Men’s Health

Do you know the top men’s health threats? The list includes heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injury. Thankfully, most men’s health threats are largely preventable. Making healthy lifestyle choices, such as eating a healthy diet and including physical activity in your daily routine, can prevent many health threats.

We provide quality care for conditions that affect men of all ages. We use the latest methods, research, and technology to deliver world-class, affordable care that is tailored to your individual needs.

It’s also important to manage risky behavior, such as drinking too much and engaging in unprotected casual sex. Of course, commonsense precautions such as using safety ladders and wearing a seat belt count, too. As you age, your older adult health concerns will likely change:

• Could a beer gut lead to health problems?
• Is male menopause a myth or a true men’s health issue?
• Could testosterone therapy help you feel young again?

We can help with these common men’s concerns and more:

• Use of aspirin to prevent heart disease (if you are 45 years or older)
• Immunizations – get a flu shot every year, and if you are 65 or older, get a pneumonia shot
• Alcohol misuse
• Depression and anxiety
• Tobacco cessation
• Healthy diet
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Uncomfortable urinary symptoms – Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)—called prostate gland enlargement—is a common condition as men get older. An enlarged prostate gland can cause uncomfortable urinary symptoms, such as blocking the flow of urine out of the bladder.
• Erectile dysfunction (ED) – Erectile dysfunction (impotence) is the inability to get and keep an erection that is firm enough for sex. Sometimes, treating an underlying condition is enough to reverse erectile dysfunction. In other cases, medications or other direct treatments might be needed.
• Male Infertility – Male fertility factors are involved in half of all couples struggling to achieve a pregnancy. Male infertility can also be a sign of other medical problems. Treatment approaches may involve lifestyle change, medications or, sometimes, procedural solutions.
• Vasectomy– For men who no longer want children

Get the Screenings You Need

One of the most important ways you can take care of yourself is to actively take part in your health care. Schedule regular check-ups with your doctor or nurse practitioner and learn about the health care screenings you need, such as colorectal cancer screening, prostate cancer screening, and diabetes screening, whether you need medicines to prevent diseases, and steps you can take for your good health.

Screenings are tests that look for diseases before you have symptoms. Blood pressure checks and tests for high cholesterol are examples of screenings. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends the following screenings:

• Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening for men age 65 to 75 who have smoked
• Colorectal cancer screening starting at age 50 or earlier if you have a family history
• Prostate cancer screening (PSA)
• Blood pressure screening
• Cholesterol screening for men age 35 and older, or younger if at higher risk
• Diabetes screening for Type 2 diabetes if you have high blood pressure
• HIV and sexually transmitted infection screenings for adults at higher risk

Tools and Decision Points

• Prostate Cancer Screening: Should I Have a PSA Test?
• Prostate Cancer: Should I Have Radiation or Surgery for Localized Prostate Cancer?
• Urinary Incontinence in Men
• Learning Center: Men’s Health

Need more info about screening and prevention at Cold Hollow Family Practice? Call us at 802-933-6664 or Request an Appointment here. We see patients of all ages from Enosburg, Richford, Franklin, Sheldon and Swanton.