Due to many decades of social conditioning men are taught to be "tough" and "not complain" and this "old school way of thinking' has caused many males to suffer from poor health and devastating illnesses and diseases that could have been treated and even cured if they had gone to visit their doctor at the beginning. Many men are reluctant to go for regular physical examinations for screening tests, like testicular or prostate cancer tests, because of fear, ignorance, social conditioning, and even, denial of their conditions (which is also seen in women)until it has become symptomatic. Research and data has shown that men who think they're too "macho" to seek medical help could end up making more trips to the doctor's office in the long run and might need medical attention for a longer period of time. Alot of men still seem reluctant to go to the doctor. Fortunately, this has been gradually changing as we learn more about health risks and family histories. Chronic problems, like, cardiovascular diseases, strokes, hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol are detected early in men who see their physicians for regular checkups or minor illnesses.
This article will show some ways to get a man to visit the doctor for regular physical examinations and check ups.
Instructions
1. Since most of human behaviors is due to conditioning and habits the first thing to address is to change the way a man think and how he would deal with issues of his health and visiting the doctor. Education is important. We can de-condition our thought patterns and change and modify them by re-education. Make him do some research and read up on men's health issues and encourage him to become PROACTIVE about his own health and quality of life. Nowadays with the vast resources out their on the internet you can access an array of medical and health information just by clicking a button on the computer. So there is no excuse. Remember, knowledge is power and one can makes choices about how they want to live their lives..but it is not always about quantity ... more importantly, is should be about the quality of life.
2. There is a popular saying that states "a picture says a million words" so use images and pictures of diseases and chronic medical conditions to show him how he could end up if he does not visit the doctor for preventative health screening. This should be a strong motivator to anyone especially images of gross organ pathologies from cadavers and deceased patients. These can be easily accessed on the internet at most medical or health sites.
3. Fear is always at the based of most behaviors of denial or avoidance of the issue or problem at hand. Most men have the fear of seeing the doctor of regular check up for male problems because of fear or ignorance of what is expected in the visit. For example, most men, especially, the younger generation of males, do not know what is involved in the digital rectal exam (DRE) which is an important test to perform by the doctor to screen or prevent prostate cancer. One way to help the man overcome this fear is to educate him on a step by step process of this procedure. There are many online sites that have videos on how the procedure is performed or you can purchase DVD at the local medical school stores or medical libraries. Also, books are available which will demonstrate in detail how it is performed in he doctor's office.
4. To make it more personal and emphasize the point about how important the doctor's visit is to you both then maybe you can make and send him a postcard. Most doctors sent out monthly or quarterly postcards to remind their patients of the next visit but these are usually too impersonal and are thrown away by the man. Making one by hand will demonstrate your concern and care for him and how much you love him. Paste photos of people he cares about, especially if there are children in the family, on one side to remind him why he needs to take good care of himself. On the other side, let him know he's due for an appointment with the doctor
5. Make arrangements for the doctor's visit to be part of a day's excursion and a day trip. For example, include a lunch or dinner plans before or after the visit so that it will also be fun day and not just another 'do I have to" trip to the doctor. Taking a long stroll at the beach or park and sending some quality time together will also help relax and reduce anxiety for the man before the check up .
6. If you have young boys in the family then you can make a point of telling the man(father)that he should be a role model for his son and he should learn become knowledgeable and proficient at performing home screening self exams , like self testicular exam and the self skin exam, on a regular basis and then teach his son the importance of these tests and perform them as well. The doctor will demonstrate the correct techniques required to perform these exams properly.
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