Checklist Helps
Men Keep on Track to Good Health
By Carolyn M.
Clancy, M.D.
October 7, 2008
Taking good care
of your health is no longer a topic that just
interests women. Walk through any fitness club
and you will see a lot of men working out and
staying fit.
Staying in good
physical condition can help men live longer and
have a better quality of life. And these days,
men are living longeran average of 75.2 years
in 2007. That’s compared to 73.4 years in 1997,
according to
Federal Government data. By contrast, women
lived an average of 79.9 years in 2007, up
slightly from 79.4 years a decade earlier.
Of course,
there’s no guarantee that staying fit equals
living longer. But following some proven steps
can go a long way toward staying healthy and
lowering the risk of developing some diseases.
These steps are outlined in a
checklist for men to stay healthy at any age
developed by my Agency, the Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality.
The checklist is
based on advice from the
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (Task
Force). This panel of experts in primary care
and prevention reviews medical evidence to find
out which tests and medicines have been proven
to work. It is an independent group, and its
advice is considered the "gold standard" in
health care. Its findings are not influenced by
insurers, drug makers, the government, or other
groups.
Men of all ages
can greatly improve their health and reduce
their chance of developing diseases by following
these five steps, which are included in the
checklist:
- Don’t smoke.
- Exercise.
- Eat a
healthy diet.
- Stay at a
healthy weight.
- If you drink
alcohol, limit the amount you drink.
I won’t call
these steps simple, because for some people
quitting smoking or losing weight is not easy.
But these steps have been proven to improve your
health and lower your risk of developing some
diseases. If you have to change your behavior to
follow these steps, it will be worth it in the
long run.
Another way that
you can stay healthy is to get the screening
tests recommended for your age and medical
condition. Screening tests can find diseases at
an early stage when they are easiest to treat.
Talk to your doctor about which ones you
need and how often you should be tested.
Here are some
conditions that affect men and for which good
screening tests are available.
- High
blood pressure: Have your blood
pressure checked at least every 2 years.
High blood pressure is 140/90 or higher.
- High
cholesterol: Have your cholesterol
checked regularly starting at age 35. If you
are younger than age 35, talk to your doctor
about whether to have your cholesterol
checked if:
- You have
diabetes.
- You have
high blood pressure.
- Heart
disease runs in your family.
- You
smoke.
-
Colorectal cancer: Have a test for
colorectal cancer starting at age 50. Your
doctor can help you decide which test is
right for you. If you have a family history
of colorectal cancer, you may need to be
screened earlier.
-
Diabetes: Have a test for diabetes
if you have high blood pressure or high
cholesterol.
-
Abdominal aortic aneurysm: If you
are between the ages of 65 and 75 and have
ever smoked (100 or more cigarettes in your
lifetime) you need to be screened once for
this condition, which is an abnormally large
or swollen blood vessel in the abdomen.
Some men take
medicines to prevent disease without first
talking to their doctor. I advise against that.
All drugs, even over-the-counter medications,
have side effects and can hurt you if they’re
not used properly.
Keep this advice
from the Task Force in mind about taking
medicine to prevent disease:
-
Aspirin: Ask your doctor about
taking aspiring to prevent heart disease if
you are:
- Older
than 45.
- Younger
than 45 and:
- Have
high blood pressure.
- Have
high cholesterol.
- Have
diabetes.
-
Smoke.
-
Immunizations: Stay up-to-date with
your immunizations. Have a flu shot every
year starting at age 50. Have a pneumonia
shot once after you turn 65.
It takes some
effort to maintain your health, but the payoff
is worth it in the long run. Our checklist can
help you track your journey.
I’m Dr. Carolyn
Clancy, and that’s my advice on how to navigate
the health care system.
More Information
Agency
for Healthcare Research and Quality
Men: Stay Healthy at Any AgeYour Checklist
for Health
http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthymen.htm
Agency
for Healthcare Research and Quality
Be Prepared for Medical Appointments
http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/beprepared.htm
U.S.
Preventive Services Task Force
About the Task Force and Recommendations
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstfix.htm
Social
Security Administration
2008 Trustees Report
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/TR/TR08/V_demographic.html
Current as of October 2008
Internet Citation:
Checklist Helps Men Keep on Track to Good
Health. Navigating the Health Care System:
Advice Columns from Dr. Carolyn Clancy, October
7, 2008. Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/cc/cc100708.htm
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