June is Men’s Health Month, a nationwide initiative to share education and awareness about the importance of men’s health.
Our team at Coastal Carolina Internal Medicine P.A. proudly joins this movement to inform men about the importance of mental and heart health. Compared to women, men are at a higher risk of developing life-threatening heart diseases. Although serious, this problem is largely preventable and treatable, especially if detected early by a member of our team.
To be clear, we do not have a cardiologist in Jacksonville, NC, on staff. Instead, we have an internist specialist, a doctor who specializes in internal organs and systems of the body. Our Head Doctor and Physician, Dr. Jose Ignacio Ros, can help manage chronic diseases related to heart health, prolonging your need to visit a specialist like a cardiologist.
We recognize the significant impact that your heart has on all aspects of your health—physical, mental, and sexual. Men with heart issues can experience obesity, depression, and erectile dysfunction, among many other issues. In this article, we explain how we address men’s health and focus on improving your quality of life and promoting longevity.
The Heart of Our Process: Functional Medicine
Central to our core values, we emphasize functional medicine, a school of thought that concentrates on the following principles:
- Finding the root cause of your concerns, looking beyond symptoms
- Personalizing care based on your unique biology, lifestyle, concerns, and goals
- Addressing the body as a whole to improve mental and physical health
- Preventing serious conditions
- Educating our patients on making choices that optimize their health
Although men remain at a higher risk for heart diseases, we acknowledge that the reason why varies depending on the person. So we take the time to see you as an individual and perform a thorough evaluation of your overall health.
High Blood Pressure
You don’t need to see a cardiologist in Jacksonville, NC for high blood pressure, instead our primary care can diagnose and treat this condition. High blood pressure is a silent killer. Although it puts you at risk for stroke, heart attack, and other problems, you are often asymptomatic until you start experiencing complications.
Your blood pressure refers to the force of blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels as it circulates throughout your body. A blood pressure reading measures this force with 2 numbers:
- Systolic Pressure (Top Number): The force of blood as it pumps out of the heart and into the arteries.
- Diastolic Pressure (Bottom Number): The force created as the heart rests between beats.
Fortunately, an internist can confirm high or low blood pressure, and we recommend getting a blood pressure reading at least once a year. However, for individuals with chronic concerns, monthly heart monitoring may be required for your safety.
Persistent high blood pressure damages blood vessels by creating microscopic tears, leading to clot formation and restricted blood flow, thereby increasing the risk of stroke. Many conditions can cause, or be caused by, high blood pressure.
The Causes of High Blood Pressure
Although genetics play a role in developing high blood pressure, your lifestyle makes the greatest impact on this condition. Before you need to see a cardiologist in Jacksonville, our team will educate you on the following physical and mental health aspects related to high blood pressure.
Diet
A high-sodium diet, which can frequently include pre-packaged foods, savory snacks, burgers, pizza, and more, increases your risk of high blood pressure. Sodium attracts water and draws it into your bloodstream, increasing the volume and pressure of blood. While sodium is a key mineral to keep your body functioning properly, excess sodium intake can lead to high blood pressure. If your levels are persistently high, we will educate you on better eating habits and how to lower your sodium levels.
Lack of Physical Activity
When you were younger, physical activity seemed so easy. Now, as you’ve gotten older, pain from injuries past or a demanding sedentary job prevents you from getting up and moving. We usually suggest at least half an hour of moderately intense exercise most days. Working out strengthens your heart, enabling it to pump blood more efficiently with less required effort.
Physical activity can also reduce your risk of developing arthritis because it improves joint function and increases strength. To prevent the need of visiting a cardiologist in Jacksonville for heart issues, we will offer you exercise recommendations to keep you moving.
Mental Health Conditions
Mind, body, and emotions are interconnected; impacting each other in your overall health. The relationship between stress and blood pressure perfectly illustrates the relationship between mental and physical health. When you’re stressed, your body releases hormones that increase your “fight-or-flight” response, which constricts your blood vessels and increases your heart rate.
This temporary rise in blood pressure can be helpful in short-term scenarios, like fleeing a dangerous situation. Unfortunately, long-term stress can lead to habits that raise blood pressure, like drinking alcohol, smoking, or eating unhealthy foods.
Heart diseases are also linked to other mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Anxiety raises your heart rate, while depression contributes to increased alcohol and drug use. We offer mental health management services like ExoMind or medications.
Related Reading: ExoMind: Depression treatment and more
Chronic Conditions and Heart Health
At Coastal Carolina, our physicians can help manage or prevent the following chronic conditions.
