Why men have to lose their fear of going to the doctor – words Al Woods
The idea of going to the doctor for a check up to many men is just the worst possible scenario. If it’s for something slightly embarrassing then this is magnified tenfold.
Some of it is fear of course. The fear that something serious might be found and that it’s therefore easier sometimes just to bury your head in the sand and live in ignorant bliss.
It is also a hangover from that stiff upper lip ‘strong man’ concept that is slowly evolving but still has a tight hold on many men. Men are strong. We can weather any storm. That’s all very well until you do have a medical problem that really does need serious attention.
Piles
It’s one of the most common medical conditions. This is what happens if you go to the doctor for piles. You’ll be asked to go on the examination table and yes, a finger will be inserted into your rectum You can request a male doctor but yes this is not the best position to find yourself in. On the plus side Piles is usually cured quickly and easily and the alternative is to suffer what can be acute pain each and every day. So, it’s a moment of humility compared to days or weeks of acute pain.
Erectile Dysfunction
This is a bête noire for many men. Going to the doctors is bad enough but to admit to not being able to get an erection is on a whole new level of humiliation. Yes, the doctor will fiddle around with your ‘meat and two veg’ and that does feel entirely wrong but you’ll get over it. The alternative is to either resign yourself to not having sex or to go through illegal channels and get some dodgy black-market version of Viagra from some rogue website. Not a good idea. There are, in fact, proper and leginate ways to cure this problem and obtain erectile dysfunction treatment.
Prostate Cancer
This might possibly be one of the biggest fears facing men today. To make matters worse it can involve the doctor inserting a finger up the rectum for what can be a prolonged and uncomfortable examination. These is no getting around it – it is embarrassing. But if there is even a slight possibility of catching this deadly disease early then a few minutes red faced awkwardness has to be a small thing. Prostate cancer is a bigger killer than breast cancer – it’s responsible for 11,000 deaths in the UK each year.
So yes, we men are reluctant and would do almost anything to try to avoid it but sometimes you have to bite the bullet and visit your GP. Men have to realise that sometimes being strong means actually facing up to a problem rather than hoping it will go away.
Why men have to lose their fear of going to the doctor – words Al Woods
