Five symptoms a man should not ignore

When it comes to doctors, men are more likely to drag their heels, unless they are convinced it is a medical emergency.

Women tend to be more cautious and pragmatic about health matters, and can exert a positive influence on the man in their life.

Indeed, a recently published study has found that married men are more likely to survive a heart attack, thanks to their partner getting them to the hospital sooner.

We compiled a guide to symptoms a man, and the women close to them, should not ignore.

Chest pain

Men might dial 999 for a crushing chest pain, but what about "heartburn" or "indigestion," along with sweating or shortness of breath?

Heart attacks strike more than 120,000 people every year, but not all symptoms are easily recognised.
The most common symptoms of a heart attack include pain in the centre of the chest which may spread to the arms, neck or jaw; chest pain and feeling sick or sweaty, or chest pain with shortness of breath.

Less common symptoms which could indicate a heart attack include dull pain, ache, or 'heavy' feeling in the chest; a mild discomfort in the chest that makes you feel generally unwell; a pain in the chest that can spread to the back or stomach; chest pain that feels like a bad episode of indigestion, and feeling light-headed or dizzy along with chest pain.

Chest pain can vary from mild discomfort in the centre of the chest to severe pain which is often described as a heavy pressure, crushing or tightness. Either way, it needs to be dealt with immediately.

Problems with "the waterworks"

A man may put it down to age, or drinking too much coffee or alcohol, but if he's having to get up several times during the night to go to the loo, it might be time to point him in the direction of the GP.
Needing to go to the toilet often and especially at night, difficulty starting to pass urine, a weak flow, straining, needing to rush to the toilet and a feeling that the bladder has not emptied properly could indicate a prostate problem.

This might be caused by an enlarged prostate or an infection of the prostate or even prostate cancer. It can also be a symptom of diabetes.

Blood caused by "piles"

It may be convenient to dismiss any amount of blood in stools as just piles, but that's for the doctor to decide. You should book an appointment with a male doctor if you find discussing bowel movements embarrassing.

Bowel cancer is the third most common cause of cancer in men, after lung and prostate cancer. Each year more than 20,000 men are diagnosed with the disease. As with many cancers, the earlier it is detected, the easier it is to treat.

As well as finding blood in stools, other symptoms of bowel cancer include feeling tired, anaemia, changes in bowel habits such as loose stools or diarrhoea which persist for weeks, abdominal pain or a lump in the side.

Beer belly

A man may dismiss it as nothing more than a "bit of beer belly," but research has shown that people who carry extra fat around their waist have a higher risk of developing serious health problems compared with those who carry fat on their hips and thighs.

Men with a waist circumference of 94cm (37") are at higher risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers, and men measuring 102cm (40") at the waist have an even higher risk.
A large waist can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. In the early stages, diabetes is often without symptoms, when it can best be treated. Similarly high blood pressure, which increases your risk of heart disease and stroke, is usually without symptoms.

Problems down below

Erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence is the inability to maintain an erection firm enough to have satisfactory sex. Although the symptoms are easily recognised, men are often too embarrassed to seek medical attention.

Men often write off ED as a normal part of the ageing process, but they need to know that it is a common condition. Around 50 per cent of men aged between 40 and 70 can expect to experience some level of ED in their life.

Many men are unaware that ED can also be a sign of a range of underlying psychological and physical health problems.

ED can be caused by the narrowing of the blood vessels into the penis. If the penis is affected in this way, it's likely the vessels supplying blood to the heart and brain are also affected.
ED can therefore be an early sign that the man is at risk of having high cholesterol, and at risk of heart disease and stroke. It can also be a symptom of diabetes.

Men should visit their doctor if they are experiencing any degree of ED, not only to improve their quality of life, but to get help with any other health conditions they are unaware of.

Bareilly baby boy with 34 fingers and toes sets new Guinness record

Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh), July 20 (ANI):  Akshat, a baby boy over the age of one, registered his name in the Guinness world records for having a total of 34 fingers and toes.
He has set the record for having the highest number of fingers and toes and hails from the Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh.

Amrita Saxena, the mother of the child, said it was difficult for her to believe that her son broke the world record, until a family friend convinced her.

