MAX HEALTH

Why Every
Man Needs
Preventive
Health
Care
BY LINDA HEPLER, BSN, RN

OK, GUYS, LETS BE HONEST. How

long has it been since you went to
the doc, not for an illness or an injury,
but for a preventive health checkup?
Chances are, its been awhile maybe
even a long while. Research shows
that men often fail to make their
health care a priority, seeking help
only for specific problems rather than
for preventive care.
The trouble with this? The risks of
not seeking regular health care can
be dangerous, because many health
conditions dont show clear signs and
symptoms until the condition has
become severe.
But its not too late to make a
change, and June is the perfect time
to do it. This is the month that we
celebrate fathers and Fathers Day
is a great time to reflect upon how
much your children need you to be
around to see them grow up. And
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JUNE 2016

National Mens
Health Week is
celebrated the
week leading
up to Fathers
Day, so all guys
can celebrate
this occasion
by taking the
opportunity
to make that
appointment.
A preventive health checkup
includes tests to screen for certain
diseases, depending upon your age
and your health history. Some of these
include:

BLOOD PRESSURE CHECK

High blood pressure, or hypertension,

is in most cases, a symptomless
disease. Left untreated, it can cause
damage to the heart and kidneys as

well as strokes. Its not unusual for

even young people to have elevated
blood pressure these days, said
Marc I. Leavey, MD, a primary care
physician at Lutherville Personal
Physicians, part of the Mercy Hospital
System in the Baltimore, Maryland
area. With increasing prevalence
of a sedentary lifestyle, with sports
played on a tablet rather than a field,
and super-sized meals and snacks,
preventable illnesses like hypertension

are common even among kids, he

claimed.
When To Get It: You should have your
blood pressure checked at least every
two years beginning at age 20, said
Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, internist and
co-author of Real Cause, Real Cure;
more often if youre African American,
overweight, diabetic, or have a family
history of hypertension, all risk factors
for the disease. If your blood pressure
reading is high, your
doctor can instruct you on
how often to monitor it
and prescribe treatment if
necessary.

through a thin, flexible tube, is the

gold standard; this test allows the
examiner to remove polyps that may
grow into cancer. If you just cant
bring yourself to have a colonoscopy,
there are several other tests available,
including Cologuard, a stool DNA
test that you can use at home to
detect colon cancer and some polyps.
According to Dr. Leavey, this test
is not indicated for those with high

TESTICULAR

CANCER EXAM

About half of the cases

of testicular cancer are
seen in men between the
ages of 20 and 34, but it
can occur in men of any
age. Risk factors include a
family history of testicular
cancer, and having had
an undescended testicle.
If caught early, testicular
cancer can be successfully treated.
When To Get It: The American Cancer
Society recommends that your doctor
examine your scrotum for lumps,
tenderness and swelling as part
of a routine checkup, especially if
you have risk factors for testicular
cancer. Monthly self-examination of
your testes can pay off big time in
detecting problems early, too, said Dr.
Leavey.

COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING

Colorectal cancer is the third leading

cause of cancer in males. Risk
factors include a family history of
colon cancer or a personal history
of inflammatory bowel disease such
as ulcerative colitis or Crohns. It is
usually preceded by polyps that arise
from the wall of the large intestine.
Finding and removing the polyps can
help to prevent colon cancer.
When To Get It: People at average risk
should get tested beginning at age
50, said Dr. Teitelbaum; those with
above-average risk factors should
begin testing at age 40, or even
earlier. Frequency of testing depends
both upon the type of test used and
the findings. A colonoscopy, which is
a procedure that allows your doc to
look at the lining of the large intestine

heart disease, kidney failure, eye

disease, and nerve damage. High
risk factors include certain ethnic
populations such as African American
and American Indian, those with
a family history of diabetes, those
with high blood pressure and high
cholesterol, being overweight and
inactive, and those older than age 45.
When To Get It: Most health
organizations suggest diabetes
screening, which involves
a fasting blood test, be
done every three years
beginning at age 45,
earlier if you fall into
one of the high risk
categories. If your test
is abnormal, your doctor
will likely advise more
frequent testing and
perhaps treatment.

CHOLESTEROL
SCREENING

risk, but may be useful for those

of average risk who cant undergo
colonoscopy or fear the examination.

DIABETES SCREENING

Men are more likely than woman to

have undiagnosed diabetes type 2,
a condition that causes few or no
symptoms in early stages, and if left
untreated, can lead to stroke and

According to the
American Heart
Association, men have a
higher risk of developing
heart disease than women do,
and having high cholesterol is one
factor that contributes to this. A
cholesterol screening is a blood test
that will determine your levels of high
density lipoprotein (HDL, considered
good cholesterol) and low density
lipoprotein (LDL, considered bad
cholesterol), as well as harmful blood
fats called triglycerides. Your doctor

Why Do Women Live Longer?

