The era of the medication endorsing athlete, while still early, has been pretty good to us. No one will every forget when Rafael Palmeiro came out with the Viagra ads or those fascinating Nolan Ryan Advil collaborations.
Okay, so those are a little clownish (or suspicious in Raffy's case) and certainly, Mike Schmidt's willingness to tackle BPH and the issues that surround an enlarged prostate are much more worthwhile. Granted, the subject is ready available humor for those without any sense of decorum and a heavily juvenilized mind, but there's nothing funny about dudes getting older and having to pee a lot.
"These bathroom breaks got in the way of life's normal moments," explains Schmidt. "When my doctor diagnosed me with BPH, I was relieved to learn that it was a common condition. I was also relieved to know BPH is not cancer. Together, we developed a game plan to manage my symptoms with Uroxatral(R) (alfuzosin HCl 10 mg extended-release tablets)."
Best known for leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a World Series victory in 1980, Schmidt began experiencing the frequent and urgent need to use the bathroom nine years ago. At his family's urging, Schmidt made an appointment to see his doctor, who told him the constant bathroom breaks weren't just signs of getting older -- they were caused by an enlarged prostate or BPH.Schmidt is stepping forward with the help of advertising dollars (I would imagine) from Uroxatral, in an attempt to challenge the growing elderly baby boomer market, but clearly he has a desire to help aging men actually talk to their doctor about these problems, rather than simply hiding out in a bathroom corner.
And while I have trouble seeing Michael JACK Schmidt whisper "alfuzosin HCl 10mg extended relief tablets" quickly under his breath, it's still a good cause, so we'll give him a ... break.
