Newswise — Looking for the perfect Father's Day gift for the man in your life? Encourage him to go to the doctor.
Without your prodding, he probably will avoid it like the plague, says Michael Cannon, M.D., assistant professor of community and family medicine at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
"Spouses and significant others have the most power in getting men to go to the doctor," says Dr. Cannon, also a community and family medicine physician. "Just make the appointment and tell him what you've done."
Men typically don't go to the doctor for routine checkups.
"They view their bodies like a car," Dr. Cannon says. "They don't think they need to do anything unless something goes wrong."
Most men hate doing things now to prevent problems from developing later, Cannon adds.
"Why should you alter your diet when you feel good now?" he asked. "Men don't exercise to stay healthy. They exercise for camaraderie or because they enjoy sports. While men don't think about their health in the long term, they may be doing things now that predispose them to disease down the road."
Taking action now can keep a man healthy later. "Look for a doctor who takes a preventive approach to patient care and is willing to talk with men about their behavior," Cannon says. "Men are very goal oriented. They are more responsive to something tangible such as your LDL ("bad" cholesterol) level is 162 and you need to get it below 130. Here are ways to do it."
Sometimes making a doctor's appointment isn't enough.
"You may even have to go in with him. If you don't sit there in the exam room with them, they'll just tell the doctor, 'I'm here for a physical.' They won't tell a doctor their concerns.
"Men see any defect as a sign of weakness. They don't want to acknowledge there's anything physically wrong with them because it embarrasses them."
Established in 1836, Saint Louis University School of Medicine has the distinction of awarding the first M.D. degree west of the Mississippi River. Saint Louis University School of Medicine is a pioneer in geriatric medicine, organ transplantation, chronic disease prevention, cardiovascular disease, neurosciences and vaccine research, among others. The School of Medicine trains physicians and biomedical scientists, conducts medical research, and provides health services on a local, national and international level.
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