Take one look around most nursing homes, and youll see many more women
than men. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
men die at higher rates than women from the top 10 causes of death and on
average, die almost five years earlier than women. But why? According to
research:
1. Men are more likely to have riskier jobs, like firefighting, military combat, construction,
and commercial fishing.
2. Men take bigger risks, such as smoking or drinking to excess, driving drunk, biking
without helmets, and fighting.
3. Men avoid doctors. In fact, according to the Mens Health Network, women are 100
percent more likely to visit the doctor for preventive services than men.
4. Men fail to seek care for mental health, and are more likely to successfully commit
suicide.
5. Men are often less socially connected than women, which for unknown reasons, results
in a higher death rate.
6. Men have lower estrogen levels, and estrogen protects the heart. But even when
womens estrogen levels drop at menopause, men still have a higher rate of death
from heart disease, which may be due to untreated conditions such as high cholesterol
or high blood pressure.
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will use this information along with

other health information, to determine
whether you need to modify your
lifestyle or even consider medication
to lower your cholesterol and reduce
your risk for heart disease. Lifestyle
changes are especially important
for those who have metabolic
syndrome, said Dr. Teitelbaum, which
is a condition in which you have high
blood pressure, high cholesterol, and
pre-diabetes or diabetes; metabolic
syndrome can greatly increase your
risk of heart disease.
When To Get It: The American Heart
Association suggests that beginning
at age 20, you should get your
cholesterol levels checked every 4 to
6 years as part of a cardiovascular
risk assessment. If you have a family
history of high cholesterol or heart
disease, your doc may recommend
more frequent testing.

testing of all men beginning at age 40,

provides a substantial benefit, said Dr.
Leavey.

SKIN CANCER SCREENING

Men are more likely than women

to get all forms of skin cancer,
including basal cell and squamous cell
carcinomas, both highly treatable skin
cancers, and the more serious but less
common melanoma.
When To Get It: Current guidelines dont

call for a particular frequency of skin

cancer screening for adults at average
risk, although most doctors do a
visual examination of the skin during
a preventive health exam. For those
with a family history of melanoma,
though, yearly skin inspections
should begin at age 20. Periodic selfinspection of your skin and reporting
of any changes to your physician will
assure a better outcome if you do
develop skin cancer. MS&F

PROSTATE CANCER EXAM

Prostate cancer is the most common

cancer among men, after skin cancer;
it may grow slowly and not need
treatment for a while or at all, or (less
often), it may act aggressively and need
immediate treatment, such as surgery,
chemotherapy, or radiation. The risk of
prostate cancer rises with age, and is
also higher in those of African American
descent or with a family history of
prostate cancer. A prostate cancer exam
consists of a rectal exam (usually),
along with a blood test called prostate
specific antigen (PSA), which measures
a protein made by the prostate. PSA
often rises when you have prostate
cancer, but it may also rise with other
prostate conditions or it may not rise
with cancer, making it an imperfect test.
When To Get It: Because there are many
variables involving both the diagnosis
and treatment of prostate cancer, the
American Cancer Society recommends
that men make an informed decision
with their physician as to when PSA
screening should be started. In
general, its recommended beginning
at age 50 for men at average risk,
age 45 for those with higher risk,
including African Americans and men
who have a first degree relative who
was diagnosed with prostate cancer
before age 65, and at age 40 for
those with more than one first degree
relative who had prostate cancer at an
early age. But, many physicians feel
strongly that previous guidelines, with
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High Tech Tests

Should you take advantage of tests that arent generally offered by your primary care
physician, such as cardiovascular screening through a company like Life Line Screening?
Or request low-dose CT scanning to screen for early lung cancer? Demand an exercise
stress test even if you have no symptoms?
These are individual decisions and should be carefully considered, say the experts.
While the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that those ages 55 and older
with a 30 pack-year history of smoking (1 pack a day for 30 years or 2 packs a day for
15 years) and who are still smoking or have quit within the past 15 years get lung cancer
screenings, This can start you down a slippery slope, too, said Jacob Teitelbaum, MD,
internist and co-author of Real Cause, Real Cure. The problem is that if anything is seen
on the test, even something that may not represent cancer or a cancer that would kill you
it will be further investigated. This means a biopsy and maybe further treatment, with
physical, financial, and emotional risks.
As for cardiovascular testing through companies like Life Line, you will pay the entire
cost, as insurance companies wont pay for these tests unless you have symptoms. But
depending upon your risk factors, the cost may be worth it, said Stephen Sinatra, MD,
cardiologist and co-author of Health Revelations From Heaven and Earth. Any time there
is a family history of sudden death or heart attack in someone under 50, family members
should be screened vigorously, he recommended.
Cardiovascular screening tests may include carotid artery and peripheral artery
ultrasound to check for plaque buildup, abdominal and thoracic aneurysm screening, and
exercise stress testing.
And, according to Dr. Sinatra, anyone over 40 years old who is thinking of participating
in interval training should always be properly screened with an exercise stress test prior to
starting. This is the kind of exercise that scares me, he said. Aggressive interval training,
especially if youre not used to it, can raise the blood pressure and heart rate, and put stress
on the heart. This can cause a plaque rupture, which can lead to sudden coronary death.