Men's Health: How To Be A Death Defier

When women are sitting around talking about the men in their lives one of the things they often discuss - and laugh about is how men would rather drive the streets aimlessly for hours rather than stop and ask directions.

We have to admit there's more than a small amount of truth in that characterization, but we also like to think this behavior stems from a basic male strength: men prefer to take care of themselves on their own. We do pride ourselves on our independence and want to maintain it.

When it comes to our health, in many ways that's good, because even a cursory glance at the top 10 killers of men will tell you that any man who wants to take care of himself and the fact that you're reading this suggests that you're in this category can substantially reduce his risk of dying young.

If you put accidents to one side, a long, healthy life basically comes down to this:

• Sensible eating choices
• Regular exercise
• Avoiding harmful stresses
• Drinking alcohol in moderation
• Not smoking

In other words, your health is largely in your control, which is just the way most men like it. That said, there is at least one element of men's cherished independence that works against their health: they tend not to seek a doctor's help as often or as soon as they should.

This just seems to be part of the male ethic to grin and bear it when you are hurt. But while "working through the pain" may be a great attitude when you're on the third leg of a triathlon, it's a terrible way to manage your health.

The fact that men are less likely than women to pay a visit to the doctor may be the result of two factors First, men like to think of themselves as being invincible - "bullet proof" is another way of putting it they think that going to a doctor is a sign of weakness. Sometimes this is the result of macho thinking. In other words, for some men, admitting to pain or discomfort strikes at their masculinity

The other factor that keeps many men away from the doctor is fear. Older men especially aren't as used to seeing doctors for regular maintenance as women of the same age are. So there's a good deal of worry and apprehension connected with a visit to the surgery.

But seeing the doctor is not a sign of weakness, nor should it be a prospect to dread. Note that in our table of basic preventive measures on the page opposite, checking with the doctor when something seems unusual is a piece of advice that appears often.

Think of it this way: you wouldn't allow your car to go for years without having a mechanical checkup. If you have the same respect for your body then it, too, will no doubt get you where you want to go, even if you are not always precisely sure just where that is.

The World Health Organization keeps statistics on worldwide causes of death and disease. Medical researchers and health authorities use them to discover and promote preventive health strategies. Here are the 10 leading causes of death in developed countries of the world, in order:

• Coronary heart disease
• Stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases
• Lung, trachea, bronchus cancers
• Lower respiratory infections
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Alzheimer and other dementias
• Colon and rectal cancer
• Diabetes mellitus
• Breast cancer
• Stomach cancer