Everywhere and every day we are surrounded by lots of health advice: Take this, eat that, don’t eat that, don’t do the other. However, even the most health aware persons- not to mention the physician averse – may happen to make some mistakes in terms of caring for themselves.
Common Health Mistakes Made by Men
According to the conventional knowledge, the typical man takes better care of his car than his body. "All men’s health blunders come from the necessary male blunder, and that is the concept (many men have) that a real man is a man with no weaknesses," Terry Real, MSW, a family therapist and author in Watertown, Mass., explains to WebMD
"Unless something is falling off," Larrian Gillespie, MD, a urologist in California, tells WebMD, "men will not visit the healthcare provider."
In comparison to women, men have a shorter life expectancy, Real claims, due to the fact that they don’t take care of themselves. "Men do not recognize that they require medical help, they do not ask for it, and when they do, they never do what the doctor recommends." The worst case, Real states, is that men die. "I could call that a big mistake - costly."
Men develop depression in a very different way than women, explains Real, who is author of You’re Not Crazy It’s Your Hormones. "A woman is aware that she is depressed, she feels the pain, seeks help. But even when a man knows what he is experiencing, he will not ask anybody for help."
The most common symptoms of depression include: the feeling of sadness, sleeping too little or too much, a drop in libido, and the feeling that nothing in life is giving pleasure.
"Considerably more men than women suffer from what I call hidden depression," Real states. "It isn’t as pronounced due to the fact that they are doing their best to ward it off – drinking alcohol, running around with women, lashing out and being irritable or even aggressive, or watching TV excessively. A lot of health providers will miss the signals."
But treatment of depression is a health success story. According to Real, nine out of ten persons who ask for some form of support, report considerable relief. "The problem is, fewer than one in five will seek help."
Women Can Help
Real directs this message to women, ironically. "Women get men to see that this is a chemical imbalance, biological and genetic, and hence there are medicines that really work. Depression should not be regarded as moral weakness! There was also a time when men did not receive help for diabetes. Shortly after depression will be in that same routine category of treatment."
Some other health mistakes men usually make:
* Denying something obvious. Blood in the stool, weird rashes or moles, unexpected thirstiness. "Men are wonderful and creative deniers," Gillespie claims.
* Denying even conditions as serious as a heart attack. The majority of men have read about the symptoms of a heart attack (that may be very different for women): exhaustion, numbness in the left arm, chest pains, shortness or breath, nausea, or a feeling of extreme weight on the chest. It sometimes happens that all of these appear at the same time. "Yet, men will drive themselves to the hospital," Gillespie states. When the signals of a heart attack appear you should call 911 straight away.
* Not being screened for colon cancer. The vast majority of men (and women) should have colon cancer screening starting at age 50 and every five to ten years thereafter.
* Not having a prostate examination only due to the fact that you think it is not pleasant. A digital rectal examination can assess prostate size and irregularity that may be suspicious for an enlarged prostate or cancer.
* Not examining yourself for testicular cancer. This type of a cancer more commonly strikes younger men, between the age of fifteen and thirty five. The earlier it is discovered, the higher the chance for successful treatment.
* Eating unhealthy diet. "Men are the biggest buyers of drive-through and all kinds of junk food," Gillespie explains.
* Smoking cigarettes. This applies to both men and women. "This is a real issue," Gillespie claims. There are various tools that can help you give up smoking. They include: nicotine patches, gum, nasal spray, inhalers, and lozenges; call-in "quit lines;" and prescription medications such as Zyban. Your healthcare provider can go through all possible options that are accessible and then both of you can find a regimen together.
Women Also Make Health Blunders
All women have a rep for running to the physician constantly, and statistics reveal that they do go more frequently than men. However, this does not mean that they always exercise the best judgment concerning their health.
"The biggest mistake made by women is taking care of everyone instead of themselves," Suzanne Merrill-Nach, MD, an ob-gyn in practice in San Diego, explains to WebMD. "They make father and the children go to the healthcare provider and take their medications, but they may neglect themselves."
Being not careful about birth control is also a big mistake, Merrill-Nach claims. "I still see a lot of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Women must say: condoms or nothing (no sex). This is going to be beneficial for both men and women. How do you decide when to use contraception and when not to? Use it!"
Merrill-Nach claims that you may not hear much about birth control pills nowadays, however they remain a "wonderful" method of birth control. "They have a lot of various advantages," she states. "They are used for many purposes, cramps, irregular periods, acne." There are injections as well, skin patches that deliver medication and a vaginal ring. "These are effective and very easy to use," she explains.
Obviously, hormonal birth control is not a protection against STDs or viruses, such as HIV and the hepatitis viruses. HIV/AIDSHIV/AIDS may not be in the press as much currently, but it is still a great problem, even for older people. There are also other STDs out there, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and a resurgence of syphilis.
Smoking Cigarettes and Other Blunders
Merrill-Nach is also obdurate about smart women who still smoke cigarettes. "Do you expect it will keep you thin?" she asks. "Are you willing to look good in your casket?" Heart disease is more common cause of death among women than breast cancer; it’s No. 1. Smoking contributes to it. "Smoking may result in bladder cancer as well," Merrill-Nach explains. "And wrinkles!"
Other health mistakes women make:
* Crossing their legs at the knee. Even though there are a lot of factors involved in development of varicose veins, crossing your legs can limit blood flow and help develop varicose veins. It’s much better to sit with your feet flat on the ground.
* Forgetting about breakfast. You will not rev your metabolism into action and function as well in the morning. Then you will pig out at lunch.
* Using perfume in the sunlight. This can set up a chemical reaction that may result in a rash.
* Lack of self-examination of breasts. A visit to the gynecologist once a year is not a sufficient substitute for self-examinations. If you feel a lump or notice some changes in your breasts, consult your healthcare provider immediately for further evaluation.
* Not having regular blood tests. Women, particularly those who have risk factors for diabetes, also require periodic diabetes screening tests. Other tests to check for anemia, cholesterol levels, and thyroid function should also be done.
* Thinking that you are unable to get pregnant over the age of forty. "This is the dumbest!" states Gillespie. "Even if you suppose you are going into menopause, you still can get pregnant."
* Using too many feminine sprays. "These upset the normal flora and fauna in the vagina," Gillespie explains. "If you have chronic odor worries, it could be a symptom of thyroid problems, type 2 diabetes, or a shortage of estrogen."
* Not recognizing any signs of a possible heart attack. Both women and men can experience symptoms of heart problems in different ways. Women frequently don’t get the "elephant on the chest" heavy feeling, Gillespie says. Instead of that, the common symptoms can be: draining tiredness, sweats, and nausea. A feeling such as heartburn or indigestion could also constitute a symptom of a heart attack in women.
Both men and women must eat healthier diet, have a regular physical activity, and not be afraid to insist on their rights to decent, timely health care. It’s only a life or death matter.
