Prevention is better than cure: Saying goodbye to 30 years of "malicious mining" and the health awakening initiated by World Men's Day [i]

Thirty years of "malignant exploitation" of one's body, followed by frantic visits to doctors only when severe symptoms appear, hoping their medical skills can rid the body of ailments-this hope is often dashed. If a person's health is severely neglected and subjected to immense stress for decades, it's impossible to expel these diseases from the body in a short period. Therefore, creating a new health awareness is urgently needed. Scientists and men themselves only began to seriously analyze and study male health in the mid-1990s. Professor Bruno Lunenfeld, the founder of research on male menopause and president of the International Society for the Study of Male Aging (ISSAM), was one of the first scholars to focus on men and male hormone status. He pointed out that in the new millennium, the understanding of men's health must change. Modern men's medicine must shift from purely treating the disease to focusing on prevention, allowing people to age healthily. This is a right that every elderly person should enjoy, not a "privilege." In the summer of 1999, the book *Men's Health in 2000* was published. This book aims to change men's awareness of their own health. This 352-page book is the first to outline the prospects and development trends of men's health in the new millennium. Research results confirm that men also experience menopause, exhibiting a "partial decline in endocrine function," with symptoms similar to those of menopausal women. While we cannot stop the aging process, we can at least find ways to slow it down. The Institute of Social Medicine published the first "Vienna Report on Men's Health," commissioned by the Vienna city government, which can be recorded in medical history as the world's first report on the health status of male citizens in a major city. "Men's Health in 2000" was published by Hublot Publishing House. The book immediately became a bestseller upon publication. In Austria, it remained at the top of the bestseller list for 38 weeks. Currently, the book has been published in the United States, Canada, Spain, China, and many other countries around the world, generating an avalanche of strong reactions regarding men's health issues in these countries. "From this point on, men began to openly discuss their physical condition," said Hersch, a hormone researcher in Germany. "This was the first major medical movement since Zigmont Freud." This was the first step in men's changing awareness of their own health, and the beginning of a long-standing medical exploration to make men's lifespans equal to women's. In February 2000, we co-hosted the first European Men's Health Day with the city of Vienna. This event combined information with entertainment, and 30,000 men participated in health tests at Vienna City Hall alone. Many prominent figures also dedicated themselves to promoting men's health. Reinhard Meissner is one of the most famous mountaineers of our time. Former Formula One driver Gerhard Berger also spoke on the topic in television shorts. The idea of ​​creating "World Men's Day" was an important step in advocating for a new awareness of men's health, and we set it on November 3rd each year. The purpose of establishing "World Men's Day" is to promote a new awareness of men's health and to dedicate itself to extending men's lifespan and improving their health. During the planning of "World Men's Day," Mikhail Gorbachev, the last General Secretary of the Soviet Union and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, became interested in the event. He pledged to serve as the president of "World Men's Day." During a meeting, he stated, "This idea should attract the attention of the world's public. Men should dedicate themselves to maintaining their physical health; let us work together to change awareness of men's health." Gorbachev said, "Your health is in your own hands." We decided to award the World Competition Grand Prize on "World Men's Day" each year. On November 3, 2000, the first "World Men's Day" was held at the Vienna Royal Castle, presided over by Gorbachev. Among the award recipients was tenor José Carreras. Other recipients included Christian Bärnnät, who is remembered for successfully performing the first heart surgery. On the same day, the Vienna City Health Planning Office convened the second International Working Conference on "Men's Health." Scientists and doctors from around the world exchanged the latest knowledge on men's health. This conference marked the beginning of a scientific campaign for men's health. The First World Congress on Men's Health was held in Vienna from November 2nd to 4th, 2001, which ultimately affirmed the important role of men's medicine. [i]