Dr. Darrell Dean This is Me

Education

 Web References

1. 1. Floyd Medical Center - Your Health

   www.floydmed.org/menrisking.ht - [Cached]

   Published on: 1/31/1999   Last Visited: 3/13/2003

   "Most people agree when I talk to them about living a healthy lifestyle," says Darrell Dean, D.O., a primary care physician with North Georgia Medical Associates, a Centrex provider. "Yet, I am amazed at the men who say they have a healthy lifestyle and still smoke. The problem is a lack of immediate effect of the unhealthy behavior. If you smoke and feel fine, it is hard to believe there is some big problem lurking out there."
   
   When you compare the causes of death, statistics show that smoking kills more American men each year than the combined deaths from alcohol abuse, car accidents, homicide, suicide and AIDS. Smoking-related deaths number in the thousands per day.
   ...
   "There is a stigma associated with having emotional or mental problems," Dr. Dean says. "It is proportionally more difficult for men to seek help when they are having trouble and for them to deny that they are having trouble. Their immediate reaction will be to say nothing is wrong, when in reality there is evidence of depression. As many as 30 percent of male patients older than 18 who see their doctor for various reasons also have some degree of depression. In most cases, the depression is unrecognized and untreated."
   
   Sexuality is another difficult topic for men to discuss with their physicians.
   ...
   "I don't think men bring that up very easily, and it is important to talk about," Dr. Dean says. "When men have difficulty with erections, they are reluctant to talk frankly about what is really going on." The top causes of erectile difficulties are diabetes and medications.
   
   Even a man's expectations for himself can have an impact on sexual function. "In part, they don't know what is right or 'normal.' They tend to attribute difficulties to the fact that they are growing older and may fail to recognize that alcohol and tobacoo use also play a role in their ability to have an erection."
   
   ...
   "It is amazing how many people get concerned over minor things and ignore the major things," Dr. Dean says.