Men’s Health: Where To Start
June is Men's Health Awareness month, and it often goes overlooked. Men in the United States live an average of 5 years less compared to women, suicide rates are four times higher in men, 50% of men are less likely to seek medical care, and men are more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, and chronic health complications. That's just the tip of the iceberg. When I hear this kind of statistics on men's health, what I hear is a system and a society that continues to push the narrative of "men don't need help" and failure in the promotion of preventive medicine.
Before we let the month of June go by here a rundown of what every male should plan to do this month, and if not, plan for the coming months. Here's a rundown of where to start, it’s not an exhaustive list but it does help get the ball moving.
Annual physicals. No one likes going to the doctor; I get it, but the annual physical is your time to tell your doctor what's been bothering you. Annuals also allow you to get your blood work checked for free (covered by insurance). You don't need to go nuts with labs; a standard CBC, CMP, Vitamin D, hemoglobin A1c, and cholesterol panel is actually sufficient. Annual physical is basically a check-in with yourself. Many issues don't come up suddenly; they build up. That ongoing back pain that you mentioned ends up being a herniated disc that needs PT. The random muscle pain, fatigue, and mood changes all because of low vitamin D which can be corrected with supplementation. The point is, if you don't know what's going on under the hood, then you don't know what to do.
Screenings. This is a subset for annual physicals. Screenings are used to see if you have a particular condition or not, like doing a colonoscopy to see if you have any concerns for developing colon cancer. Screenings are tailored to you based on age, risk factors, past medical history, and family history. When it comes to screenings there's a few factors as to why many men don't get them. A majority of men, particularly younger men, skip or delay preventive screenings, with rates as high as 60–70% in certain age groups. This avoidance is driven by a mix of fear of diagnosis, stigma, logistical challenges, and lack of access to primary care.
The lone wolf mentality. You don't go through life alone, you always have people by your side; but as men we're told to handle life alone, not to complain, not to reach out. I'm here to tell you that's a deadly mentality to have. Keeping yourself in isolation and ignore your physical and mental health is a sure way to make matters worse. Studies even show that men who participate in group activities be it religious or not, have reported less anxiety, depression, improved mood, and reported reduced physical symptoms such as pain. Reaching out to loved ones or therapists to discuss life problems doesn't make you weak; we all need to seek counsel when handling life issues, and sometimes a good venting session is always helpful.
Better diet and more exercise. There is a dichotomous societal norm with men and lifestyle choices; either they're seen as die-hard gym goers on a steak and potatoes diet OR chip eating soda guzzling gym avoidants. Generally, the American diet isn't the greatest and with that carries the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver, and cancer; it's also the most consumed diet plan in the USA. Couple that with 2/3 of Americans not meeting the recommended physical activity amount per week, you have a recipe for chronic disease. Now it is hard to say how many men stick to healthy eating and exercise routine but from population data we can broadly say, we as men don't eat as a well as we should and don't exercise as much as we should. Eating healthier and exercising even for a few minutes greatly reduces your chronic disease risk and even helps manage symptoms if you already have a chronic disease. It can be as simple as no longer buying processed snacks and focusing on whole food options instead or going for a 10-minute walk around your neighborhood; it doesn't have to always be going to the gym for 2 hours.
Gentlemen, your health is precious and as such you should take the initiative to care for it. We as men take initiatives in our careers, homes, parenting but when it comes to ourselves we suddenly become uncomfortable with that idea. Any of the information is easy to apply not just today but through the year and thereafter. Start becoming healthy today.
