Men Die Young Women Don't Care: How to Improve Men's Health

By Jerry Hizon, MD

Men die younger than women yet even men do not seem to be alarmed by this. While we encourage women to continue to improve their health, we desperately need men to get into the medical “game”. Men are notorious for not going to the doctors unless there is a blood spurting reason. Men Die Young, Women Don’t Care is intended to be used as a tool to encourage and enable men to get checked before it is too late. Written by a sports medicine doctor, it may be just the method to get guys to get that check up and become lean and fit. With real life examples, written in non threatening way, this book should be given to all men you care about. Real men should go to the doctors and this may just be the trick to getting them to show their “tender underbellies”.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jerry Hizon, MD
• Release date: Jul 20, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476376257

Book preview

Men Die Young, Women Don’t Care: How to Improve Men’s Health

First Edition, 06/2012

Gerardo Jerry Hizon MD

With contributions by Samantha Carnesecca

Published by Gerardo Hizon, MD

Copyright 2012 Gerardo Hizon, MD

This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed in the publication. It is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering medical, health, or any other kind of professional services in the book. The reader should consult his or her medical, health or other competent professional before adopting any of the suggestions in this book or drawing inferences from it. The author and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of the contents of this book.

Dedication

To my dad who has been my inspiration and my mother who kept him healthy.

Table of Contents:

Acknowledgements

Forward

Chapter 1 Ruminations of Old Doc Hizon

Chapter 2 Nutrition

Chapter 3 Cardio clandestine

Chapter 4 Train don’t strain and never work out again

Chapter 5 Check under the hood

Chapter 6 Running

Chapter 7 Cross Training

Chapter 8 Spinning

Chapter 9 Weight Lifting and Resistance Training

Chapter 10 Two Handed kettlebell Swing

Chapter 11 Eating, Lifting, and Fidgeting

Chapter 12 Setting Up For Success

Chapter 13 The Annual Combine

Chapter 14 The Neck, The Heart, The Stomach, Oh My!

Chapter 15 The Australian Region of the Body

Chapter 16 The Colon and the Rectum

Chapter 17 Where Brain Meets Body

Chapter 18 Lumps and Bumps

Chapter 19 Counting on the Inside

Chapter 20 Suicide Prevention

Chapter 21 Exemplariness

Chapter 22 Transformation, a new lease on life

Conclusion

Author’s notes

About the author

Appendix

Bibliography

License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to my family for putting up with my various projects and activities. You have always been a source of strength and encouragement. To my patients who usually become my friends, for teaching me, everyday new things that are not taught in didactic lectures in conferences. Your good health has always been my goal. To the wonderful men who have shared their stories of overcoming illness. To our informal cycling group: Jack, John, Scott, Dan, Butch and Mark who have put up with my ranting while on our various adventures. And finally, to all my physician and health care friends who have taught me all that I know. To you I will always be grateful.

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Foreword

It’s not a race to the coffin where the first one to the coffin wins; in many ways, the journey is the destination.

If you asked around, I would venture to say that most adults know men die before women. While this trendy demise before women is common, there doesn't seem to be much upheaval at the fact. Men themselves seem to think that this is an irrevocable reality. This book is intended to address the various reasons for this early defeat and suggest ways to not only improve this particularly fragile breed of humans, but to instill longevity.

In Dr. Marianne J. Legato M.D.,F.A.C.P. book, Why Men Die Young, (Palgrave MacMillian, 2008) she very scientifically details the biology of men’s premature death. It is quite sobering to realize that men die younger than women at all stages of life: a male fetus dies before a female fetus, boys before girls and men before women. The causes of death are different depending on the age that is looked at. Boys, unfortunately, die of more violent causes, especially during the teen years. This book will, however, concentrate on the middle aged man’s early demise and present practical pearls to prevent this from happening.

Between evidence based medicine and clinical experience there lies a simple yet effective methods to improve men’s health.

The title of this book stems from my experience in the various sports locker rooms and bike rides that I have been on with male colleagues. We have a rule that we can only tease about things that are less than 10% true. It is a somewhat arbitrary rule but seems to keep me out of most trouble. At first blush the statement, men die young, women don’t care appears false and harsh. I submit that it is, on some levels partially true. I say this, full knowing that, in fact, men themselves don’t even seem to care that they die young. In this new age of gender specific medicine there should be some grassroots movement to improve men’s health but so far there is none that has raised awareness. Healthcare for women needs improvement especially in the area of cardiovascular diseases (heart attacks, strokes). Yet they have done a way better job than men in the area of cancer awareness and public health (see the pink cleats, sweatband and towels on athletes during Breast Cancer Awareness Month). While I am in full support of this, I half jokingly, muse that if women died before men there would at least be one episode on The View about women dying early and there would be a ribbon or a walk regarding women dying young. A Google search failed to find any Peddle for the Prostate event in this country.

This book is intended to raise the awareness that men and women need to work together to obtain better health. This book is written, somewhat tongue-in-cheek to educate, encourage and even cajole men to get into the medical-game and be in better health. My hope is it will be used as a tool for a guy who needs a checkup. If it helps, tell him (or yourself) it was written by a sports medicine doctor. It’s short and kind of funny (you be the judge).

Why guys don't go to the doctors:

1. Confused at what age to start going to the doctors. After age 30, 40, 50 years old?

2. Bulletproof mentality- I am tough, it won't happen to me.

3. Cost

4. Who do I go to? The doctor is fatter than I am!

5. No time, I gotta work, or NET- No Extra Time

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Chapter 1 Ruminations of Old Doc Hizon

Since there are gynecologists, why are there no guy-ologists"?

Why are you going to the doctors...what are you a wuss?

From a young age, boys are primed by their predecessors not to admit to pain or injury. If a boy does say, fall from a bike, some sage advice coming from older men is, suck it up, you’re not hurt, just get up or I will give you something to cry about, Rub some dirt on it, or, according to the epitome of guy-medicine (ESPN) the most useful medical advice is, walk it off.

Rarely do men voluntarily go to a doctor for check-ups. There are many reasons for this: the possible incurred costs of a visit, the confusion as to what age is the right age to start making regular visits, the lack of time or the loss of manhood. With all these reasons, the end results are far too often the same.

As a family doctor that also specializes in Sports Medicine, it is not uncommon for me to encounter a middle aged guy who has had—or is on his way to having—a heart attack. Often, when asked when his last physical exam was, he may proudly state, oh, my high school sports exam. From youth, each generation passes on to the next the anthem of its masculinity defined in strength and endurance. Isn’t it ironic that we seem to lack the internal tenacity to outlast our counterpart?

Our counterparts to this life philosophy—women—get into the practice of going to a doctor (or other health care provider like a nurse practitioner or physician assistant) for various medical reasons and maintenance. From their routine gynecologic exams, to contraception needs, to various infections, most girls start to have regular medical care in their teenage years, This practice primes them for longevity and preventing medical problems that men can’t seem to compete with.

More often than not, men must have a very good/urgent/blood-spurting reason to go to a doctor. Since I practice sports medicine, I see them when they have a bad day such as a fall, twist, pop or fracture. I do get a kick out of them invariably saying