Issue Date: June 10, 2001
Hey, Superman, you won't be invincible forever
You're on top of the world. Great. Now, as Men's Health Week begins, it's time to start planning for wellness that'll last a lifetime.
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This is the third feature in a year-long series on family health written by Tedd Mitchell, M.D., a USA WEEKEND contributing editor and director of the Wellness Program at the renowned Cooper Clinic in Dallas. Mitchell is a respected internist who is active in the American College of Sports Medicine.
Next in the series: women's health.
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A strange thing happened the other day. I was in the garage working on a project, twisting a screwdriver, when a realization hit: My hands look like my dad's. The fine wrinkles, a few "sunspots," slight cracking of skin around the knuckles, a banged-up thumbnail. For the first time it struck me that I am not 21 -- I am 39.
If I am to enjoy good health, I can no longer rely on youth. I'll have to work at it.
Lots of men just don't pay attention to their health. In fact, research suggests that macho attitudes and an aversion to seeking medical attention contribute to a widening gender gap in life expectancy. Did you know that in 1920 women lived, on average, just one year longer than men, but by 1998 they had a six-year lead?
Understanding male behavior toward health and health care is the first step in improving our long-term outlook. Appreciating our natural tendencies can help us change those that are unproductive. Learning to partner with a physician for medical checkups lays a foundation from which we can direct our specific care. Finally, knowing what lifestyles are healthful and which are detrimental gives us power to control our own health destiny! (Now, if that isn't macho, I don't know what is.)
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RISKY BUSINESS
All you guys out there, think about it: As a boy, how many of you wanted to be Clark Kent? Always meek, mild-mannered, polite, somewhat awkward in his interactions with those around him ... you get the idea. Nah, we all wanted to be Superman! Self-assured, helping others while not needing help, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, saving the world from annihilation --all the little things that make life worth living.
Healthful behavior not only improves the quantity of your life -- more important, it also improves the quality of your life!
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That basically defines the male psyche. While some of it is certainly due to the way we were raised ("big boys don't cry," "take it like a man"), another part is the way we are made. It is called testosterone.
For us, life is about competition. Whether it is competing in sports as a child, in love as an adolescent or in business as an adult, our nature is to strive for success, even at the expense of other things. While a drive toward healthy competition is a good thing, being blinded by an exaggerated sense of self-reliance is not. Such an attitude not only keeps us from getting appropriate medical attention, but also makes us neglect our bodies and engage in risky behaviors. In fact, the leading causes of death for men under age 40 continue to be road accidents and homicide.
This doesn't mean we need to sacrifice our masculinity to preserve our health. It does mean we need to recognize those patterns of behavior that lead to what I call "false masculinity." Attitudes leading to destructive behaviors, emotional isolation and neglect of basic health needs are not what being male is all about. In his book How Men Can Live as Long as Women, Ken Goldberg, a physician, author and national authority on men's health issues, comments about this struggle: "A man can be a partner, and that involves ... sharing obligations, concerns and emotions; being there to listen and support; being honest and responsible; and taking pleasure in his partner's pleasure. A man can be a father, and that involves much more than providing food and shelter. He can be a role model and set new standards for our culture. He can be compassionate and concerned, and he can educate. And finally, a man can be a fellow man, and that involves much more than teasing and taunting each other ... in a locker room. It means extending a hand to those who need help; talking honestly to one another and sharing feelings; and learning to cooperate rather than compete."
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TEAM UP WITH A DOCTOR
Let's face facts. Men are much less likely to seek medical care than women, and that includes getting regular checkups and preventive screens. It is time to take the bull by the horns and find a physician who can provide necessary checkpoints on your road to wellness. Appropriate health screens can result in earlier detection of disease, which in turn can raise survival rates. Treatments also tend to be less invasive, less expensive and less troublesome when illness is found early.
I know, I know: "Getting a physical" is the last thing on most men's "To Do" lists. But simple things make a big difference. Cholesterol assessments, blood pressure checks, diabetes screens, prostate cancer blood tests and exams, colon cancer screens and cardiovascular screens all make a difference! These assessments can be made only by your doctor, so it's imperative to get over the angst of a checkup. (See recommended screening schedule on page 11.)
An old saying goes "Christopher Columbus never stopped to ask for directions, so why should I?" When it comes to preventive checkups, the road map is at the doctor's office. There's simply no way around this.
Guys, here's a good analogy to remember: Your own preventive checkups are like automobile checkups. While most of us are responsible for, even proud of, how we maintain our vehicles, we don't feel the same sense of accomplishment with our own bodies.
