Men don’t like going to the doctor. It’s really that simple. The reasons men don’t get medical tests range from “I don’t have insurance” to “there probably isn’t anything wrong” or “I can tough it out” and “I don’t have a doctor.” But these issues are fixable and much less important than the blood tests every man needs to remain healthy.
The Center for Disease Control reports that women are 100% better at screening and preventative care than men. If you have a man in your life who isn’t motivated to get the essential blood tests every man needs; you might need to nudge or let’s call it encourage him to take action. Get real and give examples. Men need to know that there are health tests every man needs to actually help them avoid death and an unhealthy life.
Diseases that tend to afflict men can be symptomless: diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and that is why recommended annual blood tests are so crucial. Blood tests can provide a baseline so that change is much easier to detect. Plus, finding problems early can provide a better chance of a longer, healthier, quality life.
Essential Blood Tests Every Man Needs
Check-ups every guy needs will help prevent death and suffering from these top five diseases.
Heart Disease
Heart disease is the number one cause of death worldwide. There are many forms of heart disease: narrow or blocked blood vessels, conditions that affect the heart muscle, valves or rhythm. And most heart disease can be prevented.
The blood tests every man needs when it comes to detecting heart disease? A cholesterol test that measures the fat in your blood and a CRP or C reactive protein test will let your doctor know that inflammation exists in the body. Order a CRP Blood Test online.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that results in loss of memory, thinking, language and behavior. The symptoms might include being unable to remember simple tasks, solve daily problems, or just general confusion with life events. It’s tough to determine that these symptoms are because of Alzheimer’s Disease and that is why further lab tests are important.
While there isn’t a specific blood test to determine Alzheimer’s, there are very legitimate reasons to get a blood test. A blood test helps a doctor rule out other issues like confusion, vitamin deficiency and thyroid disorders when there are symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Advancements are also being made in blood tests related to Alzheimer’s disease that can test protein patterns in blood and spinal fluid. It’s good to stay connected to and visit your doctor to have blood tests run so you can benefit from these advancements.
Kidney Disease
Any damage that reduces the function of your kidney is considered to be kidney disease. Your kidneys need to stay healthy to help to clean your blood and control blood pressure.
There are many causes of kidney disease, the problem is that there aren’t always symptoms. Dehydration, enlarged prostate, certain drugs or toxins, autoimmune disease, diabetes, high blood pressure; these are just a few things that can affect the health of your kidneys.
Without a kidney test and treatment, kidneys can get worse and eventually stop working which can be life threatening.
The good news is that if caught early, kidney disease can be slowed or even stopped from getting worse. Because there are rarely symptoms, it’s important to get tested for elevated levels of creatinine in the blood which can indicate malfunctioning kidneys.
Stroke
When blood supply to the brain is interrupted or severely reduced, a stroke can occur. Men’s health tests for diseases like diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure are crucially important because all of them can lead to stroke.
A blood test is used to diagnose a stroke, once it has occurred. To prevent stroke from happening, it is important to get those blood tests every man needs for diseases and conditions that lead to stroke.
Strokes can be difficult to detect and testing the blood for rising glutamate levels can lead to a quicker diagnosis. Glutamate levels rise significantly in stroke victims, making this blood test essential.
Lung Cancer
When it comes to health tests every man needs, getting a blood test to check for any kind of cancer is obviously important. Colon and skin cancer are common among men but it turns out that lung cancer is the number one leading cause of death for people with cancer. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than from prostate, colon and breast cancers combined.
Men, it’s okay to be proactive when it comes to healthcare. You don’t have to wait until debilitating symptoms appear to seek medical help. You don’t have to “tough it out.” And you don’t have to pay a fortune in medical bills to stay up to date on your personal state of health. At least get an annual blood test that covers a variety of life threatening diseases. Something like our 12 Most Important Blood Tests for Men will save you money, time and productivity. Being informed about your health means you can act BEFORE things get serious, decreasing the need for sick days. Be the healthy version of you, you want to be!
