Movember: Promoting Men's Health Awareness Through Moustaches

The whole idea behind Movember was a dumb guy idea...but the awesome thing about dumb guy ideas is that every other guy gets them and loves them.

Movember was supposedly started over beers by a few blokes in Melbourne, Australia in 2003. The idea was to grow your mo (moustache) for the month of November (starting with a clean shave on October 31st), to raise awareness for men's health. This event has now ballooned into a worldwide phenomenon supporting prostate cancer awareness, the ugly stat being that 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Last year, the Movember charity raised $47 million worldwide, with Canada being the second largest fundraising country worldwide behind Australia. Good on ya, mates.

Being a healthcare provider and a fellow member of the male species, I observe and understand the difficulties men have in taking charge of their health. In growing my pathetic excuse for a moustache (mind you, I did start a week late...) I am supporting the brotherhood of men (the Mo Bros) throughout Toronto and the world to raise awareness for men's health.

Men do tend to struggle with being proactive in their health and getting check ups from their health professionals. I admire women for taking charge of their health and being on top of annual physicals and bloodwork, and being courageous enough to try to find out if anything is amiss in their body. I also admire women who bring (or sometimes drag) their reluctant male partners into the office because they care. And, of course, I admire all the men who are brave enough to go on their own for a health check up, are open to listening to messages their body is telling them, and take a proactive role in preventing disease...as opposed to visiting the doctor after a problem has already arisen.

To the Mo Bros and Mo Sistas (not women with moustaches as some people think, but women who support the promotion of men's health through the Movember movement), here are a few health reminders for the dudes in your lives:

1. Get your annual bloodwork and physical done...and yes, annual means EVERY year
2. If you don't have a family doctor yet, take the time to find one that is accepting new patients...try the website for the Health Care Connect which helps Ontarians find a family health care provider.
3. Check your testicles every month for any unusual lumps (takes 2 minutes)
4. Over 50? Time for a colonoscopy and prostate exam.
5. 45 years old with a family history of prostate cancer? Time for a prostate exam.
6. Eating plenty of vegetables and fruit will not make you less of a man.
7. If you avoid soy products because you are worried you will grow breasts, know that beer is also estrogenic like soy.

Although my version of Movember, so far, should be renamed Dirtyupperlip-ember and Aileen is supporting only the reason behind this, but not necessarily my new look, I'm happy to keep going with this until November 30th in support of men's health.

Happppy Movember!

A lesson from Tom Green: Laughter and Testicular Cancer

Tom Green was in Toronto this past week as part of his North American standup comedy tour.

Having grown up in Ottawa, and listening to his late-night college radio show and then seeing him around downtown pulling hilarious pranks on unsuspecting bystanders for his Rogers' Cable TV's The Tom Green Show, was awesome.

I wasn't sure how he would do at standup, since I've been used to him doing performance comedy, pranks or hosting guests on his talkshows. I somehow convinced Aileen to come along to join the fun, but felt added pressure that Tom not resort to bringing out roadkill to hump on stage, or I would have a very disappointed wife.

After waiting in line in the rain for a good 20 minutes in front of the Phoenix, we were hoping for a really good show. The opening act was actually hilarious, and then Tom came running up from behind the crowd and didn't let up for a high-energy amazing performance. I couldn't stop laughing for the whole 90 minutes. Best part was that Aileen was busting a gut laughing as well. Phew...thought I would be hearing about "the *real* romantic night when Makoto dragged me to see Tom Green" for decades to come. Happy wife, happy life.

Anyhow, it's been a stressful and busy few weeks, and I think laughing our brains out was the best prescription we could have had. I think neither of us would have imagined anytime before that night, that Tom Green would actually be therapeutic. They do say laughter is the best medicine, and sometimes it's easy to forget when you are too busy to laugh. I have to remember to keep passing this advice on to others, and refer to Dr.Tom Green, Dr.Russell Peters, Dr.Chris Rock or one of the many other docs with mics.

Another lesson from Dr.Tom Green was about his survival through testicular cancer. He says "Sometimes I think about my battle with cancer, and think, I wouldn't trade if for anything...and then I think, well, I would trade it for my right testicle. Wouldn't mind getting that back!"

I recall his "Cancer Special" on MTV's The Tom Green Show in 2000 that tried to make light of his experiences dealing with doctors and surgery through his cancer treatment. Was great that he was educating the public through humour. He had a frank and serious moment in the show when he touched on this again, appreciating that he survived cancer, and reminding all the men to check their nuts.

So guys, don't forget to do a quick nut check every month in the shower.

There's not a lot of tissue to palpate (no matter what you want to believe), so it won't delay your morning by more than a minute or two. Ensure that there aren't any strange lumps or masses, and if there is anything you feel that is not normal, consult with your physician.

Prognosis is good if caught early, and main demographic is fairly young (20-35 yrs old), but can happen at any age. And, no, it does not make you any less manly if you see your doctor more than once every five years.

Thanks for the awesome time, Tom!