Men's health a family issue

MATTAWA - National Men's Health Week is always scheduled close to Father's Day, which was June 21 this year.

"Because the focus is on men in the role of father, grandfather, uncle, etc., it is a good time to think about men's health," said Dr. Al Atfeh, Columbia Basin Health Association medical provider at the Wahluke Family Clinic.

"Men are urged to give themselves and the people who love them a Father's Day present by taking care of their health," he said.

According to Atfeh, regular medical, dental and vision examinations are as important for boys and men as for girls and women. Studies show that men tend to not visit their physician as often as their female counterparts.

Men and women both experience health problems such as heart disease, cholesterol issues, blood pressure problems and various cancers but there are a number of health concerns affecting only men.

Specific men's health issues also include prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

Atfeh said men and women all have a variety of risk factors - things in your life that increase your chances of developing a condition or disease. These include family history, exposures to things in the environment, a certain age or sex, being from a certain ethnic group, or already having a health condition.

As a medical provider, Atfeh helps his patients determine what screening tests are important for them from a nationally approved medical checklist.

Since increasing age is a risk factor in itself, different screenings are recommended for different age levels. While it is important for all men to have their blood pressure checked every one to two years, it is not necessary, unless there is a family history.

It's possible for a 25-year old male to need annual screenings for a variety of diseases Atfeh said. Possible screenings include tests for: sexually transmitted diseases, digital rectal exam, chest x-ray, TB skin test, cholesterol blood test, tetanus booster, blood tests and urinalysis, EKG (electrocardiogram), hemoccult, testosterone screening, diabetes screening, PSA blood test, flexible sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy and bone mineral density.

Dr. Atfeh joined the CBHA medical staff last year.