Why are checkups so important?
Getting the right screenings at the right time is one of the most important things a man can do for his health. Regular checkups and screenings tailored to your age, gender, personal and family history, and lifestyle can lead to early detection and quick treatment of many ‘silent’ disorders lacking obvious symptoms. These include high blood pressure, heart and vascular disease, diabetes, orthopedic (back, shoulder, hip, knee and feet) issues and cancer. When test results warn of such problems as growing cholesterol levels, precancerous polyps in the colon or increased prostate problems, it allows you and your physician to map out a plan to lower the risk of serious disease since concerns are being identified in their most treatable stages.
You can no longer dodge the doctor when faced with serious problems such as shortness of breath and chest pain. Some of the most prevalent medical conditions men face as they age can be cured or controlled if caught early. For example, diseases like diabetes partly result from an unhealthy lifestyle aggravated by stress, which can be controlled by adopting healthier habits.
What about gender-specific diseases?
While men are screened for and adopt preventive measures for diseases mainly afflicting their gender, they are also susceptible to other ailments. Nearly 2 million men 65 or older have disabling bone disease, and nearly twice that number is at risk. Older men suffering hip fractures have more than three times the risk as women of dying within a year. And, while in much smaller numbers, men may be diagnosed with breast cancer, contract bladder infections and are subject to eating disorders.
Where should I start?
Take responsibility for your health. Get regular checkups, preventive screenings, tests and immunizations determined by your physician. Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Limit foods and drinks high in calories, sugar, salt, fat and alcohol, and eat a balanced diet to help keep a healthy weight. Include activities that raise your breathing and heart rates and strengthen your muscles. Protect yourself by wearing helmets, seatbelts and sunscreen, and wash your hands to stop the spread of germs.
Make prevention part of your business. Collaborate with hospitals and physicians by offering health programs, preventive techniques and screenings at your site or a convenient location. MemorialCare’s business outreach programs include executive physicals and onsite seminars. Our Web site (memorialcare.org) offers free online tools, calculators, guides and referrals to physicians that can help you and your work force reach the goal of a healthier life.
If any of this advice rings true, make that appointment now. If someone you know needs to make that appointment, pass this page along to them.
Brian Henry, M.D., is a board-certified internal medicine physician at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills. Frank Marino, M.D., is a family physician and medical director for Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley. The not-for-profit MemorialCare Health System includes Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach, Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley and Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills and San Clemente. For additional information on excellence in health care, please visit memorialcare.org.
