Last Friday, Tim Russert died. It was a shock - to think that such a young man could die so suddenly, and from such a common malady. In the three days that have passed since he died, I've had time to think -- as so many of you have done. My thoughts collected around two categories: Men's Health and Father's Day.
My father had a heart attack at about the same age as Tim Russert, maybe younger, but he survived it. My brother-in-law Paul did, too. Maggie's father died of heart disease. Yesterday was also Father's Day - it's been almost 35 years since Cristobal Sanchez died in 1973 and 8 years since Byron Smith died, and Father's Day still hurts. But the good news was that we spent a wonderful, sunny, loving day in Rio Rancho celebrating Father's Day with Paul.
Like women, heart disease is the number one cause of death for men. Studies say that men have a 49% risk of developing coronary heart disease after the age of 40; half of men who have a heart attack before age 65 die within 8 years; between 70% and 89% of sudden cardiac events occur in men. All very dry statistics (from the CDC), but when a loved one or a famous person is the statistic, it's real and (pardon the pun) heart-wrenching.
The sad part about all this is how preventable heart disease is, for both men and women. In a large study of blood pressure treatment and control, an average reduction of 12 to 13 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure (the top number) over 4 years of follow-up was associated with a 21% reduction in coronary heart disease, 37% reduction in stroke, and 13% reduction in all-cause death rates; a 10% decrease in total cholesterol levels may reduce the development of coronary heart disease by as much as 30%. More dry statistics. But the reality, however, is that men don't generally believe in prevention - they want their chicharron burritos, their double quarter-pounder with cheese and bacon, their 4-egg breakfast burrito with papas and bacon and cheese, their Taco Bell. They consider a 5,000-calorie meal as a "man size meal", or a reward for a stressful day at work. As women, we join in the feast, so our rates of obesity are soaring, along with our rates of death from heart disease. Visits to family physicians happen after an event has taken place, and then only when someone else makes the appointment. I've been in the business of primary health care for most of the last 25 years - the vast majority of our patients are women, and most of today's appointments are not preventive in nature.
I have four brothers, three brothers-in-law, and a whole slew of adult nephews. One of my passions is caring about my family - I am hereby asking all of my family members, especially the women, to care about the men in our lives. If they haven't had a physical in the last year, encourage them to make the appointment today -- or make the call yourself, if that's what it takes. Encourage exercise and healthy eating. If you do the grocery shopping, buy fresh vegetables and fruits; if you do the cooking and serving, plan time to cook from scratch, and shrink the serving sizes. When you go out to eat, ask for a take-out container before you start eating. Finally, provide opportunities to relieve the stress of the day so our men can relax and sleep well.
Let's observe Father's Day 2009 with our family intact.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Great article, Pat. I agree with you in that men have to get good preventive care, eat more healthy foods, and try to avoid stress, but I also think that men need to get more exercise. It's time to turn off the TV and go for a walk or jog after dinner. Avoid eating late at night, and don't forget the power of prayer.
Nice article Pat,it is so very true! It can happen to young and old sometimes we think it can't but you see it even with young athletes so we really take care of ourselves.
Post a Comment