Gordon Clay here. June is International Men's Month. A bill was introduced in Congress several years ago to create an Office of Men's Health within the Department of Health and Human Services. The office would collect data and disseminate information on a variety of diseases that affect men - diseases that may kill a lot of us. It would essentially do what the existing Office on Women's Health does: work to spread the information that helps people manage their health. It still hasn't gotten out of committee and it is estimated that 700,000 men will die unnecessarily each year waiting for Congress to act. Did you know:
That 7 out of 11 adults visiting doctors are women - despite the fact that men die five years earlier than women.
That heart disease is the leading cause of death among men.
That men are 30% more likely to suffer a stroke than women.
That 33% of cancer deaths might have been prevented through dietary changes.
That breast cancer will kill over 400 men this year.
That men and teen boys represent 75-80% of successful suicides.
That the most sexually active men had a 50% lower mortality rate than the least sexually active men.
That men who watch television for three or more hours per day are twice as likely to be obese as men who watch for less than an hour.
. That men who consume between two and six drinks per week have nearly half the risk of death as men who consume two or more drinks per day.
And there's much more, so do yourself a favor and check out the web at menstuff.org/main/imm.html. That's menstuff.org/main/imm.html