Top 10 Reasons for Men to Get Their Annual Check-Up

Why don’t men go to the doctor?

I have my theories, but I don’t have the answer. However, I do know why men should go to the doctor. Now this article is not meant to impose guilt or act as a scare tactic, it is meant to inform and hopefully inspire. I am going to break this out into my top 10 reasons for men to get their yearly annual.

1: It’s free.

That’s right, no co-payment, no deductible, nothing! All the insurance companies I work with allow one free preventive visit a year. This means you get to come in, ask your healthcare questions, get a quick onceover, and maybe a little lab work.

2: Prevention.

Let me assume that you are an average American. If you are lucky enough to know your parents, or better yet, your grandparents, you might notice they are likely on lots of medications. This might be due to several reasons, including some preventable ones like adult onset diabetes.

3: Spare tire.

Maybe over the years you have started to gain a little weight and can’t figure out how to get rid of it. You know it’s important and part of that prevention piece I mentioned above, but you are at a loss. Nutrition is one of my main focuses and it usually doesn’t mean giving up everything you enjoy. With a few little helpful tweaks you can regain that lost waist.

4: Energy.

Having a hard time keeping up with your kids, your grandkids, or your favorite pet? Maybe you feel like you just don’t have the energy to go for a walk anymore, let alone go to the gym. There is likely a simple reason to that, and it’s often easy to figure out and treat.

5: Feeling less manly.

Are you going to gym but have noticed that no matter what you do you can’t gain any more muscle mass? Perhaps when you wake in the morning things are not as solid as they use to be. This might be due to decreased testosterone, something lots of men from 20 to 120 are dealing with. A simple blood test can help find this out.

6: Baby time.

Infertility is not just a woman’s concern, often it is the man who is preventing the pregnancy. If you and your partner are trying to conceive and seem to be having problems, it is important to bring it up during your yearly visit. There are lots of solutions out there to help make your swimmers a bit more robust.

7: Mood.

Are you feeling anxious every time you have to leave the house? Or maybe you can’t remember the last time you felt really happy for more than a few seconds at a time. It could be that you’re suffering from anxiety and depression. The important thing is to recognize it and then let your doctor know. There are lots of solutions out there, both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical.

8: Sleep.

Having problems getting to sleep? Maybe you are waking up in the middle of the night and tossing and turning, trying to get back to sleep. Or maybe your partner keeps elbowing you to stop you from snoring. All these reasons are worth seeing your doctor about.

9: Headaches.

Popping pills every day to get rid of that pesky headache? There could be numerous reasons your head feels like its splitting open. A lot of those reasons have simple solutions, everything from spinal manipulation (like chiropractic adjustments), to improving circulation, to discovering noxious things in your environment and diet.

10: Joint pain.

Is it hard to get moving in the morning, or after you have been sitting for a long time? Are your knees, shoulders, wrists, and/or elbows hurting all the time? Most men think this is normal aging, but in truth there is likely a preventable and treatable solution. Finding the solution to your pain can get you back to moving like a young man again.

There are of course numerous other reasons why you might consider making routine doctor visits, but the important thing is to just do it. You owe it to yourself, your family, and your future to get a regular checkup.

If you are worried of the unknown, that is totally reasonable, but know that most things caught early are easy to slow down, stop, or even reverse. As Ben Franklin said: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”