Talking About Men's Health™

For a majority of men, it is all about the numbers especially sports fans.  They can recite statistics of their favorite teams and players without hesitation:  Lebron James, the 2009 NBA regular season MVP averaged 28 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds last year; the Los Angeles Lakers won their 15^th NBA championship, 2 behind the Boston Celtics; Peyton Manning passed for over 4,000 yards winning his 3^rd MVP last year; Albert Pujols is batting .325 with a league-leading 34 home runs this year; Wayne Gretzky ended his career with 2,857 total points; Tony Stewart leads the Sprint Cup Series by 192 points; and Pele scored 77 goals in international games over his career.

But there are also important health numbers that most men never remember and these numbers may even describe their personality. Here are some numbers you should be aware of:

Normal Body Mass Index (BMI) range is 18.5 – 24.9 (calculate yours here – http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/)

Normal Blood Pressure is anything 120/80 mmHg and below (more information here – http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4473)

Total cholesterol should be below 200 mg/dl (more information here – http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=183)

Glucose levels should be below 100 mg/dl when fasting (more information here – http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003482.htm)

Prostate Specific Antigen test results below 4.0 ng/mL is normal (more information, including PSA velocity here – http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/detection/PSA)

So, how do your numbers compare? Are you living within healthy numbers?

Other stats to think about:

Men have a life expectancy of 5 or more years less than women, regardless of race.

Men have higher mortality rates in 9 of the top 10 causes of death.

The ratio of men to women is 85:100 by the age of 65.

1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in his lifetime.

Prevalence rates for HIV/AIDS in men outnumber women 3:1.

As you may or may not be aware, health reform is THE topic of the summer in Washington, DC and men’s health has a lot to gain (and lose) in the talks. There are two bills making their way through Congress that deal specifically with men.

First the good news! The resolution H. Con. Res. 142: Supporting National Men’s Health Week passed the House on July 8, 2009. This resolution accompanies the Senate version (S. Res. 190, passed June 25, 2009) as an official recognition of this incredibly important week of concentrated efforts for men’s health.

Now for the tough one. The second bill to keep an eye on (and call on your representative for their support) is H.R. 2115, “Men and Families Health Care Act of 2009” which would officially establish a federal Office of Men’s Health. The bill was introduced on April 27, 2009 and was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where it currently waits. The creation of such an Office would be incredibly beneficial for coordinating awareness campaigns and prevention programs, disseminating materials, and establishing clinical registries for research. Multiple Offices of Women’s Health are present, yet there is no federal Office of Men’s Health. It seems only fitting to establish such an office in this year of reform as:

• Men are leading in 9 out of the top 10 causes of death
• The life expectancy gap between men and women has increased to 5.3 years
• 1 in 2 men versus 1 in 3 women in their lifetime will be diagnosed with cancer
• studies show that women are 100% more likely than men to visit a doctor, have regular check-ups, and obtain preventive screening

These issues are undoubtedly a concern for men, but should be just as equally important to a woman’s father, brother, son, and husband.Read the bill here, http://www.thomas.gov/, and be sure to contact your local congressperson to voice your support!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this Independence Day.  The 4^th of July is a time to enjoy the big Fs: food, friends, family, fireworks – at least that’s the way it’s always been for me.  This year I’ve been thinking about the personal significance of this holiday, and the recent month that just passed including Father’s Day and Men’s Health Week.  For years, the 4^th of July was the one holiday that my parents and I would host.  Every year we would say we wouldn’t do it again because it was so much work to get ready – but then we’d do it anyway because it was so much fun.  All the family would come, and some friends of ours who heard we had the best food, not to mention games and sometimes our own little fireworks demo.  The star of the show was unquestionably my dad, who loved to host these events.  He would make the melon boat, cook shish-kebobs on the grill, grind the homemade ice cream and dare any newcomers to challenge him at ping-pong.  It made him happy to have everyone there and to see them having fun. 

It’s funny when you think about it, we need a day set aside to celebrate the things that matter the most to us, not least of which is our freedom.  Kind of like Father’s Day, when we devote a tiny fraction of our year to pay tribute to the men who for many of us have helped to shape us into the people we are today.  Or Men’s Health Week, when we make a concentrated push to encourage men to take better care of themselves so that they can live longer, healthier lives. 

Continue Reading