Support Men’s Health
National Men’s Health Month offers the opportunity to take proactive steps to manage one’s own health, while encouraging others to do the same. To help men accomplish both of these goals, Comprehensive Cancer Centers offers insights and tips to help encourage healthy living and regular testing and screenings for men to ensure early detection if issues arise.
Anchored by a Congressional health education program, Men’s Health Month is celebrated by oncology practices, such as Comprehensive Cancer Centers, as well as citizens across the country. The program includes providing resources for health education, along with outreach activities designed to provide encouragement for men, boys and their families to take self-ownership to ensure they live healthier lives.
Comprehensive gets involved in National Men’s Health Month by raising awareness of preventable health problems and promotes early detection and treatment of diseases. This is accomplished by encouraging men to seek regular medical advice and early treatment for disease and injury by having regular visits with their primary physicians. The diseases that the practice focuses on raising awareness for during men’s health month are prostate cancer, testicular cancer and colorectal cancer. All three have vastly improved treatment outcomes, when detected early, and can be found early by men following general guidelines for regular screenings.
Comprehensive Cancer and Prostate Cancer Awareness
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. It is the second leading cancer cause of death for men behind lung cancer, with 30,000 deaths attributed to the disease each year. There are almost 2.8 million men living with prostate cancer in the United States. Detected early, prostate cancer can be treated with successful outcomes.
While there are no guaranteed lifestyle choices to be made that always prevent prostate cancer, there are many ways believed to reduce risks. The excellent benefit of taking these precautions is that they may also help reduce the risk for many forms of cancer, as well as other health issues like heart disease and diabetes. Tips for maximizing risk reduction for illnesses include:
- Eating healthy and choosing a low-fat diet
- Eating plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Staying physically active
- Avoiding the use of tobacco
- Getting regular checkups following physician guidelines
Comprehensive Cancer and Testicular Cancer Awareness
Testicular cancer, although rare, is the most common cancer in American males between the ages of 15 and 35. It occurs in the testicles (testes), which are located inside the scrotum and produce male sex hormones and sperm for reproduction.
Testicular cancer is highly treatable if caught early. Some doctors recommend regular testicle self-examinations to identify testicular cancer at its earliest stage. Discuss testicular self-examination with your doctor if you’re unsure about whether it’s right for you.
Co3mprehensive Cancer and Colorectal Cancer Awareness
Colorectal cancer is a disease in which cancer cells develop in the colon or rectum. It is estimated by the American Cancer Society that approximately more than 145,000 cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed in 2019.
Colorectal cancer screenings can detect the growth of polyps, or grape-like growths in the lining of the colon or rectum, that sometimes become cancerous. When these growths are detected, they can be removed which can prevent cancer from developing. The American Cancer Society recommends men begin screening at age 50 with several options for testing available. Men with higher-than-average risk should discuss screening at an earlier age with their physicians.
Comprehensive Cancer and Additional Cancer Risk Awareness
Men can reduce the risk of cancer with simple lifestyle modifications. Men can take charge of their health through regular self-exams which are critical for early diagnosis, and early diagnosis is in turn critical for optimal treatment outcomes.
Raising Awareness and Encourage Others to be Cancer Smart
After taking the time to make sure your own healthcare needs are taken care of, it’s a great time to help others make similar smart choices. The following are simple ideas that can help maximize the impact of outreach efforts undertaken to help friends, family members, colleagues and even people you don’t know to reduce cancer risks:
- Set up a table at a store, restaurant, hallway at work, gym, library or community center with brochures and information on men’s health and Men’s Health Month.
- Ask local churches and other faith-based organizations to talk about Men’s Health Month and to include information about it in church flyers, newsletters or sermons.
- Distribute health brochures that focus on the health of men and their families at work (with employer permission). Brochures, and other creative resources, are available for download here.
- Take your dad/brother/uncle/grandfather/significant other to the doctor or encourage them to set up an appointment for a physical soon.
- Give someone a Father’s Day card with a doctor’s appointment as a gift.
- Plan some fitness activities at lunch time or after work:
- Bring your coworkers or neighbors together to be healthy and active. Some activities could include walking, golfing, tennis or bowling.
Comprehensive Cancer Centers Can Help
Physicians at Comprehensive Cancer Centers provide a variety of treatment options for patients with prostate cancer, testicular cancer, colorectal cancer and other cancers. To schedule an appointment with the team at Comprehensive, please call 702-952-3350.
The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