"He (family friend) read on the internet about the baby born in China with 31 fingers. Then he said that my boy has broken the record of having 34 fingers. At first, I was not convinced at all. It was hard to believe that my son has broken the record. But later, he along with my husband and my younger sister registered the data in the Internet. Then I was asked to submit certain documents after which his name was in the Guinness World Records," added Saxena.

Doctors attending to the child informed the mediapersons that it was a rare phenomenon and diagnosed it as polydactyly.

"The person who is diagnosed with it is polydactylic. It is due to certain defects in the bone development of the uterus. The reason behind this defect can be either developmental congenital formation or chromosomal anomalies, which is due to maternal infection or drugs," said Dr. Parul Gupta, a gynaecologist.

Gupta further explained that this congenital physical anomaly could be easily cured by performing a surgery.

"Yes, it is absolutely curable. Mostly people go for plastic surgery. And sometimes when polydactyly is minimal, it can be cured normally, without an operation. And if there is a major problem, then people prefer to go for a plastic surgery," added Gupta.

Meanwhile Saxena was a little worried for her son's future. She aspires for her son to lead a 'normal' life and wants him to undergo proper treatment for it.

Lopez And Anthony Showed Signs Of Marital Problems,

Now that Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony have announced their plans to end their seven-year marriage, insiders are recalling signs that may have indicated that the couple was having problems.

 

Us Weekly reports that Anthony wanted to select Lopez's wardrobe last year during a photo shoot for her Style Icon Of The Decade spread.

Anthony urged the magazine not to use a photo of Lopez he considered to be "too sexy and unbecoming for a 40-year-old mother of two," an unnamed source told Us.

"He would make her feel terrible about herself if she wanted to wear something sexy," added another source. "He likes her to dress in a demure, ‘wife' style. He hated the fact that she was a sex symbol."

Marc was described as generally being "very dominating" by yet another insider. "He wants to control everything Jennifer does."

A spokesperson for Anthony did not respond to Yahoo! by press time.

On July 2 -- 13 days before Lopez and Anthony released a statement about their impending divorce --

Lopez appeared on HSN to promote her new fragrance, Love And Light.

TV Guide made a montage of video clips of Lopez discussing love and relationships -- including Anthony -- during her network visit.

When commenting about the couple's chemistry during their performance on the "American Idol" finale, the HSN host Diana Perkovic described the pair as "in love." Lopez responded with a polite correction, "Yes, we do love each other."

Lopez told Perkovic the concept of her 2010 perfume, Love And Glamour, was about "love and your relationship and your glamorous life, and everything sorta outside of you."

Lopez said Love And Light takes a different focus. "I wanted to go to the core of who you are and what is really inside you," she said.

In a separate interview with HSN's Colleen Lopez, the entertainment mogul said, "Really the most important relationship that you have is with yourself. Life is really about change. And sometimes that can be scary. But the truth is, you have to do that. You have to push yourself so you can breakthrough your own boundaries and try new things and do new things."

People magazine reported that Lopez and Anthony made their last public appearance together on June 7 at the Samsung Hope For Children Gala in New York.

Anthony did not join Lopez when she met the royal couple Prince William, Duke Of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess Of Cambridge, on July 9. Lopez's mother, Guadalupe, joined her instead.

Fears about debt send gold price to record

NEW YORK (AP) — Gold's reputation as a safe place for your money sent it above $1,600 for the first time.

Investors are worried about debt problems on both sides of the Atlantic. So they bid gold up $12.30 an ounce Monday to settle at $1,602.40. That's a record for the market price for gold, but below its 1980 peak after adjusting for inflation. An ounce of gold at that time cost $850, or about $2,400 in today's dollars.

Gold is looking better by the day because debt problems in the U.S. and Europe are making two other so-called safe havens, the dollar and the euro, seem shaky. The U.S. could default on its debt on Aug. 2 if Congress and the White House don't agree to raise the country's borrowing limit. In Europe, investors worry that Greece may default. Countries including Italy, Spain and Ireland are also struggling to pay their bills. Defaults could mean losses for the banks that own bonds issued by those countries, and that could trigger widespread disruption in financial markets.

