June is Men’s Health Month and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides this short article that encourages men to take control of their health.
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MAN UP!
TAKE CONTROL
OF YOUR HEALTH
Men face unique health challenges, and one of the most dangerous is their reluctance to seek health care. In fact, according to Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), men are 24 percent less likely than women to have seen a doctor in the past year.
Men's Health Today
A snapshot of men's health in the U.S. shows that they sometimes experience different, but no less serious, health problems than women. Heart disease, cancer, and accidents (unintentional injuries) are the top causes of death for men. The most commonly diagnosed cancers among men include prostate, lung, and colorectal types. A recent Federal study shows that men die from heart disease and chronic liver disease at nearly twice the rate of women.
Prevention
Many of the major health risks that men face—such as colon cancer and heart disease—can actually be prevented and treated with earlier diagnosis. Screening tests can often find these diseases early, when they are easier to treat. For these reasons, it is crucial that men go against their tendency of avoiding health care and begin having regular checkups and screenings.
Five Manly Steps to Good Health
- Get routine check-ups and preventive screenings
- Be more physically active and make healthy food choices.
- Get to your healthy weight and stay there.
- Become tobacco free.
- Drink only in moderation.
- Manage stress
Men's Health Month is a chance for both men and women to increase their awareness of the potentially significant health problems that men face, as well as what steps they can take to prevent such problems. Taking care of yourself is part of being the best man you can be. There's nothing manly—or beneficial—about ignoring your health.
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At Madison County Health Care System we encourage all Madison County residents to become more involved in making healthy choices. We all benefit by taking control of our own well-being. What does taking control mean? It’s taking steps like: getting exercise, eating right, quitting smoking, seeing your health care provider and getting those tests that you’ve put off (like colonoscopies and mammograms). It’s time to invest in your own quality of life. If you need to see a provider and schedule a test, get help to quit smoking, get information on weight loss, get the “go- ahead” to start on an exercise plan or for any preventive needs, call the Madison County Health Trust Physicians Clinic today at (515) 462-2950 and make an appointment!