Well Men

This page is aimed at certain aspects of Men's Health. There is, of course, a degree of overlap between what applies to men and women, and so please also see our General Heath Page, and the pages on Women's Health, Teenage Health and Children's Health.

It is known that women tend to live longer than men at the present time. Of course there are several factors which can affect this, but there is no doubt that if people look after themselves they will live longer. No only will they live longer, but they will also look and feel younger for longer.

It is now accepted that exercise can help to burn calories, and raise your metabolic rate. This also helps to lower your cholesterol, improve the amount of good cholesterol (HDL) that you have in relation to the bad (LDL), and lower your blood pressure. As you exercise more regularly then your heart and circulation become more efficient. This means that you heart will not have to work so hard when you are at rest. We all tend to be more busy at home and work these days and so people often feel that they do not have time for exercise. There are some more ideas below about this - but remember exercise can start very simply. For example, you can use the stairs instead of the lift at work. You can walk to the shop on a Sunday to get the papers or if you run out of milk. You can walk to the post box instead of going in the car. All these things will help
to improve your overall level of fitness.

The second big thing that can affect your fitness is your diet. What you eat is the fuel for your body. It also provides it with essential vitamins and minerals that it needs to repair itself and fight off any infections and diseases.

Below we have laid out ten steps to a healthier way of life. We hope that you will find this useful and helpful. We would again say that if you have any worries about your health, or your diet or ability to do exercise then you should make an appointment to see your doctor anyway.
 

Stop smoking

How much easier is that to say than do ! The biggest problem with smoking is that people feel well when they are young and smoke. What they do not realise is that they are doing serious amounts of damage to their body, and then when the problems start to appear, it can be too late ! So, do not delay. Do not put this off any longer. Smoking is pure poison ! Even the warning on the packet has now changed !! Smoking can lead to an ugly and painful death, and stopping smoking can add years to your life.

Eat less fat

Fat tends to clog your arteries and so can lead to heart attacks (or angina) and strokes. The more your arteries get clogged, then this can lead to problems with your circulation and then less oxygen being carried round your body. This in itself can lead to feeling tired and lethargic some of the time. To get the calories that our bodies need as fuel, it is felt that these are best provided
by carbohydrates and not fat. The less fat that we tend to eat the better. Having said that we do need to have a small amount of fat in our diet - but do not use this as an excuse to eat more fat as most people have far too much fat in their diet !

Have some regular exercise

It is far better to have some regular exercise than have a blitz and overdo it now and again ! Ideally, you should start gradually with an exercise program, and then increase the amount that you do. This can be done yourself, or there are plenty of gyms on the island and many offer a personal trainer to help guide you and make sure that you proceed at the correct pace. You can also ask
your doctor or physiotherapist for any help and advice. Exercise is important, but please note that overdoing it or doing too much too soon (before your body has had a chance to adapt) can be harmful. If in doubt then please ask !! About thirty minutes of exercise three times a week will help to keep your heart and lungs healthy.

Listen to your Body

In the same way that your car has lights on the dashboard to tell you when the oil level is low, the battery is going flat etc, then so your body will tell you when things might not be running as smoothly as they should be. This means that we can learn to listen to our body. We have to strike a balance between becoming convinced that every little twinge means that we have some incurable
disease, and at the other extreme ignoring signs or symptoms that all is not well ! If you have any signs or symptoms that do not seem to be getting better then please come and discuss it.

You should also be aware of how your body looks and feels. For example you should watch your skin and see if any of the moles are changing. Look for any lumps in your testicles that you were not aware of before. There are some conditions (for example Diabetes, Heart Disease, Asthma) that can have a genetic element to them. It is also important therefore that you are aware of any medical problems that your parents or siblings have. If you have any questions about any aspects of this then please come and discuss it.

Beware of the Sun

These days we are all well aware that exposure to the Suns radiation can cause Skin Cancer. There has also been much discussion about the Ozone Layer and that this may not be providing as much protection as it used to. It is therefore very important that you take great care when out in the Sun.

Take a Break !

In the current climate we often find that there just seems to be more and more to do. It is all too easy to get so wrapped up in targets, projects, plans and our work that we do not take time out to relax. It is important to look after yourself and to make sure that you have time out. Take your holiday, make sure that you try and get home from work at a reasonable time. Try to find ways to relax- perhaps take up a hobby (Fishing, gardening, walking, painting etc). Be aware of when you feel more stressed, and try and address it. Again, with this we need to strike the balance between on the one hand working so hard that we run ourselves in to the ground and on the other doing less and less in the interest of self preservation and then find that we run into problems with the Boss !!

