Health & Medical Advice and Information - UK Medical Health

It’s a well known fact that if a man gets a cold then they are likely to suffer a whole lot more than a woman suffering from the same ailment. The condition is called a ‘man cold’ and is recognised as a serious complaint that can result in the man taking up residence in front of the TV with a large box of tissues within easy reach, watching sports and avoiding any form of exertion, particularly if it relates to gardening or housework.

Given that men can have a tendency to exaggerate the symptoms of minor complaints like common colds you may think that doctors surgeries would be packed with malingering males crying over their minor ailments. The truth is that whilst many men (myself included) will tend to exaggerate the symptoms of minor complaints in order to elicit sympathy and cups of tea from their partners men will also ignore the signs of potentially serious men’s health problems and go to great lengths in order to avoid visiting the doctor. Why do men do this? Here are a few of the most common reasons:

1) Denial
Many men employ denial in order to avoid acknowledging factors like their stressful and unhealthy lifestyle. They simply keep doing what they have always done, eating too much, drinking too much, smoking, not getting enough exercise and working too much. They don’t acknowledge that these choices and the lifestyles that they lead are responsible for their health problems.

2) Self Delusion
Many men will rationalise their reasons not to visit the doctor by deluding themselves with inaccuracies such as the poor state of the health service or that it takes too long or is too costly to visit the doctor. Typically men can delude themselves that the problem being experienced is not really very serious and that if it is ignored it will go away.

3) Men aren’t conditioned to routinely visit the doctors.
It has been pointed out that differences exist in the routine of healthcare provision that is established for boys and girls. The differences in these routines lead women to recognise the preventative benefits of visits to a healthcare professional, but not men.

4) Embarrassment
Many men simply find it hard to discuss intimate physical or emotional issues. Men are simply not used to sharing personal information even with close friends and family and are therefore even more unlikely to disclose personal details or concerns with a doctor.

5) Only Visit the Doctor if the problem is Serious
Many men feel that they should only be going to see the doctor if they have a serious medical condition. Most young men tend to think that doctors and surgeries are there to deal with medical emergencies and don’t recognise the benefits of advice for preventatitive healthcare.

Men need to recognise that visiting a doctor is not a sign of weakness and that regular health checks can save lives. Mens health can be seriously and adversely affected by the busy, pressurised and stressful lifestyles led by many men today. Men need to acknowledge that it is not a sign of weakness to seek regular health checks and to take healthcare advice seriously.