16 June 2023 , 17:57
598
0
This Men's Health Week, TV's Dr Hilary Jones is urging men to "get over" the embarrassment of going to the doctor to get themselves help when they need it.
The 69-year-old GP spoke to The Mirror about the biggest health concerns men currently face, which he claims include heart disease, cancer, and mental health issues.
The medical expert explained that mental health has become a major concern for men of late, with suicide being the most common cause of death among men under 45.
"It's shocking, isn't it," he proclaimed.
"But men do bottle up their feelings, they don't talk about their emotions like women are able to do so, and often people don't notice when a guy is seriously anxious or depressed and that's something we need to be more aware of."
Warning as popular food and drink ‘increase risk of cancer death by up to 30%’
Heart disease is one of the top concerns (stock photo) (Getty Images)Next up he discussed how heart disease is something doctors are seeing much more of due to "more inactivity and more obesity".
It's a "major problem" he admits.
And the third was cancer, which for men, in particular, the big worries are testicular cancer and prostate cancer.
"We don't have a really good prostate screening possibility at the moment, although we're looking into it and we're going to get better at it," the expert, who is also an adviser to Hada Labo Tokyo Skin Care, explained.
"So many men are reluctant to be investigated for prostate problems. You know they're embarrassed and men need to get over that embarrassment as well."
As we recently heard, prostate cancer can be a 'silent killer' as it's symptomless in the early stages and the only way to check is via a blood test.
The disease kills 12,000 men in the UK each year, so it's important to get checked.
The expert urged men not to be embarrassed to go to the doctor (stock photo) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)When it comes to testicular cancer, Dr Hilary encourages men to get to know their testicles and be checking them regularly for any lumps or changes.
He explained what people should be looking for, saying: "Men just need to know what their balls feel like and report any changes that are out of the ordinary.
"It's important to know that one testicle generally hangs lower than the other. They're often not the same size and little lumps and bumps are quite common and are usually just cysts or collections of fluid.
Mum with terminal cancer wants to see son 'write his first word' before she dies
"But if anything else changes or you find you've got a painless lump on the testicle itself, get it checked out urgently."
If there's any doubt at all about what you're feeling, the expert stresses you should head to the doctor.
"It's actually quite difficult to examine the scrotum unless you're a professional because you've got veins, you've got the spermatic duct, you've got the testicle and you've got nerves and sometimes collections of fluid there.
"A worm-like swelling is usually one of the ducts or a collection of veins, which we call a Varicocele.
"A testicular cancer this more suspicious, and would be a well-defined, smooth swelling, usually smooth or craggy swelling on the testicle itself not around it.
"It would be part of the testicle itself. All the other little cysts and varicose veins feel wormlike and are very mobile.
"If in doubt, get it checked," he added.
Do you have a health story to share? We want to hear all about it. Email [email protected]