Health Checks

By Patrick Driessen

Did you know that each hour in each civilised country, at least five to fifty men die from conditions that are potentially preventable (that's 120 to 1200 lost men per country per day)? Or that men live on average six years less than women?

According to the Australian Medical Association, many men treat their health as a low priority while they juggle the competing demands of work and family life. Apparently, men often adopt a “functional view” of their bodies. Only when their work, play or exercise is below par, they understand there may be a problem. Another fact is that most men stop visiting doctors regularly between the age of 20 and 45. By the time the begin visiting GP’s again, their ailments are more chronic in nature!

Prevention and early detection are key! To prevent and mitigate risks of obesity, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, etc., there is a thing you can do: an annual men’s health check! This is the best advice I can give you, as it will most certainly help you to maintain and protect your own health.

According to my own Sydney based men’s health specialist Dr. Rob King, the main objectives of a men’s health check/assessment are:

• To improve and maintain your wellbeing in the short and long term.
• To ensure you maintain your physical independence in the long term.
• To prevent the onset of disease, including cancer.
• To detect disease early, including cancer.
  

A complete men’s health check should cover the detection and prevention of:

• Nutritional imbalances.
• Excess body weight.
• Disease of your heart and arteries (cardiovascular disease - build-up of plaque in your arteries).
• High blood pressure (hypertension).
• Abnormal blood fats (dyslipidaemia).
• Abnormal blood sugar (insulin resistance/pre-diabetes/diabetes).
• Prostate problems.
• Weak bones (osteoporosis), calcium and vitamin D deficiencies.
• Screening for cancer, in particular skin, testicles, prostate, bowel.
• Sexual difficulties, in particular erection and ejaculation problems (optional).
• Sexually transmitted infections (optional).
• Immunisations.

Most large medical centres offer health checks and there are specialized men's (and womens) health check centres in most large cities around the world. They'll do a full health check and provide you with advise on how to improve your health. It will all be on a strictly confidential basis!

A men’s health check will take you at least 1 to 2 hours and will cost approx. $300-$600 of which you can claim a large part from your health insurance. A lot of employers do have agreements in place with external health and wellbeing providers, so just ask internally if your employer can arrange and fund your annual health check.
To find a men’s health check specialist near you, just Google “men’s health check” with your location to find a specialised centre near you.

Health checks women should have

There are many screening tests and examinations that healthy women can undertake to help with detection of diseases such as cancer. Your General Practitioner (doctor) is well placed to carry out some of these tests, refer you to have other tests, or to advise you on some of the self-checks you can be doing to monitor your own health. For a complete overview of womens health check recommendations for the general population and for women with specific risk factors for a particular disease, please click here.

Please do yourself a big favour and schedule a health check appointment on the short term. It is one of the best health investments you can make!

Make your health your TOP priority! You can't buy your health or life back after years of neglecting it while you earn your living!

"To get rich never risk your health! For it is the truth that health is the wealth of wealth." - Richard Baker

Make this a Positive & Healthy Day….unless you have other plans!

Thanks, warm regards & success,

Patrick Driessen

© Patrick W. Driessen. All rights reserved.