LISA ROWELL Contributing Writer

Health issues facing men in 2026 are not unlike those from previous years. These can include mental health struggles, cardiovascular disease, cancer, or delayed care-seeking.

Jonathan M. Walrath, DO, with Lake Cumberland Medical Associates, shared some insights about men’ s health concerns and prevention as well as overall health issues we can all use a reminder about.

Thoughtful, grounded, articulate, and very human, Walrath consistently brought everything back to relationships and communication instead of just tests, prescriptions, or protocols. That is not always easy to find in medicine today.

Walrath, who completed Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital’ s Internal Medicine Residency Program in 2020, said the Lake Cumberland area felt like the right place to build a long-term future for his family which has roots in the region.

“ There’ s something special about this place,” he said.“ We’ re really excited to be here.”

Walrath practiced hospital medicine for nearly two years before recently transitioning into outpatient primary care. Preventive care is one of the areas he feels most passionate

about.“ I think one of the biggest changes we’ ve seen in the last several years is around cancer screening,” he said.

According to Walrath, death rates for many cancers have steadily declined due to reduced smoking rates, earlier detection, and improved treatments. One notable exception, however, is colon cancer.

“ Colon cancer is the one cancer where we’ re starting to see increases, especially in younger people,” he said.“ We’ re all trying to better understand why that is.”

Because of those trends, colon cancer screening guidelines have changed. Walrath said colonoscopies are now recommended beginning at age 45 instead of 50 for most adults.

“ The reason we shifted to that is because if people undergo screening, colon cancer is extremely treatable when it’ s caught early,” he said.

Family history remains one of the strongest risk factors. Walrath said anyone with an immediate family member diagnosed with colon cancer should discuss screening with their primary care provider, potentially even earlier than age 45.

He also emphasized that symptoms such as rectal bleeding or persistent changes in bowel habits should not be

ignored.

While many people dread colonoscopies because of the preparation involved, Walrath said there are now multiple screening options available and that providers work closely with patients to make the process more manageable.

“ I’ ll never pretend it’ s not an inconvenience,” he said.“ But if you have a normal colonoscopy, for all intents and purposes, you’ re good for 10 years. That’ s a big deal.”

Walrath repeatedly returned to the importance of routine primary care visits, even when patients feel healthy.

“ One of the most valuable things about primary care doctors is that seeing us when you’ re healthy can have just as much benefit as seeing us when you’ re sick,” he said. Dr. Waltrath encourages patients to establish care before major health problems arise, explaining that building a long-term relationship with your care provider can help create trust and make those difficult conversations easier later.

“ If something does happen, it’ s much easier for patients to walk into an office and talk with somebody they know instead of a complete stranger,” he said.

Walrath acknowledged the barriers many patients face, particularly the high cost of

health insurance and uncertainty about medical expenses. He said primary care offices work hard to help patients navigate those challenges.

“ My job is to make people’ s lives simpler, not more complicated,” he said.

Dr. Walrath also discussed prostate cancer screening, another major topic in men’ s health.

“ Basic prostate cancer screening is now a simple blood test,” he said.“ It’ s not the invasive exam people often think about first anymore.”

The PSA blood test is generally recommended beginning between ages 45 and 55, depending on individual risk factors and family history.

“ If prostate cancer is caught early, it is almost always curable,” Walrath said.

He noted that family history remains one of the strongest predictors for prostate cancer risk as well.

Another topic Walrath said comes up almost daily in his office is testosterone testing.

“ I probably get asked about testosterone more than anything else by male patients,” he said.

Low testosterone, or hypogonadism, can contribute to symptoms such as erectile dysfunction and low libido, though Walrath stressed that testing and treatment are more