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Need It If you feel suicidal or need help, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day at (800) 273-8255.
54 MILITARY OFFICER JUNE 2016
June is men’s health month. Take this opportunity to consider not only physical factors (including lifestyle) but also emotional and psychological ones. By Rear Adm. Joyce Johnson, D.O.
If all men maintained healthy life- styles, the five-year gap in life expec- tancy between men and women would begin to close. When we think of men’s health, we usually think of physical health and diseases unique to men, such as prostate cancer. However, emotional and psychological health are as important to men as they are to women. Unfortunately, many men feel there is a stigma associated with seeking help for mental health issues. In one study, almost 10 percent of men
reported feelings of depression or anxiety; another study showed one in 25 men has diagnosable depression. Tragically, about 33,000 men die each year by suicide; 80 percent of those who die from suicide in this country are men, and suicide is the seventh-leading cause of death in men. Other potentially preventable deaths
that aff ect men disproportionately are ho- micide (about four times more men than women), drownings (the same, with half involving alcohol use), and fatal occupa- tional and industrial injuries (nine times as many men as women). Nearly three-fourths of men are over-
weight, including over a third who are obese. More than one in fi ve men regularly use tobacco products, leading to health problems such as emphysema and lung and other cancers. Last year, nearly a third of men had at least one episode of binge drinking. Poorly controlled diabetes, once more common in women, is now more than a third more common in men. And about
three-fourths of new HIV/AIDS cases occur in men. Interestingly, about 20 per- cent of men don’t see a doctor each year. The two leading causes of death in
men are heart disease and cancer. Healthy lifestyles with a balanced diet, exercise, and control of blood pressure can prevent much heart disease. The most common cancers in men are prostate, lung, colon and rectal, and bladder. Most outcomes for these cancers are much better if treatment starts early. Talk with your doctor about the cancer screenings most appropriate for you. Many men and their physicians decide on prostate-specifi c antigen test- ing for prostate cancer screening. Lung cancer screening with a low-dose CT scan is recommended for some men with long smoking histories. Periodic colonoscopies generally are recommended for colorectal cancer screening. Stick to good health basics: Try to live a
healthy lifestyle, including exercise and a balanced diet. Don’t use tobacco products. If you consume alcohol, do so in modera- tion. Avoid behaviors that transmit sexually transmitted and other infectious diseases. Take time to relax, enjoy life, and reduce stress — don’t compound it. If you feel de- pressed or overly anxious, seek help from a health provider or religious leader.
MO
— Rear Adm. Joyce Johnson, USPHS (Ret), D.O., M.A., is a health care consultant in Chevy Chase, Md. Find more health and wellness resources at
www.moaa.org/wellness. For sub- mission information, see page 6.
PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT
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