Men's Health, Your Top 5 Concerns
According to the CDC
So, guys, here are your top 5 health concerns
or
Do you have family history of any of the following?
Heart Disease: is the leading cause of death for both men and women. But because men develop heart disease much earlier than women, they are more likely to die from this disease. Conditions like high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure are damaging to the heart.
Cancer: The second leading cause of death among males is cancer particularly lung cancer associated with smoking. Prostate and Colorectal cancers are second and third and are related to a high fat diet.
Unintentional Injuries: A motor vehicle accident is the third leading cause of death among males. In addition, male drivers are more likely to be intoxicated than women.
Stroke: The fourth health risk for men is stroke. It is interesting to note that stroke affects both men and women equally, but men have a better recovery rate. Reducing high blood pressure is the best defense against stroke.
COPD: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: This disease includes a group of lung conditions such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. These are associated with lung cancer. The main cause is smoking and heart disease.
Of the top 5 listed: Heart health can be implicated in 3 of the 5 primary causes of death.
It only makes sense that focusing on your heart health will give you the best return on effort.
Your Blood Pressure is Important
Hypertension or high blood pressure is usually the first sign of heart health changes. (high blood pressure means to much pressure on the blood vessels of the body, which can lead to stroke or heart attack). Finding the cause of and treating this should be your priority. There are a multitude of medications on the market for treating this health condition and taking blood pressure medications is not only easy it works. But, these medications are all treating the symptom of high blood pressure, not the cause with 2 major disadvantages:
First, they tend to cause side effects and symptoms such as dry cough and erectile dysfunction.
Second, the causes of hypertension left untreated can lead to other more serious health issues.
Current Science on heart health and high blood pressure shows that there is no “One size fit’s all” cause.
Digging in and getting to the source of your health or cause of your health change can mean the difference of long-term medication use and the inevitable side affects and secondary health issues.
Causes of high blood pressure may include:
• Genetic predisposition
• Mineral deficiencies
• Low testosterone
• Heavy metal toxicity
• Bacterial/viral infections
• Liver and detoxification imbalances
This is the short list, and as we age the causal list grows and becomes more complicated unravel and correct.
Your Plan needs to reflect your health history, diet, exercise, and health goals.
The more personalized the approach the better your results. A The take away should be:
Know your family heart health history.
Get real with your stress levels and how you want to manage them.
Create a balanced plan that includes diet changes, exercise, and nutritional support that is designed to optimize your heart health.
Plan for lifestyle changes and avoid diets and fads.
Exercise is your best friend and working hard does not qualify. Finding time for 40 minutes of aerobic activity 4 times per week.
Schedule an appointment and get your heart health review today. Your future health depends on it!
In Health
Dr. L