June Is Men’s Health Month
My Hubby and I have an ongoing ‘argument’ about who has to die first…. I know — morbid, right? Actually, we each say we have to be the first to go, because we don’t want to have to live without the other one. Unfortunately, statistics aren’t on my side for winning that argument…
Did you know that “men are dying an average of 5 years younger than women and lead 9 out of 10 of the top causes of death”? (1) That’s what makes Men’s Health Month so important.
To help remind men of the importance of taking care of their health, the month of June has been designated as Men’s Health Month. According to MensHealthMonth.org (2),
The purpose of Men’s Health Month is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. This month gives health care providers, public policy makers, the media, and individuals an opportunity to encourage men and boys to seek regular medical advice and early treatment for disease and injury.
MensHealthMonth.org
This week is also Men’s Health Week. During this focus week, let’s give the men in our lives some love, even if it has to be a little tough love. You see, in general, men don’t see a doctor for a routine physical exam as often as women do. Sometimes, they may need a little nudge to encourage them to make those appointments.
Men, if you haven’t done so lately, now would be a good time to review your health. Have you seen your Primary Care Provider in the last year? Have you had a physical this year? Do you know your heart health numbers? Do you have any preventive screenings due? It’s important to be proactive when it comes to our wellness, and scheduling necessary screenings can help us do that.
Preventive Health Screenings for Men
You may have heard that old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Preventive screenings can help us catch problems early and make adjustments to our lifestyles if we need to.
Also, the earlier doctors catch potential issues, the more treatment options we have and often, the less invasive those treatment options have to be.
So what kind of preventive screenings to men need to have?
I found several resources that talk about the different types of screening you may need, based on your age. I hope you’ll take a look at them and determine if you need to have any of these screenings done.
First up is GetItChecked.org. This is a great checklist that helps you know what screenings you should have when. WOMEN, there’s a checklist here for you too!
Harvard Health also has a great resource for men at https://www.health.harvard.edu/mens-health/routine-screening-tests-for-men.
Brigham Health tells us 10 Essential Health Screenings men need.
And last, but certainly not least, Cedars Sinai has Prevention Guidelines for Men 50 – 64.
How Can We Support Our Men This Month?
In addition to encouraging the men in our lives to take care of their health, we can help raise awareness on Social Media. MensHealthMonth.org has an entire Social Media Toolkit we can use. It has graphics and suggested posts we can share with all our friends.
We can also participate in Wear Blue Day on June 17th. This is an awareness campaign created by Men’s Health Network. The goal is “to raise awareness about the importance of male health and to encourage men to live longer and healthier lives, and give women an opportunity to encourage them to do so. Many people take advantage of less stringent work attire to show their support of men’s health by wearing blue.” (3)
We often see information on Women and Children’s Health, but it seems we don’t place as much emphasis on Men’s Health. It’s time for that to change. This can be a start.
As we talked about earlier, men generally have a shorter lifespan, yet they are much less likely to get their preventive screenings. These screenings save lives. I know many of us (including me) would rather do almost anything else, but these check-ups really are vital.
Gentlemen, are you proactive with your health and wellbeing? How do you make sure you’re taking care of yourself? Ladies, how do you support the wellness efforts of the men in your life? Please share!
Blessings,
~Terri
Sharing is caring! If this helped you in any way, please share with your friends.
Sources:
(1) Men’s Health Month Toolkit, http://www.menshealthmonth.org/mens-health-month-toolkit.html
(2) Men’s Health Month, https://menshealthmonth.org
(3) Wear Blue Day, http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/wearblue/friday/
(4) Social Media Toolkit for Men’s Health Month, https://menshealthmonth.org/mediacenter/social-media-toolkit
What a timely post Terri! I have my annual check up with my primary care physician next week and the eye doctor the following week. Since I can remember, I’ve always been a borderline hypochondriac. Anything that just doesn’t feel right with my body, I’m quick to schedule an appointment with the appropriate specialist; especially now since I’m in my mid-50’s I’m much more quicker on the draw.
I’m so glad to hear you’re taking good care of yourself Mark! You know, nobody knows our bodies better than we do, so if something feels ‘off’ it certainly doesn’t hurt to get it checked out. Hope you’re doing well, my friend. Blessings to you!
Thank you for highlighting this on your blog Terri. I can’t tell you how many times over the years I’ve heard friends say that they’d rather not know if something was wrong . . . and a few who ended up confessing their regret for not knowing sooner that something was wrong! You have taught me a great deal about the importance of living healthy and know how carefully I monitor mine, and I so very much appreciate your efforts to help us both stay healthy. Personally, I’ve found it so much easier to “fix” things when they first start to go bad or wrong, and although I’m much healthier for it, I also do it for you, doing my part to stay healthy as we enjoy our best lives each and every day on our journey through life together – you multiply my joy . . .
Thanks for being diligent about your health Honey – for you and for me. You make a great point about it being easier to ‘fix’ things when we catch them early. Sometimes when we wait we risk making things much harder on ourselves. Love you Baby!