Does getting a tuneup of the car engine guarantee it won't fail? Absolutely not. But it does significantly reduce the risk.
The same thing goes for preventive medical checkups. Do they guarantee nothing bad will happen to you? No, but by understanding the statistical risks people face, and by evaluating and addressing those risks, you improve your odds.
Taking care of your car means regular tuneups. Taking care of your health means regular checkups.
When I was in college, my grandfather gave me his old 1953 Chevrolet pickup truck. He also gave me great advice: "Now, Tedd, remember one thing. It won't hurt this engine to run it without gas, but it will ruin it if you run it without oil!" He was making the point that maintenance is important for something that means a lot to you. (Yes, I still have the pickup.)
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WORK TOWARD WINNING HABITS
Healthful behavior not only statistically improves the quantity of your life, but more important, it also improves the quality of your life. What you eat and drink, what drugs you use, whether you exercise and how you handle stress/aggression all are under your control. In each area, help is available for those who have lost control. For those who can develop winning habits on their own, the course is clear.
Nutrition. You really are what you eat (and drink). Back to the car analogy: It certainly doesn't make sense to pour crude oil into a high-performance Indy car and expect it to function properly. Likewise, nutrition based on beer nuts, potato chips and brewskis doesn't give your engine the fuel it needs for effective performance. Intense, hard-core, extremely restrictive dietary programs are unnecessary and rarely successful. But a sound nutritional program that emphasizes fruits, vegetables and low-fat proteins and limits sweets, high-fat foods and alcohol is workable and has clearly been shown to improve long-term health.
Alcohol. Moderation is the key. Data from large national research projects, including the Harvard Physicians Health Study, suggest that one drink a day is generally healthful. (A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of liquor.) Our own data here at the Cooper Aerobics Center suggest the same. Alcohol is a funny thing: A little might help; a little bit more might harm. For that reason, I don't recommend that teetotalers start drinking for a subtle health benefit. People who do drink should average no more than one drink a day.
Tobacco. The habit starts at a young age and, by the time men are in their 30s and 40s, it's extremely difficult to break. Of course, the easiest way to "break" the habit is never to begin. For fathers talking to their sons, few messages are more important. If you already smoke, a myriad of remedies, over-the-counter medications, prescription drugs and programs are available to help you quit. Unlike alcohol, where a little bit benefits health, the same cannot be said of cigarette smoking. No amount is healthful, and working toward quitting is the only rational approach.
Recreational drugs. Those of us who grew up in the '60s and '70s were surrounded by a culture that promoted experimentation. Only now can we appreciate the fallout of such an attitude. Drugs have become a pervasive and destructive part of society and, while good people can debate potential solutions, the bottom line is that drugs are a national problem. Casual users' financial support of the industry keeps propagating the problem.
Exercise. Just as you have to occasionally "blow out the carburetor" on your car, you need to regularly take your own body out for a spin. Aerobic exercise performed a minimum of three days a week, coupled with light strength training and a flexibility program, is a great way to keep the system lubricated, the pistons firing and the performance up.
Remember, consistency is the key to a successful exercise program. You are far better off following a regular routine of moderate activity than knocking yourself out sporadically. If you haven't been exercising, it's important to first visit your physician to get clearance. Then it can help to get a qualified personal trainer to develop a routine for you. Avoid the urge to embark on an intense exercise plan. Remember, you are not trying to become the next Michael Jordan; you are trying to follow a program that gives you energy, enhances your quality of life and reduces your long-term risk.
Stress and aggression. When I take a patient's medical history, I ask about things such as wearing seat belts, getting speeding tickets and allowing anger to affect driving. On the surface, these seem to be silly questions, but they often precipitate important discussions.
Guys, the statistics are against us on this one. We, more than women, exhibit these risky behaviors. Again, chalk it up to testosterone. Understanding that we tend to react more aggressively when provoked (whether in a bar or a car) is the first step in modifying such behavior.
If you have trouble controlling this part of your personality, help is available. It's always easy to say and difficult to do, but gaining insight into risky behaviors improves not just your statistical chances of longevity, but the quality of your life and the lives of the people around you. Talk to your doctor.
Well, guys, there you have it. While it is wonderful to be a man and to celebrate the differences between boys and girls, it is just as important to understand that certain attitudes and behaviors work directly against our long-term health.
Understanding how to adjust those attitudes revs us up and gets us going. Developing winning habits keeps us racing around the track. And having a doctor who can provide us with the necessary pit stops along the way keeps us headed in the right direction.
Go ahead -- critique your own attitudes. Work on your own behaviors. See the doctor.
And, hey, John Wayne would be proud of you.
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