Bike rally & International Men’s Health Week 2023 awareness program organized by NU Hospitals in collaboration with Biking Groups of Bengaluru

History behind:

Men’s Health Week is celebrated annually during the week ending on Father’s Day in June, to honour the importance of the health and wellness of boys and men. This year 2023, the fathers’ day is on 18th June and the Men’s Health Week is celebrated from June 12 -18.

This awareness period was created by Senator Bob Dole and Congressman Bill Richardson with support from Men’s Health Network. It was passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Clinton in 1994 as Men’s Health Week.

Purpose:

The awareness period is to highlight the awareness of preventable health problems (mental and physical) and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. Medical professions and community activists use this opportunity to encourage regular self-exams and screening.

Men’s Urology:

As country’s leading hospital in Nephrology-Urology-Fertility Care, NU Hospitals take pride in educating the public about various men’s health issues and conducts screening camps specifically about Men’s Urology. For men, urology includes the urinary tract and the male reproductive organs, or, you could think of them as the “systems below the belt”.

NU Hospitals in association with many Biking groups of Bengaluru such as “Biker Saviours Bengaluru, “Bharat on Wheels”, Dr Puneet Rajkumar Bikers Club and many others participated in a bike rally on 17th June 2023 to bring awareness among the public about International Men’s Health Week and more importantly about Men’s Urology. This is to create awareness about men’s health enroute from the Rajajinagar branch of NU Hospitals to the Padmanabhanagar branch.

Why Men’s Health needs attention?

Ask any guy, and he'll tell you that men are the stronger sex. His reasoning will be obvious: in general, men are bigger and more muscular than women. They can run faster, lift more, and throw things farther. Dr Pramod Krishnappa says that in medical terms, it's a very different story. When it comes to health, men are the weaker sex. Most health conditions affect both males and females in varying degrees and ways, but men’s biology may not allow them to escape certain other health problems. Some conditions are sex-biased, meaning they are more prevalent in one sex versus the other.

• Men die an average of 5 years earlier than women
• Men are 1.5 times more likely to die of heart disease, cancer, and respiratory disease.
• Lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer death, accounting for 23% of all cancer deaths in 2020 in the USA. Of the 136,084 people who died of lung cancer, 72949 were males and 63135 were females.
• 2,30,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. It's the second leading cause of death in men after lung cancer.

Bike Rally and Men’s Urology: What’s the corelation?

India has nearly 21 crore registered two-wheelers as per 2022 data. Most men know the basics of bike care, yet many men are not sure about their urologic care.

The following lifestyle change advice will use the analogy of bike care to help one understand the basics about urologic health in men.

With a bike, keeping the petrol tank full and air in the tyres is a must. Did you know that certain healthy living tips could make an impact on male urologic health?

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Drink Water: Just as bikes need oil, your body needs water. Drinking around 3 Litres of water per day may prevent painful kidney stones.
• Do not hold back urine for long hours: Holding urine for long hours beyond 4-5 hours at a stretch may exaggerate urinary tract infection in some. Hence pass urine at regular intervals.
• Get Exercise: Bikes that sit idle may fail over time; this is also true of our bodies. A healthy heart can lead to a healthy urologic system, so try for 30 minutes of moderate exercise, five or more days a week.
• Reduce Stress: You wouldn’t let your bike engine rev all day, and you shouldn’t do that with your body. Try to destress. Even relaxing for 10 minutes a day can lower blood pressure, which may help improve erectile dysfunction.
• Eat Healthy: You wouldn’t put dirty fuel into a bike– consider what you put in your body. Caffeine, alcohol and spicy foods can irritate your urinary bladder, and red meat and high-fat diets can increase the risk of kidney stones and prostate cancer. Try for “high-octane” foods – like fruits, vegetables and fiber.
• Don’t Smoke. If an engine smokes, it’s bad news – it is for our bodies too. There are many urologic conditions impacted by smoking including bladder cancer, erectile dysfunction, infertility, kidney cancer, kidney stones, painful bladder syndrome and urine leakage.

Maintenance Schedule (General service):

It’s known that a bike should have scheduled oil changes. Men should also know how to keep their urologic health in check.

Young Men between the ages of 18 and 40 should consider their basic care. Try to perform routine testicular self-exams. Also, find out if there is a family history of bladder, kidney or prostate cancer.

Middle-aged Men between the ages of 40 and 50 should always “watch your gauges.” It is of value to know that high blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol can cause kidney disease and erectile dysfunction. Just as certain bikes need special care, certain men should be screened for prostate cancer at this age. If you have a father or brother with prostate cancer, consider being screened for prostate cancer. Also, if breast cancer runs in your family, you might be at risk of prostate cancer and should consider screening.

Older Men ages 50 to 70 and beyond should remember to get their bodies checked, just as the bike need to have inspections. All men at this age should talk to their doctor about whether prostate screening is right for them. Also, look for changes in bathroom patterns like urgency, frequency, decreased flow or frequent night time urination – these could be signs of an enlarged prostate.

Warning signs:

Most of us take our bikes to a professional mechanic as soon as we notice any warning sign on the odometer screen. Similarly It’s time to consult a doctor at the earliest if following warning signs are noted: blood in the urine, erection problems, pain below the belt (pelvis, genitals, flank, lower back) and increased urinary frequency.