Adult men should visit healthcare professionals on a regular basis, even when they are healthy
Medical Advisor: Manuela Ossa Builes, General Physician
You can’t get sick from going to the doctor. Another myth that is often believed, is that as a man, by taking care of your health, your masculinity is compromised. You also don’t have to see a specialist only when you are sick. These myths and perceptions are a threat to a person’s life, as they prevent people from detecting illnesses that can affect their future.
“When you are a child, you have many opportunities to go to the doctor because parents, together with pediatricians, monitor the development of their child. However, after age 18, people lose contact with their doctors, especially men who usually wait until they have severe pain or have already developed health conditions to see a healthcare professional,” says Dr. Manuela Ossa Builes.
Getting a regular checkup is part of a culture of prevention and healthy living habits and is therefore just as important as eating a balanced diet, exercising, sleeping well, reducing stress and avoiding the consumption of alcohol and cigarettes. “Preventive medicine should not be forgotten about. Because of these routines, they help assess the risk of future medical problems, diagnose them on time and foster a healthy lifestyle,” Dr. Ossa adds.
In a healthy patient that has no symptoms, regular exams are not annual, as they were thought to be. This frequency depends on a person’s phase in life, which is divided into three large groups. So if you are healthy, consider the following medical schedule to be healthy on a day-to-day basis.