Why Real Men Get Checkups: A Guide to Preventative Health

Death doesn't wait for symptoms, and neither should you. This eye-opening episode tackles the critical yet often avoided topic of men's health during Men's Health Month.

Did you know men are 24% less likely than women to have seen a doctor in the past year? The statistics are alarming, but there's hope. Whether you identify as male or simply care about the men in your life, this conversation could literally save lives. Dr. Jules dives deep into why men avoid healthcare (hint: it's not laziness) and how cultural messaging about "toughness" and "manning up" contributes to shorter male lifespans.

The episode delivers a comprehensive breakdown of the top three killers of men - heart disease, cancer, and strokes - with practical strategies for prevention. Rather than vague advice, Dr. Jules provides age-specific screening recommendations from your 20s through your 60s and beyond. Through compelling real patient stories, including a 52-year-old man who was a "walking time bomb" despite feeling fine and a 59-year-old whose delayed colonoscopy led to advanced cancer, the message becomes clear: waiting for symptoms can be deadly.

What makes this conversation especially powerful is its framing of men's health as a family issue. Women, who make up over 80% of the podcast's audience and often serve as family health coordinators, receive practical guidance on supporting the men they love. The episode concludes with a profound reminder that prevention isn't just about extending life, but enriching it. Share this episode with someone you care about—it might be the nudge they need to make that appointment they've been avoiding.

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Peace, love, plants!
Dr. Jules

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:11):
Hey everyone, welcome to Season 2 of the Dr Jules
Plant-Based Podcast, where wediscuss everything from
plant-based nutrition to themain pillars of lifestyle
medicine.
Yo, plant-based buddies,welcome back to another episode
of the podcast.
Today's episode is very nearand dear to my heart and may

(00:33):
actually save a life, maybeyours or maybe someone you love.
At the time of recording it'sJune, and that means it's Men's
Health Month, a time to shine alight on some hard truths about
men's health.
Now, did you know that men are24% less likely than women to
have seen a doctor in the pastyear?

(00:54):
They're much less likely to geta checkup to talk about their
symptoms and, unfortunately,they're more likely to die
younger.
That's the reality, but itdoesn't have to be so.
Whether you're a man listeningin or a woman who cares deeply
about the men in your life, thisepisode is for you.

(01:14):
We'll talk about the top healthrisks that men faced and, more
importantly, what to do about it.
What to do about it Now?
Let's start by reviewing whymen simply don't go to see
doctors.
Why are so many men skippingcheckups, ignoring symptoms and

(01:40):
avoiding us?
Well, typically it's notbecause they're lazy or careless
.
It's because many of the menthat I know, and I as well, were
taught that being a man meansyou're being tough and you're
not vulnerable, and asking forhelp is weakness and we should
just walk it off or wait it outor man up.
But the truth is that realstrength is knowing when to ask

(02:04):
for help.
Now, over 80% of my followersare women, and they're actually
typically the health leaders oftheir families.
They're the ones who arebooking dental cleanings or
prepping lunches or noticingwhen something's off.
So today I'm calling on bothmen and women to be a part of

(02:25):
the conversation, because men'shealth is a family issue.
Now, the top three killers ofmen today are heart disease,
cancer and strokes, so let'stalk about what we can do about
them Now.
Heart disease is still thenumber one cause of death in men
worldwide, but it's largelypreventable.

(02:47):
Typically, if we would simplyeat more fiber-rich, whole-plant
foods and cut back on saturatedfat and ultra-processed junk,
we'd move our body daily,whether it's walking, biking,
lifting or hiking or anythingand we learn to manage stress,
we probably avoid most cases ofheart disease.

(03:10):
Your heart isn't just a pump.
It's actually a reflection ofhow you live, and through
plant-predominant nutrition andexercise, we lower blood
pressure, lower our blood sugar,lower our cholesterol and we
lower the main risk factors thatcause heart disease.

(03:35):
The second top killer is cancer,especially prostate, lung
cancer and colorectal cancer.
You can't prevent everything,but you can get screened at the
right time.
You can do what you can withyour lifestyle to reduce the
risk of getting diagnosed withthese cancers.

