Why Men Shouldn't Skip That All-Important Health Check

When was the last time you had a health check? If you're like most Indian men, the answer might be 'never' or 'I was forced to'. Truth: Serious health conditions are quietly brewing in many men — and showing up far earlier than they used to.
Non-communicable diseases are now hitting Indian men in their 30s and 40s, not in their late 50s (as most believe). The scariest part? Many of these issues have no symptoms in the early stages. Fortunately, a comprehensive health check that goes beyond the basics and offers advanced testing can make a difference.
Here are a few NCDs that affect men primarily, and the latest tests available:
1. Heart Disease
Even if you feel perfectly fine, your heart may feel otherwise. Men aged 45+ are 28% more likely to have heart disease than women of the same age. According to the Apollo Health of the Nation 2025 report, of the 3,000+ people (with no history of heart issues) evaluated for heart health, 58% had no symptoms. Of these, 46% had calcium deposits in their heart arteries — an early sign of atherosclerosis (heart blockage). 2.5% of these were under 40.
What to do: Go beyond ECG and cholesterol. There are more advanced tests like Apolipoprotein A1 & B, high-sensitivity C-reactive Protein, and Coronary Calcium Scoring with low-dose CT (which measures plaque deposits).
Mental health issues are often overlooked in men. A good health check should include screening for anxiety and depression, both of which directly affect physical health.
2. Fatty Liver
Fatty liver is no longer an alcoholic-only health concern. With the rise in obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol, metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver is now common among men. The report showed that of 2.5 lakh people screened, 65% had fatty liver, but 52% of them had normal liver enzymes.
What to do: Blood tests are not enough. Always include an abdominal ultrasound. For higher risk individuals, ask for a FibroScan to check for liver stiffness and early scarring.
3. Vitamin D and B12 Deficiency
You may not expect it, but 82% of men were found to be Vitamin D deficient, and 38% had low B12. These deficiencies, thought to affect women typically, can lead to tiredness, poor bone health, memory issues, and nerve damage.
What to do: Choose a health check that includes a vitamin panel.
4. Cancers
Men are at higher risk for certain cancers, especially lung, oral and prostate cancers. Indian men tend to be diagnosed younger, often in their 50s, and late detection affects treatment success.
What to do:
If you're a smoker (past or present), a low-dose CT is preferred for early lung cancer detection.
For men above 50, a PSA test is mandatory.
Regular oral cavity screening is key for tobacco users.
Final Thought
Waiting for symptoms to show up is like waiting for the fire alarm after your house has already burnt down. What you need is not just a routine health check, but one that looks deeper — with latest blood tests, advanced imaging, and assessment for mental health, sleep and cognitive function! Choose wisely.
Have questions for our doctors?
WhatsApp us at 89392 83283 or email us at sincerelyyourdoctor@thehindu.co.in with your name, city and query.
