Tag Archives: social media

Body Image – Men Struggle Too In A Photoshopped World

Illness, Medical, Uncategorized, , , , , ,


The number of men with dieting and body image issues is steadily rising. It is estimated that 45% of North American men are unhappy with their bodies and appearance, a figure that has nearly tripled in 25 years. While it remains undisputed that women have unrealistic media-distorted physical ideals to contend with, it is clear now that men face similar battles being surrounded by countless lean, buff, chiselled images on billboards, television and ads.

Men And Eating Disorders

It isn’t debated that more women suffer from body dysmorphia and eating disorders, but the facts about males may surprise you. While 20 million women will suffer from eating disorders in their lifetime as compared to a reported 10 million men, these statistics may be different in reality; many men are ashamed to report an eating disorder because of its traditional classification as largely a ‘women’s disease’. According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), the mortality rate is actually higher among men with eating disorders. Moreover, many men suffer comorbid conditions such as certain mental illnesses, steroid abuse or exercise addictions along with their eating disorders. NEDA also asserts that while eating disorders are much more prevalent in women, “subclinical eating disordered behaviors (including binge eating, purging, laxative abuse and fasting for weight loss) are nearly as common among males as they are among females.”

6 Pack Pressure

In recent years a new male-centric body dysmorphic disorder has emerged called muscle dysmorphia, which mainly affects males interested in bodybuilding. People suffering from muscle dysmorphia will compulsively over-exercise, abuse steroids and supplements, and obsessively tailor their eating to suit the disorder. These men believe themselves to be under-muscular when in actual fact their muscle mass is well above average. Sufferers will often disfigure themselves in the pursuit of the “perfect masculine body”. Even among men who don’t suffer this affliction is the ever-present notion of ‘bulking up’. Men feel pressure to keep up with the media’s tunnel vision perception of how ‘hot men’ should look.

The Role and Toll of the Media

Just as there are increasing pressures on women from the media and social media to use makeup, wear this, do that, push up this and tuck in that, there are similar unfair physical pressures on men to oil up, shave up, muscle up and man up. And not only is ‘fat shaming’ unfortunately still alive and well for both genders, but ‘skinny shaming’ has entered the playing field now too. The internet provides a collective anonymously cruel voice in comment sections on people’s photos or videos, creating a world where virtually no one gets away unscathed. Many men see the virtually unattainable and ever-circulating buff, tanned, hairless, handsome, angular, well-dressed amalgamated image and head for the gym, tanning parlor and clothing stores to emulate him. Both genders have unreachable ideals constantly streamed through feeds and on television, it is no wonder that even the most strong-willed sometimes question themselves against these photoshopped ideals.

We Need A More Positive World

Something clearly needs to change in advertising, social media and television to make way for a more relatable and less threateningly idealized characters and images. There have been ‘body positive’ campaigns, some helpful and some that still just promote one type of body over another, but more needs to change to help everyone be more comfortable in their own skin. Less negativity and more acceptance on the internet would be ideal if we can’t learn to ignore the pressures and bullying. Will these changes ever come to fruition? Hopefully before the statistics about either gender creep up any further.

Resources

If you or a loved one suffer with body image or eating issues, you should talk to your doctor or one of our qualified DocChat physicians today to learn about diagnostic and treatment options. NEDA has many great resources such as a helpline for people struggling with eating issues. Thanks for visiting DocChat!

 

 

Why Telemedicine Experts Should be on Social Media

Small Businesses, Telemedicine, , , , , , , ,

social media engagement

Social media has been pivotal in the evolution of all sorts of business and organization strategies. Following the hype generated by social channels such as Facebook and Twitter, many businesses and companies have established a social media presence in order to benefit their business.

Social media is indeed a tremendous tool, which is no longer limited to marketing purposes. In fact, seeing the popularity of telemedicine, it is time that experts from the industry make their presence known on social media platforms.

Here are some reasons as to why it is time that telemedicine experts establish their presence and start connecting with patients on social media platforms.

Widens the Potential Patient Base

Most of the people today are avid social media users. They have an account on at least one social media platform. Around 41% of users make use of their social media accounts in order to reach a health care provider. Thus, it is only logical that telemedicine experts utilize this opportunity and connect with patients by giving them advice and treating their illness through social media.
Not only does social media broaden the potential patient base, it also allows you to track and have follow-up appointments with your existing patients.

Empowers Patients to Take Control of their Health

Many patients suffer through chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis and various others. They find it difficult to keep up with the frequent visits to the doctors. While their condition does warrant frequent visits to doctors, social media can lessen their burden considerably by allowing them to seek advice regarding minor issues from their doctors over social media channels. This can be done by describing their symptoms to the physician or participating in an educational program with a step-by-step guide on how to manage their disease.

Saves Both, the Doctors’ and Patients’ Valuable Time

The schedules of the doctors and physicians is extremely compact. Especially, with the increasing trend towards having health insurance, doctors are becoming busier than ever. Presence of telemedicine on online social platforms allows doctors to treat patients with minor health issues on social media, rather than making them come to the hospital for a visit. This means that doctors’ and other medical staff’s valuable time is saved for other pressing matters.
Even the patients’ time is saved as they do not need to take time off from work in order to wait in the hospital waiting room to get something as minor as a stomachache treated. Thus, social media is not only effective, but also a convenient tool for telemedicine for both, the patients and the doctors.

The best is to link social media to your website or services with the help of apps or tabs. This will make it easier for your customers or potential customers to find you.