Men’s Health Week aims to educate on importance of care

Today kicks off Men’s Health Week, a national effort to raise awareness of preventable health problems and to educate men about the importance of early detection and treatment.

Cardiovascular disease is a health issue that needs to be on every man’s radar, according to Dr. Darrin Ashbrooks, a physician at Neighbors Emergency Center in Texarkana.

“The No. 1 killer for men is heart disease, so they really need to be aware of that,” Ashbrooks said. “The No. 2 killer is cancer, but heart disease is the biggest killer of men, so they need to know the signs and symptoms of heart disease and also prevention.”

“Symptoms of a heart attack are chest discomfort, usually in the center of the chest, lasting for several minutes. It can also come in waves. It can be uncomfortable pressure that feels like squeezing or a fullness-type of pain,” Ashbrooks said. “For any chest pain, you should get immediate attention. Someone could have shortness of breath with chest pain, but sometimes, men don’t get chest pain immediately. Often, diabetics don’t feel chest pain like normal folks, but they’ll have extreme shortness of breath, so for any type of chest pain or unusual shortness of breath, you should be getting that checked out.”

One way men can monitor their cardiovascular health is with regular screening.

“It’s recommended to get an EKG every year starting at age 40, and that’s because heart disease is the biggest killer. An EKG, which looks at the electrical activity of the heart, can tell if a person has the early signs of problems with their heart, so it’s very important to have an EKG,” Ashbrooks said. “Even just getting that baseline EKG is important. As a person gets older, we can always look back at an earlier EKG to see if there has been any changes, and a lot of times, that’s how we can find early signs of something going on with your heart.”

Seeing their physicians regularly is another way men can monitor their health, and it’s suggested they begin that at a young age.

“It’s recommended anyone from 20 to 39 get a physical exam every three years. At 40, it’s recommended they get a physical exam every one to two years, and when you hit 50, it’s every year. That’s just a physical exam for healthy individuals,” Ashbrooks said. “Men should get their blood pressure checked every year from age 20 on.”

Seeing a doctor regularly isn’t all. It’s important for people to follow their doctors’ recommendations.

“We can be hard-headed. That happens across the board with women and men. I think it’s important when you see your primary care physician that you actually follow those recommendations. I see a lot of patients that were recommended things to do, but they don’t really follow the recommendations. We see a lot of people in the ER who have ignored warning signs, such as chest pain, until it’s too late,” Ashbrooks said.

Prevention is key to preventing these prevalent health problems, and being physically active is a good place to head off a multitude of health problems.

“It’s very important that men come up with a healthy lifestyle and exercise regularly. Exercise has been shown to improve health in multiple ways. It improves mood (and) general health (and) reduces the risk factors for heart attacks, strokes and cancer.

“Exercise is key. There are a lot of men out there who look at work as their exercise, but really, they should find a routine for exercise and make it fun. For example, do some fun things with your family like riding a bicycle. If you make exercise fun, they’re going to continue to do it. Eat healthy. Those are key things,” Ashbrooks said.

Men’s Health Week was signed into law May 31, 1994.

Health facts for men from the Men’s Health Resource Center

About half of all men will get cancer at least once in their lives compared with one in three women.

Prostate cancer is the leading cancer for men in the U.S., followed by lung cancer, then colorectal cancer.

Risk factors for cancer include smoking or chewing tobacco, drinking more than two alcoholic beverages a day, a family history of cancer, having had cancer in the past, being 55 or older, sedentary lifestyle, a diet high in fat and low in fiber and being African American.

More than 39 million men, or one in three, suffer from one or more cardiovascular condition.

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in men. Each year, a little less than half a million men die from cardiovascular-related issues, more than cancer and diabetes combined.

Some risk factors for cardiovascular disease include being 45 or older, having an immediate family member diagnosed with high blood pressure or another heart condition before age 55, sedentary lifestyle, being overweight or obese, having high blood pressure or high cholesterol, stress, drinking more than two alcoholic drinks a day, being diabetic and smoking.

More than 30 million men suffer from a prostate condition.

Each year, 230,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and about 30,000 will die from it.

For more information about health issues men face, visit menshealthresourcecenter.com.