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IN THIS ISSUE...
Feeling "Out of Balance"? Foods for a Bright White Smile New Treatment Reverses 82% of Deadly Cancers... Without Chemotherapy, Radiation or Surgery The Screening Tests That Most Men Miss
Roughly the same percentage of men (67%) and women (66%) believed that cancer screenings successfully detected cancer all or most of the time. Even though they had the same faith in screening, 41% of men said that they had never had any type of cancer screening -- compared with just 5% of women. This may sound hard to believe, since PSA tests (prostate screenings) and occult blood stool testing for colorectal cancer are typically included in a man's annual physical. Davis said that these results could be due to the fact that men have had cancer screenings but simply didn't realize that the tests were being performed -- or, perhaps more likely, it's because many men simply skip annual physicals. When asked about their willingness to undergo screening for the following cancers -- skin, lung, oral, stomach, colorectal, liver and blood (leukemia) -- men's responses indicated that they were less willing than women when the question was put in a general way. But, interestingly, when given specific details about the screening process, they became slightly more willing than women. Of course, you can't judge willingness just by what people say, so it could have been that men wanted to appear willing -- which is a far cry from actually getting yourself to the doctor for a test! MAKING SENSE OF THE RESULTS
I asked Davis about why men aren't getting screened as much as women are. She speculated that there are numerous reasons for this. Besides the fact that prior research has shown that men are less likely to go to the doctor than women, there's an awareness problem. Media coverage tends to focus more on women's cancers than men's cancers. Even national government agencies promote greater cancer awareness among women -- Davis noted that the National Institutes of Health has long had an Office of Research on Women's Health, but it's still working on one for men. But what's even more intriguing is Davis's hopeful secondary finding -- the silver lining is that once men learn some specifics about cancer screenings, they say that they're more willing to go get screened than when they have only general information about the screening. So men -- listen up! According to Davis, here's how to be more informed, so you're more motivated
Go to the doctor at least once a year. The more regularly you see your primary care physician, the less likely you'll fall behind on screenings and the more questions you can ask to ease any fears. Learn more about cancer screening. Check out ACS's cancer screening guidelines, which include recommendations for men of all ages, so you know when to get tested for what. Advocate for your health. If your doctor does not perform certain screenings that the guidelines above recommend, speak up and ask why.
Source: Jenna L. Davis, MPH, research coordinator, department of health outcomes and behavior, H.