June is Men’s Health Month and we are paying special attention to some of the most common conditions affecting men. Going for regular disease screening tests could save your life.
Top five screening tests for men:
1. HIV test Go for an HIV test every six months if you are practising unsafe sex. Knowing your HIV status means that you are taking responsibility for your sex lives and not putting your or other people’s lives at risk. With a healthy lifestyle, you may live symptom-free for many years. The appropriate treatment can also add years and quality to your life.
2. Blood pressure You should have your blood pressure checked every two years when you are in your 20s and 30s, and once a year after that. Studies show that almost 90% of people over the age of 55 will develop high blood pressure, making them more susceptible to heart disease and strokes.
3. Cholesterol Have your cholesterol checked at your pharmacy or doctor every two years if you are in your 20s and 30s, especially if you have a family history of heart disease. Men older than 40 should have their cholesterol checked more regularly. High cholesterol levels can significantly increase your chances of developing heart disease or having a stroke.
4. Prostate More South African men are affected by prostate cancer than any other type of cancer and it is estimated that one in eight men over the age of 50 will develop prostrate cancer. You should go for annual prostrate checks if you are in your 40s, especially if you have a family history of prostrate cancer or breast cancer, or if you are black. The early stage of prostate cancer is often completely asymptomatic, so regular check ups are extremely important. Early detection increases your chances of survival significantly.
5. Colon check You should have your first colonoscopy – an internal examination of the colon with a flexible instrument under sedation – at the age of 50. Make that 40 if you have a family history of colon cancer and then every 5-10 years depending on your degree of risk. If more than one first-degree relative has developed colon cancer, you should have a colonoscopy every 3-5 years. Pay special attention if you experience any sudden changes in regular bowel habit, blood in stools, bloating or feeling of fullness. If detected early, colon cancer is very treatable.
Source: Health24
Health calendar: June
National Youth Month Men’s Health Month National Blood Donor Month
1 International Children’s Day 5 World Environment Day 14 World Blood Donor Day 15 World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 16 Youth Day 21 National Epilepsy Day 21 - 27 SANCA Drug Awareness Week 26 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking
Go Bafana Bafana!! (Source: CNN.com)
Epicentre News Desk:
Epicentre roadshow
Epicentre CEO Cherie Cawood will be embarking on an Epicentre roadshow from the last week in June. Cherie will be introducing existing and potential clients to the wide array of Epicentre products, focusing on our Employee Health Management Programme.
This programme is a holistic approach to health and wellness in the workplace and is accompanied by an exciting virtual game and personal videos shot recently with our technical whiz partners, Mikromedia, combining 3D computer sets with live footage.
Epicentre’s holistic approach means that we look at the three pillars that make up your employees’ health: physical, mental and social. By empowering your employees to live to their full potential, the benefits naturally spill over to their family lives and communities. Not to mention the fact that healthy and happy employees are more productive and take less time off work due to illness.
Cherie will be in the following areas/cities on these dates:
24-25 June Eastern Cape 28 June - 2 July KwaZulu-Natal 5-9 July Free State 12-16 July Gauteng 19-23 July Western Cape
Please contact Liezel Williams on 021 870 1590 or liezelw@epicentre.org.za to set up an appointment with Cherie.
National Blood Donor Month
The practice of donating blood has come a long way since the first documented transfusion between two dogs by the British physician Richard Lower in 1665. There is still no substitute for blood and despite all the wonders of modern science it can not be created artificially.
Holiday shortages
Many blood banks experience shortages over the holiday period when regular donors skip or delay a donation. It is estimated that eight out of every ten people will need donated blood at some time in their lives. Without blood donated by other people, many of them would have died.
A unit of donated blood can equal three gifts of life in that almost every unit is separated into red blood cells, plasma and platelets.
Who can donate blood?
The South African National Blood Services regulate all voluntary blood donations in South Africa and has various measures in place to protect the health and wellbeing of both the blood donor and the transfusion recipient.
In order to donate blood, a donor must be: • Weighing at least 50kg or more • Between the ages of 16 and 65 • In good health • Leading a sexually safe lifestyle • Considering your blood safe for transfusion to a patient
The cut-off age of 65 years only applies to first time and lapsed donors. Repeat donors may continue to donate for as long as possible provided they bring a doctor's letter every two years.
