Avoiding the Doctor? It’s Time to Man Up and Get Checked Out

Do you know someone who should have seen a doctor years ago? Maybe it’s your husband, or your father, or your brother, even your son? They complain about the shortness of breath, the nagging cough, or the stomach pain. But they never take action. For some men, so decisive at work or within the family circle, the lack of motivation to get an illness or symptom checked out is surprising. In fact, men are 24% less likely to have visited a doctor in the past year than women. Seeing a doctor is scary and it makes them feel weak and out of control.
Roald Bradstock was one of those men. An Olympic athlete who trained 3 to 4 hours a day, ate pretty well, didn’t smoke and felt fine, but was afraid of needles and had been avoiding the doctor for years. Why should he subject himself to an uncomfortable experience when there was nothing wrong? His wife encouraged him to go for a checkup. Her involvement with the medical testing industry had given her insight into the value of prevention, getting baseline testing, and understanding your risk factors to take the best possible care of your body for the long haul. But it took years for her advice and encouragement to finally get through to him. It took a visit from his mother in 2009, and her encouragement, to finally push him to have some basic medical tests done.
He and his mother went together for basic screening tests that had been avoided for far too long. His mother’s cholesterol was high, but Roald’s was even h...

Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - June 15, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Men's Health Source Type: blogs