'Young, fit' Pembrokeshire man opens up on shock cancer battle
Neil Thomas, from Lawrenny, was living in Doha, Qatar, when he discovered a lump at the age of 35.
The lump in his testicle was confirmed to be a tumour the day after he discovered it, in April 2019.
Within seven days he had surgery to remove his left testicle.
Neil said: "It was all very quick and they followed it (the surgery) up with two rounds of chemo due to a biopsy revealing it was the fast-growing cell and they were worried it had spread.
(Image: Movember Institute of Men's Health)
"There was trauma and worry for me, my wife and my family.
"It was something we dealt with, not easily, but a positive outset helped - it was tough.
"You don't forget it, particularly those first four weeks and I really struggled to process what was happening, I was worried all the time."
His mother had encouraged him and his brother to do self-checks after she experienced breast cancer but Neil was unaware that testicular cancer tends to be a young man's disease.
He said: "It effecting young men is super important as that was the biggest shock for me.
"In my head, cancer was something that happens later in life and doesn't happen to relatively fit young men.
(Image: Movember Institute of Men's Health)
"I would advise people to get any concerns checked out ASAP.
"Finding it early allowed it to be treated swiftly and not allow it to spread."
Neil is not alone in his surprise, with Movember's 2024 survey showing that 61 per cent of young men claim not to know that their age group is at risk.
The report also shows that 17 per cent of young men feel unsure about how to check their testicles, and 15 per cent never do.
When asked why participants would not see a doctor if they found something abnormal, 18 per cent cited concerns it may be something more serious.
Professor Simon Rice, global director of the Movember Institute of Men's Health, said: "Testicular Cancer Awareness Month is about taking control of your health.
"The simplest action that young men can take is to get to know their nuts.
"That way, if they notice any changes over time, they can get it checked by a doctor.
"When caught early, testicular cancer is highly treatable."
Movember is encouraging more men to 'Know Thy Nuts', a simple life-saving habit that helps men get familiar with what's normal and what to do if something feels off, so that they can act fast if something changes.
A recent survey found that 84 per cent of visitors to the guide feel more confident about performing self-checks.
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Hamilton Spectator
30-06-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
This area in Hamilton has Ontario's worst rate of men dying too young
Hamilton Centre was found to have Ontario's highest rate of men dying before the age of 75 in a report highlighting gender gaps in health. The riding that covers a large swath of the lower city also had one of the worst rates in Canada, coming in seventh for men dying too young from mostly preventable causes, according to the report published by the Movember Institute of Men's Health in June. It includes 339 of Canada's 343 electoral districts and 120 of the 122 federal ridings in Ontario. 'Where you live in Canada really determines how long men will live,' said Catherine Corriveau, director of policy and advocacy for the charity Movember Canada. 'Geography and health are very closely linked.' A big reason for the health disparities between neighbourhoods is a cluster of socioeconomic factors including income, concludes the report that used data from the 2021 census. Hamilton Centre was found in the report to have Ontario's third highest prevalence of low income among men at 18 per cent, and the highest premature death rate at 783.7 per 100,000 population. In contrast, Flamborough-Glanbrook-Brant North had among the country's lowest proportion of low-income men at just under five per cent, and one of the smallest premature death rates at 254 per 100,000. 'We see that link almost systematically across the country,' Corriveau said. 'There's this series of factors that come into play.' The factors in the 10 areas of Canada with the highest premature mortality rates for men included populations that were younger, socio-economically disadvantaged with greater levels of income inequality and more likely to report an Indigenous identity. Hamilton Centre fits this description to a T. The riding that stretches from Highway 403 to Parkdale Avenue and the escarpment to Hamilton Harbour has an average age of 39.9 for men — the lowest of all area ridings. It was also found in the report to have a larger Indigenous population compared to much of the rest of the province, ranking 21st in Ontario. Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations also ranked high for many of these factors — especially a larger Indigenous population — and had a high premature death rate, finishing 38th in Canada and 12th in Ontario. 'The fact that Indigenous men have the worst health outcomes of any group in Canada is well known but poorly addressed,' stated the report. 'When it comes to the data, Indigenous men are dying younger than non-Indigenous men and living longer with debilitating illness.' The Movember findings for Hamilton mirror a community health status report in November by public health that found residents of the city's lowest-income neighbourhoods were far more likely to die before the age of 75 than those who live in the wealthiest parts of the city. The report also reinforces that there has been little to no improvement since The Spectator's groundbreaking Code Red series was published in 2010, uncovering a nearly 21-year gap in life expectancy between Hamilton's low- and high-income neighbourhoods. 'Disadvantaged populations concentrate in specific areas, creating congregations of poor health outcomes that manifest in measurable health disparities between communities,' stated the Movember report. 