WHAT IS THE COLOR OF THE RIBBON FOR PROSTATE CANCER?

The quick and correct answer to the above question is "there is none." The "funny answer," if one can joke about these things, would be "brown." It seems that every disease has its own ribbon. Breast cancer's is Pink, AIDS is Red, and Colon cancer is Blue. The statistics of prostate cancer vs breast cancer are very similar. 1 in 6 men develop this disease vs 1 in 8 for breast cancer. The U S Government spends half as much on prostate cancer as it does on breast cancer. Much of the "blame" for lack of a national awareness of this often fatal disease rests with men and their unwillingness to get an annual DRE (digital rectal exam) and a PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) blood test. Women have raised breast cancer awareness in every possible way. So go out and get checked, men. I recently "lost' a very good friend to this disease. He was in the prime of his life and career. It is not just an old man's disease that can be ignored. It is as serious and common as breast cancer and deserves the same government funding, charitable opportunities, and public awareness. Oh, and its own ribbon. I propose a BROWN one.

While I am on the subject of medical care for men and women, I would like to mention HRT, hormone replacement therapy. I have not met any women who have not taken some form of estrogen at one time or another, even if only for a brief time. This medicine is pretty cheap. It is in pill form and easy to take. The reasons for taking it include emotional balance, treatment of hot flashes and cold sweats, and preservation of youthful bones, mucus membranes, and skin. The medical condition of "Menopause" is another of those things in the forefront of societal "awareness." Menopause comes on fairly rapidly in middle age and HRT is not uncommonly prescribed. Men go through hormonal changes too. Andropause is a slow process that begins in early middle age and progresses through life. Many of the same problems that women face...personality changes of depression, general fatigue, loss of libido, Erectile Dysfunction (men only), and old bones and skin, come on as a result of significant decrease in Testosterone production by the body. So, let us assume that your doctor takes your symptoms and looks at them as a package (no pun intended) and does the correct laboratory tests. Those include not just a total testosterone level but a "free" testosterone level along with tests for a variety of the female hormone Estrogen, and the stress hormone "Cortisol." Instead of just writing you a "scipt" for Viagra, he or she spends as much time figuring out what is wrong as an Ob-Gyn doctor would for a woman with similar complaints. The diagnosis of "Low-T" is made. Your obesity and heart disease and type 2 diabetes if you have any of those are evaluated for their relationship to your hormonal health. And then, possibly, a prescription for some variety of testosterone will be given. There are creams, gels, patches, and injections but no pills, at least none that don't cause liver damage. The form that is most like what women do for their HRT, that is to say, daily and stable maintenance of hormonal levels is the Gel... either Testogel or Androgel. Androgel costs $350 per month while Estrogen costs 80% less. What's wrong with this picture? Men get the short end of the stick (again, no pun intended) on their medical needs for Andropause as compared to Menopause? We need to get organized, guys. Women dye their hair, get nipped and tucked, and moisturize so they can look better. They take Boniva for their bones, estrogen for a host of reasons, and generally take better care of themselves. They have a great LOBBY. They talk to one another about their problems. We need a RIBBON for our disease, medicine for our "Pause" that does not cost $4,000 a year, and more awareness that we get old and sick and die of things that are preventable. Open your eyes as you go through your day and see how many times you see commercials about breast cancer awareness, Susan B. Komen, or Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All we get is the "quick fix" advertising for Cialis, Levitra, and Viagra and that insipid couple sitting in bathtubs at the edge of a cliff or that aging sports star throwing a football through a tire. We need less subtlety and more awareness that there is a big difference between erectile dysfunction solutions and your health. You need to be checked for Low-T, Prostate cancer, and everything else that is tied into your general health that women do on a regular basis. Take a lesson from your wife, your sister, your mother, and demand more.