in your lifestyle. Even small changes can pay big dividends and as well as reducing your cholesterol levels those changes could give you increased energy and zest for life.

Remember that the total level of cholesterol is important, but the ratio between hdl and ldl cholesterol (the ‘baddie’) is even more important.

If you’re looking for supplements to help lower high cholesterol levels, there are natural supplements available these days. They can even be more effective than prescription medications and they generally have no side effects.

Statins, drugs that are given on prescription to help lower cholesterol, appear to have several side effects like headache and tiredness, as well as cramping and stomach upset, so you may want to consider a natural alternative. And always check with your physician before embarking on any supplementation program.

It’s probably worth having the tests done every 3 years or so to make sure you know where your cholesterol levels are. With high cholesterol it pays to keep an eye on the numbers

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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Yes. For people with a BMI of 34 or less, a fat belly is regarded as an additional health risk. Fatty tissue which is stored around the stomach and abdomen (sometimes called intra-abdominal, or visceral fat) carries a greater health risk than fat located in the lower body around the butt and thighs.

Some health studies show that abdominal fat leads to raised blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, high blood sugar, insulin resistance syndrome (metabolic syndrome X) and heart disease. Because of this, some experts believe that waist circumference and fat-distribution is more important than your actual weight in predicting future health risks.

What Causes a Fat Belly?

Where we store fat (surplus calories) is largely a combination of gender, age and genetic inheritance. Men tend to store fat around their middle (apple shape), whereas women typically store fat around the pelvic region, hips, butt and thighs (pear shape). However, women are prone to develop an apple shape in mid-life, after menopause. This is because the female hormones are present in smaller amounts and so their shape tends to become more ‘male’.

NOTE: To understand how surplus food calories from carbohydrate, fat or protein are converted to body fat and stored in adipose tissue cells, see How to Get Rid of Your Belly Fat.

Stress and Stomach Fat

Some health studies show that abdominal fat can develop as a result of stress. This is because the hormone cortisol is released during stress, and a high level of cortisol in the body appears to stimulate the storage of fat around the belly and abdomen. Researchers at Yale University studied 60 women and found that the more stress they were under, the more fat they stored around their stomachs. So it appears that a fat belly is most likely to develop in stressed men of any age, and older stressed women.
How to Prevent a Fat Belly?

If you are prone to store fat around your middle, the healthiest solution is to maintain a normal weight. By matching your calorie intake to your calorie needs and prevent weight gain, you will prevent the development of any excess fat.
How to Reduce a Fat Stomach?

However, if you already have a fat belly, the best option is to follow a healthy weight loss diet, combined with fitness exercises such as aerobics (to burn extra calories) and a stomach-toning workout to help tighten and strengthen abdominal muscles. That said, reducing a fat stomach takes time - especially if you are an apple-shape. Despite what commercials say, there is no diet-plan or type of exercise that can “target” your fat stomach. So please don’t get impatient. Your fat belly will disappear, I promise.

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A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Idiot Proof Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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We’re all aware that lack of exercise and a diet of burgers and fries will cause our bellies to expand, but who knew that those late nights at the office, the stress of that big project or the hidden trans fats in our favorite vending machine snacks were adding dangerous inches to our midsections?

In a society where workaholics reign, Americans are more sleep-deprived, stress-ridden and crunched for time than ever before. We want the quickest solutions, the fastest foods (usually supersized), and, despite the caffeine running through our veins, we just can?’t seem to find the time to work out.

Are our waistlines growing out of our control?

Three ways to blast the belly fat:

1. Avoid Trans Fats
2. Get More Sleep
3. Manage Your Stress

Waist-to-Hip Ratio, BMI and Belly Fat: What It All Means
Until recently, BMI or body mass index (a measurement of weight in relation to height), was used as a key factor in determining the likelihood of developing heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancers. Now, researchers around the world are discovering that BMI is the wrong number to rely on and dangerously misleading.

Typically, a BMI of 20 to 25 is considered normal, the range between 25 to 30 is overweight and more than 30, obese. The problems arise when certain factors, such as muscle mass and fat deposition, are not taken into consideration. Because muscle is much denser than fat and takes up less space, two individuals of the same height and weight could have the same BMI, even though one may have a significantly higher percentage of body fat than the other.

Researchers now know that if most of your fat is in the tummy area, your health risks are greater than if it resides in, say, the hips, thighs or rear (sometimes referred to as the apple versus pear theory.

Dr. Tobias Pischon, lead author of a recent study that focused on the correlation between abdominal fat and colon cancer, stated in a Reuters Health report that this type of fat is more alarming. Belly fat is “metabolically active” and could possibly increase colon cancer risk by raising levels of certain hormones that affect cell growth, including the growth of cancer cells.

Consequently, waist-to-hip ratio (a measurement of waist size divided by hip size) is a more reliable gauge of your risk factors for certain diseases, such as heart attacks. A ratio of above 0.85 for women and above 0.90 for men is higher than average and typically indicates greater risk.

And when it comes to a disease such as colon cancer, women have the highest risk. Female participants of the study with the most abdominal fat had a 48 percent greater chance of developing colon cancer, with men at a slightly lower chance of 39 percent.  By Natalie Vavricka

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A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Idiot Proof Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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Sometimes it may be for a nuisance problem - or it may be a warning sign of something potentially life threatening. So why would patients not be sent to a urologist at the first sign of something serious, potentially dangerous, and obviously urologic? Your guess is as good as mine.

I do know that many primary care doctors are under tremendous pressure by insurance companies to limit referrals to specialists. Other times it may simple ignorance by the primary doctor. Worse yet, it may be arrogance that the doctor thinks he or she knows everything urologic and so does not believe a urologist would add anything to the patient’s care.

So what are a few problems that absolutely must be seen by a urologist? There are many, but here are some examples of signs or symptoms that absolutely should be seen by a urologist - nonnegotiable!

1. Any aspect of male infertility. A small percent of male factor infertility is because of testicular cancer. This is often missed by primary care doctors and totally missed when referred to an IVF fertility doctor.

2. Blood in the urine. Hematuria, whether visible (gross hematuria) or only seen under the microscope (microscopic hematuria) is not normal and can be an early warning sign of a bladder or kidney cancer. The work-up is basic, including urine tests, an x-ray such as CT scan and a look inside the bladder with a fiberoptic scope (cystoscopy). Waiting to see if the blood will go away is not smart. Blood one time is enough to see a urologist.

3. An elevated PSA or change in PSA. The PSA remains one of the most sensitive indicators of prostate cancer of all tests in medicine. The problem is that too many doctors don’t understand what the PSA test is and probably even more and important, what the PSA test is not. Any elevation raises concerns so must be evaluated. Simply telling you to go away and let’s see how high it goes or how fast it climbs is not smart. A