Author of Matters for Men, John Ashfield

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Important Note

Physical Health

1. Taking Some Control Over Your Health
2. Size Does Matter
3. Giving Your Body the Right Fuel
4. Getting Enough Exercise to Stay Healthy
5. Taking Care of Your Back
6. Some Sobering Thoughts on Our Culture of Drinking
7. Marlboro Man Bites the Dust
8. Saving Your Skin Could Save Your Life
9. Getting the Lowdown on Your Bowel
10. The Bare Facts about Prostate Problems
11. Testicular Matters
12. STDs: The Scourge of the Nether Regions
13. Unzipping the Truth About Impotence
14. To Snip or Not to Snip – That is the Question
15. Growing Old but Staying Dangerous
16. Being Careful Not to Burst Your Boiler
17. Heart Disease: The Silent Killer
18. Stroke Has Men in Its Sights
19. Making Sense of Cholesterol
20. Men, Diabetes, and Penis Removal
21. Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
22. Shift Work and the Problem of Sleep
23. When Mosquitoes Make a Meal of You
24. Spreading the Word About Q Fever

Mental Health

25. Achieving Some Balance in Life
26. How to Avoid Being a Victim of Change
27. Providing Leadership in a Time of Crisis
28. Taking Care of Yourself After a Crisis
29. Men Need Wild and Natural Places
30. Being Sociable Can Add Years to Your Life
31. So Much Nonsense About Men and Feelings
32. Stepping in Early with Personal Problems
33. Is Counselling of Any Use to Men
34. You Don’t Have to Live with an Anxiety Problem
35. It’s Official: Fathers Too Can Experience Postnatal Depression
36. Feeling Lousy Can Be a Health Hazard
37. Getting Physical Might Help Cure Your Depression
38. Retirement: Waiting for God or Seizing the Day?
39. Old and Grumpy Maybe, but Not Old and Depressed
40. Time For Soul-Searching Over Men and Suicide
41. What Men Experiencing Suicidal Thoughts Need to Hear
42. Helping Someone Who is Suicidal
43. Stress: The Predator Within
44. Letting Men Grieve as Men
45. Learning How to Make Good Use of Anger
46. A Story of Potent Urges and Frequent Disappointment

Relationships

47. Not Just Men are “Only After One Thing!”
48. Relationships ... No Longer Just Women’s Business
49. Figuring Out What Women Want
50. The Frustrating Issue of Communication
51. Caring, Without Making a Song and Dance of It
52. Single and Dateless is No Joke
53. Single and Dateless – Breaking the Drought
54. Keeping Up the Maintenance on Your Relationship
55. Being a Shift Worker Without Being Impossible to Live With
56. Infidelity: How Not to Get Busted
57. Staying Out of the Dog-House
58. Time For a Rethink on Domestic Violence
59. The Dilemma For Men Experiencing Relationship Violence
60. Surviving Separation
61. Tackling the Thorny Issue of Succession

Fatherhood/Mentoring

62. Becoming a First Time Father
63. Fatherhood Under Siege
64. Does Anyone Care About What is Happening to Boys
65. Understanding Young Men and Risk-Taking
66. Reviving the Practice of Male Mentoring

Mens’ Issues

67. Understanding Why Men are in Poor Health
68. Men: The Disposable Gender
69. Making a Living: A Case of Sex Discrimination
70. Putting the Man Back Into Manliness
71. Setting the Record Straight on Masculinity
72. Making No Apologies for Mateship
73. Being a Man By Getting a Life
74. Surviving the Mid-Life Blues
75. Being Your Own Man
76. The True Measure of a Man’s Success

Useful Websites for Men’s Health and Issues

General Health Information
Weight and Nutrition
Drug and Alcohol Information (and crisis service)
Protecting Against Cancer
Sexual and Reproductive Health
Heart Health
Diabetes
Work Hazards – Work Injuries
Mental Health Problems/Mental Illness
Services and Information for War Veterans
Men’s Counselling/Crisis Support/Separation Support
Problem Gambling
Violence Against Males
Fatherhood
Men’s Issues

Useful Phone Numbers for Men’s Health and Issues

Emergency Mental Health Numbers
Drug and Alcohol Information Services
Problem Gambling Help Lines
Men’s Issues Crisis Line

Index