Drink Lots of Water

Our bodies are made up of about 70 % water, and so it is important that we all have plenty of fluid to drink each day. One of the best things to drink is water. Of course there are so many other things to choose from but beware how much tea and coffee you have. Take care also with fizzy drinks. They can contain a lot of sugar and this is not good for you. We should therefore all aim to drink at least a couple of litres of water a day. Obviously you should drink less in the evening as this will then reduce your need to get up during the night. Ironically, alcohol dehydrates you as it makes you go to the toilet to pass water more often. You should therefore avoid drinking too much alcohol.

Sleep

Again, in modern society there can often seem like we have to try and do so much. As a result of the fact, therefore, that there never seems to "be enough hours in the day", we often do not get as much sleep as we need. No one is really sure how much sleep we do need, but it is generally felt that during sleep your body has a chance to go through some routine maintenance. It would appear as though this applies to your body and to your mind. Indeed, dreams are often as a result of your mind processing what it has had to deal with that day. There has been a number of experiments done when people are deprived of sleep, and there is little doubt that their performance demerits as a result. You should really try and aim to have between eight or nine hours sleep a night. Not only do we need enough sleep, but it is better if you try and sleep roughly the same times each day. In other words try and have a regular sleeping pattern and your body will then benefit as your biological clock will not have to keep re-adjusting itself.

Laughter - the best medicine ?

It would seem as though there is a degree of truth in this age old saying. Not only does a laugh seem to help you release certain chemicals that help to defend against stress, but it also help with your breathing, circulation and state of mind. Yes, there would actually seem to be both Physical and Psychological benefits from having a laugh. So, even when you are having "one of those days" you should still try and allow a little humour to show forth now and again. That having been said, please also bear in mind that not everyone has the same sense of humour, and so you will need to use some tact and diplomacy as what you may think is hilarious, other people may feel to be a sick joke.

Get a Regular check up

We all know that if we get the car serviced regularly then there is less chance that it will break down or something major will go wrong without we get some advanced warning. The same is true for your body. If you carry out some routine check now and again, then you are less likely to run into problems. This stems from the fact again that prevention is better than cure. Many people feel that they should only attend the doctors surgery if they are not feeling well. That is not the case, and a check up now and again can potentially pick up problems at a very early stage. The Chest and Heart offers a regular screening assessment for all people from age 25 to 70. You are also welcome to see the Practice Nurse at the surgery and she will be able to arrange for a routine Well
Man Check. This may include checking your BP, cholesterol, a urine sample, and your height and weight. Do not feel that you have to wait until something has gone wrong before you attend the surgery.
 

Testicular Cancer

We all tend to think that cancer is a disease that affects us once we get older. Sadly that is not true. There is one cancer that affects young men, and so it is important that you are aware of it and can therefore be on the lookout. Testicular Self Examination (or TSE) should be an important part of your routine. The idea is that you will get to know what your testicles feel like and then if any changes occur you will pick them up earlier rather than later. There are leaflets in the Surgeries about this, and you should aim to check yourself once a month. This can best be done in the shower or bath, as you will be warm and relaxed and so this makes it easier. At the lower end of the testicle is the epididymis. This is where the spermatic cord attaches to the testicle. This is easy to feel and so you will soon recognise it. There are three tubes to each testicle - an artery to carry the blood in, a vein to carry the blood back out and the spermatic cord to carry the sperm out. These can easily be felt at the side of the testicle. Please do take the time to check yourself, and get one of the leaflets if you are not sure what to do. If you have any problems, or if you find any lumps or things that were not there before, then it is important that you make an appointment and come and see someone.

Prostatism

Just under your bladder is your prostate gland. The tube which carries the urine from your bladder to the outside world (your urethra) has to pass through the prostate. As you get older, the prostate gland can get larger, and therefore it can start to press on the urethra and this can eventually cause some symptoms. These can be quite mild to start with, but they can go on to get more troublesome and you may then want to think about doing something to try and help.

The type of symptoms that you may get can vary, but they commonly include:

• Having to wait for the flow of urine to start when you go to the toilet

• Having a poor flow of urine, and therefore having to take a longer time to empty your bladder

• Once you have finished and moved away from the toilet, you may get the feeling that there is more and you have not actually finished

• Having to get up at night more and more often to go to the toilet

• Having a problem with dribbling as you finish going to the toilet

Enlargement of the prostate can be benign or it can be malignant. We will therefore need to assess your prostate if it is causing symptoms to decide what is happening. This may involve feeling your prostate, a blood test and sometimes an ultrasound scan. Sometimes all that may be required is some tablets to try and shrink your prostate back down. Sometimes an operation may be required, but we will give you all the details and therefore you will know what is happening at every step of the way.

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