Why own gold? It's because gold has a long history as a way of preserving wealth, said Tom Winmill, portfolio manager of the $96 million Midas Fund. The fund owns gold and stocks in gold mines. "In 6,000 years, gold is one of the very few assets that have never gone to zero." Winmill expects gold to rise to $1,800 by the end of 2012.

Investors believe gold is safe because it doesn't depend on a government's ability to repay a bond, like a Treasury or a Greek note. Neither do other commodities like crude oil, which has the added use of powering automobiles. "But it's much easier to pick up a bar of gold than a swimming pool of oil," said James Steel, an analyst with HSBC.

Gold rose 21 percent in dollar terms in the 12 months through June 30, according to the World Gold Council, an industry group. It rose against other currencies, too: up 2.2 percent in euros, 10.4 percent in Japanese yen and 16.5 percent in Indian rupees. But gold fell 5.5 percent against the Swiss franc, which is seen as one of the world's safest currencies.

Gold's rise has accelerated in the last two weeks: Monday was its 10th straight day of gains after it closed at $1,482.60 July 1. Gold has also steadily risen since the start of 2009, when it cost $880. The Federal Reserve has kept short-term interest rates at a record low of nearly zero since December 2008. Low interest rates weaken the appeal of the dollar, and that in turn sends gold higher.

Investors are behind much of the increase in the price of gold. Demand from investors rose 26 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, according to industry data. Demand for gold from dentists for crowns and from companies for use in electronics was flat. Demand for gold in jewelry rose 7 percent.

The amount of gold held by exchange-traded funds and similar investments is at a record, according to Barclays Capital. Exchange-traded funds, also known as ETFs, trade like stocks and are a way for investors to own gold without having to store and insure actual gold bars or coins.

But much of that demand has been from speculative investors, such as hedge funds, said Jon Nadler, senior metals analyst with Kitco Metals. Gold could plunge — if investors regain their confidence that the U.S. won't default and that the 27-nation European Union won't be threatened by the region's debt problems.

The Loch Ness Monster of Alaska?

Move over, Montauk Monster. Step aside, Nessie. There's a new sea creature in town--maybe. Footage of a 20- to 30-foot long creature caught on tape by fishermen suggests we have an Alaska bonafide marine-creature mystery.

The black and white footage from 2009 is by no means definitive. It is taken on a rainy day with a shaky camera, which make it all the more confounding. But you can check out the testimony of people who say they witnessed the creature's appearance in the video above.

The Alaska-dwelling creature has been labeled a "Cadborosaurus wallsi," which means "reptile" or "lizard" from Cadboro Bay, British Columbia, where it was originally spotted centuries ago. Called "Caddy" for short, it has a "long neck, a horse-like head, large eyes, and back bumps that stick out of the water," according to a report on MSNBC.

Though the tape captures the most recent sighting, tales of beholding the creature in the North Pacific have circulated for 200 years. In 1937, scientists thought they might have uncovered physical evidence when what was thought to be a sea serpent was found inside the stomach of a whale. Still, the creature is classified as part of Cryptozoology, i.e., a creature not formally recognized by the scientific community.

One true believer today is  Andy Hillstrand, a veteran of the reality-TV show "Deadliest Catch," who tracks the creature in his new show, "Hill stranded." The seaman reports that he saw "a big, long white thing moving in the water. We chased it for about 20 minutes. Spray came out of its head. It was definitely not a shark…I've never seen anything like it before."

Brawny "Captain America" saved by "Skinny Steve"

Brawny "Captain America" saved by "Skinny Steve"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The story of Captain America is well covered in comic book lore: a scrawny, bullied orphan named Steve Rogers is chosen for a top secret government project during World War II in which he becomes a test subject for a super serum.

 The serum transforms him into a strong and able soldier named Captain America, and he leads the U.S. Army in its fight against the Nazis.

Actor Chris Evans, who plays the title character in Friday's release of "Captain America: The First Avenger," put on 15 lbs. of muscle to play the role.

The problem: he got too big for Steve Rodgers. Solution: "Skinny Steve."

