The moustaches are coming! The weather’s turning colder, the days are getting shorter. But on the bright side, we get to see men sporting sometimes funny, sometimes debonair, sometimes gentlemanly moustaches in support of a fundraising effort called “Movember”.
When any health-funding “fad” comes along (like this summer’s ice bucket challenge) I get a little hesitant. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great to raise awareness about health issues and I’d rather people be talking about ALS or prostate health instead of the newest drama with the Kardashians. But, just as I encourage educated decisions about diet and exercise, I also encourage educated decisions about fundraising.
The goal of Movember is to raise awareness and funds in 3 areas:
1) Prostate Cancer
2) Testicular Cancer
3) Men’s Mental Health
The Movember website states that you grow your moustache “to spark conversation and raise vital funds for its men’s health programs… With the sprouting of a new moustache, Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the month”
If you’re sporting a moustache this November, how far are you going to go? Does it stop at the moustache? What charities in your city are being supported by your walking, talking billboard? Are you talking about men’s health to those you encounter? Is your moustache going to encourage you to seek help when depressed or to get a prostate exam?
Check out http://ca.movember.com/report-cards to find out which charities are being supported in your area – maybe you will find a resource that can impact your life.
Meghan Telpner, a nutritionist, wrote a poignant blog post on the subject, as someone whose father lived through prostate cancer. Check it out: http://www.meghantelpner.com/blog/where-the-moustache-ends-and-your-job-begins/
Meghan’s blog brings us to one of the most important, and often overlooked, aspects of many health fundraising/awareness issues, and that is the balance between detection/treatment and prevention.
As a Naturopathic Doctor, I often see patients who have already been diagnosed with a condition, or who have a symptom which requires detection/diagnosis of a potential condition. But what we are lacking is the impetus to focus on prevention. And this is where Naturopaths shine!
Don’t let the moustache stop at “hey cool moustache dude”. Let your moustache be a walking, talking billboard to encourage discussion to de-stigmatize men’s mental health, to celebrate fatherhood, to raise awareness for the prevention, detection and treatment of men’s cancers. Talk to your health professionals about prevention today and make your moustache count.
Naturopathic Doctor
Leave a Reply