Part 2
In Part 1, I described my own work over the years as a gender-based men’s health professional and why I think it’s a great career choice for the future. Here I will describe in more detail who might be interested in an upcoming training program I will be offering in 2025. If you might be interested or know someone you think would be interested, this could be a great holiday gift, one that keeps on giving.
Although I had an interest in mental health issues as a child growing up in a family with an angry and depressed father and an anxious and worried mother, I became professionally interested in men’s health in 1976 when I read a psychologist’s book. Herb Goldberg, The Hazards of Being Male: Surviving the Myth of Masculine Privilege. Goldberg wrote,
“Is American Man an Endangered Species? Absolutely! The male has paid a heavy price for his male “privileges” and power. He is out of touch with his emotions and his body. He plays by the rules of the men’s game and with lemming-like purpose destroys himself – emotionally, psychologically and physically.”
In 1979 I attended a men’s gathering where Herb Goldberg was the guest speaker. After the one-day event, a group of guys came together to continue our explorations and interest in our mental, emotional and relational health and formed a men’s group. This group of men has been meeting regularly ever since. My wife, Carlin, will tell you that one of the main reasons she and I have had a successful 45-year marriage is because I have been in a group of men for 46 years.
I continued my work helping men and their families and focused my attention on the changes experienced by men in midlife and how the “life change” experienced by men is similar to and different from menopause in women. In 1997 my book, Male menopause was published. It soon became an international bestseller published in 14 foreign languages, including Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Greek and Hebrew. I watched with Surviving Male Menopause: A Guide for Women and Men published in 2000.
I have long recognized the importance of an evolutionary and gender-specific perspective on health.
When the book by Dr. Marianne J. Legato, Eve’s Rib: The New Science of Gender-Specific Medicine and How It Can Save Your Life was published in 2002, the world was introduced to a new field that would forever change our understanding of health care.
“Until now, we’ve treated men and women as essentially identical except for differences in their reproductive function,” says Dr. Legato. “In fact, the information we’ve been collecting over the past ten years tells us that this is far from true, and that everywhere we look, the two sexes are surprisingly and unexpectedly different not only in their normal functioning but also in the way they experience . disease.”
Dr. Legato became the founding President of the Foundation for Gender-Specific Medicine in 2006. Although she says the field is “not just about women’s health, it’s about the health of both sexes,” she acknowledges that men’s health has been neglected. In her book, Why Men Die First: How To Extend Your Lifespan, says,
“The premature death of men is the most important – and neglected – health issue of our time.”
Premature death is the endpoint of differences between men and women that begin with our different biological makeup.
“Everywhere we look, the two sexes are strikingly and unexpectedly different not only in their inner workings but also in how they experience illness.” says Dr. Legato.
Dr. Legato’s findings agree with another clinician and researcher in the field, David C. Page, MD, professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
“There are 10 trillion cells in the human body, and every one of them is sex-specific.”
says Dr. Page. He goes on to say,
“We had a unisex vision of the human genome,” says Dr. “Men and women are not equal in our genome and men and women are not equal in disease. All your cells know at the molecular level whether they are XX or XY.’
Dr. Page concludes, “It is true that much of the research being done today, which seeks to understand the causes and treatments for disease, fails to explain this most fundamental difference between men and women. The study of the disease is flawed.”
The importance of focusing on men’s health
The science of gender-based health care encompasses multiple fields, including sexual biology, evolutionary psychology, and environmental ecology. To be effective professionals we must have an understanding of the genetic, hormonal and biological differences between men and women, as well as the norms, roles and expectations that society places on men and women.
The MenAlive Academy of Gender-Specific Healthcare focuses on men’s health for three reasons.
First, men as a group live shorter and more unhealthy lives than women.
“The premature death of men is the most important – and neglected – health issue of our time.”
says Dr. Legato in her book, Why Men Die First: How to Extend Your Lifespan
Second, our interpersonal relationships are critical determinants of our overall health and well-being. Men play a vital role in the health of men, women and children.
“What men do in relationships is, by far, the critical factor that separates a great relationship from a failed one.”
says world-renowned relationship expert Dr. John Gottman.
“This does not mean that a woman does not have to do her part, but the data shows that a the man’s actions are the key variable in whether a relationship succeeds or fails, which is ironic since most relationship books are for women. It’s like doing open-heart surgery on the wrong patient.”
Third, men who are unhealthy and unhappy are not only harmful to themselves, but often harm women, children and society. Comedian Elayne Boosler captures this reality with these humorous and insightful words:
“When women are depressed, they eat or go shopping. Men invade another country. It’s a completely different way of thinking.”
We recognize the problem of male violence in our personal, interpersonal, social and community lives. According to the Global Report on Violence and Health published by the World Health Organization,
“No country or community is untouched by violence. Violence permeates the lives of many people around the world and touches us all in some way.”
In his Preface Global Report on Violence and Health, Nelson Mandela reminds us of this
“Violence thrives in the absence of democracy, respect for human rights and good governance. We often talk about how a “culture of violence” can take root. This is indeed true – as a South African who lived through apartheid and lives through its aftermath, I have experienced it.’
Mandela’s experiences can serve as a warning about violence today. He goes on to say,
“It is also true that patterns of violence are more pervasive and widespread in societies where authorities support the use of violence as their own actions. In many societies, violence is so prevalent that it thwarts hopes for economic and social development. We cannot let this continue.”
There are three main areas of violence-related health problems detailed in World Report: Homicide, suicide and war-related violence. Although violent deaths from mass shootings grab the headlines, they make up a small percentage of all homicides. What is less known is that death by suicide is where most deaths occur.
The ratio of deaths by category is as follows:
- 18.6% are war-related deaths.
- 31.3% are the result of homicide.
- 49.1% are the result of suicide.
Men do most of the killing, and men are the most frequently killed in all three categories of death.
Depression and suicide are not just problems for men, but there is something about being a man that increases the risk of suicide. According to recent statistics (2021) from National Institute of Mental Health, the suicide rate among men was, on average, 4 times higher among men than women. It was also higher for men at every age, particularly for older men.
Suicide rates are based on the number of people who have died by suicide per 100,000 population.
Even among our youth, where suicide rates are relatively low, men are still more likely to kill themselves than women. It’s also clear to me, as my wife and I move into our 80s, we face many of the same challenges as we age, but it’s older men who end their lives more often by suicide at rates 8 to 17 times higher than for women. women. over 75 years old.
Who is likely to benefit from advanced training with Dr. Jed Diamond?
Those in previous trainings answered “yes” to one or more of these questions:
- Are you currently working as a healthcare provider?
- Do you currently provide or are you interested in providing gender specific healthcare services for men?
- Would you like to join a community of like-minded professionals who recognize that supporting each other is good for those we serve and good for practitioners?
- Interested in being trained by one of the world’s leading experts in the field?
- Want to increase your knowledge and skills in the emerging field of gender-based healthcare and men’s mental, emotional and relational health?
- Would you like to increase what you earn doing the work you love?
If this sounds like you or someone you know, I’d be happy to send more information. Email me at Jed@MenAlive.com and Put “Men’s Workout” in the subject line.
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