Managing Male Ageing

Ng Kok Kit Dr

Description

Men are living longer today but many find that they do not have the energy or capability to enjoy this extra bit of life. Advancing age does not mean having to slow down because one is older. With knowledge, awareness and better care of his body, a man can extend his physical, mental and sexual capability and have so many more fulfilling and active years.Managing Male Ageing is about healthy aging in men; it is not a book about diseases. It examines the problems that affect a man's quality of life and how to deal with them. Covering general aspects of aging and andropause, sexual problems like erectile dysfunction, physical problems like urinary issues and common concerns like balding, weak bones, obesity, poor vision and hearing, as well as memory loss, it is a book with all the information men need to stay healthy and get more life out of their years.

Sujets

• Men's health

Informations

• Publié par: MarshallCavendishM
• Date de parution: 01 juin 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789814484442
• Langue: English

Extrait

Illustrations: Geoslyn Lim
Copyright 2009 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited
Published by Marshall Cavendish Editions
An imprint of Marshall Cavendish International
1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Request for permission should be addressed to the Publisher, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196 Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] E-mail: [e-mail] Online bookstore: http://www.marshallcavendish.com .
General Disclaimer
The publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this book, and specifically disclaims any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose, and shall in no events be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
Medical Disclaimer
This information and advice published or made available in this book is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a doctor-patient relationship. Information in this book is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information in this book for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician in all matters relating to your health, and particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. Any action on the reader s part in response to the information provided in this book is at the reader s discretion. Readers should consult their own physicians concerning the information in this book. The publisher and author make no representations or warrranties with respect to any information offered or provided in this book regarding treatment, action, or application of medication. The publisher and author are not liable for any direct or indirect claim, loss or damage resulting from use of this book.
Other Marshall Cavendish Offices:
Marshall Cavendish Ltd. 5th Floor, 32-38 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8FH, UK Marshall Cavendish Corporation. 99 White Plains Road, Tarrytown NY 10591-9001, USA Marshall Cavendish International (Thailand) Co Ltd. 253 Asoke, 12th Flr, Sukhumvit 21 Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand Marshall Cavendish (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Times Subang, Lot 46, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Batu Tiga, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Marshall Cavendish is a trademark of Times Publishing Limited
National Library Board Singapore Cataloguing in Publication Data
Ng, Kok Kit, 1969-
Managing male ageing / Ng Kok Kit. Singapore : Marshall Cavendish Editions, c2009.
p. cm.
eISBN : 978 981 4484 44 2
1. Aging. 2. Older men - Health and hygiene. 3. Older men - Physiology. I. Title.
RA777.8
613.04234 -- dc22 OCN367567569
Printed in Singapore by Times Printers Pte Ltd
Contents
Foreword
Introduction
1 Age Right-Delay and Fight the Effects of Ageing
2 What Makes a Man Tick
3 When the Hormones are Down
4 When the Penis is Limp
5 When the Stream is Poor
6 When the Pasture Thins
7 When the Bones Crack
8 When the Pants are Tight
9 When Words Must Be Repeated
10 When Things Slip Out of the Mind
11 When Now You See it, Now You Don t
Conclusion
Health Screening Checklist
Resources
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Very little attention has been given to men in the field of therapeutic and preventive healthcare as opposed to increased attention to women s health by dedicated gynaecologists, especially in the specialty of menopausal medicine. It may have been assumed that there is no equivalent male menopause but this is untrue. As with female menopause, diminished quality of life is also a concern with men during their mid-life.
Fortunately, the winds of change have begun. In the last 10 years, there has been a growing interest in the ageing male and it has become a new field of men s health that addresses the emotional and behavioural issues from a gender perspective from youth to older adulthood. This field identifies the peculiar psychosocial, psychosexual and masculine constructs that impact men s health in any given culture. Andrology and men s health is a fascinating new field of endeavour which also includes health promotion from a masculine perspective, education and the targeting of gender specific healthcare resources to areas of health screening and preventive medicine to aid early detection of disease, psychological needs and treatment.
