by admin | Nov 26, 2019 | Health & Wellness
November is Men’s Health Awareness Month and the Movember Foundation uses the month to bring awareness to and support of those tackling prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide. June is Men’s Health Month; the purpose is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. The following are recommendations that are supported by evidence from scholarly journals and professional organizations and associations to improve men’s health.
Throughout the world, women live longer than men, although this gap varies tremendously in less developed countries. According to the CIA World Factbook, in the United States, average longevity for women is 82.2 years for women and 77.2 years for men, a five-year gap. Many men have the mentality of “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” so if they cannot see or feel an external stimulus, they will think there is nothing ever wrong. A majority of men are just not aware of what they can do to improve their health and live healthier and happier lives.
At a very least, get vaccinated. Everyone needs immunizations to stay healthy, no matter their age. Even if you were vaccinated as a child, you may need updates because immunity can fade with time. Vaccine recommendations are based on a range of factors, including age, overall health, and your medical history. Ask your health care provider or a pharmacist about the recommended vaccinations.
Recommendations for men’s health beginning at age 20 and beyond
- Get an annual physical exam by your primary care provider, including blood pressure, and height/weight checks.
- Annually screen for testicular cancer that includes monthly self-exams.
- Have cholesterol testing every five years.
- Screen for diabetes, thyroid disease, liver problems, and anemia.
- Depending on risk factors, screen for skin cancer, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV infection, and alcohol and drug misuse.
- At 30, screen for coronary heart disease, especially with a strong family history of the disease and/or risk factors.
- At 40, screen for thyroid disease, liver problems, anemia, and prostate cancer.
- At 50, screen for cholesterol every five years; annually screen for Type II diabetes; lipid disorders; and skin, colon, and lung cancer. Obtain a shingles vaccine.
- At 60, screen for depression, osteoporosis, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and abdominal aortic aneurysm. Have a carotid artery ultrasound.
- At 70, depending on previous findings, some screenings may be done every six months.
Recommendations for men’s health regardless of age
- Men have more difficulty handling stress than women, partially because women have better social networks and more friends with whom they can confide. Thus, men should seek out more friends, whether they are male or female.
- Laughter increases endorphins, thereby increasing longevity. Get a sense of humor and engage with others with whom you can laugh.
- Avoid tobacco products and non-prescriptive drugs.
- Avoid excessive sun exposure.
- Research the reliability of vitamins or herbs before starting them. Make sure it is recommended by professionals, not just the manufacturer of the item.
- Don’t become a workaholic; it increases stress and can lead to health concerns such as hypertension and weight gain. Get a hobby that helps you decrease stress, exercise in the manner you prefer, and seek help with diet to maintain a desirable weight.
- Men, especially young men, are known for engaging in risky behaviors. Wear seatbelts, helmets when riding bicycles or motorcycles, don’t text or talk on the telephone when driving, and avoid friends who encourage illicit drug use and high alcohol consumption.
- If sexually active, get tested regularly for sexually transmitted infections. You might think you are safe if you engage in sexual activity with only one person, but that person might be having sexual relations with others, a concept called serial monogamy.
- The Guttmacher Institute reports that some boys start having sex at the age of 10 and that number increases each year until by the age of 20, 75 percent of men and boys engage sexual activity by the age of 20. Therefore, start safe-sex education at home and in school beginning at age of 10.
Disclaimer: The Men’s Health Awareness views expressed here are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Excelsior College, its trustees, officers, or employees.
By Larry Purnell, PhD, RN, FAAN
Originally posted on Excelsior.edu
by admin | Nov 5, 2019 | Health & Wellness
Diabetes is a long-lasting health condition that affects how your body converts food to energy. Diabetes patients are unable to make enough of the hormone called insulin or cannot use the insulin that is made in their body efficiently. When this happens, your body can respond in some serious ways that include liver damage, heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.
There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body just stops making insulin. These patients are usually diagnosed as children, teens, or early adults. Type 2 diabetes is a result of your body not using the insulin produced in an efficient manner. About 90% of all diabetic patients are type 2 cases. But, through education and prevention, the effects of diabetes on a person’s body can be lessened.
How is food converted to energy?
When you eat food, most of it is converted to sugar (glucose) and released into your bloodstream to provide you with the energy you need to do daily tasks. When your blood sugar levels increase, your pancreas is then activated to release insulin into your body’s cells and use it for energy. Insulin not only helps convert glucose to energy, but it also helps our body store glucose for future energy use.
Diabetes = Broken Process
In some people, the conversion process is interrupted and the message to the pancreas to release insulin into the cells to use for energy is done ineffectively. These patients have trouble balancing the correct amount of insulin in their cells and so therefore have a harder time maintaining energy levels. Diabetic patients try to get rid of extra sugar (blood sugar level of 180 +) through the kidneys and therefore have the need to urinate more often. When releasing large amounts of sugar through urine, it means that there is less available to convert to energy and leads to lethargy, loss of appetite, and excess burning of body fat.
