A screening test is defined as: “The examination of a group of usually asymptomatic individuals to detect those with a high probability of having or developing a given disease”. In other words, screening tests are done to assess risk, NOT for already symptomatic individuals.
I’ll be honest – it took me quite some time to write this article, because I feel like mental health is a very intimate and personal conversation. I began to feel like maybe it would be too intrusive and I would be making too many over-generalizations and assumptions (which, I’ll admit, I do for the purposes of getting my point across. Also, I apologize for the excessive use of quotes around words). However, I wanted to write this because I feel so strongly in my heart that men deserve the same care and respect as females, and shame, guilt, silence – these are words that should never be linked with mental health, regardless of sex.
I decided to go ahead with it anyway, because I am grateful. Grateful that I have found my voice, and am able to share it with those who will listen. Grateful, because I know that not everyone is so lucky.
Sometimes, you’ve just got to get the awkward stuff out in the open. I’m more of a “rip-the-bandaid-off” sort of gal, so let’s get right to it. As men get older, sometimes you have less control of things in your nether regions than you want to, and maybe you pee your pants sometimes. Let me start off by saying this is VERY common, and nothing to be ashamed of. If this is the right comparison (which it definitely isn’t), women have periods and menopause, men have erectile dysfunction and a prostate. It’s a fact of life – let’s accept it, and move on.
While doing research for my previous article on tomatoes being a men’s health superfood, I came across a study that basically said men have no idea what a prostate is. So, let’s start there.
If there were ever a time to be able to eat your way to better health, it would be now. And, if you’ve been around the block long enough, you’ve probably heard that tomatoes are good for you, especially if you’re a male. The main compound that gives tomatoes a good name is called lycopene. Lycopene is what gives tomatoes its red pigmentation, and is responsible for the staining of your cutting boards (although not all red fruits/vegetables contain lycopene). It has been studied a lot in relation to things like prostate cancer and semen quality. A study published in 2014 showed that although a group of 130 men were uncertain about the function of the prostate and about prostate cancer, they had positive beliefs on the effect of lycopene on prostate cancer prevention [1]. In all honestly, not all of the evidence supports the protective effects of lycopene, but a good chunk of it does.