The Nutrient: Why men avoid doctors, A day of reckoning, Pain vs. gain

Research

Survey: Men will do Almost Anything to Avoid Going to the Doctor
Clevland Clinic

This headline made me chuckle:

"72% of men would rather do household chores, like cleaning the bathroom or mowing the lawn, than go to the doctor."

It's a statistic from a survey of 1,174 American males 18 years of age and older that the Cleveland Clinic sent out as part of their educational campaign called “MENtion It.” Why? Because men often don't “MENtion” it, and instead suffer from unnecessary chronic disease and early death.

Here are a couple interesting findings along with my two cents:

• 65% of men surveyed prefer to try to self-diagnose before going to the doctor. (I actually appreciate the effort, but read my new article below to see how this  strategy can backfire. Maybe men are just avoiding doctors who come up with cheesy sayings like "MENtion it!")
• 36% of men surveyed who haven’t been honest with their doctor held back because they didn't want to hear that they needed to exercise more, change diet, quit smoking, etc. (This is why I've pivoted from suggesting my patients make lifestyle changes. Instead I provide the pros and cons and let them make an informed decision.)
• 82% of men surveyed try to stay healthy to live longer for friends and family who rely on them, yet only 50% engage in preventative care. (This is the key takeaway from the survey. Yes, your health is your responsibility, but that doesn't mean it needs to be tackled alone.)

Article

Are you waiting for a day of reckoning to take control of your health?

In my new article this week I explore the dilemma between taking action to improve your health vs. waiting for a catastrophe to find motivation. Teaser: waiting almost killed me.

"In the Bible, the phrase ‘Day of Reckoning’ refers to the last judgment from God after death, where you’re called to account for all your actions in life. The image is intense, I know, but it’s a good analogy of how most Americans are waiting for a near-death experience before they take control of their health. We’re eating, sleeping, and moving without considering future consequences."

News

No pain, no gain?
Big Think

Who do you think are the people who still go to the gym two weeks into the new year? The highly motivated type? The person with a specific goal? The revenge body guy?

It's actually the person who enjoys going to the gym. And the best way to enjoy a workout is to match the intensity with your individual intensity traits, which requires moderation.

"Modern cultures view exercise as an intense and rigorous health ritual. It isn’t supposed to be pleasurable so much as penitence. It’s the torturous price we pay for all that sinful snacking. We even invoke the Inquisition-style mantras of “feel the burn,” “no pain, no gain,” and “make your muscles cry” to lead us to beachwear salvation. But that mindset is an exercise myth."

Words of the week

“Before modern medicine, what determined how long you lived was actually how long you were healthy — your 'healthspan'. What physical activity does is it increases your healthspan, and your healthspan, therefore, increases your lifespan.”
– Daniel Lieberman, a professor of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University