Education & Prevention is Key
For people with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, understanding how your body processes sugar and maintains healthy blood sugar levels is paramount. Those with type 1 diabetes require daily insulin shots to keep blood sugar levels even. These patients are unable to reverse this autoimmune disease and solely rely on insulin shots to level out glucose levels. Those with type 2 diabetes can control the progression of this disease by making healthy diet choices and exercising regularly. In some cases, type 2 diabetics also have to include insulin shots or diabetes pills.
November is National Diabetes Month and is a great opportunity to adopt healthy lifestyle habits. Maintaining blood sugar levels through diet and exercise as well as becoming aware of the effects of the eating choices you make is key to understanding this disease. For more information on diabetes and how to make good choices, visit the American Diabetes Association website.
by admin | Jul 23, 2019 | Health & Wellness, Hot Topics
Growing up can be tough. The challenges of school, relationships with friends, sports and other activities can be stressful for children. Peer pressure, along with what they see and hear daily via social media, TV, movies and video games, can cause them to stress out about how they look. Comparing themselves with their friends—or, worse, with supermodels, movie stars, or pro athletes—can then lead to a negative body image.
- An obsession with their size, shape, weight, and muscles (or lack there of)
- Spending time looking in the mirror looking for and pointing out flaws they think they see
- Talking negatively about themselves
- Constantly looking for ways to improve their looks
- Comparing themselves with others
If you know a child who’s struggling with their body image, here are some things you can do to help:
- Start a discussion about body image.
- Talk about the messages we get through media.
- Try to avoid using judgmental terms like “fat” or “skinny.”
- Stress the importance of healthy eating and physical activity.
- Support their efforts and praise achievements.
- Set a good example
If you think there’s a serious problem
When a child or adolescent has serious issues about the way they see themselves, it can lead to depression, negative behaviors, and eating disorders. Watch for these signs:
- Skipping meals, fasting, constant dieting, or binge eating
- Obsessive exercise/weight training
- Using diet pills or laxatives for losing weight or growth hormones for developing muscle mass
If you think your child has or may have an eating disorder or other serious body image issue, talk to a doctor or health care professional. Getting the right treatment can make all the difference.
By Bill Olson
Originally posted on ubabenefits.com
by admin | Jun 27, 2019 | Health & Wellness
Ever notice how you can get an overall feeling of well-being after taking a long walk, shoveling snow, dancing, or playing Frisbee with the kids? It’s not just because you can check “get some physical activity” off your to-do list. Turns out, there are physiological reasons why you get that feeling. And for people who suffer from a mental health condition like depression, anxiety or ADHD, exercise can relieve symptoms almost as well as medications, and can sometimes help certain symptoms from coming back.
How does it work? Researchers aren’t completely sure. But we do know that physical activity causes certain substances that affect brain function to kick in. These include:
- Endorphins– brain chemicals that reduce stress or pain and increase feelings of well-being
- Serotonin– a brain chemical that affects mood
- Glutamate and GABA– chemicals that influence parts of the brain that affect emotions and mental clarity
- BDNF(brain-derived neurotropic factor) – a protein that protects nerve cells in the brain that help control depression-like symptoms
Many people have found that exercise helps keep anger, stress, and muscle tension at bay and can help you sleep, which helps lessen stress, boost concentration, and improve self-esteem. In addition, it can help you cope with challenges in a healthier way, instead of turning to behaviors like drinking alcohol, which can actually make symptoms worse.
Recommendations for physical activity are the same for mental health benefits as they are for physical benefits: try for at least 150 minutes per week. But even one hour a week has been shown to help with mood disorders like depression and anxiety and even substance use disorder. But people suffering from mental health conditions may find it hard to do even that small amount. No matter how much you try to convince yourself to get up and move, you just can’t get motivated.
If this happens, remind yourself that just a walk around the block is a great start. Don’t set yourself up for failure by telling yourself you “should” be doing more. Just start somewhere, and hopefully the benefits you start to notice will keep you motivated to build up from there. Finding an activity you actually enjoy can really help you stay motivated.
There’s no doubt that physical activity is beneficial for mind and body. And even just short spurts are helpful. But if you are having symptoms of depression, anxiety or another mental health condition, physical activity may not be enough. Always talk to your doctor or a therapist if your symptoms are troublesome — you may benefit from medication and/or talk therapy.
Whatever you do to boost your activity level – even taking the smallest of steps – give yourself lots of props. Getting started isn’t easy and staying motivated can be challenging. But try. It just might leave you feeling great.
