Dad’s health concerns and how to solve them?


The joys and challenges of parenting are both real. It is well-documented that mothers experience physical and psychological stress, and dads also have to cope with juggling household duties, work, and parenting.

Stress can increase and potentially lead to negative health consequences for fathers when they try to balance these competing demands. One 2018 review of research on the effects of fatherhood on the health of fathers revealed that many new fathers talk about how becoming a parent changes their views and priorities.

Stress

It has been proven that stress produces a host of physical and emotional problems in the body, such as muscle tension, high blood pressure, hormonal imbalances, heartburn, digestive problems, and susceptibility to disease. An analysis published in 2017 concluded that parents who are stressed, especially new fathers, are often afflicted with anxiety and depression. An overview of research in this field showed how stress that comes with fatherhood might lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as smoking and prolonged working hours, the study found. 

How to fix it?

The fact that physical exercise is by far the best way for people to de-stress is due to the fact that by doing so they release feel-good endorphins, become more flexible, and also oxygenate their tissues. Exercise should be done on a regular basis, with a measure of consistency and rather than in sporadic bursts.

Diabetes

A silent killer of Australian men remains diabetes, which remains one of the leading causes of death. Most people begin developing diabetes without noticing any symptoms. There is a condition called diabetes which occurs when your blood glucose levels gradually rise until the point where sugar is excreted in your urine.

The question that comes into your mind is, So what’s the big deal about that?. It is just sugar, after all. Leaving high blood sugar levels unchecked for long, if you do not keep track of them regularly, will cause your blood vessels and all of your major organs to become poisoned.

There is a possibility of a stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, or even amputation.

How to fix it?

● Don’t smoke

● Regular exercise is essential

● Maintain a healthy diet

● Follow health plans to lose weight if you are obese.

● You should embrace the innovations in diabetes management if you have the disease so that you can better control it. 

Don’t exercise

Exercise is less common among parents of young children than among their peers without children. According to the authors of a review published in Preventive Medicine, “parents with dependent children are clearly more inactive than nonparents.”. Research also indicates active fathers not only reap health benefits for themselves but are also more likely to raise children who are physically active.

How to fix it?

Set aside a time to exercise every day. You can even ride your bicycle to work. Cycling has been proven to improve both physical and cognitive health. When your workplace has a gym, you should use it every day. Use your exercise bike while watching the nightly news in front of your living room television. Where are you watching? Use that time to exercise. Your heart rate needs to be elevated just 15 to 20 minutes a day to start seeing benefits. 

Eat Too Much Junk

After you’ve been tearing through back-to-back meetings and picked your children up from band practice, it can take all of your willpower not to stop at the drive-through on the way home or eat the leftover cake that you brought home from the office. However, poor dietary habits can contribute to health problems over time. High cholesterol, sleepiness during the day, and a slow but persistent weight gain that persists with each passing year are all symptoms of poor diet.

How to fix it?

A former primary care doctor with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Santa is used to seeing many male patients who have busy schedules that do not allow them to take time for breakfast and lunch. Healthy eating is associated with a range of health benefits, including a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and specific forms of cancer, as well as colorful fruits and vegetables and a low intake of added sugars, saturated fats, sodium, and simple carbohydrates.

Coronary artery disease

There is only one disease that can be called ‘the enemy of man’. Heart disease kills men and women equally in Australia. A man is more likely to die of heart disease in his prime because they develop it 10 to 15 years earlier than women.

Plaque buildup causes hardening and narrowing of the arteries supplying the heart. Heart attacks result from reduced blood flow to the heart due to narrowed coronary arteries.

How to fix it?

● After you turn 25, you should start getting your cholesterol checked every five years.

● You should increase your physical activity to 30 minutes a day at least.

● Reduce your trans fat intake

● Increase your fruit and vegetable consumption

CANCER

Among men, prostate and testicular cancer are the two most common types. Among them are: 

Lung Cancer

The disease of lung cancer is frightening and aggressive. This form of cancer spread silently and rapidly before you are able to detect any symptoms or it is large enough for an X-ray to detect it. By the time it is discovered, the disease is usually so far advanced that it is very difficult to treat. In addition to the fact that it is even more deadly, less than half of the men who are diagnosed with it live beyond a year after their diagnosis.

How to fix it?

Tobacco smoke is responsible for 90 percent of lung cancer cases. Your smoking should be cut back in order to reduce your risk of lung cancer. As long as a person is already suffering from lung cancer, the best course of action is to completely stop smoking. 

Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer most commonly affects men. This disease is more commonly diagnosed than skin cancer. Although only one out of 35 men that are infected with it dies of it, you shouldn’t look at it as trivial. You cannot prevent prostate cancer, but by going for regular screenings at a top medical center in Australia, you can avoid facing the worst, due to the fact that you can catch it before it’s too late.

STROKE

Australia also suffers from hundreds of thousands of strokes each year. By blocking an artery or rupturing a blood vessel, a blood clot blocks blood flow to an area of the brain. As a result of these conditions, you will lose memory, speech ability, and mobility due to the death of brain cells.

How to fix it?

● Don’t smoke

● Don’t drink alcohol or reduce your consumption

● Healthy eating should be a priority

● Regularly exercise

The best way to detect dad’s health

The number of test options available for promoting men’s health varies depending on the individual’s circumstances.

Routine medical checkups include tests such as these:

Physical exam: 

Different types of potential problems can be detected or examined during a basic physical exam.

Bodyweight and body mass index calculation:

Weight and height are two factors to help determine whether you are obese or overweight.

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, can lead to heart conditions. A blood pressure cuff is placed around your arm and measures your blood pressure.

Complete blood count: 

This blood test measures various types of blood cells.

Metabolic panel (CMP): This test consists of several measurements that provide information about metabolism as well as liver and kidney function.

The testosterone level is measured with this test. Most of the testosterone in our blood is bound to proteins. Free testosterone is testosterone that doesn’t bind to proteins. 

References:

  1. https://www.providencemedical.com.au/what-are-the-most-common-men-health-problems-and-how-to-prevent-them/
  2. https://www.consumerreports.org/men-s-health/common-mens-health-problems-and-how-to-fix-them/
  3. https://news.yahoo.com/5-common-men-apos-health-100019144.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAABdM8qcVZswBsj3Sj8NGWnAfvpXoOfBY32hGr_vnvEnvfpYcAuQDIfpgrIRxaWVoGzeF4EgJeTEA1Ad0bV6nD_5Atpr4FwlFDZv0B33y6w7XO0sQUM8WQV9O-pwL3FEhAdegEHsTezp0IHe9_iNdsQjSArC5VYMZ09sk33FiZY3m
  4. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/heq.2019.0051
  5. https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/senior-health/common-issues/top-ten.aspx