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HEALTHCARE GUIDE 2007
MEN'S HEALTH Continued from pg. 14
recognize those patterns of behavior that
lead to what I call “false masculinity.”
Attitudes leading to destructive
behaviors, emotional isolation and
neglect of basic health needs are not
what being male is all about. In his book
How Men Can Live as Long as Women,
Ken Goldberg, a physician, author and
national authority on men’s health
issues, comments about this struggle: “A
man can be a partner, and that involves
... sharing obligations, concerns and
emotions; being there to listen and
support; being honest and responsible;
and taking pleasure in his partner’s
pleasure. A man can be a father, and that
involves much more than providing food
and shelter. He can be a role model and
set new standards for our culture. He
can be compassionate and concerned,
and he can educate. And finally, a man
can be a fellow man, and that involves
much more than teasing and taunting
each other ... in a locker room. It means
extending a hand to those who need
help; talking honestly to one another
and sharing feelings; and learning to
cooperate rather than compete.”
TEAM UP WITH A DOCTOR
Let’s face facts. Men are much less likely
to seek medical care than women, and
that includes getting regular checkups
and preventive screens. It is time to take
the bull by the horns and find a physician
who can provide necessary checkpoints
on your road to wellness.
Appropriate health screens can result
in earlier detection of disease, which in
turn can raise survival rates. Treatments
also tend to be less invasive, less
expensive and less troublesome when
illness is found early.
I know, I know: “Getting a physical”
is the last thing on most men’s “To
Do” lists. But simple things make a big
difference. Cholesterol assessments, *
blood pressure checks, diabetes screens,
prostate cancer blood tests and exams,
colon cancer screens and cardiovascular
screens all make a difference! These
assessments can be made only by your
doctor, so it’s imperative to get over the
angst of a checkup.
An old saying goes “Christopher
Columbus never stopped to ask for
directions, so why should I?” When it
comes to preventive checkups, the road
map is at the doctor’s office. There’s
simply no way around this.
Guys, here’s a good analogy to
remember: Your own preventive
checkups are like automobile checkups.
While most of us are responsible for,
even proud of, how we maintain our
vehicles, we don’t feel the same sense of
accomplishment with our own bodies.
Does getting a tuneup of the car engine
guarantee it won’t fail?
Absolutely not. But it does significantly
reduce the risk.
The same thing goes for preventive
medical checkups. Do they guarantee
nothing bad will happen to you? No,
but by understanding the statistical
risks people face, and by evaluating and
addressing those risks, you improve
your odds.
Taking care of your car means regular
tuneups. Taking care of your health
means regular checkups.
When I was in college, my grandfather
gave me his old 1953 Chevrolet pickup
truck. He also gave me great advice:
“Now, Tedd, remember one thing. It
won’t hurt this engine to run it without
gas, but it will ruin it if you run it without
oil!” He was making the point that
maintenance is important for something
that means a lot to you. (Yes, I still have
the pickup.)
WORK TOWARD WINNING HABITS
Healthful behavior not only statistically
improves the quantity of your life, but
more important, it also improves the
quality of your life. What you eat and
drink, what drugs you use, whether you
exercise and how you handle stress/
aggression all are under your control.
In each area, help is available for those
who have lost control. For those who can
develop winning habits on their own, the
course is clear.
Nutrition. You really are what you
eat (and drink). Back to the car analogy:
It certainly doesn’t make sense to pour
crude oil into a high-performance Indy
car and expect it to function properly.
Likewise, nutrition based on beer nuts,
potato chips and brewskis doesn’t give
your engine the fuel it needs for effective
performance. Intense, hard-core,
extremely restrictive dietary programs
are unnecessary and rarely successful.
But a sound nutritional program that
emphasizes fruits, vegetables and low
fat proteins and limits sweets, high-fat
foods and alcohol is workable and has
clearly been shown to improve long
term health.
Alcohol. Moderation is the key. Data
from large national research projects,
including the Harvard Physicians Health
Study, suggest that one drink a day is
generally healthful. (A drink is defined as
12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5
ounces of liquor.) Our own data here at
the Cooper Aerobics Center suggest the
same. Alcohol is a funny thing: A little
might help; a little bit more might harm.
For that reason, I don’t recommend that
teetotalers start drinking for a subtle
health benefit. People who do drink
should average no more than one drink
a day.
Tobacco. The habit starts at a young
age and, by the time men are in their 30s
and 40s, it’s extremely difficult to break.
Of course, the easiest way to “break”
the habit is never to begin. For fathers
talking to their sons, few messages are
more important. If you already smoke,
a myriad of remedies, over-the-counter
medications, prescription drugs and
programs are available to help you
quit. Unlike alcohol, where a little bit
benefits health, the same cannot be
said of cigarette smoking. No amount is
healthful, and working toward quitting
is the only rational approach.
Recreational drugs. Those of
us who grew up in the ‘6os and ‘7os
were surrounded by a culture that
promoted experimentation. Only now
can we appreciate the fallout of such an
attitude. Drugs have become a pervasive
and destructive part of society and,
while good people can debate potential
solutions, the bottom line is that drugs
are a national problem. Casual users’
financial support of the industry keeps
propagating the problem.
Exercise. Just as you have to
occasionally “blow out the carburetor”
on your car, you need to regularly take
your own body out for a spin. Aerobic
exercise performed a minimum of three
days a week, coupled with light strength
training and a flexibility program, is a
great way to keep the system lubricated,
the pistons firing and the performance
up.
Remember, consistency is the key to a
successful exercise program. You are far
better off following a regular routine of
moderate activity than knocking yourself
out sporadically. If you haven’t been
exercising, it’s important to first visit
your physician to get clearance. Then it
can help to get a qualified personal trainer
to develop a routine for you. Avoid the
urge to embark on an intense exercise
plan. Remember, you are not trying to
become the next Michael Jordan; you
are trying to follow a program that gives
P-\ McJ
you energy, enhances your quality of life
and reduces your long-term risk.
Stress and aggression. When I
take a patient’s medical history, I ask
about things such as wearing seat belts,
getting speeding tickets and allowing
anger to affect driving. On the surface,
these seem to be silly questions, but they
often precipitate important discussions.
Guys, the statistics are against us on
this one. We, more than women, exhibit
these risky behaviors. Again, chalk it up
to testosterone. Understanding that we
tend to react more aggressively when
provoked (whether in a bar or a car) is the
first step in modifying such behavior.
If you have trouble controlling this part
of your personality, help is available. It’s
always easy to say and difficult to do,
but gaining insight into risky behaviors
improves not just your statistical chances
of longevity, but the quality of your life
and the lives of the people around you.
Talk to your doctor.
Well, guys, there you have it. While it
is wonderful to be a man and to celebrate
the differences between boys and girls, it
is just as important to understand that
certain attitudes and behaviors work
directly against our long-term health.
Understanding how to adjust those
attitudes revs us up and gets us going.
Developing winning habits keeps us
racing around the track. And having
a doctor who can provide us with the
necessary pit stops along the way keeps
us headed in the right direction.
Go ahead - critique your own attitudes.
Work on your own behaviors. See the
doctor.
And, hey, John Wayne would be proud
of you.