Weight Gain and Obesity
When reading about the causes of high blood pressure, you might notice that these lifestyle factors also contribute to weight gain. While your diet and physical activity impact your blood pressure, so does the amount of body fat you carry. Carrying excess weight strains your heart, increasing the risk of damage to your blood vessels and high blood pressure. Although we don’t have a cardiologist in Jacksonville, NC, on our team, we do have weight loss specialists to help you maintain a healthy weight.
We understand that weight loss is often easier said than done. While your lifestyle choices can improve obesity, biological factors like hormones and genetics may prevent you from maintaining weight loss.
Related Reading: Combined care at Coastal Carolina: Medical weight loss and holistic support
We can help men lose weight and lower their blood pressure with our weight loss management services. For some, nutritional recommendations, herbal supplements, and exercise guidance will work to help them reach their fitness goals.
For others, medical weight loss treatments like semaglutide will accompany the traditional methods of weight loss to address internal factors preventing them from losing weight. Your provider can help you determine which weight loss methods are best for you, so you can get started in the right direction. Before visiting a cardiologist in Jacksonville, our team can help improve your cardiovascular health by offering weight loss services.
Type 2 Diabetes
We recognize the link between obesity, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes, a condition where your body doesn’t produce or use insulin properly. During your appointment, our team can educate you on diabetes screening and management. If you have this condition, you’re twice as likely to develop high blood pressure, especially if left untreated. Our management services can help you
Our weight loss services, and even medications like semaglutide, can help you manage type 2 diabetes.
High Cholesterol
High cholesterol refers to having too many lipids (fats) in your blood that gradually build up in your arteries. These lipids combine with other substances in your blood to form plaque, eventually restricting blood flow, leading to atherosclerosis. Just like high blood pressure, this chronic condition often doesn’t cause symptoms, but raises your risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
During your consultation, we test you for high cholesterol and educate you on simple lifestyle changes that you can make to help manage this condition.
Sexual Health and Heart Health
Many men experience erectile dysfunction, the inability to achieve or maintain an erection. While it’s easy to simply blame aging or psychological factors as the culprits for their impotence, a primary care physician or a cardiologist in Jacksonville, NC, will tell you that ED could actually be the first sign of underlying problems like heart disease.
Atherosclerosis, the accumulation of plaque in your blood vessels that leads to restricted blood flow, often affects the penis first. With that in mind, communicating to your primary care physician that you’re having problems in the bedroom may actually save you from a heart attack or stroke 3 to 5 years down the road.
Many factors contribute to your ability to get and maintain an erection. At Coastal Carolina, we have a range of options for erectile dysfunction treatment that address the underlying cause of your impotence.
It All Starts With a Consultation
For your consultation, it’s important to write out a list of symptoms concerning heart disease. This could include the following:
- Chest pain
- Swelling
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Heart arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm)
- Numbness
For your heart health monitoring, we may employ the use of an EKG, ECHO, or a Holter device. These trackers record your heartbeat and allow us to evaluate the blood flow across your heart’s valves.
We also want to hear about other symptoms you may experience, including—but not limited to—the following:
- Weight gain
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Erectile dysfunction
- Arthritis
- Fatigue
Treatment
Your treatment varies depending on your symptoms and the results from your EKG, ECHO, or Holter readings. For some, we may ask you to return to the office for monthly monitoring and to track your progress. We will discuss all of this during the consultation.
The Importance of Prostate Exams
While you may not expect your prostate to have any links to heart health, a physician or a cardiologist in Jacksonville will tell you that patients with prostate cancer have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. At Coastal Carolina, we perform digital rectal exams, which involve using a gloved finger to feel your prostate for any abnormalities like lumps or bumps, which could indicate prostate cancer. We recommend annual prostate exams for men aged 50 years or older. While this is not part of our heart health consultation, it’s still important to mention, especially during Men’s Health Month.
Don’t Go Breaking Our Hearts: Schedule Your Cardiologist Visit
The best practice for maintaining your heart health is to schedule annual visits with your cardiologist. With an emphasis on early detection, education, and prevention, we promote longevity through making healthier choices. For men’s health month, set an example to all the men around you by focusing on your health. You can start with our treatment planning tool, where you can pinpoint specific areas of concern. Once we receive your submission, we’ll reach out with available appointment times and potential treatment options.
You don’t always need to see a cardiologist in Jacksonville, NC. Instead, you can visit Dr. Ros to teach you how to keep your heart healthy.
