Author: Dr. Randall Snook

Men’s Preventative Health

Why Men Avoid The Doctor

  • Stoicism
  • High cost
  • Busy schedules
  • The challange of getting an appointment
  • Embarrassment-getting the DRE
  • Afraid of what the Doctor might tell them-stop smoking, eat too poorly, drink too much, not enough exercise

Men’s Preventative Health Screenings

  • Blood pressure check every 2 years starting at age 18
  • Cholesterol blood test starting at age 20
  • Fasting blood sugar test every 3 years starting at age 45
  • PSA blood test and DRE starting at age 40
  • Colonoscopy every 10 years starting at age 50
  • Skin exam if find any changing or irregular moles
  • Testicular exam starting at age 20
  • Immunizations-tetanus every 7-10 years

Dr. Snook takes a look at preventative care for women

Five Simple Things To Do To Stay Healthy

  • Eat a sensible diet including all the food groups
  • Thirty minutes of exercise daily
  • Protect your bones eating 3 servings of low fat dairy products daily, weight bearing exercise or activities 3 x a week
  • Regular Health Screenings
  • Take time out for yourself of at least 30 minutes a day to relieve stress

Current Recommended Regular Health Screenings For Women

  • Thyroid screening blood test every 5 years starting at 35
  • Blood pressure check every 2 years starting at 18
  • Cholesterol screening blood test starting at 20 and then your Doctor to decide thereafter
  • Bone Mineral Density test (DEXA) baseline at 40
  • Fasting Blood Sugar test every 3 years starting at 45
  • Mammogram every year starting at 40
  • PAP/Pelvic every 1-3 years if sexually active up to age 65 then your Doctor to decide thereafter
  • Colorectal health test (occult blood stool test) yearly starting at 50
  • Colonoscopy every 10 years starting at 50
  • Regular skin exam
  • Glaucoma eye test every 2-4 years if healthy and less than 40 and if risk factors for glaucoma then your Doctor to decide

How Do You Know If You’re Sleep Deprived

Are you getting enough sleep?

Sleep Deprivation Effects

  • Memory problems
  • Depression
  • Decreased immune system
  • Increased perception of pain
  • High blood pressure
  • Adverse effect on cognition and performance
  • 24 hours without sleep impairs you to the extent of or greater than if you are legally drunk (0.08% alcohol)

Facts

  • Adults need an average 8.2 hours per 24 hours (infants 16, teenagers 9)
  • Impairment occurs with as little as 2 hours of sleep lost
  • Sleep debt occurs if get only 5 hours and as this accumulates your awareness of sleepiness declines
  • Circadian timing of when you sleep is crucial
  • sleep deprived individuals may not “feel” sleepy

Clinical Signs of Sleep Deprivation

  • Irritability, moodiness, disinhibition
  • Frontal lobe signs: apathy, impoverished speech,flat affect, impaired memory, inflexable thinking
  • Intrusive sleepiness: microsleeps of 5-10 seconds, nodding off, hallucinations

56,000 motor vehicle accidents and 1,500 deaths per year are due to sleep deprived drivers.

New Guidelines for Mammograms

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)

  • Previous recommendation was women age 40 to 49 get a mammogram every 1-2 years, 50 and older yearly.
  • New recommendation is all women starting at age 40 get a yearly mammogram.
  • Also recommend all women age 40 and older get an annual clinical breast exam, women 20 to 39 get a clinical breast exam every one to three years depending on their family history for breast cancer.
  • Also recommend that women practice self awareness by doing regular self breast exam, NOT to replace the clinical breast exam in the Doctors office.

How does this compare to the US Preventative Services Task Force guidelines put out 2 years ago: Women in their 40s should not get routine mammograms but should talk to their Doctor. Routine screening not to start until 50 years and older.

40,000 women in their 40s contract breast cancer every year in the US.

Basis for the change:

  • The rising number of breast cancer cases in the US, second leading cause of death of all cancer related deaths among women.
  • The sojourn time for tumor growth and detection is the shortest between ages 40 to 49 (2 to 2.4 years).
  • There is the potential to reduce the number of deaths using screening with mammogram and early detection, the 5 year survival rate is 98% when found early.

Dr. Snook Explains How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Causes:

  • Psychological: Tendency to insomnia, persistent stress, learned insomnia
  • Lyfestyle: Stimulants (caffeine, nicotine, certain medications), alcohol, shift work, lack of exercise, sleeping pills
  • Environmental Factors: Noise, light
  • Physical Illness/Psychiatric Illness: Depression, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux (heartburn)

Tips For Good Sleep Hygiene:

  • Don’t go to bed unless you are sleepy
  • If you are not asleep after 20 minutes, then get out of bed
  • Begin rituals that help you relax each night before bed
  • Get up at the same time every morning
  • Get a full night’s sleep on a regular basis
  • Avoid taking naps if you can
  • Keep a regular schedule
  • Use you bed only for sleep and sex
  • Do not have any caffeine after lunch
  • Do not have any alcohol within 6 hours of your bedtime
  • Do not have any nicotine before bedtime
  • Do not go to bed hungry, but no large meal before bedtime either
  • Avoid any strenuous exercise within 6 hours of your bedtime
  • Avoid chronic use of sleeping pills
  • Take time during the day to deal with stressors
  • Make your bedroom quiet, dark, and a little bit cool