How Understanding Men’s Health Will Help Your Husband

It’s easy to think about health in broad strokes, thinking about easy to understand concepts like diet, exercise, heart health, and so forth. But these general considerations don’t take into account many of the special issues that affect men and women separately. If you have an important guy in your life (one who you want to live a long healthy life), it’s important to start to understand some of the health issues that impact men but not women. Women can sometimes be totally ignorant of these issues, because they’ve never had a reason to learn about them until now. Here are some of those. 

Testosterone and Hormonal Issues. Testosterone is the defining hormone for men. It’s the one that causes thick body hair, aggression, high sex drive, the development of strong muscles, and so many other traits we associate with “manliness”. However, testosterone production isn’t steady all through life. While there are other issues a man might run into, testosterone can take a steep dive when a man reaches the end of middle age, almost like a male menopause. This can lead to a drop in sex drive, lowered immune system health, and the development of male breasts. Bodily hormone changes are treatable with steroids and other methods, but noticing the changes is perhaps the most important element, as treatment cannot begin without it. 

Prostate Health. The prostate grows larger and often becomes cancerous as men get older. However, this doesn’t usually become an issue until later in life. While a man is young, the prostate can be kept healthy through normal healthy diet and exercise, in addition to kegels. These pelvic floor exercises have a lot of benefits for men, including improved continence and better sexual performance. 

Mental Health Issues. Men are more prone than women to psychiatric disorders, for reasons that are not altogether clear. However, some of the signs are becoming better understood. Men’s chemical makeup does not always lend itself to health and happiness. There are also cultural factors, such as the social expectation of  individuality and self-reliance among men, which predispose men to isolation and the resultant depression. It is important to understand why some men are prone to depression and anxiety, and to know how to get them therapy if necessary. 

Weight and Fitness. Some men are natural athletes, but others are not. Without routine exercise, men have a variety of health concerns, including many of the ones already described. Exercise and fitness are excellent ways for a man to help foster overall health and wellbeing. Sometimes this process works best when a significant other helps to facilitate it. 

There are some health concerns which men and women experience exactly the same way, and others which are unique to those biologically man and biologically woman. If you are a woman who has a significant other who is a man, it is helpful to understand the health concerns which are specific to men, both to spot them as they develop and to help overcome them through well known methods and hard work.