Women Go Raw – Mimi Kirk
The Women Go Raw Tour is documenting the way that raw foods is changing women’s health and women’s lives. Here we interview Mimi Kirk, who recently won a nationwide contest for the sexiest vegetarian over the age of 50. Mimi is 71 years young! She does not take any medications, she feels wonderful and has so much energy! We talk about how long she has been on a 100% raw food diet, what foods and juices she eats and how it has changed her life!
Mental health & men: “Women banded together…Men don’t want to do that”. What needs to be done to change this?
Question: Mental health & men: “Women banded together…Men don’t want to do that”. What needs to be done to change this?
‘Men’s Mental Illness: A Silent Crisis’
“It’s being called a silent crisis, a sleeper issue. But there are signs that this sleeper is at last awakening. Around the world studies, surveys, web networks, journals and newspaper articles are shedding light on a shadowy subject: men’s mental health.
Among the findings is the revelation that new fathers are also vulnerable to postpartum depression. In Canada, young and middle-aged men are being hospitalized for schizophrenia in increasing numbers. The gender gap among people with mental illness is much narrower than might be suspected. The StatsCan Canadian Community Health Survey on Mental health and well-being found that 10% of men experienced symptoms of the surveyed mental health disorders and substance dependencies, compared to 11% of women. In the United Kingdom, studies of depression show a major shift in the traditional gender imbalance, with depression rising among men and decreasing among women.
The greatest evidence of male vulnerability is in suicide statistics. Among Canadians of all ages, four of every five suicides are male. In the UK, men are around three times more likely to kill themselves than women. In New South Wales, Australia, suicide has overtaken car accidents as the leading cause of death in males since 1991.
Barriers to seeking help
According to the Toronto Men’s Health Network (TMHN), even the concept of “men’s health” is relatively new in Canada. Dr. Don McCreary, co-chair of TMHN, associate editor of the International Journal of Men’s Health and one of a small handful of men’s health researchers in Canada, says there are a number of reasons for this.
One reason is the low priority given to men’s health issues in the research community. More funding and more specialists in this area will encourage ongoing research into male mental health.
Male and societal attitudes have fostered the silence. “The women’s health movement was very self-directed,” says Dr. McCreary. “Women banded together to work on problems with health delivery. Men don’t want to do that. We have inculcated a culture in our society that men have to be tough, men have to be strong. Our society is very good at punishing gender deviation in men. Weakness is not considered to be masculine.”
The “code” governing men’s behaviour is one of the prime barriers preventing men from seeking help. According to UK-based MaleHealth.com, men may feel it’s “weak and unmanly to admit to feelings of despair.” Because it’s easier for men to acknowledge physical symptoms, rather than emotional ones, their mental health problems can go undiagnosed.
Beliefs about masculinity also encourage men’s general lack of interest in health issues; many men simply don’t believe they are susceptible to depression, so why bother learning about it? Similarly, risky behaviour, seen especially in younger men – including abuse of alcohol and/or drugs and violence – can mask their emotional problems, both from themselves and their physicians.
Western society’s view of the value of men is seen as an important factor affecting men’s mental health. An Australian study suggested that “there is a strong element of negativity in our culture about men which cannot contribute to positive mental health…”.
Greater recognition of the significance of men’s roles as fathers and partners would help men cope with the difficult feelings that accompany a breakup and the loss of full access to their children. The social isolation experienced by many men at such a time is believed to a factor in the high rate of suicide amongst divorced men.
Men and depression
What do a firefighter, police officer, US Air Force First Sergeant, college graduate and publisher have in common? They are all male and they have all suffered from serious depression. They told their stories for the National Institute for Mental Health “Real Men. Real Depression.” campaign.
It’s estimated that up to 6 million American men have depression each year – about half the figure for women. But this gender disparity is being questioned, in the US and elsewhere. In focus groups conducted by the NIMH, “men described their own symptoms of depression without realizing they were depressed.” They made no connection between their mental health and physical symptoms, such as headaches, digestive problems and chronic pain.
