Men’s Health
Dr. Keith L Harden
On average, men die five to seven years earlier than women. It would seem that men would want narrow the gap – or at least make their years healthier by taking care of themselves and scheduling regular doctor visits.
“Men typically don’t have routine health visits and screenings for disease until they feel a symptom and come into the office. Sometimes it may be too late.” explains Dr. Keith L. Harden of CPC South “There is such a thing as a well woman exam and even a well child exam but not a well man exam. This society simply does not like to acknowledge that there are a lot of unhealthy men running around, overweight, hypertensive, stressed, depressed, alcoholic, smokers, diabetic, high cholesterol, etc. Most don’t seek care at a time when these things could be controlled and not cause life threatening events or becoming disabled from them.”
One solution would be encouraging men to take as active a role as women do in regularly visiting their physician for basic treatment and examinations. The rate of male mortality could significantly be reduced if we could encourage men to seek treatment before symptoms have reached a critical stage.
Meaningful relationships that we have, with friends, family, clubs, workplace, churches and perhaps even pets play a role. Theres a powerful association between this sense of connectedness and longevity. Its very clear that women value connections and exploit and cultivate them much more than men. Dr. Harden feels that spirituality can have a significant impact.
For more information about men’s health:
familydoctor.org -information about specific health concerns pertaining to men.
National Men’s Health Foundation
Men’s Health information from About.com
In addition, healthy lifestyle choices; diet, exercise, not smoking, play a crucial role in life span.
Your CPC physician can recommend exams, tests and screenings that all men should have. Of course, your individual needs will vary according to your medical history.
Dr. Keith L. Harden is currently seeing patients at CPC South. He is available Monday thru Friday(8:30-5:00), Wednesday till 8:00pm and off on Tuesday afternoons. Dr. Harden is a magna cum laude graduate of Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. He completed his residency at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Florida and is Board Certified in Family Medicine. Dr. Harden’s areas of special interest include mens health, geriatrics, skin procedures and spiritual mental health. He and his wife Shelia have two preschool boys.
Sources: Men and Doctors by Kevin Davis from Intelihealth.com
Harvard Commentary: Men And The Longevity Game
By Kenneth Minaker, M.D.
Harvard Medical School
Intelihealth.com