Men's Health Week June 10 - 16

From infancy to old age, women are simply healthier than men. Of the 15 leading causes of death, men lead women in all of them except Alzheimer's disease, which many men don't live long enough to develop. Although the gender gap is closing, on average men still die five years earlier than their female counterparts. Research shows that men go to the doctor less than women and are more likely to have a serious condition when they do go.

While the reasons are partly biological, men's approach to their health plays a role too. Men seem to put their health last and may feel that if they can live up to their roles in society, then they're healthy. As long as they're working and feeling productive, many men aren't considering the potential risks to their health. All of this impacts their ability to live long and healthy lives, to be involved fathers, supportive partners, and engaged community members.

Men’s Health Week gives health care providers, public policy makers, the media, and individuals an opportunity to encourage men and boys to seek regular medical advice and early treatment for disease and injury. I’ll be talking about some issues commonly faced by men, and what actions they can take to prevent or treat them. And of course, I’ll talk about the specific issues that can be helped by using hypnosis.

Even if you're feeling healthy, a little planning can help you stay that way. The top threats to men's health aren't secrets: they're known, common, and often preventable.

Cardiovascular Disease

Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, is the leading threat to men’s health. In cardiovascular disease, cholesterol plaques gradually block the arteries in the heart and brain. If a plaque becomes unstable, a blood clot forms, blocking the artery and causing a heart attack or stroke. Heart disease and stroke are the first and second leading causes of death worldwide in both men and women, with some of the highest rates being in the US.

You can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease with these steps:

• Get your cholesterol checked, beginning at age 25 and every five years.

• Control your blood pressure and cholesterol, if they're high.

• If you smoke, stop.

• Increase your physical activity level to 30 minutes per day, most days of the week.

• Eat more fruits and vegetables and less saturated or trans fats.

Lung Cancer

Lung cancer spreads early, usually before it grows large enough to cause symptoms or even show up on an X-ray. There is no effective screening test for lung cancer.By the time it's found, lung cancer is often advanced and difficult to cure. Less than half of men are alive a year later.

So ... are you still smoking??

Tobacco smoke causes 90% of all lung cancers. Falling smoking rates in the U.S. means that fewer men than ever are dying of lung cancer, but lung cancer is still the leading cancer killer in men. Quitting smoking at any age reduces the risk for lung cancer. Few preventive measures are as effective as stopping smoking.

Prostate Cancer

One in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime, and  only one in 35 will die from it. Many prostate cancers are slow-growing and unlikely to spread, but there are others that are more aggressive and more dangerous.

Screening for prostate cancer requires a rectal exam and a blood test for prostate specific antigen (PSA). The best solution is to see your doctor regularly and talk about your overall risk. This will let you understand the risks and benefits of each approach, whichever you choose.

Depression and Suicide

Depression is an emotional disturbance that affects your whole body and overall health.

In effect, depression proves the mind-body connection. Brain chemicals and stress hormones are out of balance. Sleep, appetite, and energy level are disturbed. Research even suggests men with depression are more likely to develop heart disease.

Experts previously thought depression affected far more women than men. But that may just be due to men's tendency to hide depressed feelings or express them in ways different than women do.

Instead of showing sadness or crying, studies show that men tend to get angry or aggressive. The research says that many men do not feel safe or comfortable talking about their emotions or seek help for symptoms of depression. Men are more likely to try to cope in other ways that may not involve healthy behaviors.

Most men and women respond well to various treatments for depression, and a combination of therapies and medications is often the most effective. If you think you might be depressed, reach out to your doctor or someone close to you, and seek help. Untreated depression and self-medicating the symptoms of depression can be tragic. Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death among all men, and for young men it's even higher.

Diabetes

Diabetes usually begins without symptoms. Over several years, blood sugar levels start to rise higher, eventually spilling into the urine. This causes frequent urination and thirst, and that is what finally gets many men to go to the doctor.

Excess glucose acts like a slow poison on blood vessels and nerves everywhere in the body. Heart attacks, strokes, blindness, kidney failure, and amputations are the fallout for thousands of men.

Exercise, combined with a healthy diet, can help to prevent type 2 diabetes. One major study found that moderate weight loss when appropriate and 30 minutes a day of physical activity reduced the risk of diabetes by more than half in men at high risk for developing the disease.

Erectile Dysfunction

Up to 39% of 40-year-old men and two-thirds of men older than 70 have problems with erectile dysfunction. Men with ED report less enjoyment in life, higher levels of stress, and are more likely to be depressed.

Erectile dysfunction is most often caused by atherosclerosis, the same process that causes heart attacks and strokes. Having ED frequently means that blood vessels throughout the body are in less-than-perfect health. Doctors consider erectile dysfunction an early warning sign for cardiovascular disease.

Treatments make a fulfilling sex life possible despite ED, but they don't cure the condition. If you have erectile dysfunction, see your healthcare provider to explore treatment options.

Getting Healthier

Maybe you are a man, or maybe there is a man in your life that you care about. Either way, there are things you can do to help support healthy activities and new habits.

Get a physical. Most of the factors that contribute to men’s health risks are preventable. And that prevention starts with seeing a healthcare provider on a regular basis. Regular visits to your healthcare provider help to establish baselines for blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose levels, weight, and PSA (a screening test for prostate cancer risk). These baselines help your healthcare provider to identify changes over time and may enable them to catch potentially dangerous conditions early, when they’re still treatable.

Get physical. The benefits of physical activity on health are extensive, and many people find it difficult to get motivated for physical activity on their own. Rather than simply telling your man to exercise and then hoping he will, do it with him. Join a class at your local community center, sign up for group personal training sessions, or simply start taking regular walks together. Every little bit helps to improve health.

The Role of Hypnosis

Men make up just under half of our total number of clients. I think men are drawn to hypnosis because they are logical thinkers, and logical thinkers are often very open to hypnosis. It is a straightforward process rooted in neuroscience that gives real and noticeable results. Many men don’t like to talk about their problems, but they do like solutions. Hypnosis provides logical solutions with science-based reasoning.

Some men come in worried that they will somehow be controlled, but I explain that the process is a lot like using the GPS on your phone. I’m here to guide you and show you how to get where you want to be. You are still driving, and you are in control the whole time. Once they know the mind will never take them someplace they don’t want to go, then they tend to get very comfortable and excited about the experience.

The average age of our male clients is between 35 and 65. Most men don’t come in with a specific thing they’d like to work on. They call knowing that something isn’t working for them, but aren’t sure what it is or how to fix it. It may have been a suggestion from a significant other or loved one that they need some help. It may be stress or sleep issues. Sometimes they want to quit smoking, lose weight, or just be more patient and effective. Their issue might be job related, or they may be having trouble with communication or a relationship. They may be looking to improve or maintain their health.

Men process emotions differently, and can be very good about shoving things away because they may be uncomfortable feeling vulnerable. However, when emotions or physical reactions to emotions are ignored, they can manifest into physical ailments including back pain, high blood pressure, weight gain, and more.

Many of the men that come to see us for hypnosis have patterns in their lives that they want to change; things that just aren’t working for them anymore. They know they want and deserve more. A hypnotist doesn’t tell them how to feel. Hypnosis provides the ability to use the resources we already possess, to improve performance and reduce stress, to change patterns and behaviors, and to let go of unhealthy habits.∎