Reminder: Men’s Health Awareness Week Is Taking Place This Week

The 2013 Men’s Health Awareness Week takes place at the Health and Dental Centers this week, Monday through Friday, September 30 through October 4.

No appointments are necessary for men to visit the Health and Dental Centers to take advantage of the benefits offered by this special event. Physicians and staff will provide information on nutrition, exercise, diabetes, heart and blood vessel disease, various forms of cancer, weight control, smoking cessation and other important topics. Men who visit the Midtown Dental Center (14 Penn Plaza) can be seen without an appointment for a screening for oral cancer.

A visit to Men’s Health Awareness Week can save your life. Seriously! As many members already know, hundreds of our Union’s members have visited the Health Centers each year during Men’s Health Week to receive tests and exams that could help their doctors detect high blood pressure, which is often called the “silent killer,” heart problems, early signs of cancer, or other problems. This year’s theme is “Tune Up the Body . . . Look Great and Feel Great.”

As we have reported many times in the past, the results from previous Men’s Health Awareness Weeks have provided strong evidence of how important it is to detect cancer early. This is particularly important when you consider the following facts:

•  Prostate cancer and colon cancer are among the leading causes of death in men.
•  Prostate cancer is not rare. There are 350,000 new cases of prostate cancer detected in U.S. men every year.
•  The incidents of prostate cancer, testicular cancer and colon cancer among men are rising each year.

As we have also reported before, the five-year survival rate for prostate cancer — when it is detected early — is better than 99 percent! Survival rates for colon cancer and testicular cancer are also greatly improved through early detection.

These facts show why Men’s Health Awareness Week is so important. Men who visit the Health Centers next week can be screened for various cancers. They can also have their blood pressure and cholesterol levels tested. They can receive valuable information on nutrition and exercise. While medical science has long known that proper nutrition and regular exercise can lower the risk for heart and blood vessel problems, it has recently become clear that they can also lower the risk for various forms of cancer.

There are many things of value men can learn next week at the Health and Dental Centers. Men can pick the day and time and just walk in without an appointment and take advantage of all that Men’s Health Awareness Week has to offer.

Remember, you can make an invaluable investment in your health by visiting one of the Health Centers (or the 14 Penn Plaza Dental Center for an oral cancer screening) for Men’s Health Week on any day next week (September 30 through October 4) between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Remember, too, that no appointments are necessary!