A Northern Virginia doctor has advice for men that he hopes will help them live longer.
June is Mens Health Month and Dr. Jason Singh, of Kaiser Permanente in Manassas, wants to raise awareness about the need for men to take care of themselves and see their doctors.
When we stratify the top 10 leading causes of death by sex, men lead in nearly every one of those categories nine out of 10. Furthermore, these conditions are manageable and by and large preventable, Singh said.
Despite men being more likely to get sick from serious health problems than women, Singh said only 40% of them go to the doctor when they fear they have a serious medical condition.
I always tell the guys, Listen, if there are three numbers you need to commit to memory, its your cholesterol, sugar and blood pressure because these are risk factors to heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in men, Singh said. Then closely behind is cancer, and thats why regular checkups are so important and to be aware of the screening timelines for colon cancer and prostate cancer, which affects one in six men.
As an internal medicine doctor, Singh stresses the importance of prevention, one big part of which is diet.
Just remember the three Bs, he said. Berries, beans, and broccoli because these foods are particularly rich in fiber and that promotes good gut health, which lowers the risk of colon cancer.
Singh said he is concerned about how isolation associated with the pandemic and with retirement might be affecting mens mental health.
Even before this, mens suicide rates were four times higher than womens. So, theres this exacerbated risk from isolation and loneliness, which has been linked to development of dementia and unhealthy behaviors and even premature death, he said.
Men need to talk about their mental health and know that its OK to share emotions and ask for help.
If you dont talk about it, its becoming internalized and then your body talks to me about it which then translates to high blood pressure and poor sleep and muscle soreness and fatigue. These can then turn to potential behaviors that may exacerbate the problem, such as physical inactivity, poor diet and substance abuse, Singh said.
We really need to reframe the model of masculinity here.