June is Men's Health Month. The health issues men face and what they can do to take charge are in the spotlight, as preventative care can take a back seat to daily life. As a holistic care physician, Dr. Joe Turner of Mind & Body HealthCare, enjoys positively impacting the lives of patients, with men a focal point all year round. With his informal, friendly manner but formal approach to medicine, Dr. Turner puts his patients at ease while getting to the root of health concerns and promoting overall wellness.
Why is it important to spotlight men’s health?
Men are a group of people who don't necessarily take the best care of themselves and oftentimes have had bad experiences or other barriers to seeking health care. Those barriers have contributed to men living lives that could be improved quite a bit by simple things.
Why is a holistic approach to care important?
I think holistic health care is particularly important in that the emphasis is on the whole person, rather than on any specific organ. Fragmented health care can be a real problem, which is why a good primary care doctor is helpful, especially one who has had experience doing so many different things. I have 13 years of experience in hospitals and 5 years in standard primary care clinics. All those different experiences have allowed me to learn what can and cannot be done in an office setting.
What's the first step to take?
The most important advice I would offer is to establish a relationship with a good primary healthcare physician who cares about you and can see you as a whole person. Additionally, pursue general good health care by avoiding bad habits such as eating fast food frequently and texting while driving; eating a very colorful diet, primarily fruits and vegetables; getting daily exercise, for both physical and mental health; screening for mental health disorders; and developing good sleep habits.
Why are screenings important?
The two screenings we talk a good bit about are cancer and metabolic screenings. Cancer screening discussions depend on your own individual risk, family history, and the risk of your population group. Metabolic screenings include checking blood pressure, cholesterol, and screening for diabetes and obesity. We are finding more and more that treating these things earlier produces a greater than dollar-per-dollar cost savings. For example, treating somebody's blood pressure now with a one-cent per day medication can prevent hospitalization for a stroke 20 years from now, which could cost a million dollars. It also improves that person’s quality of life because preventing a stroke is much better than dealing with the aftermath of one.
What is unique in how you see patients and continue follow-up care?
My clinic is an on-demand, pay at time of services clinic. I do not accept insurance, which is a hurdle for some people, but I actually see it to be a benefit for patients. I am able to see patients for same-day and next-day appointments. I also offer longer visits, for intake and follow-up, which fosters relationship building. A lot of people in general, but men specifically, need that level of examination and discussion around their health problems.
In what area of men’s health do you see the most concerns from patients?
There are a lot of men who deal with various men's health ailments like erectile dysfunction, sexual health, physical activity, stamina, drive, and those sorts of things. For many men, the driving factor for them seeking medical care is their concern about not performing as well as they did when they were in their 30s. We are seeing that we can forestall a lot of negative outcomes in a man's health by treating hormone deficiency and those who have symptoms and biochemical markers of deficiency. While I do offer testosterone replacement services, I do it in the context of talking about overall health. Maybe testosterone replacement is the right thing for you, but maybe you have sleep apnea, are 20 pounds overweight, or have diabetes and didn’t realize it. All of those are factors that could cause you to have the same problem and won't improve with testosterone replacement.
Why is good mental health important?
People who have mental health disorders have a higher medical morbidity rate. What I mean is that you're going to be more physically ill and have more suffering as a consequence of a mental health issue. For example, a man comes to my office whose sexual health is suffering and it turns out that he has depression or anxiety. In that case, we would talk about treating the depression or anxiety. If a patient is having psychosis, I would refer them to my wife, Rebecca Turner, who is the psychiatric nurse practitioner in our office. She sees people of all ages and does accept insurance for psychiatric diagnosis.
How do lifestyle choices affect health?
We also know there is a connection between our lifestyle and our mental and physical health. For example, people frequently have trouble sleeping because of stress at work. As a response, the attempt is made to use alcohol to escalate that sleeplessness since they can't fall asleep at night because the mind is racing. Although alcohol is great at helping you fall asleep, it is really lousy with helping you sleep well. Then, over time, alcohol itself is a depressant, so people will develop mood disorders as a consequence of substance use. Untangling that complicated overlap is simply not something you are going to be able to solve in a 10-minute visit. This is where my practice style, not only in how I interact with patients but also our financial piece, would be a much better way to address that kind of problem.
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