By Bill Olson
Originally posted on ubabenefits.com
by admin | May 30, 2019 | Health & Wellness, Work From Home
The winter doldrums have left most of the country and we are witnessing the arrival of spring. Just like the budding trees and baby animals signify a new start, so does a fresh cleaning of your home. But don’t let the spring cleaning stop with the physical place where you live—extend it to all corners of your life. Give your life a good spring cleaning by organizing, decluttering, and setting goals.
ORGANIZE
By now everyone knows who Marie Kondo is—the master of “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.” What began a worldwide phenomenon of “sparking joy” in your home can be applied to your work life as well. Start by organizing your thoughts. Write down the tasks you want to accomplish whether it be daily, monthly, or yearly. Calendar the tasks so you know when you want them completed and prioritize them so you know what importance you assign to each item. Prioritizing tasks helps you accept a request or confidently say “no” when someone asks you to do something knowing it doesn’t fit in with your priorities. Organizing tasks works for both your personal and work life.
DECLUTTER
A good decluttering session is good for the soul! Step back and look at your workspace—are there piles of paper stacked on your desk? What about that mound of things you keep saying you’ll take upstairs in your house? Do you have relationships that are cluttering up your life? Take an hour each week to sort through your workspace piles. Choose to save only the papers/magazines/notes that you need to complete your job or that you want to save for sentimental reasons. Toss the rest of those papers in the recycle bin! After you are able to pare down the piles, begin asking yourself if the next paper that comes across your desk needs to be saved, trashed, or recycled so that those mounds don’t grow into mountains again. The same goes for stuff around your house. Start that garage sale box, begin a keepsake box, and trash the rest. Finally, kick those toxic relationships to the curb. You know the ones—the relationships that suck the life out of you. If you have someone whose values and priorities don’t align with yours, choose to keep them at arm’s length so you can spend more time with the people who hold priority in your life.
SET GOALS
Goals are unlike resolutions. Resolutions are a firm decision to do or not to do something. “I resolve not to eat dessert after every meal.” Goals give direction to follow to achieve a desired outcome. For instance, a career goal may be to finish your college degree or obtain a special certification. A relationship goal could be to have weekly date night or to start a family. Financial goals may include paying down debt, setting aside money from each check for a summer vacation, or to begin regularly giving to a non-profit dear to your heart. Set goals as you spring clean your life to give yourself direction in how you spend your time and effort this year.
As you begin spring cleaning your life, you will be surprised what good things are able to flow into those corners that were previously inhabited by disorganization, clutter, or lack of focus. By giving yourself a chance to have a fresh start in your life, you are encouraging new growth. And new growth is always exciting!
by admin | Apr 18, 2019 | Health & Wellness
Spring is here! That means it’s time to ditch those Winter layers, and even that excess Winter weight. No matter what your current fitness level, Spring is a great time to refocus your habits and spruce up your routine.
Get a Check Up or a Physical
Before starting any new fitness regimen, it’s a good idea to check with your doctor. Your medical professional will be able to assess any potential risks associated with starting a new fitness routine and may advise you on the types of activities you should try or avoid. For example, if you suffer from low back pain, your doctor can suggest the types of activities that will strengthen your muscles without extra risk of injury, and they may even suggest avoiding certain types of workouts.
Hit the Trails
If you enjoy walking, jogging, or biking, it’s time to take your workouts into the great outdoors. Indoor workouts are convenient, not to mention climate controlled, but it’s time to take advantage of the Spring weather and enjoy those activities out of doors for a nice change of pace. While you’re at it, change your pace! Try increasing your speed or adding in some hills and add the extra challenge your current fitness level.
Sign Up for a Race
Spring is a great time to walk, jog, or run in a charity race. Whether it’s a cause close to your heart, or an event close to home, there are lots of 5K’s and fun-runs to choose from. Try searching on Facebook events for upcoming races. Sometimes the simple act of paying a registration can be all the motivation needed to get your running or walking back on track–figuratively and literally.
Join a Local Team
All work and no play can make for a very boring fitness routine. Try joining a local recreational sports league. Check with your local parks and recreation office for adult leagues. It can be a great way to get fit while making new friends. Soccer, softball, volleyball and even dodgeball are common. If you can find coworkers to join you, consider starting an office team of your own. Bragging rights can be very effective motivational tools!
Start a Fitness Challenge at Work
Start a sports team isn’t the only way to get the office involved. Consider starting an office fitness challenge. It could be something as simple as a “30-Day Water Challenge” or a “Biggest Loser” weight loss contest. The most important part of a fitness challenge at work is the opportunity to motivate one another, to challenge one another, and even to hold each other accountable.
Spring is a new season! Make a fresh start by setting new fitness goals. Keep in mind that fitness isn’t one-size-fits-all. Start by assessing your current fitness level, consult a medical professional as needed, and set realistic goals for improvement. From there, the possibilities are endless.
