men's health | The PrimAGE 2/3

6 Men's Health Concerns You Should Be Aware Of

4 min read

Health is not a gender-specific issue. While it is important for everyone, regardless of age or gender, to get preventive health checks and make healthy dietary and lifestyle choices, multiple studies have shown that men are more likely to ignore health problems or be hesitant to see a doctor, often hiding problems because they believe they are already-fit and healthy. However, feeling healthy isn't always the same as actually being healthy, and ignoring problems until they worsen can make matters worse. Not only is it a big risk to take, but there are some specific symptoms and warning signs of deteriorating health that men should be aware of. We outline six common men's health issues and how to deal with them in this article.

1. Testosterone deficiency or ‘manopause’

Low testosterone affects millions of men, and the number is growing every year. Testosterone deficiency, also known as andropause or 'manopause', mimics many of the symptoms associated with female menopause. It affects men between the ages of 30 and 90, however, the good thing is not every man will get it, and for a large number of those who are affected, the symptoms are often downplayed or simply attributed to working too hard or having a mid-life crisis.

Common symptoms include tiredness, falling asleep after food, decreased libido, increased body fat/decreased muscle, poor concentration/brain fog, and increased irritability. In the later stages, men may also experience night sweats, changes in cholesterol and blood pressure, increased risk of diabetes, and osteoporosis (bone thinning).

You may check the testosterone score by answering a simple questionnaire or via a blood test to find out the total testosterone and free testosterone level. Fixing the cause with lifestyle changes (e.g. exercise), supplementation or starting testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) can be life-changing, lowering the risk of other serious medical problems, improving quality of life, and saving jobs, marriages, and families.

2. Prostate disease

Because women do not have prostate glands, this disease can only affect men. The prostate is a small gland behind the penis. It secretes fluids that are necessary for the release of sperm during sexual intercourse.

The prostate is prone to enlargement in men as they age. Its prevalence is incremental as men get older, with estimates of approximately 50% of men between the ages of 51 and 60, and up to 90% of men older than 80 being affected.

Another prostate-related issue is prostate cancer. It is said that if we live long enough, all men will develop some form of prostate cancer. It is the most common cancer in men, accounting for one-quarter of all cancer cases.

You can slow down prostate enlargement and reduce your risk of prostate cancer by not being overweight, exercising regularly, considering saw palmetto, pumpkin seed oil and lycopene supplementation, and getting regular health checks.

3. Erectile dysfunction (ED)

ED affects roughly half of all men at some point in their lives, but it is still a taboo subject. Men develop ED for a variety of reasons, including neurological or metabolic causes (such as diabetes), anxiety or stress, hormone deficiencies, or a narrowing of the blood supply to the penis. This last cause is so significant that it is widely accepted that if you have ED due to a vascular cause, you have about three years before it affects your heart (resulting in a heart attack). The penis is a health indicator. Phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors pills such as sildenafil, and tadalafil can be effective in treating ED, but only if the underlying cause is identified.

4. Heart-Related Diseases

Heart disease, stroke, and artery diseases are among the top ten men's health issues worldwide. These conditions are referred to as cardiovascular diseases.

Over one-third of adult men are at risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Men over the age of 45 are more likely to have high blood pressure.

To avoid death from cardiovascular disease, you should have a regular medical check-up once every six months or yearly. You should also keep an eye on your blood pressure and adopt healthy habits like routine exercise and consuming more fruits and vegetables.

5. Lung Cancer and Respiratory Diseases

Lung cancer is a terrible disease because it can spread quickly before you notice any symptoms. Lung cancer can kill within a year of being diagnosed. Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer in men. While the number of men who smoke has decreased, it is still a leading cause of death in men.

Unfortunately, there is no early detection test for lung cancer. The best way to avoid the disease is to quit smoking. If you are or have ever been a chronic smoker, see your doctor for a regular medical examination.

6. Diabetes

Diabetes develops when the level of glucose in your blood rises to dangerously high levels. It occurs when the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin or the body fails to respond to it. This results in an excess of glucose in the blood.

The frequent urge to urinate and excessive thirst are two major symptoms of diabetes. Diabetes develops gradually, and most men are unaware of it until they notice the first two major symptoms.

Excess glucose in the bloodstream can lead to a variety of diseases, including strokes, heart attacks, and blindness. Obese and overweight men are more likely to develop diabetes.

To prevent this disease, you should exercise for at least 30 minutes per day and eat a well-balanced diet rich in macronutrients.

Take early action to address the top men's health issues

If you've noticed any of the above-mentioned symptoms, do seek immediate medical attention. It is always better to guard your health, starting from the first sign.

7 Tips for Better Prostate Health

4 min read

The prostate is a gland that surrounds the bladder and urethra and is part of the male reproductive system. It is about the size of a walnut and continues to grow throughout a man's life. It's critical to keep your prostate healthy as you get older. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men, and the gland can enlarge.

