February 7, 2010
Is Male Menopause A Laughing Matter
There is a school of thought among wise medical minds that humor can play a very important part in well-being and health, and it isn't hard to see where a bit of levity can go a long way with folks going through male menopause. After all, you have to leave the highly technical and sophisticated therapies like hormone replacement to the professionals, don't you? And if you're making the needed changes in your diet that male menopause calls for, you've surely been directed in this by a dietician, or you've read one of the excellent books on the market about how to use exercise to enhance any program to deal with your male menopause.
In fact, if you are taking the holistic (or "whole being") approach to your treatment you have also consulted with a counselor who can help you through those rough patches about anxiety and self-esteem that often pop up during this kind of treatment. And heaven knows that if you've had some frustrating moments (seems like hours) at intimate times in the bedroom, you've begun to understand that male menopause has profound effects on several levels of your being.
So, if we have our physical, hormonal and mental therapies all mapped out, and we're sticking to it like we should, what is left for us to do? Ideally, we have increased our amount of exercise, we've decreased our intake of fatty foods and alcohol, and we have introduced medicines and/or beneficial herbs to our systems that all work together to make us healthier and happier.
Ah, happier, there's the place we want to be! Why is that? We want to be happier because our attitude has a profound effect on our healing and well-being. It has been shown time and again that patients with upbeat and lighthearted outlooks will respond to healing therapies far more readily than miserable sourpusses will. Folks who are prepared and inclined to laugh at themselves and the world around them can have far more success at regaining their health than passively dejected individuals will. We're not talking about medical depression here, we're alluding to the attitude that people muster when they go into a difficult situation.
So, let's lighten up on ourselves and have a few laughs. You've probably heard the famous anecdotal tale of the fine fellow who was diagnosed with a grave illness and proceeded to augment his medical treatment with hours and hours of Three Stooges films. Larry, Moe, and Curly Joe may not be your specific cup of tea, but you get the idea. Avoid the depressing entertainment options and go for the sure-fire gigglefests that you already know will greatly amuse you. The Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, and Red Skelton are just a few of the early comedians that rarely fail to provoke laughter, and they can all be found in the classic film or comedy section of your local video shop.
If nothing else, find humor in the difference between the way men experience menopause and the way women do. As Rita Rudner says in her live comedy routine, "male menopause is a lot more fun than female menopause because with female menopause you gain weight and get hot flashes. With male menopause you get to date young girls and drive motorcycles." Laugh it up!
