For the month of November, IMO’s Vice President of Clinical Informatics, Dr. Eric Rose took to Twitter daily to document the growth of his mustache. Humorous at heart, Dr. Rose’s goal was to use his platform to raise awareness about Movember, the global organization committed to changing the face of men’s health. By growing mustaches throughout the month, Dr. Rose and others used their facial hair to facilitate discussions about important health issues facing men. Now that Movember is over, we wanted to round up ten top men’s health tips from Dr. Rose’s feed. It’s never a bad time to be thinking about how to improve health habits and check in on your health! See our favorite tips from his Twitter below:
- Movember men’s heath tip #2: Men are more likely to have hypertension than women and are less likely to know that they have it. Get your blood pressure checked yearly and if it’s elevated, work with your health care provider to get it down and reduce your risk!
- Movember men’s heath tip #4: Lung cancer is the #1 cause of cancer death in men. If you smoke and are trying to quit, don’t give up! If you are over the age of 55 and a current or former smoker, yearly CT screening may be warranted. Talk to your primary care provider!
- Movember men’s heath tip #6: Prostate cancer screening is a complex issue, since it can have risks as well as benefits. Be sure to have a discussion with your health provider about the pros and cons as part of your decision to get screened.
- Movember men’s heath tip #9: Red meat intake is linked to many health problems. Men in the U.S. eat 57 percent more red meat than women. Slip a few meat-free days in your week so you can be around to teach your grandkids to get the perfect sear on that bone-in ribeye.
- Movember men’s heath tip #10: Risk of heart attack is two times more likely for men vs. women. Preventive approaches: Don’t smoke, exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, and get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked. Keep your ticker healthy!
- Movember men’s heath tip #13: For many reasons, men aren’t always 100 percent forthcoming with their doctor. Guys, let your doc know what’s going on, even private stuff you might be embarrassed about. Your health may depend on it!
- Movember men’s heath tip #15: Oral health problems, particularly gum disease, significantly elevate risk of cardiovascular disease, which disproportionately affects men. Get your every-six-month dental cleaning and FLOSS!
- Movember men’s heath tip #19: Psychological stress can have many negative effects on your health, but there are ways to manage it. Your mind and body are connected, and you need to take care of both. Ask your primary care provider for tips on managing stress.
- Movember men’s heath tip #27: Sleep apnea can cause everything from daytime sleepiness to heart failure and is over two times more common in men than women…and it’s treatable. If you have daytime sleepiness or snore a lot, ask your primary care provider about it!
- Movember men’s health tip #22: Hearing loss is much more common in men than women. Rock & roll ain’t noise pollution but anything played insanely loud can harm your hearing. Also, if you work around noisy machinery, always use proper ear protection!
