AS we honour our fathers and father figures today, let’s also remind them about how important it is that they remain healthy and take care of themselves.

After all, we want them to stick around as long as is humanly possible while enjoying the best quality life. Your Health Your Wealth reached out to a few health care professionals to get health tips for dads and men in general. Check out what they had to say:

DR SHARON ROBINSON, DENTIST:

My number one health tip for dads; and men, is for them to be proactive with their dental checkups rather than waiting to see a dentist when they are in pain. It would be a good idea if they would come in, get their regular check-ups every six months, or even yearly for a lot of them. Men are not very good at being very proactive when it comes to their dental health and it is the same with medicine, as well.

So, I would love to have my men and dads come out, get regular checks-ups, get their cleanings, because during a check-up we get to detect if there is any cavities or something that’s going wrong, and when you detect the problem early, it is usually cheaper to fix that problem. If it’s a filling that you need, your gums need help with cleaning, then its usually cheaper to fix it. If the problem lingers it could become a root canal or extraction, or you might need implants or crowns and bridges, and that cost affects the family, so I really do believe that it’s important that our dads and men be proactive with their dental health.

DR DEBORAHDOUGLAS,ANAESTHETIST:

Often a taboo subject,men’s health has not received enough focus.Please stop being passive about your health,become more invested,proactive and informed.

DR BELINDA MORRISON, UROLOGIST:

I would suggest that they have a committed family doctor who they see at least once yearly to do health checks and screening tests.

ANGELA DAVIS,PODIATRIST:

My health tip for dads is to dry between their toes carefully, after showers, and to lotion their feet. Most men jump out of the shower and don’t dry between the toes and this can lead to fungal infections.They also end up with more dry and calloused skin as they tend not to apply lotion, especially to the bottom of their feet and heels.

DR SUNIL STEPHENSON, CARDIOTHORACIC SURGEON:

I would advise men to incorporate physical activity in their daily routine. Get health checks even if they are feeling healthy, as some conditions can have early signs that can be detected.

And, overall, just to get proactive with health so we can be around for our kids. Also, avoid cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking; and if they are already diagnosed with high blood pressure or diabetes, they are to ensure adequate control by taking their medications and do home monitoring of their blood pressure and blood sugar levels to help ensure adequate control.

DR JACQUELINE CAMPBELL, FAMILY PHYSICIAN:

Generally, men should ensure that they visit the doctor at least twice per year. Whether the doctor is a private family physician or at a clinic, they should visit him or her.

They should ensure that, along with the usual healthy diet and exercise — taking care of their bodies, depending on the age that they are, let us say, for example, the man is age 40 or older, he should ensure that he does a PSA [prostate-specific antigen] and that his prostate is examined by the doctor; and also after age 40, he should have an idea of what his sugar levels are, his cholesterol levels and his kidney function. Of course, if he has other problems, let us say he is diabetic or has hypertension, he should follow the advice of the doctor.