Who will receive my donated blood?
The majority of transfusions are given to • Women who haemorrhage during and after childbirth • Children with severe anaemia • Accident victims • Surgical patients, such as hip and knee replacements, heart surgery and gastrointestinal surgery • Cancer patients, especially bone marrow cancer and leukaemia
One must never donate blood to receive a free HIV test as it places the lives of patients at risk.
Contact the Donor Infoline on 0800 11 9031 to find out where you can donate. And make a difference!
Youth Day on 16 June honours all the young people who lost their lives in the struggle against apartheid and Bantu Education. On 16 June 1976 school children clashed with the South African police force in Soweto during a protest for better education.
In 1953 the apartheid government enacted The Bantu Education Act, establishing the Black Education Department. The role of this department was to compile a curriculum that suited the “nature and requirements of the black people”.
The Bantu Education Act
The author of this piece of legislation, Dr Hendrik Verwoerd (who was then Minister of Native Affair, and later became Prime Minister), said at the time: “Natives [blacks] must be taught from an early age that equality with Europeans [whites] is not for them” thereby drawing a line through any prospect black South African had of getting a decent education and a professional job.
The aim of The Bantu Education Act was to prevent black people from aspiring to positions that the apartheid laws prevented them from holding in society. They were instead given an education that was designed to provide them with the skills to serve their own people in the homelands or to work in labouring jobs for whites.
Afrikaans as language of instruction
On top of a volatile situation with thousands of children unable to attend school, the government decreed in 1974 that Afrikaans was to become a language of instruction at school. Students objected to being taught in the “language of the oppressor” and many teachers who themselves could not speak Afrikaans were now required to teach their subjects in it.
In 1975 South Africa entered a period of economic depression and black schools were even more severely starved from funds. While the government spent R644 a year on a white child’s education, a black child received only R42.
The morning of 16 June 1976
On the morning of June 16, 1976, thousands of black students took part in what was supposed to be a peaceful protest that had been carefully planned by the Soweto Students’ Representative Council’s Action Committee, with support from the wider Black Consciousness Movement. Students carried placards with slogans such as “Down with Afrikaans”, “Viva Azania” and “If we must do Afrikaans, Vorster must to Zulu”.
According to eye witness reports, some students in the crowd started throwing stones at the police who cordoned off the intended route. When police fired a warning shot, it caused panic and chaos, leading to running and more gunshots being fired. At the end of that fateful day, 23 people were dead, including two white people.
Shock and condemnation
The aftermath of the Soweto uprising heralded a turning point in the liberation struggle in South Africa. Images of the riots spread across the world, shocking millions and causing wide scale outrage. Strengthening international boycott caused economic instability and the government was plunged into a crisis.
It would be a further 14 years before Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990. In one of the future president’s speeches he acknowledged the debt owed by all black South Africans to the students who gave their lives in Soweto on 16 June 1976.
Donating blood is a safe and simple procedure that takes about 30 minutes. One unit of blood (480ml) is drawn and all needles are new, sterile, used only once and incinerated after use. Your body usually replaces the volume of the blood you donate within 24 hours. It takes up to two months to restore your red blood cell levels to normal.
A donor will: • Complete a questionnaire containing personal details • Answer questions relating to his or her health and social behaviour • Undergo an one-on-one interview as a follow-up to the answers above • Have his or her iron (haemoglobin) level, blood pressure and pulse rate checked
Some useful donation tips: • Eat a balanced meal at least 4 hours before you donate. • Check if you are eligible to donate. • Avoid strenuous physical exertion before and directly after donating. • Avoid lifting heavy objects with the arm used for donating for at least two hours afterwards. • Make sure that you eat a small snack and take in an adequate amount of fluid. • If you feel unwell after making a donation or think you may be coming down with an infection, please contact your nearest donor clinic.
You will not be able to donate blood right now if you: • Have low blood pressure • Have high blood pressure • Have low haemoglobin (iron) • Are pregnant • Have had surgery recently • Are taking certain medications
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