Talking About Men's Health™

Malecare , a men’s cancer support and advocacy organization, is leading the efforts for our country’s first annual Men’s Health Night on November 21. We’re asking every home to light a blue bulb that night, to honor the men we love, those who are living and those who we wish were still with us, our sons, boyfriends, Dads, Uncles, Granddads, Brothers, Friends, Partners, Husbands. One blue light bulb, one night a year, one evening to show that we care about the men in our lives. Learn more at menshealthnight.org.

November 21 is also an evening to think about the men we have lost to disease, war and violence. Turn your blue bulb on and pause for a moment, to memorialize a man whom you wish was still with us.

Lots of diseases and advocacy efforts focus on lighting famous monuments or corporate buildings as a way to create awareness, and that’s all well and good. But, this year, and from now on, November 21 will be the evening that we, the people, light a light of awareness, warmth and strength, in our own homes.

It’s really up to us to do the best we can to stay healthy.

If in the moment that someone – you – screw in a blue light bulb, if you think to yourself, “I ought to make a doctor’s appointment,” then Blue Moon Night has done its job. We need to say to ourselves that we are worth taking care of, that our lives are worthy of health and happiness, that I will commit to asking my doctor what tests I need to stay alive.

November 21, 2010 is the night of the Blue Moon. We don’t want men to wait to see a doctor, until the next blue moon. Too many men die, too young, for no good reason. There are many diseases that can be treated in a life extending way, if diagnosed early.

November 13, 2010, in recognition of Veterans Day, the Washington Redskins, GlaxoSmithKline and other Health & Wellness partner organizations are hosting a unique screening and education event in the Redskins team locker room at FedExField to encourage men and women military veterans to be proactive about their health.

www.redskinshealthandwellness.com

In honor of Armed Forces Day today in the United States, TAMH will be posting 2 posts this Monday, with one especially for those in the military written by the nationally recognized parenting expert Armin Brott, also known worldwide as Mr. Dad (http://www.mrdad.com/).

We at TAMH want to express and stress the amount of love and appreciation for those who are currently serving and/or have completed their service in the military. May these heroes all return to loved ones safely and be remembered for the greatness that they have achieved in serving for others. Thank you for protecting and defending us and allowing us to continue our work in helping men and those surrounding them to live better and healthy lives.

Thanks for your service and we hope you will enjoy our piece on Monday.

Health reform has been a topic of great importance here in Washington for the past few months since discussions and debates have intensified in June, 2009.  Health reform, however, has primarily focused on one aspect of health – health care.  In the broader sense, though, health encompasses a wider reach.  For example, health professionals are more likely to acknowledge that culture, race, gender, socioeconomic status (SES) and education, among others, all contribute to an individual’s health status in one way or another.  These factors, known collectively as the social determinants of health, continue to gain interest.  The Office of Minority Health (OMH), under the Department of Health and Human Services, has issued the National Plan for Action, which sets out a framework to reduce health disparities that result from the various social determinants.

During my brief time here at MHN, I have been fortunate enough to attend two large conferences – the Virginia Health Equality Conference in September and the American Public Health Association’s Annual Conference in November.  As a result of attending these events, I met and had discussions with researchers in the field.  I highlight a few of them below:

“Sex in Medicine Week: A student-organized educational intervention and its assessment” by Francesca I. Decker and Michael A. Joseph, PhD, MPH from SUNY Downstate.

Background – There is a lack of provider initiative regarding patient sexual health which decreases quality of patient care.  Many studies describe this problem but few programs exist to address its causes, and few tools exist to assess existing programs’ effectiveness.

Methods – Student-organized series of lectures and workshops on patient sexual health to educate medical students in order to increase their quality of care post-graduation.

Results – Over 100 students attended and found workshops interesting (100%) as well as useful (98.3%).

“Health Literacy Education and Communication in the Philadelphia Immigrant Community” by Anna M. Quinn, Maura A. Murphy and Katie E. Thomas of Thomas Jefferson University.

Background – Immigrants are less likely to speak to their healthcare providers about diet and exercise than those born in the U.S.

Methods – MPH students worked with two to three ESL students for a specified time and conducted health education and promotion.  The sessions discussed local resources for medical care and culturally sensitive health behaviors for each ESL student.  Additionally, the MPH students provided ESL students with reviewed health materials.

Results – ESL students reported higher comprehension as well as improved language skills.  Additionally, ESL students became more familiar with local resources such as clinics, food banks, farmers’ markets and government services.

Health is an immensely important part of our lives – it is essential to live, work, play and pray, therefore, we should each treat it as a higher priority.  We can no longer depend on health care to determine our health status.  We must each take a more proactive role in becoming and staying healthy.

If you have any questions or have any ideas on how to empower individuals to take charge of their health, please do not hesitate to contact me at ramonl@menshealthnetwork.net.

There are few things more satisfying than watching a rival quarterback receive a blind-side sack or seeing your team’s DB lay out a receiver on an incomplete pass in slow-mo. Of course, this is only true as long as the recipient is able to get up and walk off the field, as nobody would actually wish physical injury on another person no matter how hated the opponent. Beyond their immediate well-being, though, physical health needs to be thought about in longer-term scenarios, particularly on the topic that has recently received some much-deserved attention: head injuries.

