MEN’S HEALTH: Allen Countians up to par with checkups, screenings

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June 8, 2017 - 12:00 AM

HUMBOLDT — When it comes to health screenings Allen County men may take as much prodding as their female counterparts. 
The top three killers of men throughout the U.S. are heart disease, cancer and accidents, according to Dr. Brian Neely of the Allen County Regional Clinic Humboldt.
The good news is Allen County men are measuring up when it comes to general health screenings. With a demographic of approximately half of the total male population aged 40 or above, that may not be as surprising as it sounds. Most examinations are taking place during the course of treatment for chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.
“No one wants to get a colonoscopy but it can detect cancer and it can save lives,” Neely said.
“I think people are pretty good about getting things checked out. They don’t want to get sick.”
While obesity and smoking are the main contributors to high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and diabetes, smoking and poor diet are the two most common detrimental habits the physician encounters in the male patients he treats. 
“Everybody can probably use a little bit of improvement in their diet,” he said.“ Not smoking and keeping their weight under control are probably two of the best things anyone can do to keep themselves healthy, and especially men.”
Traditionally men have a reputation for avoiding doctor’s offices, but Neely said that may be a myth. As men age they become more aware of the risks, he said. Older men often take prescribed medications for ongoing conditions and get used to routine doctor’s visits.
The importance of when to begin screenings is discussed during scheduled appointments. It is recommended that colon cancer screenings begin at age 50, or earlier if there is a family history of the disease. Men should begin prostate cancer screenings between the ages of 40 to 50 years old. Patients over 65 who used to smoke should get one-time screenings for both abdominal aneurysm and lung cancer.
Since 2012 the Center For Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that all adults born between the years of 1945 and 1965 should have a one-time screening for hepatitis C. Members of the baby boomer generation, often unaware that they are infected, are five times more likely to carry the disease than other adults. Neely, who practiced in Kansas City prior to coming to Allen County, said that due to a televised campaign many boomers go to the doctor asking to be tested.
“Once I started screening people( primarily in Kansas City) I was shocked how many people came back positive,” he said.
Screenings for skin cancer have no age limits but are more crucial as a person ages. 
Neely suggested that young men follow the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations for HPV vaccinations. The agency states that the vaccination should no longer be optional, but be given as part of a routine immunization schedule.
“A lot of head and neck cancers now are proven to be associated with certain types of HPV viruses,” Neely said.”So the hope is that they may have some protection from some of those cancers later on in life.”
Neely said most of the parents of the 11- to 12- year-old patients he treats in Allen County are receptive to the idea.
Neely’s prescription for the area’s middle-aged men is to “stay out of trouble.”

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