To appreciate men s health one will need to understand the social determinants of health and gender constructs. In this regard, a man s role as the aggressor, the risk-taker, the health compromiser and his susceptibility to trauma and injury are of great importance. Men s health issues range from psychological and sexual health, erectile dysfunction, male reproduction and male infertility to the range of health risk factors that impinge on men s health and well-being such as diseases of the prostate and genito-urinary organs and sexually transmitted diseases.
Dr Ng Kok Kit has answered the challenge to provide a simple, clear, right-to-the-point, very readable and enjoyable text on this very subject which, until now, has not been available for the general public. His comfortable, easy style and simple jargon-free language steers the reader through the mysteries of what the ageing male experiences. He provides step-by-step advice on how to identify the symptoms of conditions that can develop, how to apply questionnaire instruments for a quick self-diagnosis and, more importantly, how to take quick preventive action to delay or eradicate the condition before it takes its toll. Dr Ng has to be congratulated on this excellent book which will clearly fly off the shelves of bookshops as there is no equivalent work that so clearly gives all the answers to so many questions that the ageing male wants to ask but hitherto was afraid of doing so. The crying need for such a book is over. We owe a deep gratitude indeed to Dr Ng for this valuable educational effort from which the ordinary man will be the ultimate beneficiary vis- -vis his health and longevity.
Dr Peter H C Lim
Senior Consultant Urologist, Gleneagles Hospital, Singapore
Adjunct Professor (Andrology Men s Health), Edith Cowan University, WA
President, Society for Men s Health, Singapore
This book is dedicated to my wife and daughter, who are bearing with me right now, and who will have to put up with what I will become.
Introduction
Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don t mind, it doesn t matter. - American author Mark Twain
Ageing is as natural and inevitable as the seasons. It cannot be avoided and if you have not reached your 40s, you will soon. A long time ago, age was associated with wisdom and experience, but now being old has lost its charm in our current youth-obsessed society. It is now associated with loss of strength, mental agility and sex drive. However, thanks to modern society and improvements in health care and advancements in our socio-economic status, we now have a longer lifespan, with some individuals living beyond the age of 100 where once illness would have cut the lifespan of a man to 40 years.
We all want to continue to live an independent and healthy life now that modern science has bequeathed extra years to us. No one wants to be weak and infirm during those years. The first step is really to accept and embrace ageing for all its good points and warts. Then we need to work at achieving our goals. To keep in good health, we have to take care of our bodies just as we do our cars. For example, after our cars have done a certain mileage, we send them to the workshop for servicing and maintenance. Our bodies need the same level of care. We have to make some lifestyle changes (for the better) so that we can reap great returns in the long-term.
Keep in mind that many major illnesses like high blood pressure, a heart attack and diabetes can be prevented if our lifestyle changes include quitting smoking, exercising regularly and eating a balanced meal. And if these illnesses are detected early through health screenings, there is a better chance that they can be cured. The choice is really ours.
The aim of this book is to provide men with what they need to know to be healthy and happy as they grow into their 40s and beyond. It explains the many medical and physical conditions (such as osteoporosis, prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, eye problems and balding) that can affect them and how to deal with each.
It is often said that women outlive men but the main reason for this is that women take preventive steps before an illness strikes, unlike men who only seek a doctor as a last resort after exhausting other options. (Men, you might want to re-look your lives and learn from what the women are doing.)
At the end of the book, there is a checklist of important health screenings that you should consider going for, as well as a resource page of websites for more information or specific advice. Take this as your first step to preventing illnesses. As English poet Ernest Meyers once said, Don t just count your years, make your years count.
01 Age Right
From the moment you are born, your body begins to age. During your growing years, when the billions of cells in your body replicate quickly and more cells are formed than those that are destroyed, you accumulate more useful body tissues. Your brain, muscle and bone masses increase. Your mental and physical capabilities improve with time. Your hormones help you, as a male, to develop your male characteristics. More than just t