Black Panther, Man Boobs and Viagra - calling all 40 year old Men - this one is for you!

Tuesday, 27 October 2020

“...when writing an article - give your piece an eye-catching title” or so my Primary English teacher used to tell me.  I'm writng this piece as an over 40 year old, male. And yes, you guessed it this article is targeting the ‘least engaged in their health’ sector of our community  - Middle aged Men. 

 Being Male and over the age of 40 immediately gives me two risk factors for heart attacks and stroke.  I have 2 other risk factors too.  My blood pressure is a bit high, and i have a family history of strokes as well.  On the plus side - my weight is good, I don’t smoke and I exercise regularly.  My total blood cholesterol is high - however my ratio of beneficial cholesterol (HDL) to bad cholesterol (LDL) is excellent - no worries there.   

Im telling you all this, because this is how I view how we should best manage our health.  BALANCE. We need to first KNOW our numbers, then manage what we can control.  My blood pressure is elevated - so i take a blood pressure pill.  The other 3 risk factors i have - well. i cant do much about those! - but I’m aware of them - and it puts the emphasis on what i can control.

So fellas - I’m really encouraging you all - know your numbers.  How do you find out these numbers? - A Healthy heart check appointment with your GP.   its so easy and non invasive - and (shh - don’t tell them i told you this…)  the Doctors in the city at the moment are really, really good.  Unfortunately as part of our jobs - we can see some catastrophic results post stroke and heart attacks - Prevention of these traumatic events is so important.

Colon Cancer ( (another uplifting topic today…sorry)  is another condition, that we we need to be aware of our risk factors for.  Chadwick Boseman, the actor that played the Black Panther in the Marvel movies passed away August this year from Colon Cancer aged 43.  Risk factors that we can modify, are not dissimilar to what they are for Heart disease - Smoking, Not being physically active and weight.

The easiest way we can manage our weight, is looking at what we eat - and we would recommend looking at the amount of sugars and carbohydrates you eat regularly - a simple move of switching from Juice and Fizzy drinks to water can be really impactful on your weight.  And here’s an interesting biochemistry fact (hey, im Pharmacist remember - biochem is super interesting!!!) When you eat carbohydrates - insulin is released.  A high amount of Insulin in your body actually can convert Testosterone (male sex hormone) into the female hormone Oestrogen.  Therefore - reducing the amount of carbs you eat, reduces the symptoms of Man-boobs.   BOOM - biochem is interesting!!

Last uplifting topic for men aged 40 plus….Viagra (haha uplifting.. get it?) - or more specifically Erectile Dysfunction.  This is more common than you think for 40 year olds - roughly 22% of us.  But your Pharmacy can help -as viagra is available over the counter - we need to do a quick 15 minute consult once a year and then if you meet the criteria,  you can purchase Viagra. And now the cost of the Viagra has come down significantly its now more available to everyone.  We have two private consultation rooms available, so its a no drama, quick, easy thing to do.

I hope this quick article has touched your interest in your own health.  As a group i believe we need to do better.  The more engaged we are; the better our outcomes - no excuses.