Thoughts

Love dressing up as Freddie Mercury for Halloween? Then you’re in luck because all of November is dedicated to bearded men! Yes, that’s right. During the wonderful month of Movember, you get the chance to grow a beard or a fab-looking moustache – all for a good cause. So, put away your shaving foam and razor – it’s time to get a little bit hairy!

However, Movember isn’t just about bearded men celebrating their unique facial hair. It’s about raising awareness of men’s health and wellbeing. Therefore, here are a few things we all need to know.

The meaning behind Movember

Although having a month dedicated just to growing facial hair sounds like a lot of fun, but things aren’t as simple as that. The idea was founded on a couple of very important issues that just needed a way to get into the public eye. Organising an event with a silly name such as “Movember” sounded like the best idea ever. But, once you start exploring the intentions behind it, you’ll realise there’s so much more to it.

The issue of men’s health has become quite problematic because men, in general, don’t like to discuss their health problems. They also don’t like visiting the doctor either. That’s why lots of them are left untreated and ultimately die – they were too afraid or lazy to schedule an appointment.

That’s the essence of Movember: raising the awareness of men’s health and wellbeing, including three of the most talked-about ones: testicular cancer, prostate cancer and depression.

Testicular cancer

Testicular cancer is one of the most serious threats a modern man is facing at the moment. The biggest problems aren’t the dangers that come with it, but the fact that most men don’t pay enough attention to early signs. Something similar is also happening to millions of women around the world who don’t seem to care enough about the breast cancer. So, this issue has been gaining lots of attention and the current situation is, luckily, much better than it was just a decade or two ago. But, what about the men?

This kind of cancer, as the very name suggests, attacks your testicles and presents itself as a lump followed by swelling and strong pain. Should you feel these or other signs, react immediately and visit your doctor because only early detection gives you a fighting chance of survival.

Prostate cancer

This is another major threat to any man’s health and something we all need to take quite seriously. However, unlike testicular cancer, this one isn’t as easy to detect and the chances of you noticing something’s wrong early on aren’t that big. What you can feel is the pain in your prostate or a feeling of discomfort, but months can pass before you see a doctor. By that time, it may be too late, and the process of metastasis could already be attacking other parts of your body.

Regular check-ups are the best way to go and talking to your physician about the state of your prostate is crucial. Only by continually monitoring your own health will you be able to notice changes as soon as they occur. 

Depression

Mental health is one of the problems even the most open of men don’t like to discuss. It’s the issue some Movember fans focus on the most. Depression and other mental issues go undetected and unnoticed for quite some time, often too long, which is why the suicide rate in men today seems to be higher than ever.

The reason for this outcome isn’t just the way men feel, but the fact that some of them are unable to express their emotions adequately. That’s why we need to encourage them to open up and talk about what bothers them. Only this way we will be able to make a difference in the world of men’s health.

Movember may technically be just one month long, but its effects are quite amazing and can last throughout the year. Helping men realise their problems and starting to tackle them definitely is one of the best things we can do. So, grow a mo and save a bro today!

Thanks to Peter Minkoff for guest-writing this blog post. Check out his previous post here.