Do you have "moobs"? Don't use marijuana.

Moobs?

Moobs is a shortened name for “man boobs”, which is a slang term for male breast tissue, also known in medical terminology as gynecomastia.  Gynecomastia is far more common than people think.  It affects anywhere from 33-41% of men between the ages of 25 and 45.  And it affects 55-60% of men over the age of 50.  

It also is a matter of considerable distress for men who suffer with it, not withstanding Seinfeld's use of it as a comedic theme in an episode a few years ago. It can be the subject of frequent and humiliating teasing.

Gynecomastia is caused by a hormone imbalance between the male hormone, testosterone, and it’s female counterpart, estrogen.  When estrogen dominates, men are prone to develop “moobs”. 

Now, we are finding in animal studies, that the active ingredient in marijuana may contribute to the imbalance of estrogen over testosterone. Can this cause “moobs” in pot smokers? Are we going find an increase in the occurrence of gynecomastia? I know as a Fort Myers plastic surgeon, I have seen a great increase in the number of men with gynecomastia.  Nationally, the number of men who had surgery for gynecomastia rose 30% from 2011 to 2012.  

So you may want to reconsider the “joint” if you have “moobs”.

Do birth control pills contribute to glaucoma?

It always fascinates me, even as a medical doctor and board certified plastic surgeon, how various supplements, nutrients, medicines - basically anything we ingest - can be linked to a disease state.  

Now we come to learn that women who took birth control pills (BCP) for more than 3 years had TWICE the risk of glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness.  This may be due to decreased levels of estrogen which  has a protective effect on the eye.  So you just may need to be checked or screened by an opthalmologist for glaucoma.

Incidentally, if you have elevated pressure within your eyeballs, that can lead to glaucoma, your eye doctor can prescribe eye drops to reduce that pressure.