It’s Movember Time

November 11, 2022 in Lifestyle

This one is about you, whether you have a beard, moustache, or you’re clean shaven, your health matters. Movember is all about men’s health awareness, be it physical or mental. Unfortunately, sometimes healthy is mistaken for big muscles, and external good looks which can sometimes be deceiving.
It is important to listen to your body, as the more you take care of it the more it takes care of you. Do check yourselves, it is your own responsibility and right to do so, for you and for your loved ones. Cancer is no joke – prostate cancer is the most common type in men; around 10.8M men globally are diagnosed with it. The risk to develop this type of cancer increases as one ages (most common after 50 years of age). Another risk factor is obesity, studies proved that with obese people this type is more aggressive and is likely to re-occur.

Like prostate cancer, testicular cancer is another type that hits men but this time in their younger years. There are around 836,000 men diagnosed with this type and living with its consequences. The main cause of this cancer is DNA changes in the cells of the testis; alongside having a family history of testicular cancer. It is not so clear what causes this type of cancer, but the main reason is DNA changes of the cells, their multiplication (diseased cells) and their transformation into a tumor.
Both cancers cause severe symptoms, with a risk of metastasis and compromise the quality of life of our men. That’s why it is important to be aware of the presence of these cancers and conduct regular checkups for early detection.

Prevention is better than treatment and, in such cases, early detection plays a huge role in the person’s quality of life. It is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle which includes both exercise and healthy eating habits to minimize the exposure of cancers. Free radicals that we are exposed to due to external factors or that are produced in our body, damage healthy cells and cause higher risk of developing cancers. That is why it is essential to include antioxidants in our meals as they bind to those free radicals and neutralize them or minimize the damage caused by them. Additionally exercising is very important to maintain a healthy lifestyle both physically and mentally. By maintaining a healthy weight, as being overweight or obese is one of the risk factors for causing many diseases and makes it harder to get treated because obesity is a constant state of body inflammation. Also, exercise releases endorphins which are hormones that reduce stress, relief pain and improve the overall well-being of a person.

Moreover, this is an opportunity to shed light on the of importance of our men’s mental health as this might be a taboo especially in the middle east. The hardest thing that one could do is to struggle in silence. Know that it is only normal for men or anyone to seek help when they feel mentally and psychologically tired. Whether you are tired due to a disease you have or need professional help with the life circumstances you are facing, know that seeking psychological help is like seeking a physician when you have diabetes, hypertension or any other condition. On average, 1 man dies by suicide every minute of every day. Your family and your loved ones would rather listen to you instead of crying over you. As mentioned earlier, prevention is better than treatment and early detection and treatment is better than doing these at late stages.

Written by Caroline Kolanjian - Nutritionist
Taste life