This Men’s Health Month, Taking Care of Yourself Is Taking Care of Your Family

June is Men’s Health Month, and with Father’s Day in there too, it’s a natural time to put your health first and stick around for many more celebrations to come.

Did you know that men in the U.S. live an average of five fewer years than women? This is more because of choices, not biology. Men are less likely to schedule routine checkups, less likely to follow through on screenings, and more likely to wait until something feels seriously wrong before they show up at a clinic.

The Men’s Health Week international website outlines three goals: raise awareness of preventable health problems in men, encourage healthier lifestyle choices, and promote early detection and treatment. In the U.S., the focus is on what advocates call the Empathy Gap, the idea that men’s health challenges don’t get nearly the attention they deserve.

The Biggest Misconception in Men’s Health

One of the most persistent myths is that a doctor’s visit is only for when something is already wrong. Think about how you take care of your vehicle. You don’t wait for the check engine light to come on before you take action. The same concept applies to our bodies, which are more valuable.

Skipping regular checkups means missing the window when conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or early-stage prostate cancer are easiest to manage. By the time symptoms appear, treatment is often more complicated, and outcomes are harder to predict.

At Legacy Community Health, our providers see this pattern regularly.

“Too often I will meet a male patient for the first time when we are following up after his hospitalization for a heart attack or stroke,” said Dr. Joshua Gilens, an Adult Medicine physician at Legacy Pasadena Southmore. “I wonder if we could have prevented that outcome had they been a patient of mine in the years prior.”

What Men Need to Watch At Every Age

Heart disease remains the top cause of death for men in the United States, and it can be silent for years. According to Dr. Gilens, many of these cases were preventable. Patients who come in with chest pain and shortness of breath often had high cholesterol and high blood pressure that went undetected and untreated for years.

When it comes to screenings, Dr. Gilens considers two non-negotiable. “Men should discuss options for colon cancer screening at age 45 and for prostate cancer screening at age 50,” he said. “If they have family members who were diagnosed with these cancer types, they should talk with their doctor today. Certain family factors will warrant screening earlier than what is recommended for the general population.”

For men in their 50s and 60s who feel fine and wonder what the point is, Dr. Gilens has a direct answer. “Men often dismiss important signs as normal aging or simply slowing down. It is important to discuss these with your doctor to distinguish normal aging from undiagnosed heart or lung disease.” Aging does not have to mean decline, but it does mean being more intentional about care.

Don’t Ignore Your Mental Health

This is still an area where silence does real damage. Men are nearly four times more likely to die by suicide than women, yet fewer than half of men with a mental illness received treatment in the past year.

Jose G. Romero, LCSW-S, Director of Legacy’s Clinic Based Therapy Services, points out that the barriers go beyond stigma alone. Not only is it important to find a therapy provider that is the right fit, but it is also important to find a therapeutic structure that better aligns with how men experience life, relationships, and how they express distress. Legacy works to address that directly, connecting patients with providers who meet them where they are.

Now Is a Good Moment to Start

If you are someone, or know someone, who keeps putting off their health, this month is a natural opening to bring it up. Taking care of your health is not a personal indulgence. It is one of the most practical ways to be present for the people who count on you.

Here are five steps to take:

• Establish care with a primary provider,
• Stay current on cancer screenings,
• Keep up with vaccines,
• Prioritize mental health, and
• Build consistent habits around food and physical activity.

None of this requires a dramatic life change. It just requires showing up.

Legacy Community Health offers adult primary care, behavioral health services, and preventive screenings at locations across the Houston area.

Schedule an appointment online at legacycommunityhealth.org or by calling 832-548-5000.

Don’t wait until something feels wrong. The best time to start is before you need to.

Sources: Men’s Health Week International, Regional Medical Center, National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, ThedaCare, Pfizer, Legacy Community Health