June is Men’s Health Month – Going to the Doctor’s: Just do it!
Mike Miller
| 2 min read
June is Men’s Health Month. To kick things off we’re going to talk about one of the most common health issues men deal with, the doctor’s office.
I consider myself a pretty healthy, fit, and active person. I try to maintain as healthy a diet as I can, eating as naturally as is possible. So why is it then, that I just loathe a visit to the doctor’s? I won’t even go when I am sick. The only time I go is when I have to, like when it’s required for insurance reasons or something medically urgent.
I don’t know why that is. I’m certainly not afraid. The last few times I’ve been required to go, all my test numbers came back great. Yet, millions of men, myself included, put off going and have traditionally had difficulty discussing their health issues. Whatever the reason, it’s kinda silly. It’s not smart at best, and dangerous at worst. It’s time we stop that.
Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are some of the top issues facing men, with heart disease and cancer being the number 1 and 2 killers of men in America. It’s also no secret that diabetes is on the rise with 12 percent of men 20 or older having the disease. That’s 13 million men.
The thing is, many of these common ailments we as men face are often very treatable, reversible and even preventable. We just have to go so that our doctors can detect these things early on, before they get out of hand. It’s important to not understate how crucial early detection is for any health issue. It greatly increases our chances for treatment being successful.
If we just simply make an appointment and establish our baseline numbers – blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol levels, and body mass index, it becomes much easier to work with our doctors to establish a plan and a healthy lifestyle. At this stage, several other basic screenings and tests will be run. Your doctor will work up an entire history on you in order to see the good and the bad, and then develop a proper plan to keep you healthy.
Yeah, going to the doctor’s is not exactly fun. Nobody likes the questions, pokes, prods or needle sticks. Nobody likes being sick either, and given the choice we’d prevent illnesses before they occur.
Good thing we have the choice.
Photo credit: meddygarnet
