CATES: Men’s health is important year-round

Carol A. Cates, MSN, MBA, RN, is the senior nurse at the Odessa Regional Medical Center. You can reach your by email at Carol.Cates@steward.org

June is International Men’s Health Month. I think this comes as a bit of a surprise to most people because they think of No Shave November and its role in emphasizing men’s health. I like that we have time twice a year to really highlight and think about the man heath, yours and / or the men in your life.

I read a scary statistic recently. Eight percent of men can remember the make and model of their first car, but not the last time they went to the doctor. I live with one of those 81%. It is a struggle to make him realize the importance of taking care of his health.

Another interesting statistic: On average, men die five years earlier than women. I think most people know that men generally don’t live as long as women. My 80 year old father will tell you that he is outnumbered everywhere among women his age. It is interesting that we now know why. This is due to the lack of health care. Women have a 100 percent chance of having an annual wellness visit to a doctor than men.

A few more statistics on men’s health: one in two men will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their life. 1 to 3 women develop cancer. Men make up 55% of the workforce but are responsible for 92% of workplace deaths.

The average life expectancy for US men was 76.1 years in 2018 compared to 81.1 years for women. The most common causes of death in men and women are heart disease and cancer, but after that the number changes significantly, in men number 3 is accidental injuries; for women this is number 6.

The top 5 causes in men, and they account for more than half of all deaths in men, are, as I said, heart disease, cancer, accidental injuries, and then chronic respiratory diseases and strokes.

Each of these causes can be greatly mitigated by preventive measures. The first place to start is by looking at lifestyle changes.

If you smoke, quit. I know this is very easy for me to say and very, very difficult to do. But know that there are plenty of resources out there to help you quit.

Eat a healthy diet high in fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains.

Limit foods high in saturated and trans fats and foods with added sugar and sodium. Maintaining a healthy weight, again easy said but hard to do, has a huge impact on your risk for heart disease and many cancers.

Do sports regularly. Limit alcohol to no more than two drinks (one drink counts as 12 beers, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80 percent alcohol) per day if you are under 65, and no more than 1 drink per day, if you are older than 65. Try to limit your stress levels.

Take measures to avoid accidental injury. The most common cause of unintentional injuries is autocollision. Please wear a seat belt, drive safely, do not drive distracted or sleepy and please never drive under the influence of alcohol or other substances.

While not an accidental injury per se, another major risk of injury in men is suicide. Men report and treat depression much less often. This depression can sometimes lead to suicide and reckless behavior that leads to unintentional harm.

If you have signs and symptoms of depression, such as: B. Feeling sad or worthless and not interested in normal activities. Please speak to your doctor. If you think of suicide please seek help. Go to the emergency room or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

Finally, visit a primary health care provider regularly, at least once a year; Don’t wait until something is seriously wrong.

Please watch out for checkups that can save your life, cancer screenings, heart exams and the like. For men, an important procedure that begins as early as teenagers is self-screening for testicular cancer.

The Testicular Cancer Society has a great resource on their website for learning how to do a self-exam: www.testicularcancersociety.org/pages/slef -exam-how-to. They even have an app on the Apple App Store or Google Play called Ball Checker to help with these self-checks.

Gentlemen, for yourself and for those of us who love you, please think of your health this June and November and every day of the year.

source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/cates-mens-health-is-important-year-round/