Editorial
Men Have Feelings Too
Men don ’ t clog up GP waiting rooms , but tend to be over-represented at EDs on a Friday and Saturday night . Are men the worst or best patients ?
There isn ’ t a lot of excitement out there about men ’ s health , except for some disease-specific areas . Using stereotypes , you could be forgiven for thinking that men are defined by their libido , their mental health , their earning capacity and not much else . Where does this come from and should we be frowning ?
Depending on their age , of course , the sexuality of men is a major driver for their health and social prowess . Even young newly-married men like to fantasise about playing the field , energies they divert to nurturing when offspring arrive . Older men are walking prostates and erectile dysfunction if the lay press and the Internet are anything to go by .
A subversive theory is that for our cashstrapped health system , men are the perfect patient group . Believing they are bullet proof , they present late with health problems and have a low-key fix-it approach to putting things right . Then it ’ s back to work !
They keep a raft of marketing people employed with the task of enticing men out of their cubby-holes to think preventive health . Blokey Pit-stop health checks and Merv Hughes enticing men to look at their tackle are the results . It ’ s a hard ask for marketing because men refuse to define themselves in terms of their illness .
Males appear to be victims of their Y chromosomes . Testosterone has a way of rearing its ugly head . Wars are not fought by women ( who are encouraged to rub it on to get a slice of the action ). Men with testosterone to burn make up most of our sporting heroes , most of them admired for being competitive winners , not pussy team players . Although the media might be blamed for making instant celebrities out of these people , the quest for high performance is a predominant male trait .
The high performance male is evident in the young male doctor or patient , where both are better equipped for more demanding of good outcomes . Meanwhile , community violence increases and presents itself to EDs and elsewhere as road and biffo trauma .
The big picture is that national health is favourably influenced by male role models . This doesn ’ t mean we should all get excited when Arnold Schwarzenegger visits Perth ! People like Bill Gates ( brain power and persistence ) and Nelson Mandela ( no compromise on principles ) are important too . The myths of heroes on white horses and Aussie mates looking out for the underdog must not be replaced by recent memories of flawed men , whether wayward priests or corrupt stockbrokers . Men are what they do .
How we commend successful males is very important to men ’ s health . �
Any thoughts on men ’ s health ? Scan the QR Code to be directed to the website or email editor @ mforum . acom . au .
smithcoffey medicalforum 9