Men’s Health

Yes, I mostly post about women’s health, but as I’m married to a man and have a son and brother and guy friends, it’s only fair to do an occasional post about men’s health.

I get a lot of press releases forwarded to me and this one is about prostate cancer.

Blue September (www.blueseptember.org), a critically acclaimed international campaign developed to increase awareness of prostate cancer.  The campaign encourages early detection and support of those being diagnosed and treated for the disease. Many men are afraid of the examination and testing which can lead to late diagnosis and treatment.

More than 240,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 33,000 died from the disease in 2011. One new case occurs every two minutes and a man dies from prostate cancer every 15 minutes.

Funny man, Donald Faison, from the comedy series Scrubs, put his popularity to good use by supporting the campaign.  Faison said, “I will be affected in some way in my life by prostate cancer, whether it is me, a brother, or a friend – it is bound to happen. Everyone around the age of 40 should have a conversation with their doctor about their prostate and get it checked…”

The good news is that many deaths from prostate cancer can be prevented by early detection.  Here are some things men can do during the month to support Blue September:

• Eat right (including walnuts) and exercise.
• Know your family history and share it with family members.
• Do your research; be an active member on your healthcare team.
• If you are over 40 years-old, find a physician you trust and talk to them about developing a proactive prostate care plan.
• Talk to your peers and friends; make prostate cancer something to talk about.
• If you are given a diagnosis of prostate cancer, do not panic—detected early, it is highly treatable. Even in cases of advanced disease, there are more effective treatment options than ever before.

Joining the California Blue September team as sponsors this year are California Walnuts, Varian Medical Systems, 91X Radio and Men’s Health magazine.

For more information or to participate in a Blue September event, visit www.blueSeptember.org.  Follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/USABlueSeptember and on twitter @BlueSeptemberUS.

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So if you’re a guy, take care of yourself and talk to your doctor!

Lisa