Prevention is better than cure

Prevention is definitely better than cure. Men understand this, which is why most of them are very particular about getting their cars serviced regularly.

However, when it comes to their own health, statistics show that men are often indifferent and will avoid doctors until they are really crook.

With the baby boomer generation now around 50 years old, it is timely for this group to consider putting more effort into keeping healthy, rather than waiting for disease to arrive and hoping that modern science has the answers to fix the problem.

The diseases to be particularly targeted for prevention are diabetes, heart attack and stroke. It may also be worth checking for skin cancers and prostate problems.

If you are a first timer, we recommend you make a double appointment with your GP to allow enough time to take a detailed medical history and examination.

Your GP may arrange a blood test that will check your cholesterol and sugar levels and may sometimes order other tests. More and more scientific evidence demonstrates clear benefit in keeping cholesterol levels down in the normal range. For those who have already had heart, kidney or diabetes related problems, even more stringent control of cholesterol is found to be dramatically beneficial in preventing further complications.

For smokers, there are many strategies to quit and your GP can help you give this habit away, including referral to our psychologist, Stewart Hase, for hypnosis and a stop smoking program.

If it is a dietary related problem we may recommend you see our dietician Karen Fardon. Daily walking exercise is always recommended as a keep well strategy.

Even more important than the current push to invest for a financially secure retirement, we recommend investing for a healthy retirement. Now is the best time to start.