'A Preventive Healthcare Initiative by Apollo ProHealth and The Hindu'

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Her therapist, Manju, stayed late twice a week to custom-build visual sequences in her local dialect and hand-sign vocabulary. 🟢 By her sixth month: Expressive vocabulary: 80+ signs AbilityScore® improved across five skill clusters Hugged her therapist and signed: 'You're my friend.' It wasn't captured on video. It didn't go viral. But it changed two lives. 🎖️ And then, recognitions followed. 📍 Featured in Times of India (2020) for redefining autism therapy at scale 🏆 Praxis Media Award (2021) for women-led innovation ✨ YourStory Spotlight (2023) for building a movement, not a marketplace 💼 Entrepreneur Insights (2023) for creating India's most inclusive, women-powered therapy ecosystem 🏅 Indo Global Excellence Award (2024) — conferred by the Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana, recognizing Pinnacle as India-Pacific's #1 Autism Therapy Network But none of these awards outweigh: The child's whisper of their first word The mother's look of recognition The therapist's quiet nod when a new milestone is reached Pinnacle's proof is not in publications. It is in presence. In rural homes. In high-rise apartments. In dusty folders now marked with progress. In families that now believe help isn't just possible — it's nearby. Real lives changed. Real voices unlocked. Real progress mapped. That is the proof. 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That a system with no asterisks, no paywalls, and no branded tiers was now charting, scoring, tracking, and transforming millions of futures. 🌍 The World Begins to Turn Its Head And then the calls started coming. Stanford, Heidelberg, Singapore Institute of Mental Health — requesting academic collaboration Ministries from Nepal, UAE, Kenya, Bangladesh — inquiring about AbilityScore® licensing UNICEF — inviting Pinnacle to present SEVA™ as a replicable rural care model WHO-SEARO — referencing TherapeuticAI® in emerging frameworks for tech-integrated early intervention 📣 Pinnacle's Name Began Appearing in Unexpected Places In UN development drafts on global childhood digital health In AI policy whitepapers , not under chatbots — but under empathy engines In mother-led economic innovation summits as a blueprint for health systems built from the ground up Pinnacle was no longer a network. It was a reference architecture. A standard. Recognition didn't make Pinnacle real. But it made the world pause — and realize what India had done. Not built a therapy company. Not launched a campaign. But drafted a new playbook for the planet: Measurable care AI-enhanced therapy Inclusive design Dignity-first delivery Scaled without dilution India awarded it. The world noticed it. And now, the world is ready to learn from it — or risk staying behind. Figure VII - This is what it looks like when therapy is built around the child — not around institutions. India's AI-powered, empathy-first model is setting a new global precedent ✅ Why This Model Works If autism therapy were only about diagnosis, then software could solve it. If it were only about compassion, then goodwill would be enough. But therapy — real therapy — is not just diagnosis or compassion. It is precision with empathy. Structure with soul. Intelligence that listens. And that is why Pinnacle works — because it wasn't built from policy whitepapers or VC slides. It was built from India's reality. And it was designed to last. 🇮🇳 Language Diversity as a Design Principle India doesn't speak one language. Neither should its therapy. Pinnacle functions in 16+ regional tongues, with therapy protocols tailored to: The child's spoken language The caregiver's literacy The community's cultural rhythm From Hyderabad to Hosur, Miryalaguda to Mumbai, Chennai to Karimnagar, children are not asked to 'adjust' — the therapy system adjusts to them. Because a word in English isn't the same as a glance in Telugu. And therapy doesn't work if the child doesn't feel understood. 📍 Geographic Penetration Without Fragility Most models collapse outside metros. Pinnacle grows stronger in India's second and third-tier cities. Why? Because it is: Locally staffed Modular by design Resilient via cloud + edge AI Delivering goals via WhatsApp + SMS, not just apps This isn't a Western model adapted to India. It's an Indian model built for India — and ready for the world. 