(03:56):
You'll quickly notice that thesame lifestyle interventions
that reduce heart disease alsoreduce cancer Eating a
plant-predominant diet, keepinga healthy weight, managing
stress, sleeping all things thatare known to reduce rates of
cancer and heart diseaseexponentially more than other

(04:19):
interventions.
Don't wait until you'resymptomatic, because by then
it's often too late.
Because if you wait for coloncancer to be symptomatic, that
means it has progressed enoughto invade the abdominal cavity
to an extent where you'reprobably already having a cancer

(04:40):
that has spread to other organs.
And another top killer in menare strokes.
Now, strokes are often tied tosilent issues like high blood
pressure, high cholesterol, highblood sugar, and most people
feel fine until suddenly theydon't.
Now we can prevent stroke byprioritizing sleep, managing

(05:03):
stress, eating whole foods,moving your body and checking
your blood pressure regularly.
It's about catching problemsbefore they become a crisis, and
we know that screening saveslives, so you need to know what
tests to ask for.
So when men say I feel fine,why should I go to the doctor?

(05:24):
Here's the thing Many deadlyconditions will show no symptoms
in their early stages.
So let's walk through whatscreening actually means and
which screening tests you shouldconsider by age so you can stay
ahead of the game.

(05:46):
Now in young adulthood, like inyour 20s and 30s, it's all about
preventing and baselinetracking.
So you would want to have alook at your blood pressure
every one to two years, maybecheck your cholesterol levels
once in your 20s, just to makesure that you do not have
hypercholesterolemia that isimpacted by genetics, and then,

(06:07):
if it's good, maybe every fiveyears, you want to have a
baseline look at your bloodsugar or your A1c, which is an
average of your blood sugar overthe last three or four months,
especially if you have a familyhistory and depending on your
risk, you should maybe getscreened for sexually
transmitted infections, maybe amental health check-in or even a

(06:29):
skin check if you are seeingnew or changing moles.
Now, most guys in this agegroup are not going to the
doctor unless something isbroken.
But don't wait.
The goal is to build a solidrelationship with your
healthcare team, that you knowhow to navigate the system and
you kind of know what to lookfor when going into your 30s and

(06:52):
in your 40s, because in your40s that's when health risks
start to sneak up.
You should be looking at yourblood pressure annually, maybe
even considering blood work,depending on if you're
overweight or if you exercise.
If there's family history, youmaybe want to start discussing
prostate health and colorectalcancer screening.

(07:15):
Some guidelines now say tostart even in your 40s.
At age 45, if you have a familyhistory, you should maybe have
a cardiac risk assessment if yousmoke or if you have high
cholesterol, and definitely talkabout your mental health and
your sleep with your healthcarepractitioner.

(07:35):
Now, in your 50s and beyond,that's when things usually start
to go wrong.
That's usually when you starthaving either symptoms or signs
yourself and, if not, that'swhen your friends are starting
to get diagnosed with conditionslike heart disease, cancer, and
by this age you've likely seenit happen in your family, in

(07:59):
your parents or uncles.
That's when we need to have agood, good baseline evaluation
done and to really measure whatkind of health risks you
currently have and to build agame plan on where we should
intervene first.
Now, in your 50s and beyond,you really want to consider

(08:19):
testing for colorectal cancer.
Screening tests likecolonoscopy or FIT testing can
be done by your doctor and thenyou'll determine what's the good
frequency of these testing.
Typically, depending on whetheryou have polyps or a family
history, your colonoscopy mightbe every three to five years,
and if you have no polyps at all, maybe they're going to be done

(08:43):
every 10 years.
And fit testing?
In New Brunswick we have aspecial program which the
government sends you the kitthrough the mail if you have a
valid Medicare card every twoyears.
So colon cancer can really bescreened before it causes
problems, because it could takesometimes five, seven, ten years

(09:05):
for a polyp to becomeprecancerous and then cancer,
and so the polyp gives us thetime to screen it.
Colon cancer really really letsus diagnose it in early stages.
I'd also recommend having aconversation with your doctor
about getting tested forprostate cancer.

(09:27):
Psa testing does have pros andcons, false positives, but is
the only test that we have toreliably screen for prostate
cancer.
If you've ever smoked, maybehave a conversation about lung
cancer screening.
There are tests such as x-raysor low-dose CT scans that can be

(09:47):
done.
If you have a family history,you might want to consider
talking about bone density,about your vision, about your
hearing, and you always want tomake sure to stay current with
vaccines like shingles andpneumonia, considering flu shots
and COVID vaccines.
But it's important to rememberthat not every test or every

(10:09):
vaccine is right for everyone.
Work with your doctor to makesure that we can set you on a
path that's right for you.
Now, if you're a man listeningto this, I want to say something
very clearly you matter.
You matter to a lot of people,and not just when something goes

(10:32):
wrong.
Your family needs you, yourbody needs you, your kids need
you, but you don't have to waituntil you're sick to start
taking care of yourself.
Real men don't wait forsymptoms.
They don't ignore their health.
Real men get checkups it's notweakness, it's wisdom and start
small Talk to your doctor.

