As November gets underway, Nurse Practitioner Brent Gouthro is encouraging men to take a more active role in their health care, including making time for routine checkups and having conversations about prostate health.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gouthro, who works at Menzies Medical Centre in Morden, says Movember provides an opportunity to raise awareness about men’s health, particularly prostate cancer, but the message extends well beyond one month or a single health concern.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLive well, exercise often, eat healthy, manage sort of health-related conditions and see your provider regularly just for check-ins,\u201d Gouthro said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
He says men sometimes put off appointments until a concern becomes difficult to ignore, or assume that a medical examination required for work is enough to monitor their overall health.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gouthro, who is approaching 60 himself, says he has seen how conversations with friends and family can prompt men to reconsider when they last had a checkup, particularly when someone close to them has experienced prostate cancer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe look after our vehicles often better than we do our own bodies,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Understanding prostate health\u00a0<\/p>\n
Prostate concerns become increasingly relevant as men age, although Gouthro says changes in urinary habits can occur at different stages in life and do not automatically indicate cancer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The prostate naturally tends to enlarge with age. Because the gland surrounds part of the tube that carries urine from the bladder, enlargement can affect urination. Men may find themselves getting up more frequently at night, feeling that their bladder is not emptying completely or needing to urinate more often.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gouthro explains,\u00a0\u201cMost times not related to prostate cancer, but it’s the symptoms are similar.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
He says men should discuss prostate health and potential screening with their provider as they get older, with the timing depending on their individual circumstances and risk factors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Screening may involve a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and a digital rectal examination. The blood test measures PSA, a substance produced by the prostate, while a physical examination allows a provider to assess the gland for abnormalities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gouthro says the two approaches can provide complementary information when assessing whether further investigation is needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Getting past the discomfort\u00a0<\/p>\n
For some men, the prospect of a prostate examination can be enough to put off making an appointment. Gouthro acknowledges that the procedure can feel uncomfortable or personal, but says it is brief and serves a practical purpose.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also emphasizes that a conversation with a provider does not mean immediately undergoing an examination or test. Building a relationship with a health-care professional allows time to discuss concerns, understand available options and make informed decisions about screening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe PSA blood test isn’t 100% accurate,\u201d he said, explaining that combining the blood test with a physical examination can help providers better understand whether further investigation may be appropriate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For men anxious about the examination itself, Gouthro says the procedure takes only seconds. He adds that health-care providers can take time to explain the process and help patients feel comfortable before proceeding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Knowing your risks\u00a0<\/p>\n
Family history is another important consideration when it comes to men’s health. Gouthro encourages people to be aware of health conditions affecting close relatives, including prostate cancer, heart disease and diabetes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He says some men may need to discuss earlier or more frequent prostate screening with their provider because of their individual risk factors. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Gouthro says lifestyle and environmental factors may also be relevant, making it important for people to discuss their individual circumstances with a health-care professional.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He encourages men to pay attention to changes in their everyday health, such as becoming unusually short of breath while doing familiar physical activities, and to seek medical advice when something seems different.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can’t just sort of roll the dice and expect, ‘oh, that’s not going to happen’.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
Making men’s health a priority\u00a0<\/p>\n
Movember is a reminder to make health care a regular part of life rather than something to address only when a problem arises.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Advances in prostate cancer treatment have improved the options available to patients, but identifying a potential problem and discussing it with a provider remains important.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For men who have not had a checkup in several years, Gouthro’s advice is:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust have a discussion with your provider, see your provider if you haven’t been there for a while.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
He says patients and providers can work together to determine what checks or screening may be appropriate, based on their health and circumstances.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gouthro encourages men not to assume that serious health problems happen only to someone else, but to take the opportunity during Movember to make their own well-being a priority.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As November gets underway, Nurse Practitioner Brent Gouthro is encouraging men to take a more active role in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":955727,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,84,392],"class_list":["post-955726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/955726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=955726"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/955726\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/955727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=955726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=955726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=955726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}