'The prevalence of chronic illness and multimorbidity increases with socioeconomic disadvantage with men who experience financial hardship being less likely to access health care.' The report calls for a national men's health strategy to address the mostly preventable deaths of men before the age of 75 that numbered almost 75,000 in Canada in 2023. Compared to women, the report says men die prematurely 12 per cent more often from cancers and 135 per cent more often from coronary heart disease, which are the two leading causes of early death. Fatal accidents occur 153 per cent more often in men, which the report attributes to higher exposure to more dangerous occupations and riskier activities. Men account for 72 per cent of opioid overdose deaths and are three times more likely to die by suicide than women. They are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol and are less likely to eat fruit and vegetables. One of the key goals of the strategy is to increase low levels of health literacy among men that lead to less uptake of health screenings and preventive care and more hospitalizations and use of emergency rooms. 'Women's relationships with health and health care are often established during adolescence, and in many cases built around their reproductive and sexual health needs,' the report stated. 'Men, in contrast, tend to be estranged from health care, and their health literacy is often underdeveloped.' The report points to men's health strategies that have made a difference in Ireland, Brazil, Australia, Mongolia and South Africa. The United Kingdom is expected to add one in England this year and there is already a strategy in Quebec, which the report found to have the lowest premature death rate for men of all of the provinces. 'Men's health requires urgent attention,' stated the report. 'There is much to be done to create tailored health care services and system efficiencies to ensure men do not slip through the cracks.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? 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Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Yahoo
Why 'Looksmaxxing' Is Putting Teen Boys at Risk
In the past, adolescent boys used to get a break from unhealthy messages about the male body. While men of a certain musculature have always been the chosen hero of movies and TV shows, at least when the movie ended, boys returned to a reality filled with normal looking bodies. Now that more than a third of American children report using social media 'almost constantly,' boys don't get a break anymore. Social media content about hyper-masculine male bodies has become such an incessant barrage in boys' lives that it has been given a name: "looksmaxxing." Under this strict ideology, little boys are no longer allowed to look like little boys, they are expected to be fifteen-year-olds with Cillian Murphy's jawline, Vin Diesel's biceps, Channing Tatum's torso, and Jason Momoa's height. 'There is a real lack of healthy narratives around masculinity, especially for young men,' Krista Fisher, a research fellow at the Movember Institute of Men's Health, tells Parents. These biologically impossible male beauty standards for adolescent boys have far reaching impacts on their mental and physical wellbeing. Here's what parents need to know about looksmaxxing, and how best to support their sons as they navigate the pressure to look perfect. "Looksmaxxing" centers around a belief that real men must have a specific set of physical traits: a square jaw, deep set almond shaped eyes also known as 'hunter eyes,' a tall stature ideally between 6'1' to 6' 4', a muscular physique, a Hollywood-level hair style, and clear, acne-free skin. A lot of "looksmaxxing" content emphasizes the importance of 'optimizing' puberty, claiming that boys have the most influence over their appearance during this time of biological growth. Making progress towards these idealized traits (known as 'ascension') helps to increase boys' 'sexual market value' or SMV, which refers to the likelihood that women will find them attractive. There are also more specific sub-niches nested within "looksmaxxing." These include "auramaxxing" (strategies to improve social standing), "smellmaxxing" (using cologne to attract women), "moneymaxxing" (ways to make money to attract women), "dickmaxxing" (strategies to enhance the length or girth of the penis), and "starvemaxxing" (restricting diet to lose weight). The origin of the term "looksmaxxing" came from online incel (involuntarily celibate) or 'redpill' communities and their skewed view of modern gender dynamics. Incels self-identify as unattractive and unsuccessful in romantic relationships. They also believe that women romantically manipulate men for financial and social gain, and are only interested in dating a small subset of men who are abnormally attractive.A 2025 study found that 60% of young men between the ages of 16-25 regularly consume content from at least one masculinity influencer, which means a majority of boys are exposed to and engaging with this content to some level. Their study also highlighted that YouTube and TikTok in particular have been found to push increasingly extreme content like looksmaxxing to boys' feeds. As a result, it is possible boys feel that everyone around them is engaging in looksmaxxing practices, making them feel pressured to follow today's narrow gender norms around masculinity require boys to have a James Bond-esque sex appeal, meaning that men need women to find them attractive in order to be considered a real man. As a result, incels direct blame and hatred towards women for emasculating them by not finding them attractive. Looksmaxxing was born out of the idea that young men need to increase or 'maximize' their physical appearance to be attractive to women and respected as a man by their peers. But now that the term has gone viral on mainstream social media platforms, many boys may be unaware of the misogynistic origins of the term. Fisher points out that young boys seem to gravitate towards this content because it