Your Health…Don’t Mess With It
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
When’s the last time you went to see the doctor? What about the dentist? Eye guy? Have you had your car oil changed? Got a haircut? Or how about feeding yourself? All these things have to do with providing the proper maintenance. Minor maintenance avoids major problems.
Average age men die!
I know some things in life are a hassle, but your health is important if you want to stick around for a while. Let’s consider a few things that cause the most problems in men according to Men’s Health magazine.
1. Cardiovascular disease is number one on the list of things you should prevent. Hardening of the arteries, which leads to heart attack and stroke, is the cause that grab guys out of this life during their early 60’s. So,
1a. Visit your doctor for a checkup.
1b. Find out what your cholesterol levels are and get them in line.
1c. Control your blood pressure.
1d. Stop smoking or hanging around smokers.
1e. Increase physical activity so that you are getting your heart rate up for at least 60 minutes a day, most days of the week.
1f. Eat more fruits and vegetables and reduce trans fats.
2. Lung Cancer is still the number one cancer that kills men. It grows fast and when found is usually out of control already,usually because the men don’t go to the doctor often enough. Tobacco smoke is still the number one cause of lung cancer, which kills enough men each year to fill the Superdome. So what are you going to do about it?
2a. Visit your doctor for a checkup.
2b. Stop smoking or hanging around smokers.
3. How’s your prostate? Prostate cancer is the number one cancer that affects men besides skin cancer. The prostate is a walnut sized gland that wraps around the tube which carries urine out of your bladder. During sexual activity it produces the seminal fluid which carries the sperm during ejaculation. It can become enlarged and pinch the tube causing restricted flow out of the bladder, which results in the need to urinate more frequently. While only 1 in 35 men die from this cancer it has been discovered that there are two cancers that can be identified as prostate cancer, one being more aggressive and lethal than the other. So,
3a. Visit your doctor for a checkup.
3b. Excessive urination, especially if there is blood in the urine is not normal.
4. Depression and suicide are very problematic in men. We usually don’t admit our depression because we don’t want to admit that we are out of control or weak. Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death for men with the younger men having the highest occurrence. We don’t like to be helped and especially don’t like to be treated. “Get those nut job pills away from me!” Well, guess what? Holding in that depression usually leads to outbreaks of anger, drinking, stress, which all contribute to hypertension and cardiac problems. Additionally, we look to remedy it with pleasures like eating, sex, gambling, drugs, which all lead back to being depressed.
4a. Visit your doctor for a checkup.
4b. Take the medication if you need it.
4c. Seek out a Biblical Counselor and get to the root of what gets you depressed.
5. Diabetes, is the often symptom-less health problem. Frequent urination and
unquenched thirst are telltale signs that you should get checked out. Excess glucose (sugar) spills over into the blood making it less profitable and wears on your body causing many complications if not treated.
5a. Visit your doctor for a checkup.
5b. Healthy diet, exercise and moderate weight lead the list of how you can care for yourself.
6. Erectile Dysfunction or the inability to get an erection is a normal aging condition, however, if you experience this, you should see your doctor. It is often considered an early warning for future heart problems, including heart attack, as it signals a problem with your circulation.
6a. Visit your doctor for a checkup.
6b. Don’t feel less masculine or stressed about it.
6c. There are remedies.
Staying healthy and getting healthier are very important to your quality of life and to the lives of those you love. Don’t ignore regular yearly checkups and don’t side step the treatments that may be prescribed.
Remember, that if you wish to serve God you must be ready at any time to go where He sends you or to do what He asks. If you don’t, you’ll miss the blessing He has for you.
Just Do It! You’ll feel good about it.
Note: Some contents of this post are paraphrased from a “Men’s Health” magazine article.