Once upon a time life was carefree and youth was on our side,

life held so much promise and we dared not to reach for the

sky. Our bodies were strong and invincible it seemed, and we

took for granted that it would always be. With arrogance we

lived in excess, pushing our bodies to the maximum and

denying ourselves nothing, not realizing that someday, in

some way, we would have to pay for abusing our bodies and

living our lives as if there would be no tomorrow""that day is

now!

It has been estimated that over seven million men in the

United States suffer from some form of incontinence, and the

largest percentage of them suffer from urinary incontinence,

although there is a growing number of men who suffer with

fecal incontinence; the inability to control the bowel from

leaking excrement.

More than forty million men around the world are incontinent,

and many experts and researchers tend to think that number is

really understated because many men who suffer from some form

of incontinence refuse to see a doctor for one reason or

another, and therefore it is no way for anyone to know just

how many people who really are incontinent. Because of the

stigma that is associated with incontinence, out of

embarrassment, fear, and even financial concerns, many men

choose to suffer in silence""alone.

Urinary Incontinence is not a disease at all, it is a

condition; a symptom of another problem that"s rooted in the

urinary tract. Although the prevalence of urinary

incontinence is greater in older men than younger men,

nevertheless, there is a large number of young men who are

incontinent as well, and the numbers continue to increase

with each passing day. Urinary incontinence is a

multi-billion dollar industry in the United States alone, not

to mention the rest of the world. Lifestyle contribute

significantly to the swelling numbers of men who are

incontinent, and the baby boomers (45-64) are the second

largest age group that suffer from some form or type of

incontinence.

Men between the ages of sixty-five and eighty are more likely

to be incontinent than any other age group. In fact, over

ninety per cent of the men in the age group seventy to eighty

years of age are incontinent. It should be mention here that

incontinence is not synonymous with aging; it is not part of

the process of aging per se, but it does happen in the

elderly more frequently than any other age group.

Urinary incontinence is the involuntary voiding or passing of

urine; it is the inability to manage or control urine

passing. Urinary incontinence affects women

disproportionally, of the two hundred million people who are

incontinent, one hundred and sixty million of them are

women. Women are more often than not diagnose with stress

incontinence, although in many cases they do suffer with

other forms of incontinence, and in many instances some women

suffer with two or more forms of incontinence at the same

time.

Stress incontinence is the passing or voiding of urine while

laughing, coughing, exercising, sneezing, or doing any number

of activities. With women this condition can occur during and

after pregnancy, after childbirth, and it can occur after

surgery. But with men stress incontinence almost always occur

after a prostatectomy, or removal of the prostate gland. With

the proper treatment many men overcome this condition and

completely heal altogether, while others for one reason or

another suffer with stress incontinence for the rest of their

lives.

Men who suddenly have an uncontrollable urge to urinate and

have to rush to the bathroom without a moment"s delay suffer

with a type or form of urinary incontinence called urge or

urgency incontinence. When the detrusor muscle inside of the

bladder violently contract it forces the urine stored in it

out through the urethra (that runs through the prostate and

through the male sexual organ) to be voided, and here lies the

problem""unable to reach a facility to relieve themselves,

some men experience yet another embarrassing and humiliating

scene that many sufferers of urgency incontinence are force

to deal with each and every day; until they all but give up

and ban themselves from public appearances due to the fear of

having another accident in public.

Many men punish themselves by imposing some sort of penance,

or self imposed exile by alienating themselves from public

and social gatherings that could possibly lead to more shame

and disgrace. The burden of living with urinary incontinence

can also take a heavy toll on men psychologically and

emotionally. In too many cases men who have felt the sting of

public humiliation and disgrace often succumb to mental

problems that in many cases prove to be even more devastating

than the issues with incontinence. That is why men should seek

medical help in the early stages of this condition so that

their doctor can help them in every possible way. Choosing to

go it alone can prove to be a very serious mistake when

professional help is readily available. There is no disgrace

in seeking medical and professional help, but it is a

disgrace to suffer in silence when there is a much better

alternative just a phone call away.

Men who suffer from stress incontinence and urge incontinence

are known throughout the medical community as having mixed

incontinence, and when someone who is non ambulatory for one

reason or another that person is described as having

functional incontinence. For whatever reason a person cannot

reach the bathroom in time to relieve themselves, that person

is referred to as having functional incontinence. Sometimes

this condition is only temporary and then again, in some

situations it is permanent. Being confined to a wheelchair or

struggling to maneuver with a walker are two ways of viewing

functional incontinence.

As baby boomers begin to reach the full age of retirement

more and more men are beginning to deal with some type or

form of urinary incontinence as well as fecal incontinence.

Trouble with the prostate gland becomes more of an issue as

we continue to go through the aging process. Many of us must

begin to make serious changes in our lifestyle to help ward

off health problems that could prove to be devastating to say

the least.

Urinary incontinence can be completely cured with the proper

treatment, medical procedures, medications and behavioral

modifications in most cases. And in addition to that there are a great

selection of incontinence products that are now available on

the market. Products that are designed and engineered to help

men with any and every type of incontinence live a dignified

and well fulfilled existence. There is no reason for anyone

to suffer through embarrassing moments that can leave them

psychologically scared and emotionally depleted. No one

should have to go through life reeking of urine and feces. No

one.

Today, there are so many products that can make life so much

better for all concern: men incontinence disposable diapers,

men cloth diapers, men disposable pads, men incontinence

underwear, men incontinence guards, portable urinals, Cunningham

clamps, internal and external catheters, deodorizers, plastic (silent and

soft) underwear coverings, men incontinence briefs, and the

list goes on and on.

Yes, baby boomers, now that we are beginning to head down

that final stretch; with today"s urinary incontinence

products, as well as fecal incontinence products; we still

can have our cake and eat it too"and without the worry of

being incontinent and all the pain and embarrassment

associated with it. Happy retirement everyone.