Don’t overlook Men’s Health Month — or men’s health

By Virginia Templet, Puritan Medical Products marketing director

June is Men’s Health Month in America, and there is no better time to remind men about the health issues they face. This month should be a call to action for men to take control of their health.

Much of today’s national discourse is focused on women’s health, and it is even a political talking point in 2024. News headlines are more likely to highlight women’s health issues, whether it’s the risk of childbirth or access to birth control. While these issues are obviously very important to women across America, men shouldn’t be overlooked either.

Life isn’t easy for men. Across their life span, spanning infancy to old age, boys and men are more likely to die than girls and women. Compounded by daily stressors, mental health issues like anxiety and depression are on the rise, and not only for teenage girls. At the same time, colon cancer is more common now than ever before, especially among young men. From male infertility to diabetes and cholesterol, there are a wide range of health issues pertinent to men.

So, how should men take control of their health? Testing, testing and more testing. Take prostate screenings, which can substantially reduce the risk of serious health issues down the road if done regularly. One new prostate cancer blood test, for instance, reports 94 percent accuracy.

But there is even more to testing than prostate screening, which is certainly headline grabbing. Male urethral specimens are collected via urethro-genital swabs that can detect chlamydia trachomatis, neisseria gonorrhoeae and other bacterial or viral infections.

While grave health concerns like prostate or colon cancer are more likely to dominate discourse, men ignore other risks at their own peril. The United States is in the middle of a sexually transmitted infection epidemic, with more than 2.5 million reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis in any given year. Imagine how many cases go unreported.

Through testing, STIs don’t necessarily need to lead to somber consequences. But if left undetected and untreated, these infections can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, increased HIV risk, certain cancers and even infertility. Testing for them is especially important for gay and bisexual men, in addition to younger people who tend to be more sexually active and with multiple partners. To quote Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official Leandro Mena: “The U.S. STI epidemic shows no signs of slowing.”

And it will never slow without testing and treatment through early detection. By scheduling doctor’s appointments and collecting urethral specimens with the right testing swabs, bullets can be dodged altogether. Serious health risks are best avoided ahead of time.

Faced with unprecedented problems like an STI uptick, the mental health crisis, childhood obesity (and its long-term repercussions) and other concerns, America is in desperate need of a public health revolution. That starts with public awareness, making annual reminders like Men’s Health Month all the more important.

No, these reminders are not “corny” or “kitschy”; they are integral to men taking their health more seriously. Men may often think that they are invincible, but they are not, and to avoid frequent testing is nothing short of irresponsible. Men are more likely than women to ignore their regular check-ups and screenings, putting them off indefinitely, and that is wrong. Declining a test has nothing to do with being tough; testing is called being smart.

If many of today’s health-related headlines are scary, it’s for a reason. We live in a dangerous world, filled with viruses, infections and other threats to our health — women and men. Let’s control what we can control, and we can control how much we test. Early detection can save you peace of mind — and even your life. Take control today.