Two doctors drive coast-to-coast with a message for men: Stop making excuses! You may not be surprised to know that men tend to visit the doctor less than women. But the reasons men give for avoiding check ups are raising a few eyebrows. A new national survey is out listing the top excuses men make, but two doctors in particular aren't buying them. Like many men, firefighter Lieutenant Steven Parkes, left, put off going to the doctor, even after symptoms of testicular cancer. Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, right, is hitting the road on June 9 for the 3rd annual Drive for Men's Health, a nine-day, 6,000 mile coast-to-coast campaign to get more men to go to the doctor on a regular basis. Rather than make appointments to see their family doctor on a regular basis, men are often more likely to make excuses for not going, according to a new survey that lists the top excuses men most often make. The survey, commissioned by Orlando Health, and found that the top excuse men make to avoid scheduling annual appointments with their primary care physician, is that they are too busy. The survey showed that the second most common excuse men make is that they are afraid of finding out something might be wrong with them. Men also say that they are uncomfortable with certain body exams such as prostate checks, which rounds up the top three excuses. The two doctors who launched the Drive for Men's Health campaign say they've heard those excuses -- and plenty more. That's why urologic robotic surgeons Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt and Dr. Sijo Parekattil are driving cross country to challenge men to stop making excuses and start making changes. "Men can spend 34 hours golfing or watching a ball game every week, or find the time to take a trip to Vegas with their buddies, but they can't spare 90 minutes a year to get a check up? That's inexcusable," said Brahmbhatt, men's health activist and CoDirector of the PUR (Personalized Urology & Robotics) Clinic in Clermont, Florida. "As men, we need to make our health more of a priority, and that's what the Drive for Men's Health campaign is all about." On June 9, Brahmbhatt and Parekattil, the other Co Director of the PUR Clinic, will hop into an electric Tesla model S, and embark on the 3rd annual Drive for Men's Health, a 10 day, 6,000 mile coasttocoast journey that will take them from Orlando, Florida through New York City and will end in Los Angeles, on June 18. Along the way, the pair will make dozens of stops and will use social media throughout the roadtrip to engage followers worldwide to talk about men's health issues. "Last year we reached more than 450 million people, with everything from ontheroad podcasts, to late night call-in radio shows, to facetoface meetings," said Parekattil. "It was a remarkable experience, and this year we hope to reach even more men." Followers are encouraged to engage with the Drive for Men's Health doctors and share their excuses and what has helped them stop making excuses for going to the doctor on the following social media channels, using the hashtags #Drive4Men #D4MH and #DropYourExcuse Twitter, Instagram and Periscope: @drive4men; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drive4men The doctors point out that the life expectancy for men is at least 5 years less than it is for women, and of the top 10 causes of death in the U.S., men are more likely that women to die from 9 of them. "One of the biggest reasons for those statistics, is that women are much more proactive about their health than men," said Brahmbhatt. "We often use the analogy that our bodies are a lot like our cars? men will take the time to do preventative maintenance on their cars, like getting tune ups and oil changes, but for whatever reason, we often don't take the same care of our bodies. We need to change that mindset." The Drive for Men's Health will to stop at Anytime Fitness locations in 10 cities where they will share tips for how men can overcome their excuses for taking care of their health. The two doctors will also share their health regime, which includes losing nearly 90 pounds combined and gaining muscle over the past year. Thursday June 9: Orlando Friday June 10: Atlanta Saturday June 11: Washington D.C. Sunday June 12: Philadelphia and New Jersey Monday June 13: New York City Tuesday June 14: Cleveland Wednesday June 15: Chicago Friday June 17: Las Vegas Saturday June 18: Los Angeles Source
