Men urged to focus more on their health

By Tom Clarke

Men need to follow the lead of women and become a lot more aware of their health, says inner-city general practitioner Dr Peter Morton.

Men are usually more conscientious about having their teeth checked and their cars regularly serviced than they are about their health, he says.

Often by the time they do seek medical advice, it is at the stage where it is more difficult for the medical profession to help.

"If we look at mortality figures, men still have a shorter life expectancy than women, because they are a lot more prone to cardiovascular disease, he says.

"We have just adopted a national screening service for breast cancer for women and cervical screening has been around for a long time.

"But for males the contentious issue is prostatic. That isn't being endorsed on a national scale although it is an area that has been looked at.

Dr Morton has joined the Auckland City Medical Centre in Kitchener St. He says doctors generally don't routinely see men, unless it is as a result of accidents or specific medical problems.

He believes men must become more proactive over their health rather than being reactive as they are at the moment.

Men usually don't have as many health problems as women, who go to the doctor more often because of gynaecological problems.

He says men need to be encouraged to think more about health care, particularly those between the ages of 50 and 60. This is the time when some problems - cardiovascular, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, for example - can be treated more effectively than they can later in life.

Many of the health issues that are treated at the Auckland City Medical Centre are a reflection of lifestyles.

"Stress and the executive lifestyle means we often neglect health, he says.

When people live busy lifestyles, the first thing that "goes out the window

is regular exercise. The second is sensible dietary patterns. Both are important, he says, particularly for protection against heart disease.

Men should be going to their doctor to have their risk factor assessed. They may not be aware that they have high blood pressure and high cholesterol, for example.

Depression and anxiety are also common among people under stress, which can often lead to other more serious conditions.

"These are all issues that ideally we want to contain in the early stages of development, he says. "We can often do that by lifestyle changes, which can range from stopping smoking through to more exercise, or just by learning how to relax.

Dr Morton graduated from the Auckland University School of Medicine in 1989. He spent six years working in hospitals and as a GP in Australia, Britain and Bermuda.

He specialises in men's health and sports medicine.