Men are Rubbish!
You see men are rubbish when it comes to health issues, both physical and mental. I’ve had some exposure to this myself during my adult life. I suffered a nervous breakdown some years ago that turned me into a gibbering wreck for about a year. Now I have a fantastic wife who understands me and supported me through my own personal dark times and more importantly pushed me to discuss my problems with an impartial third party (my GP). Now I could have done the manly thing and kept it all bottled up, not discussed it, not sought help and basically not bothered anyone with it. Thankfully I didn’t do that and I’m a better person for it.
Some of you that know me and know some of the same people as me will be able to relate this to the recent loss of a friend of mine earlier this year. The only statement I’m making is that men aren’t very good at discussing health issues and AREN’T ENCOURAGED TO DO SO!
My father recently had a stroke and had to have surgery. This was traumatic for him and the family in general however the treatment he received in hospital could have been better. Also he needs further treatment for what appears to be a lump in his brain. I know he’s terrified but the manly thing to do is not talk about it, not voice his fears and ultimately descend into misery. This is not conducive to getting through this.
So you see being a man and seeing how men deal with physical and mental issues has prompted me to take part in Movember.
During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces in the UK and around the world. The aim of which is to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men.
On Movember 1st, guys register at Movember.com with a clean-shaven face and then for the rest of the month, these selfless and generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts.Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November and through their actions and words raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.
Mens Health Facts
- The average life expectancy for men is four years less than women (presently 78 years old compared to 82).
- The rate of cancer diagnoses in men is considerably higher than the rate in women. In every 100,000 men there will be 417 cases diagnosed, compared to 366 cases per 100,000 females.
- Evidence suggests that about a third (39%) of 12 common cancers in the UK could be prevented through diet, physical activity and body weight.
- 1 in 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
- In 2008 37,051 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed and 10,168 men died.
- Testicular cancer in the UK affects younger men between the ages of 20 and 50. 1,990 men were diagnosed with the disease in 2007.
- Smoking accounts for at least 25% of all cancer deaths and 86% of lung cancer deaths.
- In 2008 22,846 men were diagnosed with lung cancer and 19,868 men died from the disease.
- While not as common, men can get breast cancer. In 2008 about 341 new cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed among men and about 69 men died from the disease.
- The most common cancer in the UK for men is prostate cancer and for women breast cancer.
- In 2008 5,584 men were diagnosed with skin cancer (malignant melanoma) and 1,121 men died from the disease.
- An estimated 2.8million people have diabetes and 850,000 do not know it.
- About 1 in 3 adults have high blood pressure, and blood pressure tends to rise with age.
- 1 in 4 men in the UK will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives.
- Men commit suicide four times as often as women.
- Only 26% of men go to their GPs for regular check ups.
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