This “field guide” is intended to help you make sense of your health insurance, navigate the healthcare system, and get the most from your doctors’ visits. If you find the American healthcare system complicated and confusing, you’re not the only one.

Our goal is to make your life a little easier by taking a fresh look at:

- Choosing a good doctor 

- Making the most of the time with your healthcare provider

- Deciphering health insurance Choosing a doctor.

Just as baseball players are not all equally skilled, the training and abilities of physicians vary dramatically. Although baseball players have statistics that are easy to understand, statistics on physicians are definitely more complicated. This section will provide insight to help you select your primary care doctor and your personal medical team. Understanding the economics of medicine. Medical reimbursement and Medicare payments have not increased significantly in the past 20 years. However, medical inflation has increased by about 4% a year. To pay the bills, physicians need to see more patients in the same amount of time. Doctors now spend an average of 16 minutes per patient, according to a recent study. In an average visit with a doctor, review of the patient’s chart consumes five minutes, documentation takes four, and treatment planning takes three minutes, which leaves only four minutes for you. As an educated and informed healthcare consumer, you will be better able to navigate the fragmented healthcare system and form partnerships with your doctors. The goal of this insight is improved outcomes for you and your family.

This is an insider’s guide to looking your best, written by experts on male aesthetics. Given the competitive job market, aesthetic medicine has become more important as men enter midlife and beyond.

Chapter 1. Good Grooming. We all shave and use shampoo, but how do these products actually work? This is a snapshot of the science behind personal care. Judson Brandeis, MD & Scott Lu, MD

Chapter 2. A Healthy Smile. The insight provided here on root canals and state-of-the art x- rays could mean the difference between success or painful failure. This practical appraisal looks at whiteners (best deal), high-tech orthodontics (smile design), crowns, implants, and essential maintenance. Paul Scholberg, DDS, dentist & professor of dentistry

Chapter 3. Protecting Your Skin. How can you keep your skin looking younger? Reviewed here are sunscreens, sunblocks, moisturizers, and antiaging creams, as well as Botox, fillers, microneedling, and fat reduction. Adam Wallach, MD, dermatologist

Chapter 4. Removing Unwanted Body Hair. This is a practical discussion of cost, how it works, who it’s for, and possible side effects. Kevin Wilson, medical writer

Chapter 5. Restoring the Hair on Your Head. You will be astonished by what can be done to restore hair using surgical robotics (photos included). This review explains all the major treatments currently available for hair restoration. Miguel Canales, MD, Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

Chapter 6. Plastic Surgery for Men. In 2019, more than 75,000 men had liposuction, male chest reduction, eyelid surgery, or a tummy tuck. We’ll consider these four procedures (and others) from a male perspective. Eric Mariotti, MD

Chapter 7. Medical Fat Reduction—What are the best technologies for fat removal? Seven different procedures for fat reduction are considered, exploring how they work, and who they benefit. Kevin Wilson, medical writer Bonus Chapter: Emsculpt: High-Tech Muscle Building. Brian M. Kinney, MD, FACS, MSME

Good mental health is critical to the enjoyment of life, work, and relationships. This book provides practical step-by-step suggestions for improving work-life balance, mood, vitality, focus, and motivation.

Chapter 1. Work-Life Balance. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book. The practical self-assessments, strategies, and resources will enable you to take action in your own life. Robert Buonfiglio, PhD, psychologist, life coach, & president of the California Psychological Association

Chapter 2. Diseases of Despair. Men are dying at alarming rates from addiction to alcohol and opioids and from suicide. The statistics make it clear that anxiety, depression, and chronic pain are major contributors to the despair that underlies these losses. Judson Brandeis, MD, urologist & author with Michael Abassian, MPH, researcher

Chapter 3. Anxiety and Chapter 4. Depression in Men. Almost 20% of men experience anxiety and another 10% struggle with depression. These chapters explore the major causes of these mood disorders and options for managing them. Bret McLaughlin, PsyD, clinical psychologist & founding dean, College of Psychology, California Northstate University.

