Movember 2015: Grow a Moustache for Men’s Health Awareness

We’re already four days into “Movember,” the annual month set aside when men worldwide put away razors and grow beards and moustaches to raise awareness about men’s health, ranging from testicular and prostate cancer to other men’s health-related topics such as depression. The difference for 2015 is Movember is focusing exclusively on moustaches (no beards or goatees this year).

GROW A MOUSTACHE FOR MEN'S HEALTH AWARENESS: A sample of the cool moustaches guys can grow to support Movember to fight testicular & prostate cancers, mental health problems & physical inactivity that leads to global mortality. Image: Courtesy of Movember Foundation

It’s not too late to get started, guys. The UMHS Endeavour takes a quick look at what all men, including students at American and Caribbean medical schools, can do to bring attention to important issues about men’s health. We will look at the roots of the “Movember” movement, official rules, the men’s health issues the month sheds light upon, and nonprofit foundations that “Movember” supports.

Movember’s Official Rules

The Movember Foundation’s U.S. website states the official rules:

Movember official rules state that all Mo Bros (male participants), once registered at Movember.com, “must begin clean-shaven on the 1st of November (no beards, no goatees) for the 30 days of November.”

Okay, so may have missed the November 1^st start date, but you can still participate. The Movember website says to “gather your friends, family and colleagues together at your workplace, favorite barbershop, school, community center or local hang out and get those faces shaved down and signed up to grow.”

Encourage friends and family to donate a few dollars that you can give to Movember-approved charities that support men’s health causes. Links will be included at the end of this post.

GROW A MOUSTACHE FOR THE CAUSE: Have you started growing your moustache this Movember? Photo: Courtesy of Movember Foundation

Movember’s Roots

Movember is a global movement that started more than a decade ago in a Melbourne, Australia pub and is now celebrated by groups in the United States, Canada and elsewhere.

“To change the face of men’s health is an ambitious challenge, but it is a challenge that the Movember Foundation is committed to addressing through the programs that we invest in around the world,” says a Movember foundation press release. “As one of the largest non-government strategic investors in men’s health programs, we are uniquely placed to play a significant role in improving the health outcomes of the men that we serve.”

The Movember Foundation focuses on four key areas: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, poor mental health and physical inactivity.

Prostate & Testicular Cancer, Mental Health & Physical Inactivity

The Movember Foundation website gives the following facts about each of its key areas of men’s health.

Prostate Cancer

“We invest in research and health services that contribute to less men dying from prostate cancer and for those that live with the disease a greatly improved quality of life, both physically and mentally.”

• “Prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer for men (after skin cancer) in the US.”
• “A man diagnosed with prostate cancer faces many difficult choices when it comes to which treatment options are best for him.’
• “Men living with and beyond prostate cancer may experience significant on-going side effects from treatment, including incontinence, lack of sexual function, bowel problems, anxiety and depression, pain, nausea and fatigue.”

Testicular Cancer

“We invest in research and health services that contribute to no man dying from testicular cancer and for those that live with the disease a greatly improved quality of life, both physically and mentally.’

• “Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young men aged 15-40 years old.’
• ‘The incidence is rising, doubling over the last 50 years.”
• ‘There is the feeling that a 95% cure rate is a success story. For the majority of men who are diagnosed with testicular cancer, the prognosis is great. But for the 1 in 20, this is still a death sentence.’
• “Even in those who are effectively cured of the disease, some will have lifelong effects from the toxic therapies that are used to cure them of cancer.’

Mental Health

“Mental health is an integral part of health. We invest in programs to help men and boys stay mentally healthy. In the US, we invest in health services that will focus on community-level prevention programs to improve mental health.”

• “1 out of every 4 adults will experience a mental health issue in their lifetime and 3 out of every four suicides are men.”
• “Men often aren’t comfortable talking about significant life events, such as becoming a father, breakdown of a relationship, job loss, or financial troubles.’
• ‘Oftentimes, men don’t have good social connections, which can lead to loneliness, which has a negative effect on health, and don’t usually recognize when they’re experiencing a mental health issue.’
• “Stereotypical forms of masculinity are killing men. For a man to ask for help can be seen as failure, because by convention men feel they should be in control at all times.”

The Movember Foundation believes it is important for men and boys to strengthen the social networks of men and boys “through tough times, challenging the idea that a ‘strong and control’ man is the only way to be manly and to get men to feel more comfortable talking about significant life events such as becoming a father, breakdown of a relationship or loss of a job.”

Physical Inactivity & Global Mortality

Going to the gym and playing sports is popular amongst young men and boys, but physical inactivity becomes a health issue for men as they start work, have busy careers and juggle marriage and family life. The Movember Foundation says physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality and causes “3.2 million deaths globally.” Movember says 1 in 4 male adults aren’t active enough, and 41% of men in high-income countries simply don’t exercise enough. The problem is this puts men at higher risk for cancer and other diseases.

This year, Movember started the 30-day MOVE challenge to raise awareness about physical inactivity in men. For more information, visit https://us.movember.com/get-involved/move

$7 Million Donated to Various Causes to Help Men

Below is just a sample of what money donated to the Movember Foundation is doing to make a difference with $7 million toward the Movember Foundation+ PCF Challenge Awards:

• “Johns Hopkins University - Phuoc Tran, MD, PhD and team are testing a combination of radiation and immunotherapy in metastatic prostate cancer patients who have not received prior treatment. They are also developing non-invasive ways to monitor disease progression. This work is foundational to new treatments and diagnostics that will extend the lives of advanced prostate cancer patients.”
  
  
• "University of Washington - Peter Nelson, MD and team are conducting a study of metastatic prostate cancer genomics that will advance precision medicine for the disease. A team led by Dr. Nelson is working to characterize a genetic alteration that occurs in 20-30% of prostate tumors with the goal of developing improved diagnostics and screening methods that will improve the outcomes for all men with prostate cancer."
  
  
• “Thomas Jefferson University - Dr. Karen Knudsen, PhD and team are investigating a promising new class of medicines to interrupt cancer as it grows. This research addresses a type of prostate cancer most diagnosed in African American men. Additionally, these medicines show enormous promise in other cancers including childhood cancers, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer.”
  
  
• “City of Hope - The team at City of Hope will be studying two novel agents’ promising ability to stage a combined immunotherapeutic attack against prostate cancer cells, which have previously been resistant to such an effort."

Donate to the Movember Foundation

Men (and women too) can collect donations during Movember to help men’s health causes. For more information on donating to the Movember Foundation, please visit https://us.movember.com/donate

MOVEMBER RULES: Grow a moustache during Movember by following these simple rules. Image: Courtesy of Movember Foundation

(Top photo) IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO GROW A MOUSTACHE: Get started now & help raise awareness for men’s health issues during Movember. Photo: Courtesy of Movember Foundation

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