Men seek medical help far less than women, which can have a major impact on their health and longevity. There is a large amount of stigma and feelings of weakness and vulnerability that come with seeking help rather than just seeing a doctor.
One possible explanation is that men are less proactive about their health and avoid the doctor. However, this means that men may miss the signs and symptoms of diseases that could possibly be prevented or treated at an earlier stage.
According to experts, the most effective way to reduce the stigma of men’s health is by having men talk to other men about their health. Women can also encourage the men in their lives to start the conversation by helping them keep up with medical appointments.
The month of June has been recognized as the month of men’s health. The reason for this award is to raise awareness of preventable health problems and to promote the early detection and treatment of diseases that are prevalent in men.
The most common causes of death in men are: heart disease, cancer, diabetes, lung disease, injuries, stroke
and HIV / AIDS.
Some of the reasons men tend to have more severe chronic illnesses are that more men do not have health insurance, even though men tend to do more physically demanding jobs with higher safety risks. In addition, more men than women smoke and also tend to take greater risks with unsafe behavior.
Women typically live five years longer than men, partly because women tend to take better care of their health. There is an old saying that a man who is in a doctor’s waiting room is most likely to be taken there by a woman for examination.
According to a 2014 survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, men are half as likely to see a doctor as women over a two-year period. They also admitted more than three times as likely to have been without a visit for more than five years. Finally, men were more than twice as likely to report that they had never had contact with a doctor or a healthcare professional as adults.
It seems simple, but if you are sick, see your doctor. According to the Health in Aging Foundation, 40 percent of men said they put off a few days to seek medical help if they are sick; and 17 percent said they would wait at least a week.
Men also tend to fear a diagnosis, with around 21 percent of men admitting avoiding the doctor because they are too nervous to figure out what could be wrong. It seems that the pressures to hide weaknesses are so strong that they can even lead men into a state of denial, and this, too, is a worrying statistic. However, if you ignore your medical problems, they will not go away.
There is no doubt that men’s health issues deserve attention and men need to be encouraged to continue seeking medical care. We all have a responsibility to keep this necessary conversation going after June, because men’s health is always worth discussing.
Let’s remove the stigma, encourage men to seek help, and continue to make sure no patient falls through the cracks.
MEN’S HEALTH MONTH TIPS
• Commit to a health check-up.
• If you have had one recently and are at risk, consider making lifestyle changes to improve your health.
• Talk to your doctor about the steps to take.
• Make an appointment for a checkup with the men in your life.
• Take your father, brother, husband, son, friend, or work colleague for a walk.
• Prepare a healthy meal for the man in your life.
• Find out more about Men’s Health Month by participating in Wear BlueDay – the Friday before Father’s Day.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/protecting-mens-health-health/
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