The importance of regular screenings

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) – November is Men’s Health Awareness Month, and we’re focusing on issues that impact men specifically.

In the final part of this two-part series, we’re looking at men’s reluctance to get routine checkups and prostate health.

According to a 2022 Cleveland Clinic survey, 55% of men say they don’t get regular health screenings. Reasons men don’t include fear of not knowing what medical conditions they may have and societal expectations of self-reliance.

Dr. David Shahbazi is a family medicine physician for UP Health System Marquette. He says routine screenings are important for men, especially as they age.

“Women are much more likely to get routine checkups than men are and routine checkups are especially important when you get older, typically over 40, screening for diabetes, screening for heart disease, screening for cancer,” Shahbazi said.

Shahbazi says he thinks the reluctance to see a doctor comes from not wanting to appear weak.

“I think because it’s a vulnerability. I think you want to be tough and don’t want to have anything wrong with you, so you won’t admit it when you have a problem. You’re kind of a failure; you’re not as successful,” Shahbazi said.

One area commonly overlooked is screening for prostate cancer. However, Shahbazi says the necessity for screening varies for each individual so visiting a doctor can help you determine if you should prioritize it.

“It’s very complicated. It’s one of the hardest things for us to talk to people about, so people ask ‘Should I have a PSA done?’ and that is not a yes or no question, I know what I do for myself, I know what’s important for me but, that might be different from what’s important for you, so what I want to do is inform people so they can make their own decision,” Shahbazi said.

Shahbazi says the medical community in Marquette County offers services for routine checkups and mental health.

“Of people that see a primary care doctor, 80% of the problems we can take care of, and if not, we can refer them out, in our community everybody kind of knows everybody so, we know where we can refer people and we know the other referring doctors and we have most services available in this community,” Shahbazi said.

Shahbazi also says that having a physician you can trust and who trusts you is the first step to maintaining good health.

You can read the first part of our men’s health awareness story here.

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