Men make half as many doctors’ visits for prevention compared to women according to Men’s Health Network. Men’s healthcare is equally as important, but studies show, men are less proactive about their health and tend to only go to the doctor when they think there is a major issue.
June is Men’s Health Month. The purpose is to encourage men to take control of their health and to bring awareness to health problems that can be prevented through regular healthcare.
On Health Happens, the weekly Facebook Live show from 9Health, they spoke with Dr. Tamaan Osbourne-Roberts, a family medicine physician from Clinica Family Health Centers. They visited Golden Triangle Auto Care because according to Dr. Tamaan, a car and the human body are not as different as you think. Just like a car, your body needs regular maintenance before small issues become bigger ones. Regular maintenance, on both your body and your car, is important and it can save you time and money in the future.
Dr. Tamaan explained that when men put their health first, they are ensuring that they will be able to be there for the people in their lives in the future.
He says he tells men that come in to see him, “I’m really happy you’re here because you are actually being a man right now. You’re taking responsibility, not just for your own health, but for all of the people you take care of.”
In terms of prevention, it’s the same for men as it is for women. Eat well, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly.
“Things that tend to affect men that come in to see me tend to be diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure," Dr. Tamaan said. "These are all things that with regular preventative health visits we can detect, and if we find them early, we can treat them.”
The good news is that many issues can be treated through lifestyle modification if caught early.
The only way to really know the details about your health is by having regular preventive health screenings, like the ones you can find at a 9Health Fair.
For men specifically, at a 9Health Fair they can receive a testosterone screening and a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening.
“For prostate screening, the current recommendation is that men ages 55-69 discuss the pros and cons of either PSA testing or prostate exams with their doctor, discussing both possible benefits and potential harms of screening, before deciding," said Dr. Osbourne-Roberts. "Men who may have a higher risk, such as African-American men, or men with a family history of prostate cancer, should discuss the pros and cons of getting screening earlier with their doctor. Men 70 and over should not be screened.”
To watch the full Health Happens episode on men's health, click here.
9Health will have several health fairs this fall, check their website in August to find one near you.
9Health is a 501c-3 community non-profit empowering people to put health in their own hands by providing tools such as preventive health screenings, evidence-based, objective health education and eTools and resources for every day in your health journey.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Local stories from 9NEWS