Making Rounds
Schedule your most important screens this summer
Guys, every time you reach for the sunscreen this summer, take a moment to think about your other important screens. No, not your phone or tablet – your health screens!
Just like wearing sunscreen is a smart and simple way to prevent unwanted health problems, health screenings can save your skin, along with the rest of you! If you’re thinking that the doctor’s office is a place you go only when you’re sick, remember that “proper maintenance” includes your body, too. This summer, use some of those extra daylight hours to make sure you’re up to date on your screens.
“Routine screening tests can help catch problems early, even before you notice any symptoms,” said Shaun Hines, DO, who sees patients at Bladen Medical Associates – Bladenboro. “Often, treatment is easier and more effective in the earlier stages, too.”
If you haven’t been to a doctor in a while, Dr. Hines recommends asking your primary care provider for an annual exam, something most insurance covers at low cost.
“Depending on your age, family history and other factors, you and your provider can talk about what tests you need at that appointment, and what tests they can schedule you for after,” Dr. Hines said. “Several basic screenings can be done at your primary care provider’s office.”
"Routine screening tests can help catch problems early, even before you notice any symptoms, and often, treatment is easier and more effective in the earlier stages, too." - Shaun Hines, DO
Below are some of the basics tests recommended for most men:
Blood pressure tests: The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends blood pressure checks at least every two years, more often if your blood pressure is high. Keeping your blood pressure at safe levels will reduce your risk of heart disease, the leading killer of American men. In the United States, the risks of heart disease and stroke are also higher in Black men.
Cholesterol screening: These should start even before age 20. High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for coronary artery disease.
Colorectal cancer screening: Regular screening for this cancer should start at age 45, and maybe sooner if you’re at high risk, which can depend on family history, weight, diet and other health factors.
Prostate exams: U.S. Prevention Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends discussing prostate cancer screening when you turn 55 years old. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and a digital rectal examination can uncover this cancer at an early stage. For men at high risk, such as Black men and men with a close family member who had prostate cancer at an early age, the ACS recommends the discussion with your doctor start at age 45 or earlier.
Diabetes testing: Men who are overweight or obese should start being screened for diabetes at age 35, all men start should start screenings at age 45. A simple blood test can reveal if you have diabetes or its precursor, prediabetes. Identifying and treating these conditions in their early stages helps prevent serious damage to organs throughout the body. This test is even more important for men with risk factors such as a family history of diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol or high body weight. You’re also at higher risk if your family background is Black, American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander or Hispanic.
Skin exams: Start with monthly self-exams to look for growths or changes that could be skin cancer. Signs to look for include any type of change in a mole or freckle, or a growth with uneven colors, borders or shape, or that is larger around than a pencil eraser. Check your whole body, head to toe, and talk to your doctor about anything suspicious.
Depression screening: Mental health is often overlooked or under emphasized, but depression is a serious, treatable disease should be a part of everyone’s regular healthcare. If you’ve felt down, hopeless or uninterested in the things you usually enjoy for two weeks straight, it’s even more important to ask your doctor about screening for depression.
Schedule your annual exam or screenings with your primary care provider.
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