June is a perfect time to celebrate the men in our lives! Of course, we celebrate Father’s Day, but June is also the official Men’s Health Month. In this blog, we are going to talk about men’s health, male participation in clinical trials, and why the two are related. You may be surprised to see how dependent they are on the other. First, let’s look at them separately.
Men’s Health Month
Men’s Health Month was created to raise awareness for the early detection of preventable diseases in men and boys. Men have a higher percentage for the leading causes of death from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and suicide. However, men are also less than half as likely to visit the doctor for preventable diseases than women.
Men’s Health Month raises awareness through media, your doctor, and other providers to get more men proactively involved in the detection and prevention of these diseases. Events are planned through the course of the month locally, and around the world, such as screenings, health fairs, “Wear Blue Fridays”, and more.
Clinical Trials
A clinical trial is conducted to test the safety and effectiveness of an investigational drug, device, procedure, or can also be an observational study. These trials help advance treatments for many diseases or provide a new way for surgical intervention. Observational studies evaluate outside factors (i.e. lifestyles) for their impact.
Clinical trials cannot be conducted without dedicated volunteers from all age groups, races, and genders. This is because diseases can be more prevalent in a particular group, or they may not discriminate at all. Medicine is also metabolized differently from one sex to another, and one age to another. So, no group is any less important than the other. Since volunteers pay no money out of pocket for participating in a clinical trial, this is also a great way to get treatment from a board-certified physician at no cost to you. So, men, get out there and represent!
Summary
Clinical trials help to advance the treatment of the very same preventable diseases that are highlighted in the Men’s Health Month initiative. So, you can see why male participation is vital, along with all the other groups, of course. You can essentially be a part of something that can help more than just you. Isn’t that amazing?
Here at MyLocalStudy, we hope you take advantage of Men’s Health Month. Get your annual physical, or just talk to your doctor about anything you have been putting off. If you are interested in hearing more about clinical trials, www.clinicaltrials.gov is a great website that not only has a listing of every clinical trial being run but also has a wealth of information on the clinical trial process.
If you or someone you love is interested in participating in a clinical trial, click HERE to search available studies in your area. Qualified candidates who participate will receive study-related care at no cost and compensation for travel.
