House Call - Summer 2012 - (Page 5)

A Family Aﬀair partner and kids in good health 5 ideas for keeping your P aging Dr. Mom! June is national Men’s Health Month and Aug. 5 is Kids’ Health Day, making now the perfect time to encourage your husband and children to eat more nutritious meals, get plenty of exercise and simply be more proactive about their health. After all, statistics show there’s plenty of room for improvement. First, let’s talk about the man in your life. This may come as a bit of a shock, but men lead women in all of the top 10 causes of death. One reason is women are 100 percent more likely to visit the doctor for annual examinations and preventive services than men. Men are also less likely to monitor their diets and nutrition, which leads to an increased risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke and even some cancers. What can a woman do to get her hubby on the path to good health? Aaron Stike, M.D., urologist with West Texas Urology, offers the following tips: the past 30 years, putting them at risk for diabetes, which now afﬂicts about one in every 400 children and adolescents. But parents can reverse the trend by being more mindful of what their children eat, says Rhonda Carr, R.D., L.D., CDE, diabetes education coordinator with Midland Memorial’s Diabetes Nutrition Learning Center. She offers the following tips: Recommend that your husband schedule a routine physical exam. “Beginning at the age of 40, men need a baseline PSA [prostate-speciﬁc antigen test] as well as a digital rectal exam to check the prostate,” Stike says. “If everything appears normal and the man has no family history of prostate cancer, he doesn’t need to begin annual prostate screening until age 50.” 1 3 Entice your children to eat more fruits and vegetables. “Kids always like to dip, so they can dip baby carrots, celery sticks and bell pepper strips in a low-fat dressing,” Carr says. “You can do the same thing with fruit and a yogurt dip.” Don’t let kids skimp on breakfast. “Studies show that kids who regularly eat breakfast tend to be slimmer than the kids who skip it,” Carr says. 2 If your husband is still smoking, encourage him to quit. “Most people know you can develop lung cancer by smoking, but not as many people know the No. 1 risk factor for bladder cancer is smoking,” Stike says. Other risk factors include age, a family history of bladder cancer and exposure to pollution and chemicals. Next, let’s take a look at your children’s health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports childhood obesity has more than tripled in 4 5 Choose healthy fast foods. “If you’re doing fast food, a turkey sub would be better than a fried ﬁsh sandwich, a thin-crust pizza is better than a deepdish pizza, and instead of fries, order a fruit cup.” 1 TIME FOR AN ANNUAL CHECKUP? Finding a primary care doctor or specialist has never been easier, thanks to the “Find a Physician” feature on Midland’s website, at midland-memorial.com/Physician2.aspx. UPDATES ON HEALTH Follow Midland on Facebook at facebook.com/MidlandMemorialHospital 5 http://www.midland-memorial.com/Physician2.aspx http://www.facebook.com/MidlandMemorialHospital

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of House Call - Summer 2012

House Call - Summer 2012
Highlights of Our Annual Report
Health Tips for Dads and Kids
A Happy Landing

House Call - Summer 2012