By Rev. Dr. Alfonso Wyatt, Founder, Strategic Destiny: Designing
Futures Through Faith and Facts
I was the past chair of NYU Langone Black Men Health Initiative. The goal of this citywide community organizing effort was to disseminate information to lower the rate of Black men dying from treatable diseases. Yes, you read it right: TREATABLE diseases.
According to research conducted by The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), African American men lead in deaths from a heart attack, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, COPD, colon cancer, and prostate cancer. In fact, Black men have a higher morbidity rate than any other ethnic group in the developed and developing world.
Researchers attribute this fact to poverty, inferior hospitals, lack of health insurance, mistrust of the health care system (a legacy of the Tuskegee Experiment), and plain, old-fashioned fear coupled with ignorance. (If I go to the doctor, they will find something wrong with me.)
Still, the question on the table must be, How is it possible that Black men living in, arguably, the wealthiest country in the world are suffering and dying in high numbers from treatable diseases?
Men Are Avoiding the Doctor
A Men’s Health Network survey of over 1,800 physicians showed that, depending on the individual question, 80-95% of physicians agreed with the following:
- Men are less likely than women to have an existing patient/physician arrangement.
- Men are less likely than women to go to the doctor for any given condition.
- Men will wait longer than women as a condition worsens before going to the doctor.
- Men are less familiar and more uncomfortable with the medical system than women are.
I want to add my unscientific observations about why men will not go to the doctor:
- Some brothers grew up in families with no tradition of going to the doctor, especially when nothing was wrong, for a semiannual or yearly check-up from the floor up.
- Brothers on medication either “conveniently” forget or refuse to take their pills for whatever reason. Some stop taking medication after the presenting problem is “controlled.”
- Men treated by the “imaginary doctor” in their head tend to ignore health problems like diabetes or high blood pressure, thinking these silent killers can be cured by magic. These unfortunate patients believe that if they don’t know about “it” (whatever “it” is), “it” cannot harm them. Tragically, some of these real patients may have to pay these imaginary doctors with their lives.
- Some men would rather die (literally) than submit to a digital rectal prostate exam out of a misguided notion of machismo — a true example of pride going before the fall (death).
- Some brothers will not monitor their blood pressure consistently, ignore radical fluctuations in blood pressure, or disregard consistently high blood pressure readings indicating something is wrong inside of their temple. (All the aforementioned inactions can lead to a stroke or heart attack.)
Simple Ways for Men to Take Care of Their Health
A critical way for sedentary brothers (couch potatoes) to take care of their temple (body) God has given to them is by setting small but achievable first steps like
- changing some dietary habits like eating smaller healthy meals during the day (not a big plate of food late at night)
- cutting down on the intake of sugar, salt, fried foods, and sweet drinks/soda. (My beverage of choice was any brand of lemonade.)
- drinking plenty of water (a minimum of 64 ounces per day). Yes, it will make you go to the bathroom more frequently, but it is good to flush toxins out of your kidneys/urinary tract more frequently. (Fluid intake can also come from your favorite fruit or soup.)
Brothers, do not allow the “imaginary athletic trainer” in your head convince you that unless you’re preparing to run a marathon or compete in an Iron Man contest, there’s no sense starting any other form of exercise. While walking my dog early in the morning, I discovered that a few steps can turn into a long, brisk, productive mental-, physical-, and spirit-renewing walk.
My doctor told me several years ago that he wanted to see more and less of me — more in terms of appointments and less in terms of my weight. I want to live a productive, healthy life. That is why I am working hard to take care of my temple. How about you?
Personal Testimony About Prostate Cancer Screening
During a routine check-up, my doctor informed me that my PSA* (Prostate-Specific Antigen) count was going up. I was not surprised because prostate cancer runs in my family. My father and his brother were diagnosed with prostate cancer in their 60s, and both lived into their 90s. The prostate cancer procedures done 30 years ago cannot compare with what can be accomplished today.
It is essential to know that with any disease, time can be your best friend, or it can become your worst enemy. Early detection allows you options, but if time runs out, due to procrastination, fear, ignorance, or magical thinking (more on that later), so do your medical options. The worst words to hear from a doctor are, “Sorry, you got here too late.”
I took a biopsy, and based on the findings, I agreed to move to the next step after my doctor gave me three options and a suggestion given the early stage of my diagnosis. I was happy my wife was with me, offering encouragement, prayer, humor, and accountability (she was in the room for every conversation I had with the doctor).
I am overjoyed to say that I have completed treatment. I thank my doctors, technicians, and support staff, all vital to helping me get through what could have been a very dark period in my life. When I look back, all I can say is thank you, Lord, for the stamina to move forward and for faith knowing that my situation was in your hands.
Beloved, I always knew that, while I had prostate cancer, prostate cancer never had me. If you are in your 40s and have not seen a doctor, I admonish you to make an appointment so you can take care of your temple.
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.” (1Cor. 6:19-20)
What Is Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA)?
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is something made by the prostate gland. High PSA levels may be a sign of prostate cancer, a noncancerous condition such as prostatitis, or an enlarged prostate gland.
What Are Normal PSA Levels?
There’s no such thing as a normal PSA for any man at any given age, but most men with prostate cancer have a higher-than-normal level. In general, doctors use these guidelines:
- 0 to 2.5 ng/mL: Safe
- 2.6 to 4 ng/mL: Safe for most, but talk with your doctor about other risk factors.
- 4 to 10 ng/mL: Suspicious. There’s a 25% chance you have prostate cancer.
- 10 ng/mL and above: Dangerous. Talk to your doctor right away: There’s a 50% chance you have prostate cancer.
*PSA information taken online from WebMD