Did you know that men generally die younger than women?
One of the reasons is that blokes often don’t go to their doctor when they have symptoms or don’t feel so good. They’re also more likely not to have regular check-ups, or start or complete a course of treatment.
Your GP is bound by patient confidentiality and is a safe and knowledgeable person for you to talk to about any concerns you might have about your mental or physical health.
Here are some really good reasons why you should see your GP regularly:
You probably service your car semi-regularly—why not yourself?
With some conditions—such as melanoma, early signs of other cancers, or heart conditions— you definitely want to find out you have it before you start to have symptoms, so treatment can start early. Routine check-ups can pick up things before they become a problem. Why not lock it into your calendar as a regular thing like you do with other important appointments?
Set a good example for your dad, your sons, and other men in your life
By going to the doctor when you have symptoms or concerns and getting regular check-ups, you can be a good influence on the men around you to do the same.
You can even check in with other men in your life and give them a friendly nudge to go and get their check-up.
Get to the heart of the matter
Men are roughly twice as likely as women to have a heart attack. The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (which includes heart disease, stroke, and vascular disease) is also higher in men than in women. Regular check-ups may pick up the early signs.
High pressure
Many people with high blood pressure don’t know they have it until they get it checked. If your GP finds you have high blood pressure, they can start to treat it and help you modify your lifestyle to get it under control before it becomes something much more serious.
Sweet bro!
Like high blood pressure, people may not know they have high blood sugar levels, which can indicate, or lead to, serious health issues such as diabetes.
The same applies with high cholesterol levels. Your GP can check these levels.
Under pressure
For a range of reasons, men tend to suffer from work-related stress more than women. Stress—especially chronic stress—is very bad for your health. Talk to your GP if you feel your stress levels are too high or heading that way, if they’re affecting your life, if you’re struggling, or just not feeling like yourself.
Substances
Men have higher rates of drug and alcohol use. In 2019, among Queenslanders aged 14 years and older, males were more likely to have used any illicit drug in the past 12 months compared to females.
Among Queensland adults aged 18 years and older, 50% of men compared to 26% of women consumed alcohol above the limits recommended in the 2020 Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from alcohol.
If you have concerns about your use of alcohol or drugs, you can talk to your GP in absolute confidence. Here is a list of confidential alcohol and other drug services in Queensland.
Mind your mind
You can talk to your GP if you have concerns about your mental health or are struggling, feeling overwhelmed, out of sorts, or not your usual self. Anything you say to your GP is confidential.
See this link to find a mental health service.
If it’s broke, fix it
Your GP can help you with weekend-warrior-type injuries from footy, backyard cricket, tennis, mountain biking, gardening, home renovations, general shenanigans, or whatever else it is you like doing. It’s important to properly treat things like sprains and muscle tears if you don’t want to end up on the sidelines for longer. Joint injuries can also increase your chances of getting arthritis. If you suffer a head injury, you should always go and get it checked out.
GPs can help you with staying healthy, too
Your GP can often give you advice or point you in the right direction on a range of things you can do to stay healthy, including not smoking, not drinking too much alcohol, maintaining a healthy weight, looking after your mental health, exercise, healthier eating, and more. Just have a chat or ask questions next time you're there.
More resources:
- Find a mental health service
- Alcohol and other drug services in Queensland
- Why do men die younger than women?
- The Health and Wellbeing Queensland website offers delicious healthy recipes, exercise ideas, guides, and resources for you and your family.
- The Dear Mind website has information about the building blocks of mental wellbeing, as well as ideas, activities and support resources.