Men's Health

Photo: 123 Royalty Free

Have you made your Doctor's appointment(s) yet?  I have these on my Cosa da fare List:

• Vaccinations (still need a flu shot)
• Complete physical for retirement--this is very, um, "comprehensive" 
• Behavioral health check-up (why not?)
• Annual dental screening--actually, I am overdue
• Annual eye exam--also late
• Annual health and wellness screening
• Periodic blood lab because my oncologist is a data freak

I will post my status updates here, and on my "Mo Space" at MoBro.Co/FoamFan. Practice what you preach, right?

Recently I highlighted a dozen men's health issues with statistics published by Movember USA and WebMD.com. Remember?

• stress
• obesity 
• prostate cancer 
• testicular cancer
• lung cancer
• thyroid cancer
• breast cancer
• skin cancer
• diabetes
• high blood pressure
• mental illness
• reluctance to go to the doctor

Now I want to encourage all my Mo Bros and Mo Sistas to "harass" the men in your lives to get a checkup and pay attention to the results! The earlier you find a problem, the more likely you can deal with it and extend your life expectancy.

I am especially interested in two topics:

• early detection to identify and treat various forms of cancer, and 
• physical activity to reduce stress, manage weight, and maintain good mental health 

So here are three things men can do in Movember to change the face of Men's Health

• Put down the razor and give your face a frickin' break already!
• Grab the phone and get an appointment for a physical exam. Just do it!
• Go for a brisk walk: burn off a few calories and generate some FREE serotonin!   

And, if you are so inclined:

• Link to this post and share it with others
• Cruise over to MoBro.Co/FoamFan and make a donation 
• Post a comment to let me know you support the Movember cause

Live long and prosper!

Motorcycle Maintenance Made Easy

Lately I am on a bit of a flow-charting jag. This one illustrates my approach to home repairs. Despite the name of this post I am quite a bit more particular when it comes to maintaining the Road King! That said, I do keep a can of WD-40 and a roll of duct tape in the saddle bags at all times!

Of course, there is also room in my saddle bags for my ever-present Gerber MP600 US Military Issue Multi Tool as well!


Hat tip: Professor PJ

The space between...

Movember Week One Update

Questions are shifting from "Do you need to wash your face?" to "Are you thinking about growing a moustache?"

Movember - Changing the Face of Men's Health

Download this poster full of timely Men's Health tips!

Hey, Mo Bros! Movember is time to put the razors down and think about Men's Health!  The levels of awareness, understanding, and funding regarding male health issues like prostate and testicular cancer lag significantly behind causes such as breast cancer. Why is that?

"Movember's primary campaign objective is to raise awareness of men's health issues, specifically cancers affecting men. We want everyone to know that most cancers are highly curable if caught in the early stages - including prostate and testicular cancer. Movember aims to increase early detection, diagnosis and effective treatment, as this will ultimately reduce the number of deaths from cancer. It’s time men face the startling health facts." -- Movember United States

MEN'S HEALTH ISSUES

• The average life expectancy for men is five years less than women (presently 77 years old compared to 82). The biggest killers are stress- and diet-induced heart disease and various forms of cancer. 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, compared to 1 in 3 women.
• Evidence suggests that about a third of the 571,950 cancer deaths expected to occur will be related to obesity, physical inactivity, or poor nutrition and thus could be prevented.
• 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. 240,890 new cases of the disease will be diagnosed and 33,720 men will die.
• Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in American males between the ages of 15 and 34. 8,290 men will be diagnosed with the disease and 350 will die.
• Smoking accounts for at least 30% of all cancer deaths and 87% of lung cancer deaths. An estimated 115,060 men will be diagnosed with lung cancer and 85,600 men will die from the disease.
• There are about 37,000 new cases of thyroid cancer each year in the US, according to the National Cancer Institute. Females are more likely to have thyroid cancer at a ratio of three to one.
• While not as common, men can get breast cancer. About 2,140 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among men and about 450 men will die from the disease
• The most common cancer in the US, skin cancer strikes 1 in 5 Americans. An estimated 43,890 men will be diagnosed with skin cancer and 8,080 men will die from the disease.
• An estimated 13 million adult men over the age of 20 in the US have diabetes- and a third do not know it.
• Approximately 50 million men and women in the US have high blood pressure- almost 30 per cent of them do not know it. About 1 in 3 adults has high blood pressure, and blood pressure tends to rise with age.
• 1 in 8 men who suffer from mental illness such as depression actually seek help (inspire.org) Four times as many men commit suicide compared with women.
• Men are 24% less likely than women to go to the doctor when there is a problem.

The moustache is just a catalyst for the real discussion! When people ask me why I am flashing my facial follicles, I tell them there are two embarrassingly simple keys to much better Men's Health:

• Early detection through frequent checkups; and 
• A willingness to discuss issues and seek help

I know these truths from personal experience. I was asymptomatic when I was diagnosed with cancer. Doctors found the disease while looking at something else. Now, after a 3 year battle, I am enjoying remission and working on getting better every day, in every way. Participating in Movember is not just fun: it's my little way of giving back.




So Hey, Mo Bros, it's not too late to join the cause. And hey, Mo Sistas! And Brothers who are not participating follicularly! You don't have to grow a moustache to enjoy Movember.  Help a Mo Bro out! I am asking for lots of small donations to Movember via my webpage http://mobro.co/FoamFan. 

• A dime a day for the 30 days of Movember is only $3. Every bit helps! 
• A dollar a day is $30 bucks toward better Men's Health 
• A quarter a day, or $7.50, from 10 supporters is $75 for the cause.
• $10 is such a small price to pay (33 cents a day) to watch my facial fuzz form 

Grow a moustache for a month; play with it for a lifetime

• Grow a moustache because it's fun. 
• Grow a moustache because you can. 
• Grow a moustache because it's Movember
• Grow a moustache to help change the face of Men's Health.

Learn more: Movember United States - Men's Health

Differences Between Social Media Explained

Remarkably accurate! 

Hat tip: Scott via Facebook (Scott likes "Likes").

5 million terabytes of data weighs 0.2 millionths of an ounce

Fascinating video answers the question: How much does the Internet weigh?



Hat tip: MCRWS