A Nurse Practitioner's View

Dr. Steven Lamm, author of the book, The Hardness Factor , writes a column on the Today portion of msnbc.com about the different attitudes between men and women seeking health care. Dr. Lamm writes, "After three decades of treating both sexes, I have concluded that many men simply don’t think to put doctor visits on their “to do” lists. They look upon going to a physician as some undesirable form of pampering, no matter how sick they are. In general, men are not all that good at taking care of their health, probably because they have not grown up with periodic medical exams. " There is no doubt that women seek health care earlier and more often then men. As a former college health provider, I would easily see 4 female patients to every 1 male patient. While Dr. Lamm attributes this difference to the "traditional masculine pattern," to which I largely agree, I have additional food for thought. Perhaps men aren't encouraged enough to bring up their concerns or wh...