Vibrance is proud to participate with the Men's Health Network (MHN) carrying their weekly newsletter updates, surveys and support information. The Men's Health Network is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to reach men and their families where they live, work, play, and pray with health prevention messages and tools, screening programs, educational materials, advocacy opportunities, and patient navigation.
Healthy E-Male
March 17, 2010
Featured News
MHN expresses concern over unapproved drugs in latest policy statement
Because unapproved drugs are not regulated or monitored the way modern pharmaceutical products are today, it is the position of Men’s Health Network that they may pose a serious threat to the public health.
Unapproved drugs are not required to meet the same manufacturing standards as approved drugs. In addition, certain unapproved drugs have been associated with the death of patients who took them. MHN offers specific examples in our policy statement online.
Read the full statement in the Men's Health Library, here.
MHN Partners with Us Against Athero Tour Again for 2010
AstraZeneca and leading members of the cardiovascular community have recently renewed their commitment to undertaking an ambitious challenge – to raise national awareness about atherosclerosis, the progressive build-up of plaque in the inner walls of arteries and the leading cause of coronary heart disease and stroke.
In 2009, the US AGAINST ATHERO campaign visited 16 cities and hosted more than 160 events, which successfully reached more than 363 million people with important information about atherosclerosis and heart health. We owe much of this success to each of our national partners that have provided invaluable support throughout the course of this campaign.
This month, AstraZeneca and its partners embarked on another national tour with the Artery Explorer. As in previous years, the US AGAINST ATHERO tour will continue building on its success in educating communities across the country about the risks of atherosclerosis. This year, the US AGAINST ATHERO campaign will be stopping in the following cities:
• Memphis, TN: March 22 – April 1
• Nashville, TN: April 3 – 15
• Los Angeles, CA: April 21 – May 2
• Chicago, IL: May 7 – 18
• Raleigh, NC: May 22 – 31
• Minneapolis, MN: June 5 – 19
• Cleveland, OH: June 23 – July 7
• Biloxi, MS/New Orleans, LA: July 16 – 31
• Washington, D.C.: August 5 – 18
• Richmond, VA: August 19 – 31
• Dallas, TX: September 4 – 17
• Memphis, TN: September 22 – October 6
• Atlanta, GA: October 15 – 30
• San Antonio, TX: November 6 – 19
• Houston, TX: December 1 – 14
AstraZeneca invites you to join us in each of these cities to help raise awareness about atherosclerosis and heart health. Our hope is that by working together, we can make these stops a valuable resource for everyone.
In addition to volunteering at upcoming tour stops, there are plenty of other ways to get involved:
• Encourage people to come see the Explorer by distributing flyers in each market;
• Distribute US AGAINST ATHERO materials at your organization’s upcoming meetings and conferences; and
• Call out tour stops through e-mail alerts, Facebook, or Twitter posts.
For those unable to experience the Artery Explorer in person, there are fantastic resources available at www.athero.com, where users can watch the Artery Explorer video and sign up for the Athero IQ program for more information.
Please contact Maria Firvida at
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if you have specific thoughts on how you can help with the US AGAINST ATHERO campaign, and stay tuned for more information on ways we can join together to make our 2010 effort a success.
Experts Encourage Cholesterol Screenings at age 20
Heart disease is not just a worry for the middle-aged.
Atherosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries, can begin in early adulthood and even teens can show evidence of the condition.
If screening is done early and problems are found, counseling and modifications to lifestyle can prevent worse problems down the road.
Cardiologist, Dr. Anand Rohatgi, at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Cancer in Dallas, suggests, "Simple measures that can reduce cholesterol levels include decreasing the amount of saturated fat to less than 7 percent of total calories consumed each day. Also, increasing the amount of soluble fiber by just 5-10 grams daily and limiting cholesterol intake to less than 200 milligrams per day are helpful."
To read the full article, click here.
Men's Health Caucus formed with APHA
On February 24, 2010, Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association (APHA), announced the Association’s support for the Men’s Health Caucus, which will draw awareness to an emerging and cross-cutting public health concern. Scott Williams, Chair of the newly formed Caucus and Vice President of Men’s Health Network (MHN), explained that “The Men’s Health Caucus is necessary to bring together academic institutions, health departments, non-profit organizations and others with a common interest in improving the health and well-being of men and their families. This field is in desperate need of a diverse, multi-disciplinary, and coordinated approach to better tackle this public health issue within our communities.”
Read more at www.talkingaboutmenshealth.com
Primary care physicians do not always discuss the risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening with patients
Prostate cancer screening guidelines recommend that doctors discuss the risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening, so that men can decide for themselves about prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing. However, one in five primary care physicians (PCPs) do not have this discussion with their patients, according to a new study.