Chapter 5. Living with Vitality. Quality of life involves more than simply the absence of problems. Here an experienced life coach encourages a shift in perspective to help you reconnect with yourself and experience the simple joys of the moment. Robert Buonfiglio, PhD.

Chapter 6. Yoga for Real Men and Chapter 7. Practicing Mindfulness. In traditional Eastern cultures, mental health is achieved through practices such as yoga and meditation, which can be enjoyed by men at all levels of mental and physical fitness. Dean Pohlman, an authority on yoga and fitness for sports professionals, trainers, & everyday guys.

Chapter 8. Legacy. Meaningful purpose in life is one of the keys to quality of life. Larry Bienati, MBA, PhD, management consultant & professor of organizational strategy & executive leadership.

Mastering relationships is the key to a happy life for a man.

Chapter 1. Find Yourself a Partner Who Can Be Your Best Friend. Realizing that we all have different temperaments enables us to understand what makes others tick. Temperament theory is easy to grasp, and we can use it as a lens to deepen our empathy and relationships. Nancy Faass, MSW, MPH, health writer

Chapter 2, 3, and 4. Counseling and Communication. “Conflict resolution” gives the impression that you can talk about an issue once, and it’s over. In reality, certain issues tend to keep resurfacing. Couples who stay connected are able to talk about stressful issues in a way that furthers the relationship. In couple’s therapy, we practice listening (really listening) to hear each other and be heard. Brett Beaver, LMFT, couple’s therapist

Chapter 5. A Guy’s Guide to Menopause. This outstanding chapter reviews the physical and emotional challenges women experience with aging, paired with treatment options that include lifestyle, nutrients, localized treatments, hormone testing, and hormone balancing. Russell Bartels, MD, gynecologist

Chapter 6. Can Avoiding Divorce Improve Your Wellbeing? Pros and cons of marriage: The truth is that divorce could result in your having passionate sex again. More truth. Marriage can enhance your quality of life, helping you grow as a person and even live longer. Jonathan D. Larose, Esq., MBA, litigator and mediator

Chapter 7. Fatherhood. Men report that parenthood has made them more patient and understanding; more tolerant of others; more concerned about making the world a better place; and a better husband, friend, employee, employer, and person. Armin Brott, bestselling author

Chapter 8. Practicing Mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of being fully in the present moment. This can decrease emotional reactivity, shifting us out of the stress response into a mode of relaxation. Practiced over time, mindfulness can be lifechanging. Dean Pohlman, trainer & author

Sex is a deep and powerful form of intimacy that connects two people beyond the mind and body. Rejuvenative medicine—both high and low tech—can be instrumental in restoring intimacy.

I enjoy helping men reclaim this aspect of their lives. When grown men come bounding into my office, blushing with a Cheshire Cat grin, I know I’m on the right track. In the sexual healing section of this book, I reveal much of what I’ve learned through thousands of discussions with other physicians, industry innovators, and patients of all ages, backgrounds, and orientations.

A stellar lineup of physicians and experts provides leading-edge information on supplements, medications, and rejuvenative technologies that can restore and sustain male sexual health. (Whether you’re a man or a woman, you’ll definitely want to read the final chapter in this section by intimate-wellness expert Susan Bratton on how to please a woman.)

Chapters in this section on sexual healing include: Erectile Dysfunction Explained, Orgasm (Too Fast, Too Slow, or Just Right), A Comprehensive Approach to Sexual Function, Viagra and Beyond, Penis Pumps, Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP), Stem Cell Medicine, Penile Implants, Sex Toys, Condoms and Lubes, and How to Please a Woman.

A comprehensive chapter on optimizing testosterone by Gary Donovitz (founder of BioTE) anchors part 2 on healthcare in midlife, followed by a thorough look at prostate health. This is essential reading, since these two issues eventually have a major impact on every man. We’ll also provide insight on restoring fertility from Dr. Philip Werthman, the most recognized vasectomy reversal surgeon in the world. Important chapters on sexually transmitted infections, Peyronie’s disease, circumcision, vasectomies, and reversing vasectomies completes the section on male health.