The following letter is from our Executive Health Physician, Dr Grant Meek.
During June, and in light of this health theme across Canada, I am focusing on Men’s Health.
Recently a patient came in for a health assessment. Over the span of a few weeks, he lost a number of close friends to cancer and heart disease. It came as quite a shock as they were all in their late forties and early fifties. It was a real wake up call for him, as he was not too serious about his health, thinking his age protected him.
The truth is we all can do better. 8/10 premature heart attacks and strokes are preventable through healthy lifestyle behaviours. Many risk factors for heart disease and stroke are in your power to control. We gain many benefits from healthy activity such as exercise and quitting smoking. Adding more exercise into your daily routine will strengthen and protect your heart. A healthy weight and waistline will make you feel better, stronger and younger. Identify the things that are causing you stress so you can deal with them effectively.
I hope this gets you thinking about preventing disease, as it can be so easy to neglect our own health.
For a healthy June,
Dr. Grant Meek, MBChB, CCFP
Certified Family Physician