Little Pricks – ‘Man Up’ Says Doctor

A blood test

65% of men are avoiding seeing their GPs even when one is available. The figures were revealed during Men’s Health Week (13-19 June). One top surgeon says men should ‘man up’ and at least get a little prick – for an at home blood test.

At home blood tests would reduce the pressure on the NHS and provide a safety net for surgery-shy guys, says the London Medical Laboratory whose Dr Quinton Fivelman PhD, chief scientific officer says: “A simple blood test carried out at home could take the pressure off overloaded GPs by identifying problems earlier and provide an alternative for those iatrophobic (scared of doctors) men who won’t even visit a doctor for an annual health MoT – the least they could do is man up to a finger prick.”

 

Under pressure

New data from the Nuffield Trust has revealed just how under pressure the UK’s GPs are, with areas such as Portsmouth having just one doctor per 2,483 patients. Yet, even where it is easier to visit local surgeries, London Medical Laboratory says 65% of men still avoid seeing a doctor for as long as possible. It seems many more men than women suffer from a fear of visiting the doctor or medical tests.

It also seems, that, even when many guys do attend, over a quarter of them regularly withhold information from their doctors.

 

Snapshot

Brighton, parts of Essex and Hull also have the equivalent of just one GP for every 2,000-plus patients. Since 2016, the number of fully qualified GPs has fallen by 416. To avoid delays created by this GP postcode lottery and reassure people waiting for routine health appointments, an at-home, finger-prick blood test can give patients a comprehensive snapshot of their current health.

 

Prostate cancer

42% of men don’t want to visit the doctor even when they observe the first signs of prostate cancer, such as having to wee more frequently in the night, reduced flow or blood in their urine. They put off visiting until symptoms worsen, even though the NHS says catching prostate cancer at stages 1 and 2 has a near 100% success rate.

In addition, it’s estimated that over half a million men are walking around with undiagnosed diabetes, which can cause serious illness later in life and even lead to an early death.

 

Get tested

London Medical Laboratory’s General Health Profile Test provides people with a comprehensive check-up of their general health, including a check for diabetes, liver & kidney function, full blood count, bone health, iron levels and a full cholesterol profile. Taking such a test will reassure most people they are healthy and, in those cases where health problems such as prostate cancer or diabetes are found, identify them earlier. This will potentially save lives and reduce the costs of treatment to the NHS by thousands of pounds.

Likewise, an at-home Male Hormones Profile test checks the full range of men’s hormones and is very useful for giving information about fertility, planning sports and fitness.

Picture: A blood test with thanks to Nuffield Health.

www.londonmedicallaboratory.com

 

Article written by Cathryn Ellis
17th June 2022

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