Stubbornness, complacency, laziness – is your disposition putting your health in danger? The Doctors show you why your personality could be your prognosis. Stop letting negative traits get in the way of your well-being today!

Stubbornness
Men: If your wife nags you to get your yearly prostate exam, don’t dig in your heels! Ignoring your prostate can lead to difficulty urinating, serious infections, chronic pelvic pain and even cancer.

“This year thousands of men will die from stubbornness,” E.R. physician Dr. Travis Stork says. “Men are so much less likely to go see a doctor regularly than a women -- we’re stubborn.”

“We just put things off until they’re a real problem,” pediatrician Dr. Jim Sears adds.

Little does Dr. Sears know he won’t be putting things off for long! Plastic surgeon Dr. Drew Ordon enlists the help of urologist Dr. Jennifer Berman to trick Dr. Sears into getting a surprise prostate exam. Did the friendly prank change Dr. Sears’ outlook on prostate health?

• Dr. Ordon's prostate exam.

Make Your Female Parts a Priority
Do you fear seeing the OB/GYN? Indifferent about your menopause symptoms? OB/GYN Dr. Lisa Masterson redirects you on the road to reproductive health.

• Adiana: The new, non-surgical and permanent form of birth control. Could it work for you?

Procrastination
Do you dilly-dally when it comes to making an appointment with your optometrist? Putting off an eye exam doesn't only put your vision at risk, but optometrists can be the first to discover signs of diabetes, heart disease and even skin cancer. 

Christine, 39, admits to avoiding her annual vision exam for the last 10 years. She says her vision has recently started to blur, making her see the light about seeing the eye doctor.

Optometrist Dr. Ryan Stybel gives Christine examines Christine's eyes with Optomap, a retinal exam that can detect early signs of malignant melanoma, glaucoma, diabetes, macular degeneration and cancer.

After the exam, Christine says she’s changed her tune on getting yearly vision check-ups.

“I’m not going to put it off anymore,” she says.

• How the eye works.

Laziness
Are you the type of person who takes the elevator instead of the stairs, parks closest to the store and skips the gym? Do you let life just pass you by? These habits can put you at enormous risk for a slew of life-threatening diseases: Diabetes, heart attack, stroke, dementia, kidney failure, liver failure, obesity … and the list goes on.

“Lots of people are addicted to the couch potato lifestyle,” Dr. Travis says, and demonstrates what happens to a body that constantly sits on the sofa.

“The number of people who watch TV on any given day is fives times the number of people who play a sport in one day,” Dr. Sears says.

However, Dr. Travis explains that while laziness is detrimental to health, it can be mistaken for lethargy, which is a medical term for an involuntary lack of energy.

“Lethargy can be caused by conditions like anemia or depression. Even things like cancer and diabetes can masquerade initially as lethargy,” Dr. Travis says.

Talk to your doctor if you are experiencing an abnormal lack of energy.

“Occassionaly we’re entitled to a lazy day,” Dr. Ordon says. “But making it a chronic lifestyle is not what you want to do.”

“Sitting on the couch and watching TV should be a treat,” Dr. Travis adds.

• Take your active lifestyle to new heights: Many people have started climbing the stairwells of high-rises for their workout. Learn more about skyscraper running!

More Life-Threatening Behaviors

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OAD 11/7/11