Health care

Why Men Should Stay on Top of Health Screenings

 During the pandemic, many patients delayed their annual examinations. This number was especially high in our male population. Unfortunately, this delay in screenings has resulted in more advanced prostate cancer diagnoses. "We're concerned because we're seeing fewer patients come in for their annual screenings,"  . "So when we discover prostate cancers, they're more advanced than they were or could have been. The more advanced these cancers are when they are diagnosed, the more difficult they are to treat and have a successful outcome."

Why Physicals Are Especially Important for Teens and Young Men

Preventative care is an often overlooked but an important part of young men’s health. Seeing your doctor once a year for an annual physical can seem like a burden when you’re a healthy teenage boy, but it’s a great opportunity to check in, make sure all is well, and clear you for the upcoming school year, sports season, work, or camp. Yet, unless prompted by their parents, teenage boys and young men are notorious for skipping this visit.

Besides performing a physical exam, keeping you up to date with your immunizations, and filling out any forms, the physical is your doctor’s chance to screen for any risk factors to your health. Studies show that the adolescent and young adult years of a young man’s life tend to coincide with a multitude of risky behaviors such as experimentation with alcohol, drugs, sex, supplements, reckless driving, and more. 

Self Management Is the Key to Unlocking a Bright Future

A big part of maturing is gradually becoming more independent. This process can be helped along by a practice called self-management. When you don’t stay up too late on a school night and set your alarm for the next morning, that’s self-management. So is brushing your teeth and showering. And taking a medication as it was prescribed. All those little things add up. But they can also feel overwhelming. Here are some tips to help you establish a self-management routine.   

How to Set Yourself up for a Restful Night of Sleep

This is going to surprise a lot of people, but teens should really be getting eight to 10 hours of sleep every night.

“Sleep also aids our ability to concentrate,” Rainville says. “We like to say that one of the ‘major jobs of adolescence’ is being a student. If you’re not getting enough sleep, it’s going to make learning more difficult.”

Even more, getting enough sleep enables us to better regulate our moods and manage stress. If you’re consistently shorting your sleep, both can quickly feel overwhelming. Prolonged stretches of poor sleep are linked to mental health disorder like anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. They can increase the risk of Suicide in teen, too.

A lack of sleep also negatively influences the part of our brain that controls impulsive behavior. Lots of studies have been able to draw a direct line between teens who don’t get enough sleep and high-risk behavior like texting while driving, drunk driving, engaging in unprotected sex, using drugs and alcohol, and carrying a weapon.

How to Nurture Your Emotional Health

What’s your biggest concern at this very moment? Now imagine your best friend in your shoes. What advice would you give them? Maybe you would tell them to take a deep breath and look at things from a different perspective. It’s in these moments that calm often takes over.

“Without self-compassion, it’s difficult to foster any kind of mental-emotional wellness,” Dr. Timko says.

While there are lots of interpretations of self-compassion, at its core it’s being kind and understanding toward yourself, especially in the wake of an experience you perceive as a failure or shortcoming. It’s also about learning to accept painful thoughts and emotions, rather than avoiding them or feeling sorry for yourself.

Dr. Timko offers these tips for improving your self-compassion and enhancing your emotional health.

An Effective Low Maintenance Birth Control Option

When it comes to contraception for women, there are a myriad of options. Long-Acting Reversible Contraception, or LARC, is recommended by both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) for adolescents and young adults.

There are three different types of LARC:

1. An intrauterine device
2. A contraceptive injection
3. A contraceptive implant

Your fertility will return once you stop using LARC, which makes it a good option for a woman who wants to become pregnant in the future; just not now. 

Effective as it is at preventing pregnancy, LARC does not protect you from sexually transmitted diseases. To reduce your risk, use a condom as well.

How Dopamine Dressing and Cosmetic Procedures Can Improve Mental Health

From our faces to fashion, 2022 seems to be all about finding happiness through self-care and even improved appearances. Sound vain? It’s not. Researchers have long known that how we look directly impacts how we feel. Here are a few ways people are putting that truth into action this year.