As a man, I can assure that you CAN NOT out “man”, ignore, or “grind through” your health. Whether it’s chest pain, depression, or thinking you’re “stronger” than an infection, you need to start caring about health complaints not directly involving your genitals.
Jokes aside, men over the age of 18 are TWICE AS LIKELY to have a heart attack compared to women, experience MORE HEART DISEASE than women, and SMOKE MORE than women. Although men report less depression and anxiety than women, the suicide rate is FOUR TIMES GREATER in males!
The amount of chronic pain men above the age of 18 experience compared to women is less, however, only marginally so (23% of women vs 20.4% of men); and about 1 in every 10 men will miss AT LEAST 6 workdays due to illness, injury, or disability.
Despite all of this, over 20% of you do not regularly visit a doctor for any reason. You don’t always have to go to the doctor when you’re sick… a yearly physical, even if you feel fine, may help identify issues in their earliest of stages when you don’t experience any symptoms at all, or provide necessary vaccinations preventing you from getting sick. Often, interventions at this time can make the biggest impact because they might be able to prevent the progression or resolve any issues before they become much more difficult to manage.
So, men, please understand that asking for help is ok and going to the doctor is something you SHOULD be doing. If you prefer seeing a male provider as well, you’re in luck! Northwest Integrative Medicine have 2 excellent male providers who are more than happy to help you with any health needs or goals. Be sure to view their profiles and schedule a visit with them today!
References:
- National Center for Health Statistics. Percentage of having a usual place of health care for adults aged 18 and over (95% confidence intervals), United States, 2019—2020. National Health Interview Survey. Generated interactively: Mar 18 2022 from https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NHISDataQueryTool/SHS_adult/index.html
- Garnett MF, Curtin SC, Stone DM. Suicide mortality in the United States, 2000–2020. NCHS Data Brief, no 433. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2022. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/ cdc:114217