Cape Town - October is almost at an end and we are rapidly gearing up for the festive season. With the onset of summer there are so many health-related issues that I am bombarded with in my private practice, ranging from weight issues, allergies and dry skin to skin cancer scares and issues around smoking. One thing is certain… it’s a time for growth and change.
The global launch of the annual Movember campaign, a topical and fashionable frenzy to hit our streets, is on November 1. To grow or not to grow your MO (moustache) may be the question, but the importance of this campaign is not. Men are known to shy away from the sensitive topics of testicular and prostate cancer and the Movember campaign is trying to change this.
To win the battle against cancer, education and foresight is crucial. Mental health issues like depression and anxiety are swept under the carpet often with devastating effects on families and other relationships. The lack of intervention leads to spiralling problems on many fronts, including work and family.
But there are those who believe this can and must change.
Movember 2013
Movember, the month formerly known as November, is when men around the world will grow a moustache, with the support of the women in their lives, to raise awareness and funds for men’s health – specifically prostate cancer, testicular cancer and men’s mental health.
The Movember journey began in 2003 with a few friends in Melbourne, Australia. The goal was to create a campaign promoting the growth of the moustache among like-minded people and having fun along the way. But it was also about real men talking about real issues to help to change the face of men’s health. Movember now spans the globe with campaigns in 21 countries.
Last year, over 1.1 million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas raised over R1.2 billion globally, and in South Africa there were over 30 000 participants raising over R7.1 million.
Funds raised around the world are directed to our programmes, which are shaped by our vision to have an everlasting impact on men’s health.
Programmes are delivered by the Movember Foundation and its men’s health partners in each country.
Movember focus
* Awareness and education.
* Living with and beyond cancer.
* Staying mentally healthy, living with and beyond mental illness.
* Research.
MO growth details
* Movember is about real men growing real moustaches and talking about real issues.
* The Moustache is the the campaign’s ribbon for men’s health.
* Movember is about changing the face of men’s health, one moustache at a time.
* Mo Bros sporting upper lip hair effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of Movember raising funds and much-needed awareness.
* Mo Bros start the month clean shaven, then grow and groom their moustache all month long.
* Mo Bros and Mo Sistas can register to participate at www.movember.com, starting this month.
Where the funds go
* Funds raised around the world are directed to the campaign’s programmes.
* The causes that are focused on are: men’s health, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, men’s mental health.
* The programme focuses on:
1. Awareness and education.
2. Living with and beyond cancer.
3. Staying mentally healthy, living with and beyond mental illness.
4. Research.
The campaign’s health partner is the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa). Movember’s own programmes focus on world-class research and survivorship programmes addressing key challenges in prostate and testicular cancer.
Cansa funds focus on:
* Patient Navigation Project – trained navigators will assist men with prostate cancer to navigate health and other services based on their individual needs.
* Metropolitan Care Centres – to provide a comprehensive programme of quality care to those affected that is sustainable, and promotes management of treatment effects and quality of life during recovery.
Prostate cancer risk rises with age
* South African men have a one-in-23 lifetime risk for prostate cancer.
* One in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer by the age of 75.
* One in four men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer by 85.
* Around five men die from prostate cancer each day in South Africa – calculated based on 2 000 men dying yearly.
* Only one in four men who has a positive PSA test turns out to have prostate cancer.
* It is estimated that 238 590 men will be diagnosed with and 29 720 men will die of prostate cancer in 2013 – National Cancer Institute.
* Black African and black Caribbean men are three times more likely to develop prostate cancer.
* You are 2.5 times more likely to develop prostate cancer if your father or brother has had it.
* On average nine out of 10 cases of testicular cancers occur in men between 20 and 50.
* The risk of dying from testicular cancer before the age of 85 was one in 3 712 in 2007.
* The rate of men being diagnosed with testicular cancer has grown 50 percent over the past 20 years. The reason for this is unknown. – Information: http://za.movember.com/. - Cape Argus
* Dr Darren Green, a trusted figure in the field of media medicine, is a University of Stellenbosch graduate who adds innovative spark to health and wellness issues.
He features on 567CapeTalk, and is a regular guest on SABC3 and the Expresso show. Dr Green works as an emergency medical practitioner at a leading Cape Town hospital and completed four years of training as a registrar in the specialisation of neurology.
If you’ve got medical problems, contact the doctor at [email protected], 021 930 0655 or Twitter @drdarrengreen. Catch him in Cape Town on 567 CapeTalk, most Fridays at 1.30pm.