Is male wellbeing suffering?
Being a man is bad for your health. Or so says Jeff Foster – and as a GP, male health specialist and a man himself, he should know.
“Compared with women, men not only have a greater chance of contracting almost every illness, but they die sooner too,” says Foster, who has now authored new book Man Alive: The Health Problems Men Face And How To Fix Them.
Here, Foster outlines five common men’s health issues, and how to deal with them…
1. TESTOSTERONE DEFICIENCY
Nearly a million men are affected by low testosterone, the ‘manopause’ mimicking a lot of the symptoms seen in female menopause. However, it can affect men from age 30-90 years, but not every man will get it.
Symptoms are put down to working too hard or mid-life crisis and include tiredness, decreased libido, increased body fat/decreased muscle, poor concentration, and being more irritable. In the later stages, men may also suffer night sweats, changes to cholesterol and blood pressure, diabetes risk, and osteoporosis.
Diagnosis is via a simple blood test, and treatment involves fixing the cause, or going onto testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).
2. MENTAL HEALTH
Around one in eight men in the UK will suffer mental health problems at some point, and globally, suicide rates remain higher in men. But it’s still rare to hear a man over the age of 40 talk about his mental health.
The first thing is not to assume all mental health problems are psychological. Various medical problems can result in changes in the way we think and should be checked. Secondly, and most importantly, we need to start opening up. Of course, there are medications, talking therapies and a range of other options available, but the key to changing male mental health is for it to be acceptable to say, ‘It’s ok to cry’.
3. PROSTATE DISEASE
It’s said that if we live long enough, all men will eventually have some degree of prostate cancer.
It’s the most common cancer in men, accounting for a quarter of all cancer cases. But despite this, we have no national screening programme.
You can reduce your risk of prostate cancer,by avoiding being overweight, exercising regularly, avoiding excess calcium, taking vitamin D, and getting a regular health check.
4. ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION (ED)
About half of men suffer with ED at some point, yet it remains a taboo subject. ED could be due to neurological or metabolic causes (such as diabetes), anxiety or stress, hormone deficiencies, or narrowing of the blood supply to the penis. In fact, this last cause is so important – if you have a vascular cause for
ED, you have about three years until it affects your heart (resulting in a heart attack). Pills like Viagra can be effective in treating ED, but only if you know the underlying cause.”
5. CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH AND OBESITY
Obesity levels in men are still climbing every year, resulting in high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type two diabetes, heart disease and strokes. When it comes to long-term sustainable weight loss, the best advice is to avoid diets that restrict certain foods (paleo, keto) and those that radically reduce calories .
When it comes to exercise, it’s far simpler: everyone should be doing it.