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accessHealthNews.net
June 2024
Volume 10 | Issue No. 85
Over the years, Tyler Waldorf has avoided
scheduling routine doctors' visits. His
reasons have shifted – fear, frustration
and hassle top the list – but the pattern
remains.
"I don't make it a priority," the Kansas City-
based consultant and artist says. "I just
keep putting it off."
Waldorf isn't alone. A recent Cleveland
Clinic survey showed that 55 percent of
men don't see a doctor regularly and
for men of color, the number jumps to
63 percent. Yet men pay a high price for
ignoring their health. In the U.S., they live,
on average, five years less than women. In
addition:
Like many men, Waldorf's initial resistance
was tied to youthful bravado. He was
a healthy college student, then young
professional, so why waste time having
a doctor tell him what he already knew?
Then, after Waldorf came out, he wanted
a doctor comfortable treating a gay man.
"That just added another layer," he said.
Since then, he's been put off by a host of
reasons other men cite as well, including
the high cost of seeing a specialist, the
long wait time for appointments and a
pervasive case of "it-it's-not-broke-don't-
fix-it."
"You get to a place where ignorance is
bliss," he said. "If I go, they may give me
bad news."
Another common reason men hold back is
the headache associated with navigating
a complex system. Ron Seeger, a retired
museum director, has had long stretches
without a primary care physician, mostly
after doctors have moved.
Men are 50 percent more likely to die of
cardiovascular disease than women.
One in two men will develop some form
of cancer in their lifetime, compared
to one in three women. (Prostate, lung,
colorectal, bladder and melanoma top
the list for men.
Men are now four times more likely to die
by suicide than women.
"We blame the user, because we don't want to take a
look at the systems that are creating barriers."
- Dr. Manual Solano
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