Florida Doctor — November 2012
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Movember & Men’s Health
Men and their health.It’s something they’re not necessarily known to pay much attention to. That’s not just rumor and hearsay, either—even doctors believe it to be true.
What the Movement Means to Jacksonville
“I think men don’t like to talk or think about their health very often,” said Mark Hayes, M.D., a cardiologist.“Often it’s the spouse or kids who end up dragging male patients into the doctor’s office to say they’ve been having this or that symptom. Men themselves tend to minimize it—they don’t want to be told something’s wrong, they see it as a sign of weakness.”
That’s why the month of November is so important for men, and for the state of men’s health, in general. The movement now known as Movember, which started from a conversation between a man and his friend all the way in Australia in 2003, has become a worldwide phenomenon, raising millions of dollars for research and, perhaps even more importantly, raising awareness in men about prostate cancer, and what they need to do to stay healthy.
THE EVOLUTION OF MOVEMBER
“Movember started in Melbourne when my brother and a mate were chatting about past fashion trends and why the moustache hadn’t come back in style,” said Adam Garone, CEO and co-founder of Movember. “To see if they could bring back the Mo, that year 30 guys, myself included, participated in the first ever Movember. Then, in 2004, amazed by the fun we had and the conversations that were sparked, four of the 30 original members came together to make our Mo-growing an annual, official charitable endeavor by adding an important cause—prostate cancer. That year, 450 participants raised $43,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.”
And so the movement has grown, making its way to the U.S. in 2007 with 22,127 participants raising over $740,000.
This year, there will be official Movember campaigns in 21 countries.
And Florida isn’t sitting idly by, just watching. David A. Doward, M.D., is one of the many who will be participating.“This is my first year,” the doctor said.
And when it comes to Florida, and Jacksonville specifically, Dr. Doward admits that the culture generally tends to make it harder for men to live healthier lives. “Foods here just tend to be more fried and fatty, so I’m always counseling my patients about eating less fried foods and having more vegetables. It’s also common here to stay out in the sun a lot, so people’s skin tends to age faster,” he said. “Football is huge here, as well, which lends itself to plenty of social drinking. Not everyone falls into this characterization, but you definitely see it here on a fairly large scale.”
INCREASING AWARENESS
Perhaps one other big reason that men haven’t been known to take such great care of themselves is because of advertising. “When it comes to men’s health, there just aren’t that many movements that talk about men’s health,” said Joe Chehade, M.D. “If you look at women, there was a big study, something called the Women’s Health Initiative. There was never a Men’s Health Initiative, never something large scale like Movember. There’s no other & major movement for men, like with breast cancer for women.”
These days, women tend to live five to seven years longer than men, and a large part of that may be due to the fact that men don’t tend to get the same preventative healthcare for themselves that women do. “I see a higher percentage of women coming to my clinic than men,” said Dr. Chehade. “Men tend to cancel their appointments, and have fewer follows up.”
And if men in general are bad—doctors themselves tend to be even worse.“On average, we say that doctors are the worst patients,” said Dr. Chehade.“They think they know everything, and they just want the prescription. Of course that’s not everyone, but that’s the average. Then if you’re a physician and a man—that’s even worse.”
Dr Chehade wasn’t the only one who felt this way. “I believe it all starts in Med school,” said Dr. Todd Braddock, a general family physician at St. Vincent’s Primary Care in Jacksonville. “We go to med school and study all the time, then we graduate and think life’s going to get a little better. But it gets worse in residency, where we’re probably working 80 hours a week, sometimes more, so it’s brutal. So you live like that for three to seven years, and you just don’t know how to be normal again, how to fit in exercise and healthy eating.”
SMALL CHANGES EQUAL A BIG DIFFERENCE
It doesn’t take much to live a healthier life, though. Not smoking and watching what you eat is an important place to start, of course, says Dr. Hayes, but there’s more to it than that. “A standard thing I tell my patients is to talk about activity as opposed to exercise,” he said. “Go to Home Depot and park as far away as possible. Take the stairs.If you’re watching the news, march in place. You don’t have to be in sweats and a headband to stay active. Small changes like this are easy to implement and easy to maintain.”
