Written by admin on 2009-04-23T07:02:43+0000">April 23, 2009 – 7:02 am
Type A-ngry
Cardiologists used to say that being a high-pressured, ladder-climbing, positively type A kind of guy was enough to put you in your own risk category for an early departure. In one study of 1,305 men, Harvard researchers found that anger caused a two- to threefold increase in risk for heart disease. Here’s how to take the edge off.
Move into management. Though more research needs to be done, Dr. Kawachi believes that men who are frequently angry could lower their heart attack risk by learning how to better control their anger, for example, through an anger-management workshop.
Take a breath. If you’re the kind of guy who can’t wait for others to finish their sentences before you chime in, you might find yourself part of fewer conversations in the long run. After tracking 750 men, researchers found that the domineering types were 60 percent more likely to die during the study than their quieter counterparts. Learning relaxation techniques may not only make you a better conversationalist but also help you live longer, says Dr. Kawachi.
It’s natural that we die at 75, says Dr. Bortz, especially since so many men are preparing themselves for death the minute they retire. “With the turn of a page on a calendar, we feel rendered obsolete. There’s nothing wrong with retiring at 65, or at 45 for that matter, but it is imperative to feel necessary,” Dr. Bortz says. The key is to make sure that you stay engaged in life in your later adult years the same way you were in your early adult years. Here’s how.
The disengagers
Stand at attention. “It’s a fact that many men develop problems with erections in their later years,” Dr. Goldberg says. In fact, some 10 million to 15 million men have trouble with impotence.
If you’re suffering an erection problem, it may not be permanent, says Dr. Goldberg. Many cases of impotence are the result of side effects from medication or sometimes simply from psyching yourself out, he says. The point is that you won’t know unless you get it checked out.
Graduate. After each big stage in your life, there is something that follows, says Dr. Bortz. You graduate from high school; you go to college. You graduate from college; you get a job. Well, plan something after you “graduate” from your job, he says. Take your skills on the road and volunteer. Or map out the places you want to visit. “Too often, the paycheck goes, the self-esteem goes, the erection goes, and the man goes. Don’t fall into that trap. You would never stop dreaming and making plans at 35. Don’t do it at 65, or you might be stuck dying for 30 years.”
The Exam-Skippers
As often as you skipped your 8:00 A.M. sociology class in school, you likely still had the sense to show up on exam day so that you wouldn’t flunk out. Though you’re not getting graded on life, the test of the quality of life is often your health. Routine medical exams can make sure that you ace it.
Yet men continue to skip their exams. In one study of 897 men older than 65, only 67 percent reported ever having a digital rectal examination, the first line of defense in detecting and preventing advanced prostate cancer. When asked why they hadn’t submitted to the test, many said that it was because they hadn’t had a problem. “Men must remember that the time to catch problems is before you know you have them,” says Dr. Goldberg. “That’s when they’re treatable.” Here are a couple of ways to prepare for your next exam.
Do it yourself. Everyone should give his body a once-over every month for changes like lumps in the chest, testicles, armpits, or neck; persistent unhealed sores on the skin or in the mouth; and skin discoloration or changes in moles as well as keeping an eye out for changes in heart rate, urine or bowel movements, and energy levels, Dr. Goldberg says.
Take the tests. You know those maintenance schedules listed in the back of your car manual? You can (and should) treat yourself to your own. (See Medical Testing on page 62 for a full list of tests you need throughout your life.) Generally, doctors recommend about 19 routine medical tests to screen a man’s health. Most need to be done every three years before age 40 and about every two years after that.
*11/36/5*