In 1994, the NFL began a comprehensive clinical research study of mild traumatic brain injury analyzing data between 1996 and 2001 by gathering information from team physicians, studying game video, and experimenting the biomechanics of an impact. Though useful in terms of understanding the injuries themselves and improving protective equipment, the study was inconclusive in establishing a link between football and later head/brain injury. Since the investigation, the NFL has received ample criticism for not adequately addressing the possible link between football-related head injuries and mental decline later in life, and the debate finally came to fruition; several weeks ago, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing to investigate football-related head injuries and their long-term effect on the brain. Testimony was received from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, members of the NFL’s Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee, former football players, and several prominent neurosurgeons. The committee concluded that the NFL needs to take better responsibility for its players given the organization’s profitability and exposure, and research needs to focus on the later cognitive effects of sustained head impacts, such as dementia, depression, and mental degradation.

You may ask, why am I focusing on a workforce of some 2,000 active professional football players and 10,000 retired players? Why would a Congressional Committee and numerous media outlets invest their time and money into the health of this handful of millionaires? I would answer you that the NFL is the spearhead of sports behavior for millions of athletes from the college level to high school to peewee football, and the organization should act as an industry leader promoting healthy social norms. I would also answer you that this subject matter can be used as an example for employee health across a spectrum of ‘risky’ employment, of which men are much more likely to be a part. Be it a coal miner, construction worker, military officer, or any other paying job subject to physical hazard, it is important to understand how these professions affect the mental and physical health of the workforce. Employers have a responsibility to recognize and protect the individuals sustaining their business, and foster research of safe and health workplace practice.

Resources:

House Judiciary Committee Hearing on Legal Issues Relating to Football Head Injuries, 10/28/2009, Hearing Information at http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/hear_091028.html

ELLIOT J. PELLMAN, M.D., AND DAVID C. VIANO, DR. MED., PH.D. Summary of the research conducted by the National Football League’s Committee on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Neurosurgery Focus, 2006, 21, (4) E12 1-10 http://thejns.org/doi/pdf/10.3171/foc.2006.21.4.13

McKee AC, Cantu RC, Nowinski CJ, Hedley-Whyte ET, Gavett BE, Budson AE, Santini VE, Lee H-Y, Kubilus CA, Stern RA. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy in athletes: Progressive tauopathy after repetitive head injury. J Neuropath Exp Neurol, 2009, 68(7): 709.735. http://www.bu.edu/alzresearch/team/faculty/documents/CTE-JNENJuly.pdf

12:33 pm – Monday, November 9, 2009

This is an exciting time for men’s health! At this point, day two of the APHA conference, we have met a handful of new researchers in the field of men’s health. Innovative community-based interventions are being developed with the potential to reach an extremely underserved subgroup of the population. For example, there is growing attention on transportation workers and health implications of their prolonged travel schedule. As a result, health education and awareness programs specifically tailored to this population will provide opportunities to improve health outcomes. Additionally, new men’s health programs are being offered at various colleges and universities throughout the nation.

MHN is extremely excited to see the growing interest in men’s health among public health professionals who have stopped by our booth in the past few days!
-Ramon

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 Saturday, November 7, 2009 – Health IT and History of Health Reform
3:42 pm

Just finished attending the packed Student Assembly meeting where the topics discussed were Health IT and History of Health Reform. Kesa Bond, MHA, RHIA, PMP, did a great job on explaining what the future for America holds in using the electronic health records (EHR).

There are two main benefits of using the electronic health charts: 1) it improves patient care and 2) it improves quality of health care.  Electronic health records (EHR) allows health professionals to access up to date information and helps with ensuring accuracy in data presented when you see the doctors. With EHR, you don’t have to be asked the same typical questions such as are you allergenic to anything. EHR also allows professionals to have access to information being caputred such as lab results, and it enables communities to have query, which clusters data received in similar areas to see if there’s common symptoms and/or common diagnoses. This will bring a better surveillance program that will help prevent disease outbreaks within communities.

President Obama agrees that EHR is the future for America and made a promise similar to President Bush by declaring America to have EHR in 10 years. However, President Obama took it a step further by allocating money behind his promise. He has allocated 10 billion dollars each year over 5 years into EHR.  By 2014, America will have EHR and there will financial incentives to help the transition to EHR. For example, if you move to EHR by 2011 then you will be able to have enable to get 100% of incentives. This is the prize of being an early adopter. There will be pentalies if you do not reached EHR by the 2014 target date. Every year after 2014, you will lose additional 1% of your money.

What do you think of EHR and are you using it? I know my doctor uses it and he says it helps him to explain things easier and with diagrams.

-Sonny

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11:35 pm – Friday, November 6, 2009 – Welcome to Philly!

After a long plane ride and a 2 hour shuttle, I am finally here in the city of brotherly love. I hope this city holds true to it’s nickname  as I looking forward to Men’s Health getting a lot of love during this conference.

-Sonny

Welcome to Philly