Men
don’t go to doctors unless they’re in serious pain. In a 2007 American
Academy of Family Physicians survey, 58 percent of men cited specific
factors, such as lack of time, lack of insurance, and lack of extreme
symptoms, as reasons for avoiding physicians.
Sure, a number of miscellaneous ailments
resolve themselves without medical attention. But denial can also leave
you dead. A smarter move: Regularly assess your health with a few
morning inspections that are easy and accurate. They aren’t replacements
for routine doctor visits, but these do-it-yourself checkups can help
you sort the trivial from the troubling.
Your gums
What’s the big deal? Any redness,
inflammation, or bleeding of your gums might be due to gingivitis, a
condition that can progress to periodontal disease. This, in turn, is
linked to heart disease — the number one killer of men.
How? The bacteria from periodontal
disease enter your bloodstream, potentially causing inflammation
elsewhere in your body, including your heart. The result:
atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. What’s more, periodontal disease
can signal diabetes.
“Blood vessels deliver oxygen and
nourishment to body tissues and carry away the tissues’ waste products,”
says Robert Pick, D.D.S., a gum specialist at Northwestern University’s
Feinberg School of Medicine.
“Diabetes causes blood vessels to
thicken, which slows the flow of nutrients and the removal of harmful
wastes. This can weaken the gum tissue’s resistance to infection.”
Gums that are salmon-pink in
light-skinned people, or a bit darker in dark-skinned people, indicate
that your mouth is healthy and bacteria are in check, says Dr. Pick. But
if your gums are red and swollen, and they bleed after brushing, you
may have gum disease — or worse. Begin daily flossing, and see your
dentist for an intense, below-the-gumline cleaning and application of
antibiotics.
Clogged nasal passages
What’s the big deal? Take a deep breath.
Did you inhale through your nose, or through your mouth? If it was your
mouth, then your nasal passages may be obstructed, probably due to
allergic rhinitis, the symptoms of which can include sneezing, itchy
eyes, runny nose, and general stuffiness. Or if those symptoms accompany
coughing and wheezing, you might have asthma.
“Asthma can permanently reduce lung
function if it’s not treated quickly,” says Bradley Marple, a
rhinologist at the University of Texas Southwestern medical centre.
Clogged nasal passages can also contribute to sleep apnea, a condition
that’s usually also accompanied by snoring and about 20 pounds of extra
body weight. Consult a physician right away if you have all three
symptoms.
Runaway heart rate
What’s the big deal? Your resting heart
rate (RHR) indicates how hard your heart is working to pump blood. It’s
not only a good indicator of your overall fitness, but it can also
signal diabetes or heart disease if it’s high. In fact, Italian
researchers found that having an RHR above 70 beats per minute (bpm)
increases your risk of dying of heart disease by at least 78 percent.
To check your resting heart rate, pee
first; a full bladder may elevate your heart rate. Then sit for a minute
or two before taking your pulse at either your neck or your wrist.
Count the number of times your heart beats in 15 seconds, and then
multiply that number by four for your bpm. As a rule, 40 to 60 bpm
indicates a high level of cardiovascular fitness, notes Adam St. Pierre,
an exercise physiologist at the Boulder Centre for Sports Medicine. “A
regular cardio exercise programme should knock a beat or two off your
heart rate within two to eight weeks,” he says.
The wrong kind of belly
What’s the big deal? Men gain weight
around their middles, and studies have shown that deeply seated
abdominal fat (called visceral fat) bumps up your risk of heart disease,
stroke, diabetes, and some types of cancer.
Unlike the fat that resides just under
the skin, visceral fat collects deep within your abdomen, filling the
spaces between your organs and increasing the risk of inflammation
throughout your body. Worse, it can lead to insulin resistance, which
forces your pancreas to boost insulin production in order to clear your
bloodstream of glucose, says Michael Jensen, a Mayo Clinic
endocrinologist. Insulin resistance is a precursor to diabetes.
Your belly is bulging from visceral fat
if you can’t pinch or grab a fold. Have some belly to burn off? Step 1:
Watch what you eat. To figure out how much you should be taking in,
simply multiply your target body weight by 11. That’s your daily calorie
allotment. Then make sure you’re burning about 2,000 calories a week
through exercise. In a Duke University study, that amount of activity
reduced visceral fat stores by seven percent.
Moles behaving badly
What’s the big deal? Most men diagnosed
with melanoma — usually after age 40 — have had it for some time and
either ignored the signs or simply didn’t notice them. Melanoma in a guy
is typically found on his head, neck, or upper back, so it’s tough to
spot and catch early.
“After your shower, scan your skin for
anything that looks unusual,” says Linda K. Franks, a clinical assistant
professor of dermatology at New York University. Specifically, check
for the ABCDE’s of mole surveillance: asymmetry, borders (blurry or
jagged edges), colour (black or multihued), diameter (more than a
quarter inch across, or growing), and evolving (changing size or shape).
If you note any alarming marks, have your dermatologist eyeball them
and perform a biopsy if necessary
Stiff muscles
What’s the big deal? Poor flexibility in
your upper back can predispose you to lower-back pain and injury. If
you sit at a desk for long hours without moving, or if you’re doing a
lot of lifting to build your chest muscles but not stretching them out
and not strengthening your upper back, your shoulders and neck will
hunch forward, notes trainer Bill Hartman. This will limit your
upper-back mobility, causing you to overuse your lower back and leading
to pain and discomfort.
Lousy memory
What’s the big deal? Can’t recall where
you just placed your socks? You’re probably stressed out. The stress
hormone cortisol temporarily short-circuits memory. Check your memory —
and improve it — with an “N-back” exercise in the morning. Pick a word,
such as ‘economy,’ while you’re watching the morning news. Every time
someone says the word, come up with the word that person said two (or
five) words before it.
“This exercise can evaluate how much you
can deal with, mentally, at one time; and then boost it,” says Bridgid
Finn, a research scientist at the Memory Lab at Washington University in
St. Louis. Then consider going for a run. Cardiovascular exercise
shunts extra oxygen to your brain, boosting your mental acuity in
general.
Adapted from menshealth.com
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