| Like many men, Ian Anderson used to take little care of his health.
He rarely visited his GP, took little care of his diet and admits his lifestyle was unhealthy and his weight too high. Then last November, Ian, a sales rep, was invited to attend a new clinic aimed specifically at men like him.
The Camelon Centre for Men’s Health in Falkirk offers a full health 2006 health issue man october Image After considerable nagging from his wife, Ian decided to enrol and says it has radically improved not only his health, but the health of his entire family. He signed up for the weight management programme and dropped from just over 20 stone to 16st 13 lbs, losing a massive12 inches from around his waist.
He says he is delighted with his new image. “I am one of those men who never went to their doctor unless I could not walk or was seriously ill, and that seemed to be the case of lots of the guys on the course,” he said. “But now I feel a lot healthier. I am going to the gym four to six times a week. “The kids are loving it too because they get to go swimming when I go to the gym. The wife has also signed up for the gym and the whole family are now eating much more healthily and taking more exercise.” Ian, 42, admits that without the programme, which offered a free pass at the local fitness centre as an incentive to shape up, he would still be one of millions of men across the UK a living very unhealthy lifestyle. But he was far from the only man to get a nasty shock when he finally went along for advice. “A lot of people who went for the MOT discovered that there was something wrong with them that they did not know about,” he said. Fish suppers District charge nurse Jim Leishman and health visitor Alison Dalziel decided to set up the pilot scheme after concerns that men in their area, as in other parts of the country, were not as healthy as they should be.
Ms Dalziel said: “There is nothing specific for men in the area. They were not attending their health services, and in common with most men in Scotland, their health is quite poor. “We found that a lot of guys who came through the door had not seen their GP for between two to five years.
“I think it is a 39 health magazine man s “Mental health problems also get ignored because you are seen as a wimp if you cry.”
She said that the weight management courses had proved particularly popular, and that all the men had been very diabetes diet health ii man type “The 10 men on the first course lost 13 stone between them and 44 inches from their waists. “They all did well and were all very enthusiastic.” Proactive approach Mr Leishman, who ran the initial course, said almost 650 men had now attended the clinic. It was quickly apparent that many of the men had problems with stress, weight problems or blood pressure. Just under three quarters of the men who attended were overweight or obese, 57% had high blood pressure, 38% had mental health problems, 23% presented with urinary problems and 11% had some form of erectile dysfunction. Not only did the clinic deal with health problems which were already apparent, they also took a proactive approach, discussing with the men how best they could prevent further trouble from occurring in the future. The team has also developed a course to help practitioners - mainly nurses so far - to set up services aimed at improving men’s health. Further information about the course can be obtained from Mr Leishman or Ms Dalziel on 01324 679133 or 679132, or 07792847801.
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