To Dad With Love... A Wellness Perspective

This year, as we take the time to honor the father figures in our lives, I want to shed some light on health and wellness, but from a man's perspective. To help me do this is Dr. Philip Gaskin M.D-Anesthesiology , a Barbados-based Anesthesiologist and founder of G-Strength Clinic, a wellness studio using cutting edge technology to help clients improve their physical and mental wellbeing.

We had a great conversation, a snippet of which I am sharing with you. As medical professionals, we were both able to highlight some concerning health behaviors that we would generally see in our male patients, and discussed the implications of these behaviors on men as individuals as well as collective members of our society.

LR: Based on your experience as a health and fitness professional, what is your impression when it comes to men's attitudes to their health?

PG: Typically if I see a lady in my pre-operative practice, she has had her pap smear, mammogram, and colonoscopy done, and she's attended her family doctor for her regular testing. When I see a male patient, he usually has not had any testing done. He's basically saying, "I feel good." It's almost as though we [men] want to be like the ostrich where we bury our heads in the sand. Even the ones who go to the gym, may be doing it more for aesthetics than for health and longevity. So what I would encourage most men to do is to just go for an annual check-up and do your routine checks.

I'm just going to jump in here to tell you that up next is where the conversation got really enlightening for me, as a woman hearing a man's perspective on life and health! Dr. Gaskin made reference to the following quote from well-known comedian and personal fave of mine, Chris Rock:

Only women, children and dogs are loved unconditionally. A man is only loved under the condition that he provides something. ~Chris Rock, comedian

PG: Men may start to feel as though we don't have as much value as we get older, so we need to take greater value in ourselves by taking care of ourselves, go get your PSA, your DRE [digital rectal examination of the prostate], your colonoscopy, and for the guys who are going to the gym for aesthetics, start to do it for your health as well.

LR: You made an interesting point about men burying their heads in the sand like an ostrich, and that has always been my experience in my previous role as a general practitioner, where it's as though men are afraid that something will be discovered if these tests are done, so they don't want to know, and ignorance is bliss.

PG: Yes, and they believe that it will just go away. But it won't, and medical technology now is such that if you make an intervention you will be able to do something. People say all the time, "whatever is to kill me will kill me," but I tell them all the time that it doesn't work like that. That [proverbial] "light" will flicker off and on, and off and on, for a very long time, it doesn't just end like that.

LR: I love that reference because it makes me think of patients in my palliative practice where they are at the stage where they are "flickering" and there is so much regret there as to why didn't I go to get this checked sooner? Then in addition to the personal regret, there is also the feeling that they have let their families down, because the families are asking why didn't you get this checked sooner?

PG: You know, human beings are one of the handful of mammals, orcas are another species, that live way past their reproductive age, and the reason for that is so that we can pass on knowledge! So just imagine being a father or grandfather and you just don't make it long enough to pass on valuable knowledge.

LR: Oh wow, that's so true, it will negatively affect the generations to come!

PG: Yup, they'll have to start over!

LR: And learn from scratch!

PG: So men, go get the screenings. A lot of the tests we are asking you to do are painless.

LR: Yes! I would also suggest that they stop listening to the false hype from people who have never even had the testing done. I've had way too many male patients who were surprised that the prostate exam wasn't the horrible thing they imagined it would be, after they'd had it done.

PG: Men, have value for yourself and for your family, look after yourselves, get your yearly checks, and make wellness a priority, no matter your age.

There you have it! Consider yourself well-advised, your health is your wealth, it is time to prioritize enjoying precious moments with loved ones while investing in your physical and mental fortitude!

Dr. Lesley Reece is a palliative physician and life coach for women, teaching others what it means to enjoy a life well-lived.