"It's Not Unmanly": Permanente Physician Encourages Men to Make Health a Priority

June is Men’s Health Month, and Permanente internal medicine physician Jason Singh, MD, wants all men to use this month as motivation to take better care of their health. In an interview with ABC7, he said men shouldn’t be afraid to talk to their doctor.

"When you stratify the top 10 leading causes of death by gender, men lead in nearly every one of those categories; nine out of ten,” Dr. Singh said. "A large part of that is guys are just reluctant to see us unless something is wrong. So, this is really something that we ought to borrow a page from the women’s playbook. It’s very important to come see your doctor."

Dr. Singh offered tips for men looking to improve their overall health like taking the stairs instead of an elevator or scheduling time for deep breathing exercises throughout the day. When it comes to mental health, he stressed that men should be a good role model for younger generations and ask for help if they are struggling.

"I think this starts as early as our young adolescents. Guys just have to learn that it’s not unmanly to talk about their mental health," he said.