Dr. Michael Myers has noted the same thing, saying, “I couldn’t do my job as a psychiatrist if I didn’t listen to women describe their concerns about men.” A psychiatrist and clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Myers says, “In men, mental illness can be masked. We’ve known for decades that women are more apt to recognize illness of any sort and go to their doctor. This doesn’t mean women are healthier, but that some men just repress it. We believe a lot of somatization [symptoms] in men, for example, migraines, back pain, irritable bowel syn
Denial, blame, projection, rationalisation, justification…all the ego defense mechanisms in the world won’t help.
Answer:
Answer by Rickey
So what’s your point? You picked a Men’s Health article impressive or what?
How would anyone believe men suffer mental health issues too? Western culture is focused on Women’s issues, as one society we shouldn’t have to be divided up.
Your article forgot to mention divorced men are probably one of the highest groups likely to kill themselves. I guess after the judge helps your wife rape you, you lose your kids, maybe a bullet sounds good. What do you think?
Go Feminism.
Women and their painkillers?
Question: Women and their painkillers?
I have this thing about being too used too something, that I won’t even go to it/use it in the first place eg. my mum massaging my head 
So yeah, most of the girls in my year are so dependant on pain killers that they actually carry it in their bags!! If one of the girls have the slightest head ache, they’ll ask for a pain killer. One of my friends said that she’s so used to using pain killers for everything that now she finds that it doesn’t even work for her. That’s scary.
I have braces and if I have a tooth ache, my mum would often suggest the darn tablet but I refuse to take it no matter how much pain my gums are in- it goes after a couple of hours/days.
I wouldn’t say I have phobia against pain killers and medicine, but it’s nice to know that when I really need it, and I mean REALLY need it, I can take one or two to ease/rid the pain whereas my friends would probably need the whole packet, or even something more powerful because the pain killers no longer work.
So here’s my question: (finally, i bet you’re thinking:))
Aren’t these pain killers doing any harm to you? Like your insides? I mean, this high dosage in their bodies or the constant use. Is it poisoning them? WHAT IF THEY DIE?!! Joke, but seriously, will anything happen to them if they continue down this abusive addictive road (
Thanks to anyone who answers.
Peace out peoples xxx
--I thought I should put it into "Women's Health" category, but I'm sure there are men out there who do the same as my friends. And besides, it suited this category far better; "Pain & Pain Management", perfect fit for my question!!--
Answer:
Answer by Brooke
Yes, taking pain killers for unnecessary reasons will cause their bodies to become immuned to the meds and when they really need them, they will be of no use. This also causes an addiction that can be incredibly hard to get rid of, when taking pain killers like this, one can’t just stop taking them because it can cause mental problems as well as withdrawals. It can also be harmful to their organs and cause kidney failure, liver failure, or gall stones.
How do you do the “Abs Diet” for women?
Question: How do you do the “Abs Diet” for women?
I’m reading the book, “Abs Diet” It seems to be written for men. I’m a woman, 33, I’d like to lose about 10 lbs, mostly around the middle. Will this diet really work for me? Should I adapt it for a woman, I guess eat about half of the food suggested?
Answer:
Answer by Angela
There is a book by the same author called ‘Abs Diet for Women.’ It’s a green book. I bought it and read it, but there were just too many guidelines that I got lost in it. I like for any diet I do to be easy and straight-forward. But there is a book just for women if you’d like to try it.
Aurat ki Kahani, or “the Story of Women” (India)
This is Manorama, a community health worker from the Indian NGO Action India demonstrating an educational banner which she uses for sensitivizing Indian women about women’s health and rights. The person she is adressing is Laura Corradi, an Italian professor of environmental health, sociology and gender issues at the university of Calabria. The translation is by Poonam Negi, member of staff at Navdanya, the organisation which was hosting a workshop on the topic of women’s health at their Bija Vidyapeeth campus in Dehradun. The workshop was aimed at local women from rural villages and was taught by community health workers from Action India. Supported by the Youth in Action program of the European Commission