Quick guide: What is men's wellness, in a preventative measure?

Many people who think of men's health tend to focus on things that happen as they age such as an enlarged prostate or prostate cancer. But it's important to remember that there are health threats that can affect men no matter their age and the key to a good quality of life is to be proactive and seek medical attention early enough.

So men this means that we need to start moving away from the idea that men's wellness is hair loss preventives, working out, and prescription penis pills. We need to look at our health holistically- physical, emotional, social... the whole thing! We need to talk about men's health and advocate for better services tailored to their needs and be better informed of preventative measures.

So today we wanted to provide you a quick guide to some preventative health measures!

Physical Health:
18-50 years old:

• Screening test recommendations: blood pressure, height, weight check, cholesterol testing, ECG if needed, blood tests to screen for diabetes, thyroid disease, and anemia as needed, HIV testing as needed

50-65 years old:

• Screening test: same as above with addition of a colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer every two years
• Shots: flu shots (annually)

Men of 65 years:

• Screening: same above
• Shots: flu shot (annually), pneumonia vaccine, Herpes zoster (shingles) vaccine

Top 3 health threats to men's health:

• Heart disease 
• Cancer
• Accidents

Emotional health:

Emotional health has become a more pressing conversation in the world due to a current shift in statistics. Previously it was women who statistically suffered from mental illness compared to men, but now we are seeing less of a gap. In Canada they found that 10% of men experienced symptoms of the surveyed mental health disorders and substance dependancies, compared to 11% of women. In the UK studies of depression show a shift where depression is rising among males and decreasing among women. And suicide is the greatest male vulnerability. Among Canadians, 4 out of 5 suicides are male. 

Barriers to seeking help is one of the biggest contributions to this rise. The concept of men's health is actually a pretty relatively new concept surprisingly and there are a number of reasons for the increase in numbers and lack of awareness.

• Low priority given to men's health issues in the research community.
• It's easier for men to acknowledge physical symptoms than emotional symptoms, so mental health problems can go undiagnosed 
• Social isolation has been linked to a high factor in the high rate of suicide among divorced men

So let's figure this out together:

Sources:

https://www.summitmedicalgroup.com/news/living-well/quick-guide-mens-health-and-wellness/

https://menandrelationships.com.au/men-emotional-health/

https://cmha.ca/documents/men-and-mental-illness