It's a sad fact but true: most men probably take more interest in their bank balance, car or local football team than they do in their health.
Why is men's health such a back-burner topic? Many men pride themselves on suffering in silence, "making do", or "soldiering on". Self-martyrdom through non-complaint is especially valued as a masculine virtue. Whether it's a headache, heart attack or difficult emotional issue, men often opt for the strong, silent approach.
Could that explain why, compared to women, men suffer twice the rate of heart disease, are 3.5 times more likely to die of alcoholism, and four times more likely to commit suicide? Unaddressed emotional problems can end in suicide or debilitating depression - and even that simple headache can be a forewarning of stress or impending health danger.
The solution is not for men to become neurotic hypochondriacs, but there needs to be a middle ground - a place where a man can retain his sense of masculine dignity, yet bring a little sense to some of today's common men's health issues before they get out of control.
In 'Men Inside Out' you'll find some useful information about significant and common men's health issues. Divided into four major sections, it looks at men's sexual health, mental health and wellbeing, physical health and general health.
The book mentions the unmentionables, the difficult issues that health writers often shy away from. It probes some of the riddles and hypocrisies, and uncovers a few home truths about men. Rather than taking the clinical text approach, this book recognises that first and foremost, men are people with feelings, sexual appetites and fears.
