nuanced than many people realize.“ Treatment is not necessarily for everybody,” he said.“ A lot of it comes down to modifying other things first.”
He said obesity and sleep apnea are major contributing factors and encouraged men to focus on maintaining a healthy weight, staying active, and improving overall lifestyle habits before assuming testosterone replacement is necessary.
Walrath also addressed the role technology and artificial intelligence are beginning to play in healthcare settings. AIassisted software is helping physicians with documentation and note-taking.
“ It functions more like a scribe,” he explained.“ It doesn’ t make decisions for us.”
He said the technology allows doctors to spend more time talking directly with patients instead of typing into a computer.“ We want to spend more time with patients and less time staring at a screen,” he said.
Walrath cautioned against relying too heavily on internet searches or AI tools for self-diagnosis.
“ The systems out there don’ t always know what questions to ask,” he said.“ They also can’ t perform a physical exam.”
He said online tools often give equal weight to both common and extremely rare diagnoses, which can unnecessarily alarm patients.
“ At the end of the day, find a human being you trust more than the internet,” he said.
Mental health was another important part of the conversation, particularly regarding men in rural communities.
“ I think mental health in men is often overlooked,” Walrath said.“ We need to let people know that seeking help is not a bad thing.”
He said today’ s pressures on men can be significant, especially as social expectations continue evolving.“' Okay ' looks different for everybody,” Walrath said. Walrath said his overall message for men’ s health month is relatively simple: avoid tobacco, maintain a healthy weight, stay physically active, establish care with a physician, and do not ignore concerns about mental or physical health.
“ At some point, everybody is going to face a health issue,” he said.“ So make interacting with healthcare a habit before you actually need it.”
June 2026 SEKY- Southeast Kentucky Life • 31