Dr. Doward also likes to remind his male patients to take a holistic approach to their health. “I’m a spine doctor, so I’m a big proponent of Pilates and yoga, which are good for flexibility and core strengthening. It’s also really important to have a balance between work and family, and to take time for yourself.When I think of my mission, it’s to be a kickass healer, enjoy the vitality of life and to share that with others. Wellness is a big part of that.”
Dr. Braddock adds, “It’s about drawing a line in the sand for doctors, especially.That’s what’s been hard for me.
You have to say, ‘At this juncture I’m not going to see any more patients, or take any more calls,’ but unfortunately with doctors it’s like a macho thing.
Take a step back and realize you’re a man, father, husband, whatever you are, before you’re a doctor. And if you aren’t those things first, you can’t be a good doctor.”
It’s also about practicing what you preach, pointed out Dr. Chehade. “Just be a good image for your patient, and you’ll be fine,” he said. “If you’re a male physician and you tell your patient that he needs to get screened for prostate cancer, if you’re 50 or 60, do it for yourself as well, and get screened every year.”
For Garone, making men’s health a priority is about making a choice.“Maintaining healthy lifestyle choices, a good diet and getting regular medical check-ups and screen tests can dramatically influence your health,” he said.
If the growth of Movember is any sign, Garone’s message is really spreading.“The growth has been staggering,” he said. “We started with 30 Mo Bros in 2003 and by 2011, 855,203 Mo Bros and Mo Sistas raised $126.3 million for men’s health worldwide. Globally, more than 1.9 million participants have raised $299 million. Essentially no other men’s health movement has really taken off quite the way that Movember has.”
Maybe the fun factor of it has something to do with the success of the Movember movement. “I think this is a big start, making men aware. Doing something fun like growing a moustache puts a twist on it and gives men time to think on it and gives them an excuse to think of men’s health in a global way,” said Dr. Doward.“I’ve never had a moustache before.I’ve had a goatee, and a little bit of a beard, but for the most part I’m fairly clean-shaven. I’m really looking forward to this.”
“When I did the research on Movember, I decided to make this an annual event. I’ve even started recruiting other doctors in the group, making it a fun project. The whole idea of having a month where we’re promoting men’s health, because traditionally men have not been so great about taking care of themselves, or talking about men’s health issues, it’s for a great cause.”
— David A. Doward, M.D.
What the Movement Means to Jacksonville
“I think men don’t like to talk or think about their health very often,” said Mark Hayes, M.D., a cardiologist.“Often it’s the spouse or kids who end up dragging male patients into the doctor’s office to say they’ve been having this or that symptom. Men themselves tend to minimize it—they don’t want to be told something’s wrong, they see it as a sign of weakness.”
That’s why the month of November is so important for men, and for the state of men’s health, in general. The movement now known as Movember, which started from a conversation between a man and his friend all the way in Australia in 2003, has become a worldwide phenomenon, raising millions of dollars for research and, perhaps even more importantly, raising awareness in men about prostate cancer, and what they need to do to stay healthy.
THE EVOLUTION OF MOVEMBER
“Movember started in Melbourne when my brother and a mate were chatting about past fashion trends and why the moustache hadn’t come back in style,” said Adam Garone, CEO and co-founder of Movember. “To see if they could bring back the Mo, that year 30 guys, myself included, participated in the first ever Movember. Then, in 2004, amazed by the fun we had and the conversations that were sparked, four of the 30 original members came together to make our Mo-growing an annual, official charitable endeavor by adding an important cause—prostate cancer. That year, 450 participants raised $43,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.”
And so the movement has grown, making its way to the U.S. in 2007 with 22,127 participants raising over $740,000.
This year, there will be official Movember campaigns in 21 countries.
And Florida isn’t sitting idly by, just watching. David A. Doward, M.D., is one of the many who will be participating.“This is my first year,” the doctor said.
And when it comes to Florida, and Jacksonville specifically, Dr. Doward admits that the culture generally tends to make it harder for men to live healthier lives. “Foods here just tend to be more fried and fatty, so I’m always counseling my patients about eating less fried foods and having more vegetables. It’s also common here to stay out in the sun a lot, so people’s skin tends to age faster,” he said. “Football is huge here, as well, which lends itself to plenty of social drinking. Not everyone falls into this characterization, but you definitely see it here on a fairly large scale.”
