Men’s Health – What does that actually mean?

Men often neglect their health for various reasons. Medical prevention and doctor visits are often considered unmanly by men, and the notion that strength and invulnerability are masculine is still firmly entrenched in the mind. To live up to their male role, they view their bodies as a means to an end and often take higher risks. Mental illnesses occur in men just as often as in women, but they often go unnoticed. Serious illnesses are also often only recognized in later stages. Additionally, men have a five times higher risk of experiencing a heart attack than women.

Men’s health not only refers to urological matters but goes much further. It also includes other medical aspects such as the cardiovascular system, diabetes, nutritional medicine, and psychiatric disorders. The socio-cultural component also plays an important role by considering how men are perceived in society and what expectations are placed on them.

Even today, there is often a tendency for men to downplay the role of health in their lives. Medical prevention and doctor visits are often seen as unmanly and are avoided as much as possible. Men tend to see their bodies as a means to an end and take higher risks to fulfill their role of masculinity. This leads to serious illnesses being often recognized only in advanced stages. Furthermore, men often exhibit violent and self-destructive behavior: alcohol and drug consumption are more common in men than in women.

A taboo topic is discussing weaknesses, especially in connection with sexuality and erectile dysfunctions. Mental illnesses such as depression and social exhaustion are also tabooed, which is particularly dangerous because men often suffer from undiagnosed depression. Either they don’t seek medical help at all, or they attribute other illnesses that may be related to depression (such as burnout).

Urological diseases are just one part of the whole.

Urological diseases such as erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia, or testosterone deficiency syndrome are not discussed in men’s circles. However, it is crucial because timely prevention can avoid health damage. Visit your general practitioner regularly to have blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and other important parameters checked. From the age of 45, men are entitled to an annual preventive examination by statutory health insurance. This includes a targeted collection of medical history, inspection and palpation of external genital organs, palpation of the prostate and anus, as well as regional lymph nodes. Specialists recommend additional extended preventive offerings. Different diagnostic procedures enable a safer and faster diagnosis of cancer, especially in the early stages.

Dr. Hanna Richter-Simonsen is a specialist in urology and men’s health at Lanserhof Sylt:

How wonderful that in November we are talking about men’s health again. Join the Movember movement, grow a mustache, and talk about men’s health with everyone who brings it up or participates. This way, even the shyest among you will come out of their corner and realize that they are not alone. For example, we want to talk about prostate cancer, which, with approximately 68,000 new cases each year, is the most common cancer in men. There has been incredible progress in its treatment in recent years. Nevertheless, we want to catch prostate cancer, especially in younger men, in an early stage, as the chances of cure are highest here. But let’s also talk about erectile dysfunction. In 55% of cases, there is an organic, i.e., physical cause. Erectile dysfunction represents a significant impact on the quality of life but can also indicate a general vascular problem in completely different areas of the body, serving as a warning sign, for example, for a heart attack. We at Lanserhof take these paths holistically with you. Whether it’s comprehensive check-ups, hormone determinations and coaching, the right nutrition and exercise, and, of course, in the area of mind and mental health. Men’s health concerns us all. After all, we want our fathers, grandfathers, brothers, uncles, and sons to stay healthy and lively for a long time.