Screen for depression and evaluate mental health
Over 6 million men suffer from depression per year, but male depression often goes underdiagnosed (5). Depression increases risk for other serious men’s health problems like heart disease and stroke, as well as chronic issues like obesity & sexual dysfunction. In fact, men with clinical depression are about twice as likely to develop ED (6).
Your integrative doctor may ask you about your stress levels, coping mechanisms, and your general feelings about your daily life. Then, a functional medicine approach might include counseling, diet & lifestyle changes, supplement recommendations, or further testing.
Learn more about the root causes of depression & other mental health issues.
Hormone testing
Hormones are the chemical messengers that regulate sleep, mood, metabolism, and dozens more functions in men’s health. The demands of daily life, like stress, poor sleep, weight gain, and a sedentary life can wreak havoc on hormones like testosterone, which is crucial for all men to maintain lean muscle, bone density, libido, and energy.
While symptoms like fatigue, low libido, and weight gain are common, they certainly aren’t normal, and your integrative doctor will monitor your hormones and make adjustments with you to get them back into a healthy range. Hormone testing is also an integral part of treating male infertility, which is becoming increasingly commonplace.
A simple blood test will show you your hormone levels and your doctor can work with you to create a plan that focuses on nutrition, lifestyle changes, exercise & stress management techniques so that you can naturally balance hormones over time.
Shop: Men’s Health Supplements
Prostate cancer & other cancer screenings
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men (after skin cancer) (7). Between age 40 and 50 it’s recommended to get an annual prostate screening to check for an enlarged prostate or any signs of this potentially life-threatening condition. This may involve a physical exam, urine test, and/or blood test.
Depending on your age and family history, you may also need to get other cancer screenings such as colonoscopies. Regular checkups are the best way to catch any potential issues early, when treatments are more likely to be successful.
For early warning cancer screening, thermography is a great and non-invasive way to detect the early development of cancer. Thermography is a safe, comfortable, and effective way to detect early warning signs of cancer and other health risks years before they show up on other tests.
This FDA-approved method uses cutting edge cameras to monitor circulation, neurological function, and inflammation due to slight increases in body temperature as a result of increased blood flow to areas on the body.
Learn more about effective, non-invasive cancer screening.
Meeting men’s health needs with functional medicine
At the end of the day, men’s health can be simple and straightforward. While regular checkups and screenings are important, it’s even more important to have a good primary care doctor who understands your individual needs and takes a holistic approach to your health and wellness.
Experience the difference with Integrative Men’s Health—book an appointment.
Functional medicine addresses the specific needs of each patient, and can help you create an individualized plan for maintaining good health. A functional medicine practitioner will look at what’s happening inside & outside of your body, from genetics to diet & lifestyle to assess how everything is connected. Advanced testing & diagnostics allow men’s health physicians to evaluate underlying causes of dysfunction that may be keeping you from feeling or being as healthy as possible. With this information they can create a personalized treatment plan tailored specifically to you!
Resources
- https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/skin-cancer/types/common/melanoma/men-50
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5407289
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6470716
- https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/research/data-statistics/oral-cancer/incidence
- https://adaa.org/find-help/by-demographics/mens-mental-health
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41443-020-00405-4
- https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate-cancer/about/key-statistics.html