BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — June is recognized as National Men’s Health Month and physicians at Our Lady of the Lake (OLOL) Hospital are using June to address health concerns that many of their male patients bring up during doctor’s visits.
In a recent article on OLOL’s website, doctors list several questions that touch on fatigue, frequent bathroom usage, and more.
A sample of the Q&A is listed below:
Q: Is it normal to feel fatigued during the day?
OLOL: Many men complain of feeling exhausted during the day, and the cause is often more associated with lifestyle than an underlying condition. A poor diet and not getting enough sleep can make you groggy. And just as you can feel tired after a tough morning workout, you can also feel sluggish from not enough exercise. Turn off the phone or TV at night to get an uninterrupted and restful sleep. That’s the first major step to feeling productive and in a positive headspace the next day. Your doctor can help you explore if there’s a more troublesome cause.
Q: What does it mean if I frequently need to use the restroom at night?
OLOL: “It’s almost an expected thing that as men get older, their prostates get enlarged,” says Dr. Boudreaux. “The important thing is to not get acclimated to that pattern and just consider it normal.”
Men should monitor how frequently they get up each night, if the volume of urination is large or small, and any liquids they consume before going to bed. These are important to share with your doctor to plan the next course of action or determine if treatment is right for you.
Q: How can I lose weight?
OLOL: Dr. Chastain says he first asks patients to find their “why.” What’s leading you toward a desire to lose weight? Is it concern about a health condition? Worries about dealing with future health conditions? Or is it just about wanting to feel better overall?
“There’s no magic bullet, no magic pill,” Dr. Chastain says. “But you’ve got to commit to a lifestyle change for weight loss to truly work.” And that, of course, includes regular exercise and a healthy diet above all else.
Most doctors are more than willing to answer a variety of questions. Unfortunately, a number of patients shy away from, or simply forget to bring up questions like the ones listed above during their doctor’s visits.
Yet still, are the many male patients who avoid going to the doctor at all.
One survey found that 65% of its male respondents admitted that they procrastinate when it comes to setting up doctor’s visits.
The simple and clear answers to the commonly asked questions listed in OLOL’s article may be reassuring to apprehensive male patients as they reflect most physician’s willingness to discuss sensitive health topics.
Click here to read the full article from OLOL.