(10:54):
Go for a walk, cook a healthymeal and make that appointment
that you've been avoiding.
Go for a walk, cook a healthymeal and make that appointment
that you've been avoiding.
Prevention is not just aboutadding years to your life, but
about adding life to your yearsand to the woman that's
listening today.
Let's be honest.
You often see these thingsfirst.

(11:14):
You notice them all.
You hear the snoring and youfeel that fatigue before he even
admits it.
So here's your reminder Forwardthis episode or share it with
the men you love.
Help him book that checkup,cook that first plant-based

(11:44):
dinner and maybe go for a walktogether.
Men's health is not just hisproblem.
It's a family's opportunity totalk about health, and you could
be the reason he takes thatfirst step.
And when it comes to men'shealth, the main takeaways are
that most of the leading causesof death in men are preventable
and lifestyle medicine works,and screenings do save lives,

(12:07):
and changing is possible at anyage, no matter how stubborn we
can be.
Sometimes it's important tobreak the silence, and that's
why Men's Health Month is suchan important month to talk about
.
It's time that we shatter thestigma and we start a
conversation that could changesomeone's life.

(12:28):
Now, when I think about men'shealth, I immediately go back to
thinking about cases that I'vebeen confronted with throughout
my years.
I remember a 52-year-old manthat came to see me only because
his wife made the appointment.
He felt fine no chest pain, nobig red flags, just a bit more
tired than usual.

(12:48):
His blood work, had an LDLcholesterol that was through the
roof.
His blood pressure was like 160over 100.
I sent him to a cardiologist.
His stress test was abnormaland when we referred him for
further testing he hadnarrowings in three major
coronary arteries.

(13:09):
He was basically a walking timebomb and he had no idea.
We got him on medication,changed his diet, helped him
start walking every morning withhis wife on medication, changed
his diet helped him startwalking every morning with his
wife and six months later hisnumbers are down, his energy's
up, and that checkup may havesaved his life.
I can also reflect back on that59-year-old man who came in

(13:33):
after months of rectal bleeding.
He said oh, I figured it wasjust my hemorrhoids.
He had never had a colonoscopy.
We sent him for testing.
It was stage 3 colorectalcancer.
Treatment was aggressive.
He fought hard but he told mewith tears in his eyes I wish I
had come in sooner.
I thought I had more time Now.

(13:55):
If that patient had consultedin his 40s or 50s and gotten on
a regular, routine colon cancerscreenings, we could have caught
it early, maybe even preventedit.
Now the typical risk factor thatgoes without being noticed is

(14:15):
hypertension, high bloodpressure.
Recently I saw a 38-year-oldguy.
He was fit, muscular, he lovedthe gym.
He said I don't need a doctor,I eat clean and I train hard.
He hadn't checked his bloodpressure in years and when he
finally did, it was 170 over 110.
He was shocked, and I was tooand turns out that his dad died

(14:38):
of a stroke at age 50.
We made some evidence-basedrecommendations for lifestyle
interventions.
We started him on treatment,got his stress under control and
guess what?
He's still lifting weights, butnow with a normal blood
pressure and an awareness thatwe are growing older and risk

(14:59):
factors can hit people even withthe best of intentions.
Now, fit doesn't always meanhealthy and you can't see blood
pressure in a mirror.
Healthy, and you can't seeblood pressure in a mirror.
If you've been waiting anddelaying and telling yourself

(15:19):
that it's not that bad.
Hopefully these stories areyour wake-up call.
You don't need to wait forsymptoms.
You don't need to wait for pain.
You just need to start.
Real families help each other,stay well and real men get
checkups.
Let's normalize that right on.

(15:42):
I hope you've enjoyed thisepisode.
Share it with the men you careabout and make sure that they
take care of themselves right on.
You have an awesome day.
Thanks for tuning in.
We'll see you in the nextepisode, peace.
And make sure that they takecare of themselves Right on.
You have an awesome day.
Thanks for tuning in.
We'll see you in the nextepisode, peace.
Hey, everyone, go check out mywebsite plantbaseddoctorjulescom

(16:12):
to find free downloadableresources and remember that you
can find me on Facebook andInstagram at Dr Jules Cormier,
and on YouTube at Plant Based DrJules.