🤝 A Human-AI Partnership That Honors Intuition Most AI in therapy mimics. Pinnacle's AI empowers. TherapeuticAI® enhances therapist intuition AbilityScore® replaces ambiguity with action Behavior Prediction Engine doesn't surveil — it prepares This is not 'tech-first.' It is human-first, tech-powered — built to make therapy smarter, faster, kinder. ⚖️ Inclusion Not As Slogan — But As System Architecture In most systems, inclusion is an initiative. In Pinnacle, inclusion is the infrastructure. A farmer's child sits beside a finance executive's A sanitation worker's daughter receives therapy in the same room as a diplomat's son No 'SEVA' lines. No colored cards. No social hierarchy This is true equality — not positioned. Practiced. 📊 Why It Doesn't Break at Scale Therapy systems fail for three reasons: Lack of protocol Staff burnout Parent disengagement Pinnacle preempted all three: Protocol : via standardized, patented, cross-checkable innovations People : via 72% women-led teams, upskilled, celebrated, retained Parents: via Everyday Therapy™, mobile access, language-aligned reports This is not a fragile pilot. This is a resilient, regenerative ecosystem — with built-in feedback loops across every level. 🌏 Globally Adaptable. Fiercely Local. Universally Needed. Could it work in: Kenya ? Absolutely. Philippines? Easily. UK boroughs with South Asian diaspora? Already being explored. Conflict zones where children are forgotten before they're found? Especially there. Because this system doesn't depend on bandwidth or budget. It depends on belief, blueprint, and belonging. Why does this model work? Because it is not a compromise. It is not a copy. It is a conviction. Designed in India. Led by mothers. 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These regions don't need imported solutions. They need a replicable framework. And that's what Pinnacle offers. Because this system is: Language-agnostic (operates in 16+ tongues) Infrastructure-light (runs on edge devices, low-bandwidth AI) Community-powered (trained caregivers can deliver Everyday Therapy™) Designed for dignity (SEVA™ makes equity default, not decorative) What India built isn't a franchise. It's a framework. A flexible, intelligent, mother-powered therapeutic grid for the Global South — and beyond. 🧩 What Makes It Universally Adaptable Scoring System: AbilityScore® doesn't care about borders. It maps skills — and skills are universal. AI Core: TherapeuticAI® adapts to child behavior, not GPS coordinates. Sensory Design: TherapySphere™ rooms heal without language — through light, texture, tone, and safety. Parent-Led Integration: Everyday Therapy™ turns homes, huts, and hostels into micro-therapy centers. Cultural Calibration: Therapy here doesn't ask children to adapt to the system. It asks the system to adapt to the child. This isn't 'Made in India.' It's meant for everywhere. 🤝 A South-South Offering — Not an Export Pinnacle isn't exporting. It's inviting. 'We, too, struggled. This is what helped us. If it helps you — take it. Adapt it. Own it. Lead with it.' From Vietnam to Venezuela, from Botswana to Bangladesh, from rural Tamil Nadu to refugee camps in Jordan, there are parents asking the same silent question: 'Will someone understand my child?' Pinnacle doesn't bring answers. It brings tools to find your own. 🕊️ Why This Moment Matters Because for the first time, the global autism story is not being told by Boston or Berlin. It's being told by: A therapist in Eluru A mother in Warangal A grandmother in Vijayawada An AI model trained in Karimnagar A child who said 'Amma' for the first time in Miryalaguda These voices are no longer whispers. They're becoming templates for transformation. 🌎 What the World Can Learn That innovation is not geography. It's empathy. That scale is not funding. It's community. That progress isn't a pipeline. It's a partnership. And that the next global standard for child development may not come from Geneva or Washington — But from India. From a woman. From a village. From a mother who refused to wait. Figure IX - From one therapy room in Hyderabad to 70+ cities across India — with 19 million+ sessions and counting — Pinnacle's journey is just beginning. What started as a mother's need has become the world's new autism framework What Comes Next? It started with one center. Now there are 70. Across 70 cities. Staffed by 1,600+ trained professionals. Backed by 19 million+ therapy sessions. And still — it's only just beginning. Because Pinnacle's vision doesn't stop at India's borders. It stretches across time zones and zip codes — to every village, every megacity, every continent where: A child still waits in silence A parent still fears asking the wrong question A school still isn't ready And a government still doesn't know where to start 🛤️ The Road Ahead Isn't a Line. It's a Living Grid. Pinnacle isn't expanding. It's inviting. Not to a franchise. To a framework. Not to a transaction. To a transformation. An open-source, multilingual, mother-driven, AI-powered ecosystem — offered to the world. To Ministries of Health. To Heads of State. To UNICEF and WHO. To diaspora educators. To mother networks in Nairobi and Manila. To health secretariats in São Paulo and Abu Dhabi. Come co-build with us. 