Once a man passes the 50-year mark, he’s like a car at 50,000 miles. His body may have always run smoothly, never left him stranded and could go on indefinitely. However, just as an older car requires regular check-ups, the same applies to a man’s body. At age 50, to maintain a healthy lifestyle, he needs to give it more care.
I’m well beyond 50 and have managed to live a healthy, active life. I maintain a proper diet, exercise both physically and mentally, and make sure I get routine medical exams and tests. When I turned 50, I began to pay much closer attention to my health and started getting regular health tests to screen for serious health risks. Here are five key health tests that are essential for men over 50:
Total Check Up
I worked for a large financial company for 25 years. There was a fully-staffed medical department in our building, and we were encouraged to have thorough annual physical exams. If your job doesn’t include that benefit, check with your family physician for scheduling check-ups. If you’re age 50+, you should have the full series of exams at least once every two years. If you’re over 65, they should be annual.
Lung Cancer
One of the most important regular check-ups men age 50+ should take regularly is cancer screening. According to the National Cancer Institute, 14.1 percent of men between 45 and 54 who are examined for various forms of the disease show early symptoms. The rate increases to 22.7 percent for those between ages 55 and 64.
For regular smokers, according to the Lung Cancer Info Guide, risks of lung cancer can be as high as eight times those of non-smokers. Cigarette smokers who quit can reduce the figure by as much as 33 percent, depending on when they stop. Additionally, everyone is exposed to second-hand smoke and environmental pollutants. Since I retired, at least once every three years I’ve had lung cancer screenings.
Prostate Cancer
According to government statistics, prostate cancer is rarely found in men under 44. For 45 through 54, it strikes 9.1 percent, and is most likely to occur in 30.7 percent of men between 45 to 54, and 35.3 percent for ages between 65 and 74. These figures emphasize the need for men age 50+ to schedule screenings for prostate cancer at least every two years.
Heart Check-ups
After retiring at 65, I gained weight, discontinued exercising and neglected medical check-ups. Three years later, after sudden breathlessness, I consulted a cardiologist. He detected elevated blood pressure and growing blockages in two coronary arteries. Surgery for placing stents in the arteries prevented a possible heart attack. He also put me on a sensible exercise and diet regimen. That was more than 15 years ago, and now I have regular heart check-ups annually.
Eye Exams
Men who attain age 50 notice the small print gets more difficult to read, and squinting may be required to see images on their TV sets. While those normal aging happenings are not necessarily health problems, annual scheduling of eye exams can do more. Your doctor may also find chronic diseases like cataracts, diabetes, hypertension and elevated cholesterol levels. At age 60, I began to experience night driving problems.
A session with an ophthalmologist resulted in surgery for cataracts to replace my natural eye lenses with implanted ones. That was 20 years ago, and in addition to solving night driving problems, the lenses actually gave me better vision.
Conclusion
Aging is natural, and despite Botox and cosmetic surgery, there’s no avoiding it. However, men who attain their half-century year can make the journey into their sunset years healthier and more enjoyable through regular health screenings.