Having literally built Evans into what the film's director Joe Johnston called "the perfect human specimen," the movie makers had to figure out how the 6 ft. tall actor with the muscled-up physique could convincingly portray the pre-serum Steve Rogers, a scrawny kid of a mere 90-something lbs.

Hollywood has dealt with on screen body changes in many ways over the years. The cast and crew of the 2000 film "Cast Away" took a year-long break so its star, Tom Hanks -- who first gained 50 lbs. for the role -- could drop weight to look like he'd been stranded on a tropical island for years.

One option for "Captain America" was to superimpose Evans' head on a skinny body double, much like the technology employed by filmmaker David Fincher in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" when Brad Pitt had to age backward.

Last year Fincher employed the same technique in "The Social Network," in which Armie Hammer played Tyler Winklevoss and identical twin brother Cameron Winklevoss, which meant digitally putting Hammer's head on actor Josh Pence's body.

'SKINNY STEVE' TO THE RESCUE

On "Captain America," there was no way to take a year off because its backers at Marvel Studios have been on a tight schedule rolling out their superheroes one by one -- including the recent "Thor" -- so audiences will be familiar with most of them when they join forces in next summer's "The Avengers."

Like Fincher in "Social Network," director Johnston initially hired a body double and used the head replacement system in a scene where Steve Rogers was lying on a table. But he quickly realized it wouldn't work for other sequences.

"Chris moves in such a unique way; he doesn't move like anybody else," Johnston told Reuters. "The body double could not move like him. As hard as he tried to watch Chris and duplicate the movements, it just wasn't the same."

That was perfectly fine with Evans, who was not keen on having another actor involved in creating the iconic role.

"The beginning part of the movie is so crucial to get the audience invested in who Steve is, I didn't want to share that part of the performance with another actor," Evans, 30, told Reuters. "I talked to Joe about it and thankfully, he agreed."

Instead of the body double/superimposed head, the filmmakers used a "shrinking" technique and computers to basically erase portions of Evans' strong physique on screen.

"We filmed over 250 shots of Chris and used digital technology to 'shrink' him down to what we called 'Skinny Steve,'" said Johnston.

"It's pretty amazing," added Evans. "They took shape out of my jaw line, they shrunk my skeleton and they made my shoulders less broad."

While it may sound easy, it wasn't. Each time Evans' body went through the digital nips and tucks, it created empty space in the background which needed to be filled in.

Multiple shots had to be filmed with green screens just to superimpose the scenery that would normally have been there had bulky Evans really been little, scrappy Steve Rogers.

"It was a very arduous process," said Johnston. "It took all of pre-production and most of production to do all 250 shots."

William And Kate Move Into New Digs, Formerly The Home of Princess Diana

Fresh from their North American tour, William and Kate -- er, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge -- have moved into their first official apartment at Kensington Palace in London.

According to People.com, the apartment is not exactly tricked out with Versailles-level square footage: it consists of just two bedrooms and one bathroom. (Something we have in common with the Royal newlyweds: one bathroom. Except ours doesn't have a sink.)
Kensington Palace -- quite an upgrade from the flat they once shared with college friends at St. Andrews -- has provided shelter for members of the Royal Family since the 17th century. Most notably, the estate was the primary residence of Princess Diana from 1981 until her death in 1997, when thousands of mourners laid heaps of flowers by the palace gates.

Prince Charles and young princes William and Harry look at tributes to Diana at the Kensington gates in 1997. Anwar Hussein/Getty Images
 
Previously, William and Kate shared a suite of rooms with Prince Harry -- not the worst thing in the world -- at Clarence House, Harry's preferred London stomping grounds. (CBS Moneywatch recently compiled a nice roundup of Royal residences from which the couple can choose. Fun fact: Buckingham Palace contains 600 rooms, and its own police station.)

Last week, William and Kate took two days to settle into the new Kensington digs; they're now stationed at their main abode in Anglesey, North Wales, where the Prince works as an RAF Search and Rescue helicopter pilot.

Like any couple, they like to spend downtime at the movies. On Saturday, the pair caught a double feature of "Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2" and "Bridesmaids."