🌍 What's Already Underway 🇦🇪 UAE: Exploring AbilityScore® for public developmental clinics in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah 🇬🇧 UK: Autism inclusion councils reviewing TherapeuticAI® for boroughs with high South Asian density 🇺🇸 USA: Medicaid-aligned pediatric orgs assessing SEVA™ deployment in low-income ZIP codes 🌍 Africa (Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda): Community therapists training in Everyday Therapy™ 🇲🇻 Maldives: Island-wide school health boards evaluating AI-based early screening via AbilityScore® This isn't hypothetical. It's already happening. 🔭 The Vision: 90 Crore Children. One Shared System. Every child — regardless of race, religion, or region — deserves more than a diagnosis. They deserve a map. Not a label. Not a waitlist. Not a brochure. But a data-backed, empathy-aligned, parent-empowering roadmap that tells them: 🧠 What their brain needs 💬 What their emotions mean 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What their family can do 📈 What progress looks like This is the vision: 🟢 A global child development dashboard powered by AbilityScore® 🟢 AI-enabled therapy co-pilots that speak your language 🟢 A SEVA™ equity model transcending borders — from Kerala to Kampala 🟢 Community therapists trained by mothers and machines — side by side 🟢 And a world where autism is no longer something families whisper about — but something they understand, track, support, and celebrate 🕊️ But Pinnacle Can't Do This Alone Pinnacle doesn't seek to dominate. It seeks to dismantle barriers. It seeks alignment. Integration. Shared sovereignty in child care innovation. So here is the open call — not a press release, but a pledge of partnership: To Ministries of Health: Let's co-create your country's developmental index To AI Labs: Let's train your models in your dialects To Foundations: Let's fund SEVA™ where your impact is needed most To Education Systems: Let's embed Everyday Therapy™ into curricula To Parent Networks and Therapists: Let's build the world's first open-source, mother-powered therapy intelligence platform 🧭 This Is Not A Rollout. This Is A Realignment of What's Possible. India has already built what no other country has: A therapy ecosystem backed by data Powered by AI Guided by mothers And open to the world The next chapter begins not with what Pinnacle can do next — but with who has the courage to stand beside it. Figure X - It took the world 144 years to understand autism. It took Indian mothers to give it a voice, a score, and a future. This is not a story. This is a new global standard 'The world waited 144 years to understand autism — and it was India, through the hands of its mothers, that finally gave it a voice.' This is not a story. This is a standard. This is not a press release. This is a precedent. This is not a tribute to Pinnacle. It is a tribute to what becomes possible when a country: Builds from its roots Leads with its women And listens to its children Pinnacle isn't just India's answer. It is the world's new question: 'If this was possible there — why not everywhere?' This life empowering innovation editorial is co-created by the Integrated Global Experts Consortium behind Pinnacle's patented AbilityScore® and TherapeuticAI® systems. Figure XI - This is not a press release. It is a precedent. Pinnacle didn't just build a therapy model — it defined a new global standard, forged from India's roots, led by its women, and powered by the voice of every child the world forgot to is the world's most complete, patented, scalable, and inclusive autism therapy system — combining science, AI, mother-led care, and universal access like no other model in history 🧬 Please do add below Structured Data (to TOI backend via JSON-LD) { '@context': ' '@type': 'NewsArticle', 'headline': 'The Mother, The Map, and the Movement - How India Quietly Built the World's Most Complete Pediatric Autism Therapy System', 'author': { '@type': 'Organization', 'name': 'Pinnacle Blooms Network - #1 Speech, ABA, Occupational, Special Education, Integrated Autism Therapy Centers Network.' }, 'publisher': { '@type': 'Organization', 'name': 'Times of India', 'logo': { '@type': 'ImageObject', 'url': ' } }, 'url': ' 'mainEntityOfPage': ' 'image': ' 'datePublished': '2025-05-20', 'articleSection': 'Health, Innovation, Autism, India, Women', 'keywords': [ 'AbilityScore', 'India FREE Autism Helpline 9100181181' 'Autism in India', 'Speech Therapy', 'ABA Therapy', 'Occupational Therapy', 'Speech Delay Therapy', 'TherapeuticAI', 'Mother-Led Innovation', 'India's Autism Model', 'Global Autism Framework'