Take Care of You for Me!
Father’s day is coming up this month, which got me thinking about the dads I take care of in the office. Over the years, I’ve noticed that men don’t tend to seek care when they begin to have pain, but wait until the pain stops them from doing something they love. This may be golfing, playing soccer, doing work around the house, or playing with kids or grandkids. Sometimes, this even extends to the workplace--powering through pain until they physically can’t anymore. The problem with this attitude is that it takes much more work to fix the problem, when you are finally forced to seek help. Sometimes it cannot be fixed, just managed. It can even make it impossible to go back to what you love. This isn’t just an observation, there are statistics to back me up. According to the CDC, women are 33% more likely to visit a doctor (even when excluding pregnancy-related visits) and 100% more likely to do annual visits or preventative screenings than their male counterparts.
So men, take a look at your life right now. Are you happy, healthy, and working to keep it that way? If not, then it is time now to make a change while you still can. There are many factors that affect quality of life and mortality rate specifically in men. Some can’t be controlled, but there are many factors that you can control to help you have a good health and quality of life. Socially, it’s important to manage work stress and build social networks and support systems. On the behavioral side risk factors include: smoking, alcohol and substance abuse, poor diet, lack of exercise, and lack of routine medical care.
Most of the time it isn’t too late to turn your health and wellness around. If you feel like you don’t have time, then think of those around you who love you. They want to see you healthy and keep you in their lives for many years to come. Taking care of yourself sets an example for the other men in your life to make a change for wellness. If you have pain or have had to cut an activity that brings you joy out of your life, I encourage you to come and get evaluated today. As a chiropractor, I am trained to identify when chiropractic can help you, or to refer you to another physician. We can help guide you on the road to wellness. Just picture the life you want to be living and take the first step!
