Tag Archives: Men’s Health

Men’s Health Month Ends BUT Men’s Health Challenges Persist

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Happy father and son isolated on white backgroundA lot of men are “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” kind of guys and believe they can fix anything by themselves. This is true many times in life. But when it comes to health conditions, it could be a dangerous misconception.

Today, I’m going to highlight how men’s masculinity or “toughness” and emotional restraint may impede them from seeking medical or professional help, consequently having a negative or even grave effect on their health.

The Cover-Ups & Attitude

Sometimes, those “annoying” symptoms (e.g., snoring, bad breath, enlarged prostate, and unexplained weight gain or loss) show up and even persist; but a lot of guys would rather tough it out or put off a visit to the doctor with various excuses. I get that. But do you know – a quiet health crisis may be underway?

How about in the workplace? Masculinity may influence workplace health and safety particularly in male-dominated skilled trades as injured workers return to work too early and “tough” workers then reinforce dominant masculine norms. Results of a joint study from the University of Toronto showed, “A desire to be viewed as a strong, responsible, resilient worker may intersect with concerns about job loss, to influence participants’ decisions to not report safety issues and workplace accidents, to not disclose post-injury work challenges, and to not request workplace supports” (Stergiou-Kita et al., Work; 2016). Certainly, institutional identification and practices play a role too.

How about social or psychosocial beliefs? Some folks believe that cancer will inevitably lead to death (so-called cancer fatalism). A study by Mitchell et al. (Res. Aging; 2016) reported that among 1,666 African American males enrolled in Medicare, 76.5% felt helpless, 44.2% confused, and 40.7% pessimistic about the ability to prevent cancer. Despite a couple of limitations, the study reveals a challenging factor for cancer prevention and screening detection. Important to note, although African American males remain at greatest risk for dying from prostate, colorectal, and lung cancers compared to men of other races, early detection and treatment save lives.

The Facts & Evidence

Men are more vulnerable to various disorders at all ages across the lifespan. Also, men’s average life expectancy stays largely behind that of women’s. Primary physical health risks that are leading causes of death or are burdens for men include cardiovascular diseases (heart disease and stroke), cancer (especially prostate and lung cancer), diabetes, depression, and suicide. Fortunately, many of the top causes of death are preventable and can be treated, if found early.

Finally, here is a list of Strategic Actions you or your loved ones can take for men’s health:

  • Check out critical numbers such as blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugar; keep them in normal ranges.
  • Schedule recommended screenings for prostate and colon cancer, and a routine testicle exam.
  • Schedule a routine medical care or physical examination.
  • Ladies, accompany your man to his doctor visit. This can be a great help with eliminating potential communication barrier(s) to disclosing a real problem or filling in a missing note.
  • Keep mentally active; for example, take new classes, play brain games, or learn something new.
  • Forge a close relationship with a circle of friends.
  • Never ignore some seemingly common symptoms such as snoring, bad breath, and enlarged prostate. Take note of it. If the problem persists, consult your physician to rule out any medical conditions.
  • Consult professional help if you (or your man) have symptoms of depression.

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In summary, to prevent a quiet health crisis in men, we all need to step in by advancing men’s mental health, strengthening men’s workplace safety, and caring about men’s overall well-being, in addition to monitoring men’s physical health.

Saving His life—men’s lives—is one of the best things to do throughout the year!

Image credit: www.communitycarechemist.com.au/category/mens-health

Leukemia risk and Lifestyle modifications

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

leukemiaJune is Men’s Health Month. Let’s celebrate it by enhancing public awareness of preventable health problems especially some cancers, and by encouraging early detection of cancer among men and boys. Today, let’s tackle a type of cancer that that you might not know a lot about—leukemia—with a focus on its risk factors.

Leukemia is a malignant cancer of the blood cells and develops in the bone marrow. According to National Cancer Institute, estimated new cases of leukemia in 2014 will total about 52,380, while death in 2014 will be about 24,090. There were an estimated 302,800 people living with leukemia in the United States in 2011.

What causes leukemia is still not completely known, although it has been shown that exposure to large amounts of radiation or certain toxic chemical such as benzene increases the risk of leukemia. Noticeably, in a recent publication from NIH-AARP diet and health study that examined 493,188 individuals, findings revealed that the risk of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML, one of four main types of leukemia) is directly associated with smoking and obesity, but inversely associated with vigorous physical activity, female sex and years of education. Therefore, the study suggests that lifestyle factors may affect the risk of this disease.

Given this, let’s approach this topic based on two categories: controllable and non-controllable risk factors for leukemia.

Controllable risk factors

1.  Smoking: Smoking releases thousands of chemicals including many toxic substances and carcinogens. Among them is benzene, which is a known carcinogen to human and known risk factor of leukemia. Cigarette smoke is a major source of benzene exposure.

2.  Obesity: As mentioned earlier, NIH-AARP’s large population based epidemiologic research has demonstrated that obesity, measured by a high body mass index (BMI, 30 indicating obesity versus <25 kg/m2 normal), positively influences the risk of CML. Plus, obesity is a risk factor for cancer of breast, prostate, and colon as well as other cancers.

3.  Radiation exposure: Doses of radiation, including ionizing UV radiation from sunlight and tanning bed as well as from medical treatment, may add up.

4.  Diet: Poor nutrition or malnutrition leads to various diseases and increased risk for some cancers, although no associations of various dietary factors with leukemia was found in NIH-AARP study. Exposure to benzene from beverages may constitute a minor contribution to the risk, but it is clear that foods can influence both strength of the immune system and growth of cancer cells.

Non-controllable factors

1.  Gender: Men seem to have a higher incident of leukemia than women.

2.  Age: More than 65 percent of people diagnosed with leukemia are over the age of 55.

3.  Race: Leukemia is more common among white people than other races.

4.  Genetic factor: Although most leukemia have no family link, incidents cases among siblings or first degree relatives of some parents with leukemia may still put you at an increased risk for developing this disease. In addition, certain genetic disorders such as Down syndrome may also be a risk factor.

5.  Environmental factor: Specifically the carcinogen benzene is to be avoided. Long-term exposure to or contact with products containing benzene raises the risk of leukemia, whether it is occupation-related or in daily life. Benzene can be inhaled from the air. It is found in petroleum, cigarette smoke, industrial workplaces, and even in home environments where it may arise from some plastics, paints and detergents.

Preventative strategies

A healthy lifestyle is so critical for cancer prevention because at least 35% of cancer can be prevented by lifestyle modification. Even if you have leukemia, treatment can be enhanced by some simple healthy lifestyle strategies. These include (but not limited to):

  • Avoid radiation.
  • Avoid or minimize exposure to harmful chemicals and carcinogens, such as benzene.
  • Quit smoking and avoid passive smoking.
  • Maintain healthy weight through nutritious diet and regular exercise.
  • Eat plenty of antioxidant-rich vegetables and fruits, and avoid benzene-hidden foods.
  • Limit the exposure to fumes from gasoline, as well as fumes from solvents, paints, and art supplies, especially in unventilated environment.
  • Get your benzene level tested if you have been exposed to benzene over a long period of time (e.g., a work-related exposure).
  • Consult your physician at once if you experience unexplained symptoms such as chronic fatigue, weight loss, appetite loss, frequent infections, night sweats, short of breath, ongoing low fever, or slow wound healing, which can be signs of leukemia.

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In the end, we cannot control our age, gender, race, family history, or even some environmental factors, but we all do have power over our own lifestyles.

 

Image credit: By www.bumrungrad.com