Sill medical focuses on men's health

By Ben Sherman, Fort Sill CannoneerJune 26, 2014

Men's Health Month
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT SILL, Okla. -- There has been a lot of talk about health issues in the civilian and military populations. Many people believe that overall, community health standards are improving, but statistics show otherwise. Women's health has improved after decades of focus on female health issues. The same can't be said for men's health.

"If you look at the statistics, men's health suffers. It is not as good as women's health. The life expectancy of males in the United States has dropped quite a ways below that of females - it is now five years below that of females," said Maj. Scott Christiansen, Reynolds Army Community Hospital family physician.

As part of the Army Men's Health Month emphasis, Christiansen spoke about a number of health issues that affect the community.

"When I look at the statistics, they tell me one important thing: Men are not very proactive about their health. In my practice at RACH, I see the same thing men don't come to see me unless there is something wrong. They just don't; and when they do come in, a lot of them say they have to be pushed by a spouse to come in," said Christiansen.

Christiansen added the rates of most significant diseases, and death rates from those diseases, are higher in males.

Many cancers, such as colon cancer and prostate cancer are higher; cardiovascular diseases are higher in males as well as suicide rates are also higher in males. Also, males are more likely to smoke, abuse alcohol, and participate in high-risk activities that expose them to health problems.

"Those who are 40 years and older should see their physician on a regular basis for basic health check-ups, to screen for the most common diseases that affect this population group: hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, prostate cancer and others. This seems to be the most logical way to improve men's health. This is more important for men over age 40, and especially over 50, to have an annual check-up," he said.

One of the initiatives that the Army has come out with in the past three years is the Performance Triad.

"We're making an effort to push the triad out here at RACH for obvious reasons. Statistics show that most people, especially men, visit their doctor one to five times a year, which adds up to approximately 100 minutes a year. That leaves 525,500 minutes a year that they are not spending time with their health care providers," said Christiansen.

"I want to change the mindset of men who think that going to a doctor or a hospital will lead to bad news. That is just not the case, and there are a lot of other things that come with being proactive about your health beyond just talking with your health care provider."

The Performance Triad tries to make these things simple by focusing on three basic factors that affect a person's health. These are sleep, physical fitness and nutrition. Here some basic recommendation associated with each one of them:

Sleep: People should get seven to eight hours every 24-hour period. Finish physical activity three hours before bedtime. Create a routine that promotes sleep, and seek help if you have difficulty sleeping for more than two weeks.

Physical activity: Walk 10,000 steps a day (five miles). Decrease inactivity time by getting up and moving around for 10 minutes for every hour you are sitting. Also, vary your activities between strength, endurance, flexibility, agility, coordination training, etc.

Nutrition: Focus on whole foods and be informed about dietary supplements. Supplements can often cause problems and actually cause people to be sick. Talk to your primary care physician about supplements, and how they can adversely interact with other supplements and prescription medications.

"In general, my recommendation is to avoid supplements. If you have specific questions about them see your health care provider. When I talk to patients about the negative effects of dietary supplements, I also discourage the use of energy drinks and workout supplements. That is particularly a specific men's health issue, because men tend to use those more often than women," Christiansen said.

There is a synergy associated with three elements of the triad sleep, physical activity and nutrition, because all of the elements work together and reinforce each other, Christiansen said.

Another part of the Performance Triad on Fort Sill is the Army Wellness Center (AWC) at 2868 Craig Road, across from the Graham Resiliency Training Center. Here the staff can provide individualized health assessments for Soldiers, family members, government civilians and others.

"I strongly encourage everyone in the Fort Sill community to take advantage of the AWC services. They use biometric methods to measure a client's body fat content with the BodPod; cardiovascular fitness and metabolic levels with VO2 Max testing (which measures the oxygen volume of inhaled and exhaled air) and other testing. Then using this health information, the staff can create a specific individualized plan for clients to achieve their health goals," said Christiansen.

He added RACHprofessoinals are always monitoring the standard screening that needs to be done for its customers.

"For example, if a patient falls into a certain age group and they haven't received their annual colon cancer screening, their name will pop up on a list and we will track them down to notify them the need to come in for screening. We are increasing the emphasis of these regular screenings to the Fort Sill community as part of the Performance Triad," he said.

"I believe everyone should carve out time in his or her day to specifically exercise. You are not going to get enough physical activity in your regular routine. That's where the 10,000 steps comes in. If you do not make it a priority you will not get adequate physical activity. People have to take a vested interest in their health, and do their part to improve their well-being," said Christiansen.