The Turning Tide Of Self Care For Men

By Dr. Erik Boudreau, ND

After spending the last twenty-two years as a licensed naturopathic physician, I’ve noticed a slow and steady shift in the topic of men’s health. Way back in 2004, the bulk of my male patients were either boys dragged to see me against their will by their mothers, or grown men, dragged to see me by their wives/partners/occasionally mothers. In all honesty, I didn’t mind the challenge, spending much of that initial consultation steadily de-bunking misperceptions about natural medicine, while (more often than not) leaving the patient at least open to the possibility that a natural, holistic approach to healthcare may have merit. Fast-forward to now, and not only do men comprise a greater percentage of my patient base than they did then, but most of them are there (shockingly!) of their own free will. 

I recently read a news report stating how today’s young men view ‘masculinity’ through a very different lens than, say, thirty or forty years ago. Back then (and for the many, many decades preceding), to be a man was to wilfully neglect one’s own emotions or ills and simply plod on as the sole family provider. Unfortunately, this often led to the inevitable stresses of life being dealt with in a less-than-constructive manner: 

1. Deny: “I’m fine. I don’t need to see a doctor. I saw one thirty years ago and everything was fine.”
2. Ignore: “Sure, that weird cough or those funky urinary symptoms weren’t there last week, but I’d rather not know what they are, thank you very much.”, and
3. Compensate: through overeating, excess alcohol, smoking, etc, etc. 

So, the sad truth was that for countless families, Dad was a strong, brave, stoic provider… until he got sick.

Of course, this macho mindset still pops up here and there, but there have been significant inroads into shifting this mentality. More and more men are listening to what their bodies (and minds) are telling them, valuing the notion of self care, and diffusing the self-destructive attitude that asking for help is admitting weakness. Even better is that this does not come at the expense of the responsibility and productivity that “old school” males so greatly prided themselves upon. It’s actually quite the opposite. By staying active, eating right, managing stress in a constructive way, getting regular health check-ups, and letting others know when things aren’t right, you’re taking better care of both yourself and those you love. Because a long, healthy and happy life means more time to be there for those you love, while serving as a example to the next generation of what a man can be.

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Dr. Erik Boudreau is a Naturopathic Doctor at Local Health Integrative Clinic with a clinical focus in men’s health. Dr. Erik is accepting new patients now. Book an appointment with him directly by clicking here, or book a FREE consultation with our care coordinator to find the doctor and practitioners that would be the best fit for your health concerns.