Health Concerns

5 Health Concerns Men Should Never Procrastinate About

Regular exercise, a healthy diet, and taking care of our emotional well being are all-important elements of living a healthy lifestyle and maintaining an optimal level of health. Medical experts and research has confirmed repeatedly that the lifestyle choices we make are crucial for healthy aging, and preventing various diseases that can result in premature death. 

However, prevention goes a step beyond, with preventative medical care that can alert both men and women to various medical conditions that can lead to serious complications that can affect health and shorten one’s lifespan. Early detection and monitoring for high-risk conditions is an essential element of good healthcare.

When it comes to healthcare, men tend to see doctors less and do not pay as much attention to their possible health concerns as women do. They can often go years between doctors’ visits—missing valuable opportunities for screening and detection of possible physical diseases.  

Here are some health concerns worth keeping on top of so that you don’t end up with unnecessary complications:

High blood pressure: Men are just as prone to high blood pressure as women.  High blood pressure is largely hereditary but can be influenced by environmental factors such as caffeine intake, intake of salt, and obesity.   Unless the blood pressure is extremely high, you will have no symptoms and the blood pressure will be left unchecked and unnoticed.  Visit your doctor every five years or so to have your blood pressure obtained.  Try to check your blood pressure at stations found in most pharmacies.  Numbers of 140/90 or greater bear a visit to your doctor.

Colon cancer: Colon cancer is the second largest cause of cancer death among men.  Fortunately, it is largely preventable by being screened for colon cancer, beginning at age 50 (and sooner if it runs in the family).  It involves having a colorectal specialist insert a camera at the end of a flexible tube into the colon to look for and remove cancer-causing polyps.  This procedure is called a colonoscopy and it should be repeated every ten years as a screening measure, starting at 50 years of age.  Keeping a high fiber diet that is low in fat can also reduce the risks of colon cancer.  

Prostate Cancer: Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men, after skin cancer. Doctors know that there are basically two types of prostate cancer—slow growing and fast growing.  Either way, it is worth getting screened for prostate cancer through the use of digital rectal examination every five years at the doctor’s office.  Some doctors also draw blood for prostate specific antigen or PSA. This number can be high in enlarged prostate conditions or in prostate cancer.  If it is elevated, doctors can try and determine if it is related to cancer or not.

Smoking Cessation: Lung cancer caused by smoking is the number one cause of cancer deaths in America. The simplest way to reduce your risk of lung cancer is to never smoke or to stop smoking as soon as possible. There are many ways to quit smoking, including medications like Chantix® or nicotine replacement modalities. Gum, lozenges and patches are available that contain nicotine to help you get off the smoking habit. There are even vapor cigarettes that can provide nicotine but not the harmful carcinogens. The Centers For Disease Control recommend only one screening test for lung cancer, known as the low-dose computed tomography, through the test is not always accurate and has its own risk factors. The LDCT uses an X-ray machine that scans the body and uses low doses of radiation to created detailed pictures of the lungs. 

The CDC recommends yearly lung screenings for those who: have a history of heavy smoking, smoke now or have quit within the last 15 years and are between 55 and 80 years old. Heavy smoking is defined as smoking at least one pack of cigarettes per day for one year. A 30 pack-year history can equate to 1 pack a day for 30 years or two packs a day for 15 years.

Heart Disease: Men are at a greater risk of heart disease than women are and must begin making strides toward lowering their risk early in life. Things like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, lack of exercise, and family history contribute to a high risk of heart disease.  Especially with men who have family histories, measures should be taken to reduce the other risk factors.  This means adopting a heart healthy diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in fat.  It means a commitment to exercise at least thirty minutes per day, five days a week.   Finally it means seeing a doctor to find out about risk factors like high cholesterol and high blood pressure.  If these are elevated, your doctor may prescribe medications that can further reduce your risk of getting a heart attack.  

The Family Connection: Besides all the conditions listed above, it is also a good idea to find out about any medical conditions that run in the family as genetics can play a big role in the development of certain diseases. 

Oftentimes, children, parents, and grandparents share similar health problems because inherited factors put family members at risk through genes. Disease often results from the combined effects of minor changes in multiple genes, and each gene then contributes in a small way to the symptoms of and development of disease.

