We all know some men who’d rather fight off sharks than deal with issues that affect their health. They don’t like talking about it, they put symptoms on the back burner, and they don’t see a health care provider unless it’s at the urging of a persistent wife who might schedule the appointment.

June is National Men’s Health Month. It’s a time to encourage men to take their health seriously, make necessary lifestyle changes and get established with a primary care provider, if they don’t have one.

According to Ben Guth, an advanced practice nurse with OSF HealthCare, the reasons for putting off medical care vary. For some men, they’re too busy working to find the time to book, for example, an eye exam or dentist appointment. Some are willing to wait out a nagging pain or a lingering headache. And for others it’s simply a case of “‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’”

“Men will often tell me, ‘I don't have any problems. Everything feels fine. I don't need to see you,’” Guth says. “Unfortunately, all issues won't really present as a symptom until they're in the more moderate to severe stages.” For example, most people with high blood pressure or diabetes won’t know they have it until they get checked at the provider’s office.

In 2018, Cleveland Clinic surveyed a small sample of men ages 18 to 70 and found that only three in five men get an annual physical, and just over 40% go to the doctor only when they fear they have a serious medical condition.

Guth says the statistics aren’t surprising. “No one wants to be told that they have high blood pressure, that they have diabetes,” he says. “But I would counter that by saying it's better to go early to get screened, to have your doctor as your health consultant, to check in once a year to make sure that everything's OK. So that when you do go, you have a better idea of how it's going to turn out.”

Scheduling an annual physical exam 

Guth strongly recommends all adult men, even those in their late teens, 20s and 30s, have an annual physical.

“We all have our financial consultants. We all have a car that needs regular oil changes. We all have taxes that need to be filed,” Guth says. “We all have a body that needs to be taken care of. So come in once a year to have a good once over. And what's nice about those visits is you'll get some blood work done. We'll be able to do a lot of different screenings, and you'll get that checkup.”

Men should have annual screenings for diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol, as well as certain cancers. Prostate cancer screening is done with a simple blood test.

“The recommendation for any healthy man is to start at age 50,” Guth says about prostate cancer screening. “Typically, we will screen sooner if there are certain risk factors, or you're in a population that has a higher chance of developing prostate cancer. In my practice, I usually start the conversation with men in between 40 and 45 for prostate cancer.”

Colon cancer screening begins at age 45 and is repeated every five or 10 years, depending on findings and family history. Also, regular self-exams are important when it comes to issues such as testicular cancer, which is more than 90% curable if caught early enough.

Coping with stress 

Another issue affecting men that isn’t always talked about is stress. Whether it is job or family related, or it stems from health or financial issues, everyone has reason to worry from time to time. Guth recommends several options for dealing with stress, which, if not handled properly, can cause major health problems such as heart disease, depression and sleep disorders. Guth suggests first finding ways to relive stress in a healthy way such as exercising, reading and spending time with loved ones. Men can also consider talking to a therapist or counselor if daily stress becomes too much to handle.

As a husband and father who works 10 hours or more a day, Guth understands some of the obstacles that his male patients face in staying on top of their health needs. However, it’s imperative to make time for the basics – listening to our bodies, not smoking and limiting alcohol consumption.

“I think all men should have a primary care provider. It's important to see them annually, to have those checkups, so that you have the peace of mind to know that everything is good,” Guth says. “I can go about my day-to-day life, doing what I need to do, whether that's working, taking care of family, taking the kids to sporting events. You want to have that peace of mind to know that I'm going to be there for them for a long time.”
 

Interview Clips 

B-roll

As Saturday Night Live celebrates its 50^th anniversary, one thing it has been known for over the decades is the use of comedy to make a commentary on what’s happening in the world. Recently, 
it was a skit about how the only way to get a young man to an annual physical is to pretend it’s a podcast appearance.

OSF HealthCare primary care physician, Mfowethu Langeni, DO, said he heard about the skit and then watched it with appreciation.

“So hopefully this can help encourage people to change that mindset and change the framing and letting them know that we will see you even if you have no symptoms, no issues. Preventive health is equally as important as any other aspect of health care.”

Nearly 40% of Generation Z men (age 20-29) don’t have a primary care provider and millennial men (age 29-43) make up the second-highest number of men without regular primary care according to one study.

Using comedy to tell hard truths can be an effective tool so Dr. Langeni hopes the skit breaks through the perception of many young men – a feeling they are invincible and therefore don’t need medical attention unless they experience serious symptoms.

Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also reveals young men have a misperception they are healthier than they are.

“A good portion of men between the age of 18 and 35 are actually in probably fair to poor condition as far as health is concerned. So, I think the first thing we do when you walk in the door in a primary doctor's office, we check your weight, we check your vitals, and we check blood pressure. Those are some really quick things that we can get, but it can tell a lot of information.”

For example, Dr. Langeni says Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure don’t always have prominent symptoms right away and without an annual exam, they can go undetected for years. That poses the risk of irreversible harm. During an initial primary care visit, Dr. Langeni says he’ll also go over family history because there are some diseases, including cancer, that can be genetically linked.

“And so, if your father or mother or grandmother, uncle had a condition, you could also be predisposed to that condition as well. So, we address these things, we talk about these things, and then we come up with shared decision making and figure out what to do next.”

Research also shows men are increasingly turning to social media platforms such as Instagram and Tik Tok for their health information, often relying on influencers. That’s not all bad, says Dr. Langeni, but he says having a primary care provider as a trusted source is a great way to verify information from social media.

“I promote people getting information, but the big thing is just then take the information and then ask, ‘Hey, what's true? What's not true, or if it is, is this right for me?’ If it's not right for me, because everyone is individually different, having a primary doctor really will help to cater to your individual plan.”

With OSF MyChart, you can also easily access your primary care provider with questions about a variety of concerns, including medications, supplements, or issues that might arise between appointments. If it requires a referral to a specialist, your primary care provider can make that happen. Dr. Langeni suggests thinking of a primary care provider as someone who is a care coordinator and your advocate.

National statistics reveal other health realities men might consider. For example, men die by suicide at twice the rate of women and 40.5% of men over 20 have obesity. A primary care provider can help with lifestyle changes and medication, if necessary, to address obesity. Some mental health challenges can be managed at the primary care level, but Dr. Langeni says having a professional you trust to discuss stress, anxiety, depression or other concerns is crucial. Then, he says, your provider can recommend whether seeing a behavioral health specialist might be the best approach.

Just as you take your car in for a regular oil change, Dr. Langeni strongly suggests regular health maintenance with a primary care provider. Putting it another way, he emphasizes, “primary care is preventive care” and that’s nothing to laugh at. 

Dr. Mfowethu Langeni

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