It’s rare to find the words “prostate cancer” and “breast cancer” in the same sentence. After all, one (prostate cancer) affects only men. The other affects mostly women. But despite their differences, the two diseases actually have a lot in common, particularly in the way those diagnosed with either one evaluate their options and make...Continue reading
Category: Editorials
I’m Covered Stories: A Persistent Dad Wins the Day
By Judy Sarasohn, Public Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services Phillip Wise, a retired Air Force medical technician I spoke to recently, has a favorite saying: Persistence beats resistance. “Otherwise, you’re just giving up,” he told me. That core belief helped him recover from the horrific Operation Babylift crash during the evacuation of orphaned Vietnamese babies...Continue reading
My Father’s Story: Taking Control of Your Health
My dad’s a lucky guy. It was 10 years ago that my dad, a relatively young, thriving, robust, gregarious, independent and proud African American man, suffered a large stroke. It might seem strange to have me say he was lucky – but he was. My dad was many things, but as you might have noted,...Continue reading
The Power of Prevention
As a doctor and a public official committed to improving the health of Americans, I am concerned that men often have poorer health outcomes than women. As men, we can do a better job taking care of ourselves. Unfortunately, we are living sicker lives and dying younger than American women. Men are less likely than...Continue reading
Men: Take Control of Your Health – Present and Future
By Bill Corr, Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Men don’t always have a great track record for taking care of our own health. On average, we live sicker and die younger than women. We are less likely to talk to a health care provider about how to prevent heart disease, diabetes, and other...Continue reading
Do You Know the Warning Signs of Stroke?
Did you know: Strokes are the fourth leading cause of death in men? Yet, many men are unable to name a single symptom or take precautions against becoming susceptible to strokes themselves. Strokes can range from mild to severe, and they are frighteningly common. One stroke happens every 40 seconds in America. That means 795,000...
Living with Prostate Cancer: It’s Complicated
I guess it’s part of the male provider-protector thing: A recent survey found that men with advanced prostate cancer worry more about burdening their family and friends than about dying. That’s only one surprising fact from a fascinating and sometimes puzzling survey called The Advanced Prostate Cancer Patient and Caregiver Burden of Illness Study.Continue reading
What Are the Risk Factors for Bladder Cancer?
What causes the 4th most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the United States? The jury is still out on the exact causes of bladder cancer, but researchers have discovered some important risk factors. Remember that having a risk factor, or even several, does not mean that you will get bladder cancer. Let’s explore the...Continue reading
American Men (and Women) Have Shorter Lives Than Counterparts in Other Rich Nations
On average, Americans die sooner and experience higher rates of disease and injury than people in other high-income countries, says a new report from the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. The report finds that this health disadvantage exists at all ages from birth to age 75 and that even advantaged Americans — those...
Literary Convention and the Slaughter of Innocent Children
As we try to absorb the tragic events at the school shooting in New Town, Connecticut, various sages have come out of the background to tell us what it all means, and what we can do about it. Gun control advocates – long ignored by our political leaders – have told us, reasonably enough, that...