In a recent scientific article I was interested to read that, according to some theories, biologists say that the normal lifespan of a human being is 120 years. But the truth is that in most developed countries, average life expectancy at birth is about 80.7 years for women and about 75.4 years for men (2006 data). Interestingly, this disparity between the sexes has been declining since it peaked at about eight years in 1979.

So why do men die earlier than 120 years? The answer simple: 99.9% die of sickness! This is a significant figure and should be a very important consideration for the male population in particular and for society in general.

The truth is sobering. Men are:

39% more likely to die of diabetes than women,
55% more likely to die of cancer,
64% more likely to die of pneumonia or influenza,
78% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease,

They are four times more likely to commit suicide, two times more likely to die in an accident, and so on. It’s certainly a risky business being a man!

On the other hand, it is often said that most men do not like to admit, even to themselves, that they have a health problem, often because they feel that it is a sign of weakness.

Statistically the case is damning:

·Men make 150 million fewer visits in a year to their doctors than women.
·Male patients are more likely to wait until a problem that could have been easily treated or prevented is severe or life-threatening.

Of course, it’s true that men should be responsible for their own health problems but society must be responsible too. If it is good enough for women to get government assisted education programmes, government assisted research, and government assisted health care for breast cancer, then it should also be good enough for male population to get the same for prostate cancer and other specific conditions and disease.

Men deserve the same concerns and attention as female population has. The same encouragement to get regular exams, the same coverage in health care plans and the same efforts to find better treatment.

Another area that affects men as they get older is ‘problems with the waterworks’ which may be an indication of some serious or non serious prostate or bladder problem. So which is it? Well, you won’t know unless you go to the doctor! Along with the ‘waterworks’ is the large number of men who suffer in silence and misery because they cannot get an erection. This is much more common than you might think, and not something men talk about amongst themselves much, after all, a lot of a man’s psyche is tied up in his virility. Diabetes and other diseases can contribute to loss of libido and impotence. The avalanche of adverts that arrive in our email in-boxes advertising Viagra and Ciallis, indicate that there is a huge market for this ‘magic potion’ and there is no doubt that it has been the saviour of sanity and many a marriage. Doctor’s are very sympathetic to this type of problem which may arise from many different causes, some serious and some not, and, yes you’ve guessed it, you won’t know which unless you visit the doctor and yes he or she will be happy to prescribe Viagra or Ciallis if you need it and to double check for any underlying causes that might be leading to your problems. Like all drugs, Viagra and Ciallis do have contraindications and for that reason it is always better to be checked over by the doctor and have it prescribed rather than buy it on line or from a ’bloke at the pub’.
I can remember my mother telling me, when I was reluctant to go to the doctor, that the human body was like a machine to a doctor, full of moving parts that can and do go wrong. So, much like your car mechanic, the site of your white bits, will be nothing they haven’t see before. I am sure doctor’s have more empathy for us than your local mechanic has for your 4X4but you get the point!

Another problem of our modern age is skin cancer. Unlike women who spend a long time looking in the mirror and applying lotions and potions to various parts of their body men may not even be aware of some of the moles they have, much less what they should look like. No-one thinks that the worst will happen to them and it is easy to dismiss a spot or sore, thinking that it can’t be anything sinister. But it might be. The first thing to do is bare your manly physique to your partner, or even a friend so that they can see what you look like normally, especially on your back where you cannot see well. If anything changes, moles begin to bleed, darken or itch or get irregular borders, see the doctor, remember, even the worst type of skin cancer, malignant melanoma, if caught early enough can be excised and stopped from spreading.

Another, often hidden, problem is that of mental health. Possibly where all other taboos have been broken down, this remains the ‘Elephant in the Room’ for many people, especailly men. You try asking people if it would be acceptable for employers to discriminate against someone on the grounds of race, religion, sexual orientation or disability and the answer is likely to be an outraged "of course not". But ask the same question about someone with a mental illness and the certainty seems to disappear.
The fact is that despite years of anti-stigma campaigns and, more recently, high profile celebrities such as Stephen Fry speaking candidly about living with conditions such as bi-polar disorder, millions of people with mental illness remain targets for prejudice and discrimination both at work and in wider society and are reluctant to even acknowledge that they have a problem let alone seek help for it! And as with other medical problems men are less likely to get help than women, reverting to the good old ‘stiff upper lip’, refusing to believe that they need help for their emotional or mental problems. Perhaps they are suffering from depression, brought on by worries about work or home life, very few, I am sure would think of seeing their doctor. Fear of stigma and the knock on effect it would have at work or in social circles or maybe fear of addiction to medication may be some reasons for not seeking help, but more likely is just the old male reluctance to admit that anything is wrong.

Where current preventative health measures are concerned, men stand to loose the most if they do not take advantage of screening and self help groups. There is no doubt that the old message to the British male that he should shape up and not complain has its down side. Stop smoking clinics and other addiction groups have enviable success rates in helping people overcome their addictions. Recent figures have shown that levels of death from the main cancers that have traditionally affected men, the top of the list being lung cancer, have fallen back to levels last see in the 1970’s. Whether that is due to men being more pro-active in getting treatment earlier, or whether anti smoking campaigns have led more people to give up, it is hard to tell, but this is an area where men most definitely need to put two and two together and while not panicking, need to be aware that if they smoke they have to be alert for any problems.