Heart disease, diabetes, and cancer account for 7 of every 10 deaths in the United States, and they are considered genetic diseases because they run in families. Gathering a detailed family history can give you important information as to your risk factors and that awareness can be used to monitor for and possibly prevent the onset of problems whenever possible.

3 Ways to Improve the Quality of Life for Older People

3 Ways to Improve the Quality of Life for Older People written by: Maureen Magee

For older adults, it is not enough just to stay alive. Good quality of life is particularly important to them. Having a positive view of life can help them gain more energy, less stress, better inclination and prevent emotional decline. 

Here are three ways to improve the quality of life for older people

1. Stay Physically and Mentally Active

Regular physical exercise helps keeping both body and mind feeling balanced and positive. Exercise keeps blood outflow to brain and sharpening the brain. It also helps mitigating anxiety, tension and depression. Physical exercise improves the immune system, reduces blood pressure, promotes quality sleeps and boosts the heart health. Overall, physical exercise enhances body strength and stamina.

Games like crossword puzzles, Sudoku and other brain games improve the mental stimulation. Reading and writing can also become useful in promoting emotional well-being.

2. Cure Depression

Studies show that depression late in life actually affects 6 million people age over 65. There are many reasons for this like death of the spouse or retirement or any other stressful events in life. Depression may also caused by a medical disease or drug side effects. For older adults, it is important to realize the real signs of the depression and seek help from a doctor or a psychologist.

3. Feel Practical and Desired

Everyone in the world wants to stay practical and desired. Senior people are no exception. They also want to feel useful and stay active in the real world. While helping an older person, do your best to make them feel worthy and not a burden to the world. You can ask for help with tasks they can manage, like 

Overlapping laundry

Setting up drawers 

Clipping coupons 

Writing commotion lists for home or grocery 

Opening the mail 

Keeping you abreast with the recent news 

Drilling vegetables for preparing dinner

Going with you to the market to shop for groceries and 

Much other stuff that feels useful for older people in real life. 

The Senior Memory Fitness Programs

The Senior Memory Fitness Programs written by: kimathi gitahi
It’s a common thing to find an elderly person forgetting the names of even the closest people in their family. They will also forget easily where they have placed their glasses and other essential documents within a short time. These are normal age-related memory decline that affects almost a half of the elderly in our communities. The 80 years and above seniors are the most vulnerable to this condition. This is a problem that high contributed by the kind of lifestyle and the environmental factors that one is living in. But the good thing is, the condition can be improved by attending memory fitness programs.

What are a memory fitness programs?
These are special programs that are offered to the elderly in the community to help them improve their ability to recall and recognize words, benefiting their verbal learning and retention greatly. The program is specially designed to help the seniors enhance their personal esteems by reducing the stress levels that also plays a significant role in their loss of cognitive abilities.

The main memory fitness program activities
There are several memory fitness activities that are carried on the senior in this program. All these activities are geared toward helping the brain to get sharper for quick thinking and memory empowerment. Here just some but a few of them,
• Games- the elderly are involved in games and especially the computer games that require critical thinking to play. This will help them in sharpening their brains considerably for good memory retention.
• Puzzles- filling puzzles is a brilliant idea of developing the brain sharpness. For anyone to feel a puzzle correctly, they are required to think very hard which is good for brain sharpening. The senior are tasked with filling such puzzles to raise their brain capacity to think.
• Physical exercise- the overall body healthy will also affect the brain functioning. Thus, physical activities will also play a big role in this program.
• Literature discussion, music, diet plans, discussing current events and other things to keep them busy and thinking are also incorporated in this program.

So if you are a senior citizen, you can live up a hundred years and more without any form of memory loss. Make sure that you are participating in memory fitness programs, and you will see a significant different in you live.

