Get Healthy De Soto

…having a long-lasting positive impact on the health and safety of the De Soto community by encouraging healthy lifestyle choices, through programs promoting physical activity, healthy nutrition, weight control and disease and injury prevention.

Men’s Health Week

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The week leading up to Father’s Day is National Men’s Health Week. Men: it’s a great time to take stock of your health because avoiding intervention due to illness is really important. The goal should be to not need an intervention. Or if you’re a woman, this week is a great time to let the men you care about know that they’re not alone in their quest for good health. Three things to do:

  1. Eat well
  2. Exercise regularly
  3. Stop smoking

These are very basic and get repeated ad nauseam, but isn’t keeping things simple sometimes the best option. Doing these three things can help you avoid disease later in life. According to the CDC, heart disease and cancer are the two leading causes of death in men, so this time of year is also a perfect time to learn a little more about signs and symptoms that you might see in dear old dad.

Heart disease

Know the signs of a heart attack and if you think you or someone you know is having a heart attack, call 911 immediately. Major signs of a heart attack include:

  • Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back
  • Feeling weak, light-headed, or faint
  • Chest pain or discomfort
  • Pain or discomfort in arms or shoulder
  • Shortness of breath
Cancer

Regular check-ups are important. Talking to your doctor can help determine if initial screenings for certain cancers are warranted. Doctors are also great about reminding you that, “Yup, you’ve had a birthday since you saw me last. Although you’re in good health for someone who is 50, it’s time to schedule your first colonoscopy.” (Heckler cheers and comments go here for Muppet fans.) Of course, if you don’t have a doctor that you see regularly, finding a good primary care physician would be your first step. If you don’t have a primary care physician, you might consider stopping by the DeSoto Farmers’ Market between 9 am and 3:30 pm on June 24th or June 25th. The health department’s Mobile Health Center will be parked there those days, and in addition to basic screenings, they offer additional resources for finding a regular doctor. To find out where they’ll be on other days, check out their website.