INCREASING AWARENESS
Perhaps one other big reason that men haven’t been known to take such great care of themselves is because of advertising. “When it comes to men’s health, there just aren’t that many movements that talk about men’s health,” said Joe Chehade, M.D. “If you look at women, there was a big study, something called the Women’s Health Initiative. There was never a Men’s Health Initiative, never something large scale like Movember. There’s no other & major movement for men, like with breast cancer for women.”
These days, women tend to live five to seven years longer than men, and a large part of that may be due to the fact that men don’t tend to get the same preventative healthcare for themselves that women do. “I see a higher percentage of women coming to my clinic than men,” said Dr. Chehade. “Men tend to cancel their appointments, and have fewer follows up.”
And if men in general are bad—doctors themselves tend to be even worse.“On average, we say that doctors are the worst patients,” said Dr. Chehade.“They think they know everything, and they just want the prescription. Of course that’s not everyone, but that’s the average. Then if you’re a physician and a man—that’s even worse.”
Dr Chehade wasn’t the only one who felt this way. “I believe it all starts in Med school,” said Dr. Todd Braddock, a general family physician at St. Vincent’s Primary Care in Jacksonville. “We go to med school and study all the time, then we graduate and think life’s going to get a little better. But it gets worse in residency, where we’re probably working 80 hours a week, sometimes more, so it’s brutal. So you live like that for three to seven years, and you just don’t know how to be normal again, how to fit in exercise and healthy eating.”
SMALL CHANGES EQUAL A BIG DIFFERENCE
It doesn’t take much to live a healthier life, though. Not smoking and watching what you eat is an important place to start, of course, says Dr. Hayes, but there’s more to it than that. “A standard thing I tell my patients is to talk about activity as opposed to exercise,” he said. “Go to Home Depot and park as far away as possible. Take the stairs.If you’re watching the news, march in place. You don’t have to be in sweats and a headband to stay active. Small changes like this are easy to implement and easy to maintain.”
Dr. Doward also likes to remind his male patients to take a holistic approach to their health. “I’m a spine doctor, so I’m a big proponent of Pilates and yoga, which are good for flexibility and core strengthening. It’s also really important to have a balance between work and family, and to take time for yourself.When I think of my mission, it’s to be a kickass healer, enjoy the vitality of life and to share that with others. Wellness is a big part of that.”
Dr. Braddock adds, “It’s about drawing a line in the sand for doctors, especially.That’s what’s been hard for me.
You have to say, ‘At this juncture I’m not going to see any more patients, or take any more calls,’ but unfortunately with doctors it’s like a macho thing.
Take a step back and realize you’re a man, father, husband, whatever you are, before you’re a doctor. And if you aren’t those things first, you can’t be a good doctor.”
It’s also about practicing what you preach, pointed out Dr. Chehade. “Just be a good image for your patient, and you’ll be fine,” he said. “If you’re a male physician and you tell your patient that he needs to get screened for prostate cancer, if you’re 50 or 60, do it for yourself as well, and get screened every year.”
For Garone, making men’s health a priority is about making a choice.“Maintaining healthy lifestyle choices, a good diet and getting regular medical check-ups and screen tests can dramatically influence your health,” he said.
If the growth of Movember is any sign, Garone’s message is really spreading.“The growth has been staggering,” he said. “We started with 30 Mo Bros in 2003 and by 2011, 855,203 Mo Bros and Mo Sistas raised $126.3 million for men’s health worldwide. Globally, more than 1.9 million participants have raised $299 million. Essentially no other men’s health movement has really taken off quite the way that Movember has.”
Maybe the fun factor of it has something to do with the success of the Movember movement. “I think this is a big start, making men aware. Doing something fun like growing a moustache puts a twist on it and gives men time to think on it and gives them an excuse to think of men’s health in a global way,” said Dr. Doward.“I’ve never had a moustache before.I’ve had a goatee, and a little bit of a beard, but for the most part I’m fairly clean-shaven. I’m really looking forward to this.”
“When I did the research on Movember, I decided to make this an annual event. I’ve even started recruiting other doctors in the group, making it a fun project. The whole idea of having a month where we’re promoting men’s health, because traditionally men have not been so great about taking care of themselves, or talking about men’s health issues, it’s for a great cause.”
— David A. Doward, M.D.
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