Men’s Health: Increase your awareness!
November is National Men’s Health Awareness Month and with it comes various efforts to create a defense for men’s health, like Movember and No-Shave November. This month specifically raises awareness and support of those facing prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health issues.
Men’s Mental Health
Men often have more difficulty handling stress than women. Women typically draw on a larger support system and social network to confide in with personal struggles.
Men’s Physical Health
Preventive care. The following health checks could save a life:
- Get an annual exam by a primary care provider, including blood pressure and height/weight
- Annually screen for testicular cancer, including monthly self-exams
- Get cholesterol testing every five years
- Screen for diabetes, thyroid disease, liver problems and anemia.
No-Shave November and Movember
You’re probably already familiar with No-Shave November and Movember, movements created to encourage conversations about cancer awareness among men. These events encourage participants to put down their trimmers for 30 days and think about donating their monthly hair-maintenance expenses to the cause. Many cancer patients lose their hair during diagnosis and treatment, and one way to show empathy and support is to grow awareness while growing mustaches, beards and full heads of hair.
Source: International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP)
Additional information on men’s health is available in Preventive Care for Men which includes information on routine care, general screenings, cancer screenings, and infectious disease screening.