It is important to know some precautions that will help you overcome the possibilities of acquiring this fatal disease.
They say that cancer will attack us one in three. But did you know that men are more likely to be in the line of fire than women? An article published in the UK magazine Cancer Research makes a discouraging claim for those with the Y chromosome: of cancers that affect both sexes, they are 60% more likely to acquire the disease and 70% more likely to die. because of this.
There is no biological disadvantage that puts men at increased risk. The text also reveals that over half of the cases could be prevented if healthy options were chosen. This can be a wake-up call for all males. So read carefully and regain control of your destiny.
We are not invincible, that is something that everyone has to accept. The Achilles heel to fight cancer is still the way we think about our health. “We culturally teach men not to complain and ignore symptoms,” says Dr. Marianne Legato, director of the Partnership for Gender-Specif Medicine at Columbia University in the United States, and author of Why Men Die First: How to Lengthen Your Lifespan. “Preventive medicine is often something that they definitely don’t process.”
It is not difficult to tell stories to start being cautious. When footballer John Hartson was diagnosed with cancer last July , he revealed that two years before he learned he was sick, he had discovered a lump in his testicles, but had done nothing about it. Over time, he suffered tremendous headaches, the cancer had spread to his brain and lungs, and emergency surgery was essential to save his life. Since then he has received chemotherapy. Similarly, Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France champion, was delaying his visit to the doctor before being diagnosed with testicular cancer .
Seeking help as soon as possible should be something you don’t think about, especially when it’s testicular cancer. The American Cancer Society states that the survival rate is 99% if the disease is treated early. But in a survey conducted last summer by the Everyman Male Cancer Campaign it was found that while the average number of women who see a doctor is 2.3 times a year, men visit him only 1.9 times. And it is not the smell of the hospital that discourages us, but the assurance that everything is fine.
The most affected are white-collar workers (office workers). Researchers from Dalhousie University, Canada, noted that those professionals who work more than 45 hours a week appear to be the least likely to see their GP. When juggling work obligations and social life, it is easy to stay in the waiting room, that is, not go to the doctor. But, one must reflect on whether what needs to be urgently finished in the office is really more important than health.
According to Dr. Kristen Springer – who has researched male attitudes toward health at Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA – workers are more willing to go to the doctor when they feel something is wrong. “These are the men who need their bodies to be strong and healthy,” says the specialist.
Always active
The government says 43% of males are overweight, compared to 33% of females. “They are used to eating a certain amount,” says Alan White, director of the Men’s Health Center at Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK. “That is not a problem when you are young, but the weight of men increases dramatically between 25 and 35 years of age. It happens as a consequence of reducing physical activity from when you were young and suddenly you become a sedentary adult “
Running regularly or ensuring that you will come from time to time to play a game of soccer, it becomes more difficult when the responsibilities of the 30s begin to absorb your time. But that’s the value of staying active: researchers from the University of Bristol, England found that regular sweating reduces the risk of getting cancer by up to 40%intestine, prostate and lung. So don’t hang those soccer shorts up yet and admit when they start to get tight around your waist. Professor Mark Bellis, director of Liverpool John Moores University Public Health Center, says the statistics show a huge deficit between what people claim to drink and the amount of money going into bars. The equivalent of a gigantic mountain of 40 million bottles of wine a week disappears somewhere, says the specialist, and men do not seem to be aware of the link alcoholic drink has with certain cancers such as esophagus, lip, intestine , liver and pharynx. “People just drink a lot and very often,” says Bellis. “Mortality begins to increase with anything,
Part of the problem is what your body does with the calories in beer. “Men concentrate weight in and around the center of the body,” says White. Known as abdominal fat, this extra charge built up around your internal organs is like a ticking tumor, a time bomb. Researchers from the American Institute for Cancer Research found that people who carried the most fat in the abdomen were four times more likely to develop colon cancer.
First the abdominal fat disappears. But don’t try static exercise as your way out of cancer.. “With simple abs and crunches or crunches, you don’t lose fat,” says Dr. David Haslam of the National Obesity Forum. Instead you have to include at least 1.5 hours of cardiovascular exercise a week in your routine. “Load up on activity throughout the day,” Haslam advises. “The next time your cell phone rings, get up and walk around while you take the call. Go outside to buy a sandwich, instead of ordering it to be brought to you. Every minute counts.” And don’t think it doesn’t apply to you. A survey by Cancer Research in the United Kingdom found that 25% of men surveyed deny the reality of their weight and change the subject when discussing the risks to which they are exposed.
There is a cancer epidemic related to the type of occupations that are carried out in labor matters. “Most people are not aware of this link,” says Professor Andrew Watterson, a professor at the University of Stirling in the UK. “More people die from career-related cancers than from road accidents, murder, and suicide combined. In fact, up to 40,000 men a year could get cancer on the job, more likely those working in heavy industries, where Carcinogens are suspended in the air, such as on construction sites, metallurgy, or automobile manufacturers.
Beat the numbers
Fortunately, in many countries there are already laws designed to protect workers from dust and gases that could cause their health to deteriorate, regulations allow them to resign due to health issues. So men in those countries can refer their bosses to laws like the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations. “That he argues for risk substitution where possible and calls for more occupational physicians,” says Watterson. “Healthy workers are more productive workers. The sick are not and cost more.”
The odds may be against you, but your long-term health is under your control. “If something changes in your body and it seems not to be right, go for a review,” recommends White. “The positive message about cancer is that with current advances and early identification of anything strange you feel, and if that is the case, that you start treatment, you are more likely to get a positive result.” Cure your own “doctor phobia” and the professionals will make you recover from the serious things that affect you.