Men's Health Matters

Hucknall resident, Professor John McLuskey, was the latest guest speaker at the weekly Tuesday night meeting of Hucknall Rotary Club held at the Horse & Groom Pub, Linby.

John is an Associate Professor in the faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham.  John has been a nurse for over 26 years, and it was while training as a nurse John realised that there was an imbalance in the way men’s health is viewed and he decided to try and address the issues that were being neglected.

Men’s health is unnecessarily poor.  40 % of men still die prematurely.  Men also visit their GP 20% less frequently than women and are also much less likely to use pharmacy, smoking cessation, weight management and health trainer services.  75% of suicide victims are male and men are 60% more likely to develop cancer and are 70 more likely to die from the disease.

John spoke about the way in which he, along with other medical academics, were trying to raise greater awareness about the well-being of men.  The Men’s Health Forum UK have produced several books and numerous leaflets in the same style as the Haynes Car Manuals dealing with male issues.  This literature is designed to appeal to men and is available in the same outlets as the car manuals. 

Men usually treat their health in the same way they approach most things, members learnt.  Male attitude is to give it a day or two to see if the problem sorts itself out because they would rather not bother the medical services.  John gave members of clear list of symptoms that would need immediate medical advice: chest pains, mole growth, deep depression, Urine changes/difficulties, Erectile Dysfunction, and blood in bowel movements.

To conclude the evening, John gave members a list of the top ten incredibly easy things to do to improve your health.  These were:

·         Read a book or two

·         Open a window

·         Play cards and do crosswords

·         Support a decent team

·         Work on your relationships

·         Sleep long and get up late

·         Go out in the sun

·         Walk

·         Sing

·         Drink Water

As an outcome of the evening, Hucknall Rotarians learnt that a Men’s Health Week is held every June and this year's Men's Health Week runs from the 10th to 16th June and aims to tackle stigma in men’s mental health and promote mental well-being and help-seeking in men.