It stands to reason that a man's lifestyle, exercise habits, and diet all have a significant influence on his prostate health. Good habits, like good habits in other areas of the body, can help prevent and reduce risk factors for prostate disease and conditions. If a man already has prostate issues, these natural changes can help prevent further deterioration, relieve symptoms, and even cure them.

1. Eat more vegetables

Green, leafy vegetables are probably not your favourite part of any meal, but they are a good first step toward a healthy prostate. These vegetables are high in vitamins and antioxidants, which help to keep you — and specifically your prostate — healthy.

So, to make your prostate-healthy dinner delicious, look for some healthy recipes that include lettuce, spinach, kale, berries and broccoli.

Avoid charred meats while filling your plate with these leafy greens. A chemical compound is thought to be linked to an increased risk of cancer released when meat is charred.

2. Exercise and lose weight

Exercising and losing weight are two of the most effective ways to promote prostate health. Many studies show that moderate to vigorous exercise lowers the risk of BPH and urinary tract symptoms, as well as help with prostatitis. Exercise also improves your cardiovascular health and can aid in the prevention of other health and sexual issues such as erectile dysfunction.

If you are overweight, losing weight is one of the most important natural changes you can make to improve your prostate health, whether you are concerned about cancer, BPH, or prostatitis. According to a study published in the Journal of Urology, overweight men, particularly men with a lot of abdominal fat, have a higher risk of BPH. If you want to shrink your prostate, losing weight can help you do so while also relieving annoying and frustrating urinary symptoms. Furthermore, losing weight can lower your risk of prostate cancer as well as help relieve prostatitis.

3. Eat tomatoes and other red foods

Tomatoes, watermelon, and other red foods get their bright colour from lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. According to some recent studies, men who consume this fruit and tomato-based products have a lower risk of prostate cancer than men who do not. The American Institute for Cancer Research, on the other hand, warns that research linking tomatoes to prostate cancer prevention is limited and ongoing. A 2015 study evaluating dietary intake or blood concentrations of lycopene on the risk of prostate cancer found a reduction in risk by 3% per 1 mg/day increment of dietary intake of lycopene.

4. Stop smoking

Patients with prostate cancer who smoke are more likely to have the disease recur. Smokers are also more likely to die from prostate cancer.

It's not too late to give up. Prostate cancer patients who quit smoking for more than ten years had the same mortality risk as those who never smoked when compared to current smokers.

5. Make good choices about fat

According to a 2014 study, there could be a link between animal fats and an increased risk of prostate cancer. Animal fats can also be found in lard, butter, and cheese, in addition to meat. Replace animal fats with plant fats whenever possible.

In another study, men with the disease who replaced animal fats and carbohydrates with healthy vegetable fats such as olive and canola oils, nuts, seeds (e.g. pumpkin seed oil), and avocados had a significantly lower risk of developing lethal prostate cancer and dying from other causes.

6. Reduce stress

Stress has a negative impact on prostate health. When men are stressed, they may unknowingly tighten their pelvic muscles. Chronic tightening of the pelvic floor muscles can cause pelvic floor muscle problems and is one of the causes of chronic prostatitis.

Stress can also have an impact on men with BPH. Stress can aggravate symptoms such as urinary urgency, frequency, and pain.

Having a prostate problem can also increase your stress and anxiety, which can worsen your condition because stress impairs your immune system's ability to fight the illness. That is why it is critical to managing your stress, release tension, and care for your emotional health. Therapy, meditation, deep breathing, and activities such as exercise, yoga, or tai chi are all options to consider. When it comes to your prostate health, do not isolate yourself. It is critical to maintain social relationships and have someone with whom you can discuss your frustrations, fears, and pain.

7. Take supplements

You can't always get it all through diet and in therapeutic quantities. Also, you might know something is good for you but it doesn't agree with you or you can't stand eating it on a regular basis. As a result, many men who want to make a significant difference in their prostate health take a daily supplement. The PrimAGE ProGuardADV formulated with patented concentrated saw palmetto berries extract, pumpkin seed oil and lycopene extract provides a convenient and simple way of managing better prostate health.

Following these seven natural guidelines for better prostate health management can have a significant impact on your health. They are not expensive, and you can begin doing them right away. You do not need a prescription to improve your health.

When you realise that better prostate health is linked to your diet, weight, and lifestyle, you can begin living with that goal in mind. This will help to improve your mental health while also benefiting your overall health. Some things are beyond your control, but you can influence the factors that reduce your risk and provide your body with the best tools for fighting illness.

Your Body Clock Disruption Can Suck the Life Out of You!

4 min read

Biological rhythms govern the functioning of every tissue and organ in your body. The so-called body clock ensures that bodily functions execute on time. The 24-hour cycle that regulates the timing of events like eating, sleeping, and temperature is known as your circadian rhythm. This ensures that important biological activities occur regularly.