Primary care physicians filled out a survey that included open-ended questions about their use of prostate cancer screening practices and patient discussions. Among the 63 physicians surveyed, 20.6 percent ordered a PSA test without any discussion with the patient and 71.4 percent ordered the test after a prescreening discussion. Three physicians did not order a PSA test or discuss it with the patient. Ordering a PSA test was highest among PCPs who did not discuss screening with their patients, followed by PCPs who engaged in discussions and recommended the PSA test for their patients. PSA test orders were lowest among PCPs who discussed testing with their patients and let them decide.
Patient risk factors also played a role in how likely physicians were to screen men. For example, 69 percent of non-discussion physicians and 50 percent of discussion physicians said they were more likely to screen black men (who have a higher risk for the disease).
Also, 91 percent of non-discussion physicians and 46 percent of discussion physicians indicated they were more likely to screen patients with family histories of prostate cancer.
Among the nearly three-fourths of PCPs who used pre-screening discussions, the role of decisionmaker varied. Some PCPs let patients decide, while others recommended testing.
Physicians who tried to persuade men to get tested believed in the efficacy of screening and PSA testing. Physicians who did not try to persuade men to be tested questioned the lack of scientific evidence and efficacy of the PSA test and some were concerned about treatment side effects (e.g., incontinence and impotence from surgery or radiation).
None of the surveyed physicians reported recommending against the test.
The study was supported in part by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
To read more visit: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Policy & Politics
Lou Gossett Testifies On Prostate Cancer
Academy-award winning actor Lou Gossett, Jr. and Betty Gallo, wife of former Congressman Dean Gallo were just two of the witnesses invited to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Govt. Reform on March 4, 2010 in Washington, DC.
Gossett - who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer - is just one of thousands of men that will be diagnosed this year. In Otis W. Brawley's testimony he stated that prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer, and the second most deadly cancer. According to Brawley, Chief Medical Officer for the American Cancer Society, 192,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 27,000 will die from the disease this year.
"In fact, African-Americans have the highest incidence and mortality rates of prostate cancer in the world," stated James L. Mohler, Associate Director and Senior Vice President for Translational Research, in his testimony.
According to Mohler African-American men do not trust America's healthcare system. Therefore, African-American men and doctors need to build a bridge of communication. Tom Farrington, an African-American prostate cancer survivor and the founder of the Prostate Cancer Health Education Network, testified that his father and grandfather both had prostate cancer.
But his doctor failed to educate him about preventative exams, which is why he started the Prostate Cancer Health Education Network in order to educate men and their families.
Read more from MHN's Abdullah Jones here.
To watch the complete hearing at C-SPAN, click here.
The new twist in health reform
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi suggested on Monday that she may try to pass health reform legislation using a controversial tactic called "deem and pass", which would essentially mean Members of the House will not actually vote on the bill.
Plainly speaking, the House would vote on a more popular package of fixes to the Senate bill; under the House rule for that vote, passage would signify that lawmakers "deem" the health-care bill to be passed
While the tactic has been used plenty of times in the past, on both sides of the aisle, it has never been employed to pass a measure as large as the $875 billion health care legislation.
Read more from the Washington Post on the subject, here.
Also, the NY Times shares an interesting analysis of Democrats to watch on the health care vote, here.
Parenting & Relationships
Mr. Dad, Armin Brott, shares the answers to FAQ for fathers
Great advice for dads is hard to come by. There are hundreds of books about child development and motherhood, but very little has been written about fatherhood, how fathers change and develop as parents, or even how children influence their fathers’ development.
Armin Brott, author of books like Father For Life: A Journey of Joy, Challenge and Change and Throwaway Dads: The Myths and Barriers That Keep Men From Being the Fathers They Want to Be, shares answers to the questions Dads ask most here.
Upcoming Events
June is Men's Health Month: Begin your planning now
With June just around the corner, now is the time to think about planning activities. Wear Blue for Men is an easy and fun way to promote men's health in your workplace, place of worship or your community group.
Lean more at www.wearblueformen.com
7th World Congress on Men's Health: Save the Date
Save the Date for the 7th World Congress on Men's Health, October 28 - 30, 2010 in Nice, France.
The title of the 2010 WCMH is "Men's Health: How to overcome the challenges" and the title truly reflects the turning of attention from the problem to the solutions. The 2010 WCMH promises to be the one-stop for the comprehensive multi-disciplinary scientific exchange on men's health solutions in urology, cardiology, endocrinology, oncology, sexual medicine, mental health, primary care, public health, education, aging and beyond. It will be the great educational opportunity, that nobody interested in men's health could afford to miss.
If you are interested in learning more about this years event visit: www.wcmh.info. If you are interested in attending please let us know by emailing us at
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.
