Movember Discussion: What to Check
Movember, Movember, Movember. It's been a recurring theme on my blog, my tweets and my social media feeds this month. Some of it has been serious, some of it has been scary and some of it has been just plain fun.
The whole purpose of Movember has been to promote men's health overall and even though the focus tends to be on prostate cancer, there are many other ailments men must look out for.
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| Image: http://www.istanbultipmerkezi.com.tr |
The fact is, many men get lazy when it comes to getting check-ups done. This is why it was interesting when I was browsing through the Movember site this morning that I saw a checklist of what men should get checked at different age brackets.
There is a lot of controversy regarding this checklist on the Internet with several people claiming it is misguiding or misleading people thinking that they should just check for the bare minimum but isn't it better to at least check for the bare minimum than to check for nothing at all?
For example, if you are in your 20's or 30's, this is what the checklist says you should check for:
BLOOD PRESSURE Every 2 years or annually if high/low
FASTING CHOLESTEROL Every 5 years or more frequently
with an abnormal test result
DENTAL HEALTH Annual check up
EYE HEALTH Every 2 years or as doctor recommends
IMMUNIZATIONS Tetanus-diphtheria at age 19 and annual
flu vaccine
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES Regular Checks and HPV vaccine if appropriate
SKIN CANCER Look for marks or changes on your skin and have a doctor do an annual skin check
TESTICULAR CANCER Monthly self-exam, especially
if there is a family history
FASTING CHOLESTEROL Every 5 years or more frequently
with an abnormal test result
DENTAL HEALTH Annual check up
EYE HEALTH Every 2 years or as doctor recommends
IMMUNIZATIONS Tetanus-diphtheria at age 19 and annual
flu vaccine
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES Regular Checks and HPV vaccine if appropriate
SKIN CANCER Look for marks or changes on your skin and have a doctor do an annual skin check
TESTICULAR CANCER Monthly self-exam, especially
if there is a family history
As you get into your 40's, it's then about checking for diabetes, prostate cancer and other conditions that tend to develop as you get older. Living in the United Arab Emirates where the rates of diabetes are extremely high as a percentage of the population, I would recommend checking for diabetes in your 30's.
To see the entire checklist on the Movember site, please do click here. I also wrote a post on diabetes for my Movember series and that can be seen by clicking here.
Get yourself a check-up. It's not a matter of it you can take the time out, it's a matter of planning when you will take the time out to go down to your doctor or medical facility and get these things checked. Wives, girlfriends, mothers - you need to start nagging now onwards and make sure your loved one does get themselves checked soon. There's no point putting it off...
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