Essential Fitness Advice for Seniors

Essential Fitness Advice for Seniors written by: S.Hodson,  As your body ages, you may notice that you aren't as physically active. While you probably aren't as fit in your later years as you were your early ones, it's still important to incorporate fitness into your everyday life. Not only can fitness keep you independent, it also plays an important role in your physical and mental health.
Make Fitness a Priority
You may already have a busy schedule, but be sure to incorporate fitness activities and treat them as a priority. Many seniors enjoy taking fitness classes or taking time in the mornings or evenings to be active. It's never too late to build good fitness habits so make sure to be active on a regular basis, even if it's only for short periods of time.
Incorporate Cardio and Resistance
A cardio exercise is any type of activity that raises your heart rate. This can be walking, biking, hiking, and a variety of other exercises. Cardio helps to keep your heart healthy and can lower or stabilize your blood pressure. You should also be sure to get some resistance or muscle-strengthening exercises into your routine. Some of the favourite ones for seniors include water aerobics, resistance bands, yoga, and tai chi although this list is certainly not extensive. Muscle strengthening exercises like the ones mentioned here keep your muscles active and prevent them from breaking down.
Use the Buddy System
Being active may be possible on your own, but you're probably going to enjoy fitness with a partner or friend. Sign up for a group class or enjoy fitness activities with someone else. You will be much more likely to stick with it over time.
These tips can help you get started leading an active lifestyle. The benefits of exercise for seniors are too numerous to count, but you'll see significant ones when you make it a priority.

Improved sleep patterns for seniors

Improved sleep patterns for seniors written by: Sue Hodsom

Getting enough sleep is a critical aspect of healthy aging; however sleep patterns tend to change as people get older. The problem with these interferences is that they create other problems for seniors which reduce the quality of life for older people. Here are improved sleep patterns and tips to enhance the quality of rest for seniors:

Expose yourself to sunlight during the day

Bright sunlight assists in regulating melatonin and your sleep-wake cycles. To get better sleep, you need to get not less than 2 hours of sunlight daily. When you are indoors, keep the shades and curtains or move your favourite chair to a sunny spot to maximize on the sunlight. Alternatively you can consider using light box therapy to simulate daylight.

Develop bedtime rituals

Adopting soothing bedtime rituals such as playing music or taking a bath helps you to wind down. Stress management and relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation and deep breathing require some practice, however they bring immense benefits.

Limit your dependence on sleeping pills and aids

Many sleep aids have adverse side effects and are not meant for long-term use. In addition sedatives do not deal with the underlying cause of insomnia and can even contribute to lack of sleep in the long run. To avoid complications posed by sleeping aids and pills, limit their use to situations when your health or safety is threatened.

Use your bedroom for sex and sleep only

Modern technology has made it easy for people to work even from their bedrooms; the only problem with these gadgets is that they interfere with your ability to sleep. When you do not watch TV, use your computer or tablet in bed, you associate the bedroom with sex and sleep. This means that when you get into bed, your body and brain gets a strong signal that it is time to be romantic or nod off to sleep.

Adopting the improved sleep patterns stipulated above not only helps in enhancing your biological program but also improves your general well-being.

Health Tips for Seniors

Health Tips for Seniors written by Steve Hodson
Not only do young people or middle aged people need to keep healthy, it is equally important for our senior people to remain healthy too. The older you get it is likely that you will have more health problems. In this article we have researched a few health tips for seniors in particular.
Stop smoking! Smoking does not do good for anyone's health whatsoever. It causes heart failure, cancer and strokes. Always stay active. Do some sort of exercise on a daily basis. This helps you gain flexibility, balance and strength. It also helps you sleep well, and avoid falls.
Eating healthy. It is a good idea to choose the healthy foods. Having a healthy diet will help you with obesity, high blood pressure amongst other things. Keep your weight a healthy size. The larger your weight is, you are more likely to get heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Reduce falls. The older you get, the more likely it is that you will have falls. To help stop falls, make sure that you keep all areas in your house clear and free from any chords, general mess, or rugs.
Always have health screens and immunizations. Most women by the time they turn fifty usually have their breasts checked on a regular basis. Men can also be checked for prostrate cancer. While you are doing this, find out what kind of immunizations you might also need.
Stress management. It is important that you know how to manage stress if you get stressed easily. Catch up with your fellow senior friends, or exercise to reduce this.
Always visit the dentist, have eye and hearing checks regularly.
These are just a few examples of how seniors can manage their health. Seniors can also consult their doctors if they wish to know more.