Treatment options: According to Dr. Trahan, it’s important to increase physical activity to keep the weight off and improve heart and lung health, but making changes to your diet is the key to losing weight. For eligible candidates, bariatric surgery can lead to faster and perpetual weight loss. The minimally invasive surgery resolves not just obesity, but also many of the above issues. Yet only 1 percent of those eligible get the operation. “And of those, just one of five are men,” Dr. Trahan says, “even though they need it as much as women do.” According to Dr. Trahan, gastric bypass creates a thumb-sized pouch from the top of the stomach and connects it to the small intestine. Gastric sleeve, also called sleeve gastrectomy, cuts down your stomach by 70 percent until it’s the size of a banana “People can eat very little, yet they feel full,” he says. “Once men lose the weight, their quality of life is so much better.” MAINTENANCE Why it’s needed: His body is more complex than
Aqua ablation uses a computer and high-pressured water, to destroy excess tissue while transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) uses heated electrodes or a laser to take out the central part of the prostate. Surgeons also can cut through the abdomen to do a simple prostatectomy, in which they remove the interior tissue of super-sized glands. LARGE WAISTLINE Symptoms: He snores loudly, urinates often and has heartburn. Likely culprit: Obesity. His organs are surrounded by visceral fat and crammed into his tummy—and that’s bad news. “Obesity is a major killer because it’s linked to diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular and other grave diseases,” says Michael Trahan, MD, an assistant professor of surgery at McGovern Medical School and bariatric surgeon affiliated with Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital. “While women tend to be more proactive with their health, men don’t address their weight till their pain and medical problems are unbearable.”
his car, but just like it, he needs regular checkups and maintenance. Providing those is his primary care physician (PCP), says Rupali Kadakia, MD, a primary care physician with Memorial Hermann Medical Group. “You know if you don’t change the oil in your car, swap out the air filters or rotate the tires on a regular basis, you’re asking for a hefty repair bill, when your car breaks down,” she said. “The same is true with our bodies. If we wait until they start showing signs of a problem, we’re looking at a more serious problem than we would’ve had we kept up with regular checkups.” Treatment options: He should have an annual physical at least yearly to measure blood pressure, height and weight, cholesterol, blood sugar and other key body metrics. His doctor may urge other tests or health screenings, based on his family or personal health history. It’s never too late to rev up for better health. Regular tune-ups will spare him from major mishaps down the road. “We can certainly treat you when you are sick, but our bigger goal is to prevent disease in the first place,” says Dr. Kadakia.
Fernando Gomez-Rivera, MD ENT Surgeon
Zeinab Alawadi, MD General Surgeon
Gavin Wagenheim, MD Urologist
Michael Trahan, MD Bariatric Surgeon
Rupali Kadakia, MD Family Medicine Physician
Learn more about men’s health and recommended screenings by age at memorialhermann.org/menshealth
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