Originally published January 10 2006
American men often think of health checkups as unnecessary inconveniences
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A new survey carried out by Men's Health magazine and MSNBC.com reveals that many men do not get regular checkups at the doctor, but signs of improvement were present, as greater numbers of those who responded were aware of their blood pressure and cholesterol level.
Andrew Tucker recently had his first medical check-up in seven years.
He's not a big fan of doctor visits so he kept putting off his exam.
Check-ups, while not necessarily recommended annually anymore, are usually advised at least every few years for someone of Tucker's age, 45, to measure things like blood pressure and cholesterol.
Tucker's sentiments are shared by plenty of men, so his story isn't all that surprising --- except for the fact that he's a physician himself.
So how does Tucker, director of sports medicine at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore and head team physician for the Baltimore Ravens, explain himself?
It's long been believed that many men have their heads in the sand when it comes to their health --- that they don't go to the doctor or make healthy lifestyle changes unless something's broken, and then only after much prodding from the women in their lives.
Like previous studies, a new Men's Health magazine/MSNBC.com reader survey also found that men often aren't doing enough to stay healthy and fit.
The not-so-good news 52% don't get enough exercise 47% don't take time to themselves to unwind 13% haven't had check-ups in years, if ever 40% don't know their cholesterol level The survey, which received more than 16,300 responses during one week in October, found, for example, that 83 percent of respondents don't smoke, 78 percent know their blood pressure level and 60 percent know how high their cholesterol is.
Experts say men's awareness of health matters has increased because of more widespread media coverage over the last decade or so, and also in part because of the proliferation of pharmaceutical advertising, for products such as Viagra and Lipitor, that gets men's attention.
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