Men’s Health Month: Focusing on Mental Health.

Men’s Health Month: Focusing on Mental Health.

Men’s Health Month is celebrated every June to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among boys and men. Often overlooked is men’s mental and emotional health, an area that can take a significant toll on the lives of men when left unattended.

It’s estimated that one in four U.S. adults had a mental health disorder in the past year. Depression and anxiety disorders tend to be the most prevalent in our society. It’s especially important to discuss depression when talking about men’s mental health because it can lead to suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts.

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. and one of the highest causes of death for men between the ages of 25 and 34. Men are four times more likely to commit suicide than women according to The Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Men also tend to use more lethal means and to act more impulsively upon suicidal thoughts than women.

Besides the risk of self-harm, mental health problems have also been shown to affect men’s physical health. When ignored and left untreated, mental health problems can lead to high risk behaviors, substance abuse, and other forms of addiction. Untreated emotional problems can also cripple a man’s ability to function fully in his place of employment, school, community and family relationships.

Men’s Health Month: Chasing Brady

Men’s Health Month: Chasing Brady
As a 35-year-old man, it’s taken me awhile to accept that my body is getting older. I have been an athlete for most of my life, participating in one or two sports each season year-round until college. When I was no longer in organized sports, I had no trouble jumping right back in. If you needed an extra for flag-football, I could jog over to the field, sprint the whole game, head home to clean up, and then go out at 10pm with friends. Now, I’m still active, but I run out of steam, recovery takes longer, my joints ache constantly, bruises never seem to heal, and if I do head out with friends I am home long before 10. 
The good news is: the guys I play hockey and softball with are just as old (if not older) and facing the same challenges. If, like me, you have finally accepted that you are getting older, consider these tips to help you stay active and healthy.

Get some sleepSleep is important at any age. When we were younger sleep was not only important for recovery, but also for the growth of our brains and bodies. Most recovery happens in deep sleep, which unfortunately may be harder to reach in adulthood. Establishing a routine is helpful for falling asleep and achieving deeper sleep. 
If you are lucky enough to have children or share the bed with a significant other, that deep sleep may be frequently interrupted. Consider sharing nighttime childcare responsibilities so at least some nights each week you and your partner can sleep deeply. 

Take extra care of your bodyIn our teens and early 20s, playing through injury was typical. As kids we were told “walk it off,” which worked. Now, we groan simply getting out of bed each morning as the previous day’s efforts radiate through our bodies. Physical therapists have suggested exercises for my various knee, shoulder, elbow, ankle, etc. pains, emphasizing that exercise is important to reduce injury and prevent some of the more chronic pains from developing. 
I consider participating in sports exercise (and have unsuccessfully argued with my insurance company for the same reimbursement given for gym memberships). After all, physical activity is physical activity. Over the years I’ve learned jogging, stretching, and lightweight exercises help reduce those morning aches and pains, and give me an extra step at game time. Finding time is always a challenge, but I’m happy with 5-10 minutes every day or two. Every little bit helps.
Another important consideration is knowing when to sit out. When I was getting back into hockey a few years ago, I found a weekly pick-up game. The organizer would leave the ice 30-40 minutes into the hour and a half session. 

Consider ways to reduce injury and aid recovery
As aches and pains continue, I’ve learned to embrace options I never cared for in my youth. Growing up, a brace was often recommended following an injury. I was eager to remove the support, which I found as a hindrance that made me slower or less agile. Now, it seems support for movement is trendy, from Gronk’s arm brace to Kerri Walsh Jennings KT tape. 
Though the evidence is unclear if wearing braces actually helps prevent injuries, so check it out for yourself. For me, I’ve embraced the benefits of support braces. If I forget a knee brace for hockey, my knee throbs and stairs are difficult the next day, but with the brace – no problems. 
As a teen, warmups were a time to goof off and catch up with my friends. Now, I’ve learned it’s important to get to a game early for a proper warm up. Otherwise, I seem more likely to experience an injury during the game or have more aches the following day. Warmups should be light and progress toward game speed. Get the blood moving and then stretch from head to toe. If you sit at a desk all day, this is particularly important due to the stiffness our bodies experience from being sedentary. 

Erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction, or impotence, means not being able to get or keep an erection that is sufficient for sexual intercourse. Many men have erectile dysfunction at some time in their lives. It can come and go.

It is estimated erectile dysfunction affects about 1 million men in Australia. It is more common in older men.

Erectile dysfunction can have a range of causes, both physical and psychological.

Physical factors that can cause erectile dysfunction include:

• general ageing
• health problems that affect your nerves, like spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis(MS), diabetes, surgery that affects the pelvic area or spinal cord (prostate or bowel surgery), Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease
• reduced blood flow to the penis, caused by atherosclerosis (clogging of the arteries)
• conditions like prostate disease, high blood pressure, underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), cardiovascular disease, obesity or sleep disorders
• alcohol, some medicines, smoking or substance abuse
• Peyronie’s disease (scar tissue inside the penis)
• treatments for prostate cancer or an enlarged prostate

Psychological factors that can cause erectile dysfunction include:

• unresolved problems, conflicts or issues within a sexual and emotional relationship
• anxiety about sexual performance (this is most common at the start of a new relationship, especially if a man has had previous problems with sexual performance)
• stress
• problems with mental health such as depression

It is common for a man who is impotent to be affect by a combination of physical and psychological causes.

Erectile dysfunction treatments

Your doctor will first treat any health conditions that may be causing your erectile dysfunction.

You may need treatment for both physical and psychological causes of erectile dysfunction. Although it usually can’t be completely cured, there are treatments that will allow you to get an erection so you can have sex.

For physical causes, your doctor will usually suggest medicine. Other treatment options include a penis pump, implants, injections or surgery.

Treating erectile dysfunction that is caused by psychological factors could involve counselling, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, or sex therapy undertaken with your partner.

Buying medicines for erectile dysfunction

Medicines for erection problems should be obtained only from an authorised Australian prescriber, such as your doctor, specialist nurse or erectile specialist.

Medicines bought on the internet may be of poor quality and may contain ingredients that are not safe when taken in combination with other medicines you are on. They may also be unsafe due to other health problems you have.

If you are worried that you might have been sold counterfeit (fake) medicines, then report it to the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Effect of exposure to alpha blockers on cancer-specific and overall mortality in men with prostate cancer

Effect of exposure to alpha blockers on cancer-specific and overall mortality in men with prostate cancer:

Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of deaths from cancer in men in the UK, accounting for 13% of male cancer mortality in 2010. Conventional treatment results in cure for some patients but does not prevent the metastasis that occurs frequently in others. Radical new therapies are needed to tackle this cancer progression.

Alpha blockers are often given for cardiovascular indications and benign prostatic hyperplasia. In mouse models, they reduce angiogenesis and suppress metastasis. This study aimed to determine the effect of alpha blockers on mortality outcomes in a population-based cohort of men with prostate cancer.

Methods

This cohort study used data on 18 654 men with incident prostate cancer from linked UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink, Hospital Episode Statistics, and the National Cancer Intelligence Network between 1998 and 2010. All alpha blocker use in the 6 months after diagnosis of cancer was determined and its effect on all-cause and cancer-specific mortality assessed.

 Data were analysed with Cox proportional hazards modelling and adjusted for confounding by age, sex, cancer stage, grade, and important comorbidities and coprescriptions. A sensitivity analysis in patients with an indication of hypertension, interaction by dose, and prediagnosis exposure were also considered.

Interpretation

Alpha blocker use was associated with decreased cancer-specific mortality in men with prostate cancer.

Men’s Health

Men’s Health

The average man pays less attention to his health than the average woman. Compared to women, men are more likely to

• drink alcohol and use tobacco
• make risky choices
• not see a doctor for regular checkups

Men are assailed by the diseases that can affect anyone—heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, depression… But they also have unique issues such as prostate cancer and benign prostate enlargement.

Many of the major health risks that men face can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle: regular exercise, a healthy diet, not smoking, stress reduction, and alcohol consumption in the moderate range (no more than two drinks a day) if at all. Regular checkups and screening tests can spot disease early, when it is easiest to treat.

So don’t be an average man — get on board with protecting your health today.