Men's Health Act or 2001 in the Washington Post, NPCC survey of PCa
wives

February 27, 2001

In this issue:
Washington Post features Men's Health Act of 2001 & MHN
NPCC "2 Against 1" campaign featured in HealthScout
Office of Men's Health Resource Center established

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Visit the MHN Book Store by choosing "Books" at:
http://www.menshealthweek.org
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53 cosponsors have introduced the Men's Health Act of 2001.
You can help make this landmark legislation a reality by writing a
quick letter to Congress.
MHN makes it easy.
http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/omh_letter.html
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It's a Guy Thing

Washington Post; Tuesday, February 27, 2001; Page HE06

More than 50 members of Congress have co-sponsored a bill creating a
federal office of men's health. Lives would be saved, the bill says,
if men, their families and health care providers were better educated
about detecting male health problems early.

A "silent health crisis" is plaguing men, according to the bill,
introduced by Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.). Life
expectancy at birth is six years less for males than for females,
according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Each of the
top 10 causes of death in the United States kills men at a higher
rate. Death rates from heart disease and cancer, the nation's two
main killers, are 1.8 and 1.4 times higher in men.

Many problems disproportionately affecting men arise from men's
cluelessness and unwillingness to seek help, health advocates say.

A lot of men can't even pronounce "prostate cancer," the most-
diagnosed cancer in men, says Jean Bonhomme, an Atlanta physician and
adviser to the Men's Health Network. . ."Think about how many people
say, 'prostrate' cancer," Bonhomme says. "A symptom of this lack of
knowledge is that many men die from completely preventable and
treatable causes."

In addition, Bonhomme says, too many men see going to a doctor as a
sign of weakness. "The health care system needs to shift its image,"
he says, so that men see it "as an ally of manhood, helping them to
maintain or regain their strength, their vigor, their ability to
function."

Men's health advocates say they would like to see the same kind of
health office women have already had for a decade. The federal Office
on Women's Health, established in 1991 under the Secretary of Health
and Human Services, spent most of its $15.5 million budget last year
on public health education efforts, according to Wanda Jones, the
deputy assistant secretary for women's health who heads the office.
Some women's health advocates, including Jones, support a similar
office for men. Such an office, she says, would "help men overcome a
socialized resistance to outreach and education. "Others like Rep.
Connie Morella (R-Md.) say there's no need for a men's office because
federal health research and policy already focus disproportionately
on men.

Cunningham's bill, co-sponsored by 27 Democrats and 25 Republicans,
awaits action in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has
jurisdiction over public health issues. Supporters expect the
legislation to be introduced in the Senate in early March. Cunningham
and more than 40 other representatives have also asked President Bush
to include funding for the men's health office in Bush's upcoming
budget request to Congress.
-- Marc Borbely
© 2001 The Washington Post Company

Read the complete article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49059-2001Feb23.html

Visit the Office of Men's Health Resource Center at:
http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/omh.html
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Prostate Cancer Hits Wives Hard, Too
Spouses play key role and suffer alongside husbands, survey shows

SATURDAY, Feb. 17 [ 2001 ] (HealthScout) -- Wives of men with
prostate cancer are intimately involved in their husbands' care and
they suffer as they help their spouse battle the disease, a new
national survey shows.

In the survey, conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide, 83 percent of the
wives said they play a key role in boosting their husbands' morale;
67 percent accompany their husbands to treatment; 59 percent make
sure their husbands follow their treatment regimen; and 53 percent
play a role in treatment decisions.

But there's a cost.

Forty-two percent of the wives reported stress, sleeplessness and
weight swings. And 51 percent said they suffered feelings of
helplessness, loss of intimacy, anxiety and depression.
Yet the survey revealed 41 percent of the women said they'd been
drawn closer to their husbands because of the disease.
. . . . .
In a follow-up, a new Internet-based mentoring program has been
launched to help wives and other loved ones of prostate cancer
patients. The Two Against One Connections program, introduced on
Valentine's Day by prostate cancer survivor and New York Yankees
Manager Joe Torre and his wife, Ali, matches prostate cancer patients
and their families with others familiar with the disease. People
share their concerns and experiences via e-mail.

The program is a partnership between the National Prostate Cancer
Coalition, Amgen Inc. and Praecis Pharmaceuticals.

Discussing the disease with others who've dealt with it can be a
source of comfort and support for wives and other family members,
says Skip Lockwood, coalition spokesman.
"You can look and see that it's not just you. There are many, many
women out there who are suffering and grappling with the same
issues," Lockwood says.

People involved with the Connections program remain anonymous.
That "allows women to talk to other women and reveal as much or as
little as they like without feeling they're opening themselves up to
the world," Lockwood says. "That really makes it easier for people to
be very honest and forthright."

The Connections program is the latest addition to Two Against One:
Couples Battling Prostate Cancer, an educational initiative, supports
families and patients coping with prostate cancer.
Urologist Dr. Neil Shore, an adviser to the Two Against One program,
says many wives play a significant role when their husbands are
diagnosed with prostate cancer. That includes helping their husbands
understand the disease and make treatment choices.

"Men, when they don't have their wives involved, tend not to be the
best listeners. And when you bring a wife into the discussion, (men)
tend to hear better, for whatever reason. I don't know if it's a
genetic thing, but women are just much better listeners, especially
when it's their husbands involved in a disease process," Shore says.

Wives also provide essential emotional support, which helps the
patient's attitude and outlook.
"These husbands are less frightened, less anxious, oftentimes less
uncertain about the different treatment options and the side
effects," Shore says.

Read the complete article at:
http://www.healthscout.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Af.woa/wa/article?
ap=1&id=108228

Read more about prostate cancer and other men's health issues by
choosing HealthSCOUT at:
http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/

Learn more about NPCC at:
http://www.pcacoalition.org/

Join SmartBrief, one of the premier newsletters of the PCa community
at:
http://www.smartbrief.com/npcc/signup.htm

Read about the 2 Against 1 campaign at:
http://www.2against1.com/
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Men's Health Act of 2001 needs you help!

The Men's Health Act can become a reality, but it needs your help.

The Men's Health Network has established a web-based Resource Center
to help promote an Office of Men's Health. The resource Center can
be found at:
http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/omh.html

Critical data on the status of men's health can be found at:
http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/omh_talkpoints.html

53 cosponsors have introduced the Men's Health Act of 2001.

You can help make this landmark legislation a reality by writing a
quick letter to Congress.
MHN makes it easy.
http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/omh_letter.html

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