Many organisms, including humans, animals, fruit flies, and even bacteria, are governed by circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms in people help to synchronise mental and physical systems all over the body. An example: To match the typical time for a meal intake, the digestive system produces proteins, and the endocrine system controls or release hormones to fit according to a normally scheduled energy consumption timing.

What effect does circadian rhythm have on sleep?

The most common use of the term circadian rhythm is in the context of sleep. One of the most obvious and fundamental examples of the relevance of circadian rhythms is the sleep-wake cycle.

During the day, light exposure triggers the master clock to produce signals that help us stay awake and active by generating awareness. As night falls, the master clock begins to produce melatonin, a sleep-promoting hormone and then continues to relay signals that help us stay asleep all night.

Our circadian rhythm links our sleep and wakefulness day and night in this way, creating a steady pattern of restorative rest that allows us to do more during the day.

What Happen when your circadian rhythm is disrupted?

When the circadian rhythm is disrupted, the body's processes are unable to work properly.

Serious sleeping disorders might result from a disrupted sleep-wake circadian cycle. A person may struggle to fall asleep, wake up during the night, or be unable to sleep as long as they desire into the morning if their internal clock is not properly signalled. Their total sleep time may be shortened, and their circadian rhythm may be altered, resulting in shallower, fragmented, and poor-quality sleep.

A misaligned circadian clock can disrupt sleep in a variety of ways, including raising the risk of insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness. Given the importance of sleep for productivity and overall health, when a person's circadian rhythm is off, there are typically serious implications.

What does circadian rhythm affect apart from sleep?

While the sleep-wake cycle is one of the most well-known circadian rhythms, these 24-hour internal clocks are essential to nearly all physiological processes.

Circadian rhythms are still being studied, some research has linked them to metabolism and weight loss via blood sugar and cholesterol management. Circadian rhythms also have an impact on mental health, including the risk of psychiatric disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder, as well as the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like dementia.

Circadian rhythms also appear to have a significant impact on the immune system as well as DNA repair processes that are implicated in cancer prevention. In preliminary research, circadian cycles might influence the efficacy of anti-cancer drugs, and new treatments may be able to use biological clocks to destroy cancer cells.

How to know if you have a disrupted circadian rhythm?

You may have a circadian rhythm disorder if your sleep is disrupted and your timetable is wrong. Experts have identified six warning indicators to look out for.

1. You Fall Asleep Early & Wake Up In The Middle Of The Night

You may have Advanced Sleep Phase (ASP) syndrome if you get sleepy and go to bed sooner than most people, then wake up in the middle of the night unable to go back asleep. With ASP, your body clock is moved forward, causing you to go to bed (about 6 to 9 p.m.) and get up relatively early (around 3-4 a.m.). As you become older, this circadian rhythm disturbance becomes more common.

2. You Can Fall Asleep During Weekends, But Not Weekdays

You may have Delayed Sleep Phase syndrome if you have problems falling asleep on evenings before workdays that require an early wake-up, but not on weekends when you can go to bed and wake up later. DSP is the polar opposite of ASP, in which your body clock is reset, causing you to go to bed and wake up late. Adolescents are more likely to develop this problem.

3. Your Sleep & Wake Time Gets Pushed Back A Little Each Day

You may have Non-24 Hour Sleep/Wake Disorder if you go to bed and wake up a little later each day. Because this illness develops when the light fails to convey the necessary signals to the brain, it usually only affects people who have poor eyesight.

4. You Have An Erratic Sleep Schedule

You may have Irregular Sleep/Wake Disorder which is characterised by unpredictable sleep patterns in which sleep is not consolidated at night but is distributed throughout the day and night. People with neurological disorders, such as dementia and ADHD, are more likely to experience this. Chronic insomnia, drowsiness, and scattered naps rather than long durations of sleep are some of the symptoms.

5. You Work Odd Hours

Those who work shifts and work through the night while resting during the day may have sleeping problems. You may have a Shift Work Sleep Disorder if you have trouble sleeping during the day and staying awake late at night when working shifts. This can cause chronic sleep deprivation and accompany by chronic stress, anxiety or depression. During the coronavirus pandemic, key workers, such as those in the healthcare, utility, and transportation sectors, were not only the most exposed to Covid-19 stress, but they were also more likely to suffer from health-related illness and sleep disorders as a result of shift work.

6. You Can't Fall Asleep When You Travel

Most of us are familiar with the feeling of jet lag, which is also a circadian rhythm problem. You may have a Jet Lag Sleep Disorder if you have problems falling asleep after travelling easterly across numerous time zones or staying awake after flying westbound across multiple time zones. Sleeping becomes more difficult as you visit more time zones, but once you return home, your schedule should revert to normal.

If you think you are experiencing any of these mentioned disorders, you may have a disrupted circadian rhythm. While we don't have complete control over our circadian rhythm, there are some healthy sleep hygiene or supplement aid that can help us re-align our 24-hour sleep cycles.