taps into an unmet need for boys. They have questions about their bodies, romantic relationships, and how to operate in the world as young men. In the absence of anywhere else to go, especially offline, masculinity influencers on social media and looksmaxxing forums have given boys the anonymity to ask hard or embarrassing questions, a feeling of community with likeminded peers, and a constant stream of advice from confident older boys who claim to have successfully changed their appearance. How boys go about manipulating their appearance can vary from simple measures—known as "softmaxxing" to more extreme strategies, or "hardmaxxing." "Softmaxxing" includes non-surgical approaches like eating a high protein diet and eliminating junk food, exercising, showering regularly, daily skin care, staying attentive to hydration, practicing good posture, updating wardrobes, getting regular haircuts, engaging in regular hair styling techniques, teeth whitening, shaving off their eyelashes, taping their mouth shut at night, using Volufiline and other products that promote temporary lip plumping, and sleeping on their back to promote 'face symmetry'. One of the most well known "softmaxxing" techniques is a tongue exercise called "mewing" that is promoted on social media by UK-based orthodontist Mike Mew. He claims this tongue exercise can create 'facial improvements' including aligning the teeth, accentuating cheekbones, sharpening jawlines, straightening the nose naturally, diminishing wrinkles, and improving airways. Another "softmaxxing" technique growing in popularity is the use of fitness chewing gum, which is engineered to be extra hard to chew as a way to exercise the jaw and create a more prominent jawline. Conversely, "hardmaxxing" includes extreme techniques like using human growth hormones, steroids, plastic surgery, or "brotox" (botox for men). "Looksmaxxing" content on TikTok, YouTube, and online forums throw around a head spinning amount of plastic surgery recommendations—specifically for boys and men, including jaw surgery, chin extensions, fat grafting, buccal fat removal, nose jobs, ear jobs, liposuction, lip lifts, shoulder and limb lengthening surgeries, and surgeries that reshape the outer corners of the eyes and bones around the eye sockets. Moreover, a concept called "bonesmashing" encourages boys to break their own jaw and facial bones with a hammer or other hard object, due to a belief that the bones will grow back stronger and more defined. This term was originally coined as a joke in incel forums, but as "looksmaxxing" has become more mainstream it seems that that nuance may have been lost. In online forums dedicated to "looksmaxxing," boys as young as thirteen are claiming to use the technique. To some degree it is understandable why impressionable boys are so quick to jump on the "looksmaxxing" bandwagon. Masculinity influencers throw around medical terminology and cite scientific studies with the confidence and authority of a licensed doctor. Real medical professionals, however, seem to be generally unanimous in the ineffective and dangerous nature of some of these practices. Both the British Orthodontic Society and the American Association of Orthodontists state that there is no scientific evidence to support mewing, and the latter also claimed the practice could lead to tooth alignment disruption, bite problems, and speech issues. It is also worth noting that the General Dental Council suspended Mike Mew's license last year for malpractice. The American Dental Association, meanwhile, announced that fitness chewing gum can lead to inflammation and jaw pain, and that some of these gums contain caffeine and vitamin B5, which can act as a laxative in high doses. Dentists have also warned that using this gum may lead to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. And while recommendations to take growth hormone may be rampant on "looksmaxxing" forums Jason Nagata, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco, urges caution. He says that growth hormone is meant to be used to address specific medical conditions like genetic disorders or a medically verified growth hormone deficiency, and should only ever be used under the supervision of a medical professional. 'Misusing growth hormone can lead to serious side effects, including joint pain, headaches, and insulin resistance, so close medical monitoring is essential,' he says. Even some of the over-the-counter supplements and protein powders that are widely recommended by masculinity influencers and "looksmaxxers" can have negative health effects. Katie Hurley, a child and adolescent psychotherapist and senior clinical advisor for The Jed Foundation, encourages parents to read the labels of any supplements or protein powders their sons are currently using or interested in trying. She warns that some of these products have been found to affect moods. The impact on physical health is just the tip of the iceberg. The effect of "looksmaxxing" on boys' mental health and well being can be far more destructive. A common practice in "looksmaxxing" forums, like and r/Mewing, is for young teens and tweens to post detailed measurements of their bodies and attach multiple photographs of every angle of their face and bodies to encourage others to rate their sexual market value and offer recommendations on how to enhance their appearance. The rating scale on these forums has become fairly standardized. One user explained the scale as 1-3 being 'subhuman,' 4 is a 'low tier normie', 5 is a 'mid tier normie', 6 is a 'high tier normie,' 7 is a 'Chad-lite,' 8 is a 'Chad,' and 9 is an 'Adam' or 'Slayer.' In incel culture, a 'Chad' is a stereotypically handsome man and an 'Adam' is the peak of ideal male attractiveness. Ratings and recommendations come from completely anonymous users and range from gentle and encouraging to cruel and dangerous. In extreme cases, recommendations include references to 'ropemaxxing' which means that a boy is so hopelessly unattractive that he may as well take his own life because he will never be able to achieve an acceptable level of masculinity. For boys who may find this level of vulnerability intimidating there are now apps like Umax and LooksmaxxingGPT where teens can upload photos of themselves and receive AI-generated ratings and recommendations. Some of these apps provide ratings not just on overall looks or potential for improvement but go so far as to provide a 'masculinity' score based on uploaded photos."Since 2002, there's been over a 400% increase in hospitalizations for eating disorders in boys."It's obvious how these ratings and recommendations systems can negatively impact a boy's mental health. But even if they are not engaging with the content to this level, research is finding this hypermasculine body content and similar social media content can still negatively affect teen mental health. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General said the risk of anxiety and depression doubles in adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media. And in the same statement, almost half of adolescents stated that social media makes them feel worse about their bodies. At the time, the average for this age group was at 4.8 hours a day—only on social media platforms. More recent studies show that screen usage has only grown. One 2025 survey revealed that the average American stares at a screen for almost 7 hours per day. Nagata also pointed to studies that found that the more time boys spend on Instagram, the more likely they are to engage in disordered eating, be dissatisfied with their own appearance (and their muscles, in particular), and the more likely they are to take performance enhancing drugs like anabolic steroids. 'Since 2002, there's been over a 400% increase in hospitalizations for eating disorders in boys,' he says. Nagata clarifies that while eating disorders in boys can sometimes look like anorexia, it has become more common for boys to develop bigorexia, or muscle dysmorphia, an obsession with developing bigger muscles. This is all supported by the new research study that found that young men who engage with masculinity influencers reported high levels of psychological distress, including high rates of worthlessness, nervousness, and sadness compared to boys not engaging with the content. Social media has seeped into so much of the childhood experience and how children relate to each other that it can be hard to identify when a child's behavior or mindset has crossed into unhealthy territory. Hurley says the best way for parents to monitor social media's impact on their child's life is to keep a monthly log of their activity level, routines, habits, and behaviors, which she explains will help parents identify if and when signs of negative patterns begin to form. Having conversations with boys about "looksmaxxing" content and how they perceive their own bodies in relation to others can also be helpful. But Hurley is aware that some boys may find it difficult to open up about these topics. In those cases, she's provided some ideas to help parents manage these tricky discussions: Take care of yourself first. It's important to approach these conversations calmly. Find a way to take care of yourself before taking on the conversation to ensure you are able to create a space where your son feels able to share his experiences. Combine these conversations with activities. Try kicking off a conversation while taking a walk, playing a board game, or doing house chores together. The act of being in motion acts as a 'tension release' which can make it easier for boys to talk about hard things. Ask open ended questions. Approaching your son with curiosity and open ended questions can help him feel more encouraged to opening up. For instance, you can ask: "What is it like to be a teenage boy in today's world?" or "I noticed you seem to like to eat the same things every day. Can you tell me more about that?" or "What's new on TikTok that you're interested in? Can you share with me some of your favorite TikTokers? I'm curious to see what you like." Create a strengths board. Sit with your son and create a list of things he's good at. Write it down on a large board and put it in a place that is visible to him every day. As he learns new things, you can update the board together. A strengths board can serve as a healthy counterbalance for teens on social media platforms that are designed to feed off teen insecurities. Validate their experience. If they are worried about being short, for example, ask them to tell you more about what it feels like to be short among tall boys. After listening, validate their experience by saying something like, 'That does sound hard.' Incorporate male voices. Ask fathers, grandfathers, uncles, older brothers, or close adult male friends to share their experiences and mindsets about their growing bodies during adolescence. Fact check together. Equip your son with facts to help him feel more secure when faced with "looksmaxxing" content. When did the men in your family hit their growth spurts? At what age did his favorite athletes begin getting taller? What athletes or other impactful men are not tall but are still respected for their contributions? Show him that not all important male figures fit conventional beauty standards. If you're wondering when to reach out for help, Hurley says it never hurts to check in with your child's pediatrician or therapist. 'It's always a good time to ask somebody if you feel like you're out of your depth and you don't know how to assess the situation,' she concerns about their appearance become an obsession or preoccupation. Teens shouldn't be exercising 5-6 hours a day or eating very restrictive diets. If they experience noticeable weight loss in a short amount of time or extreme fatigue that lasts more than two weeks. If their behaviors impact school work or they begin retreating from their social lives, or if you're seeing their quality of life negatively impacted in other ways. If your son is suddenly unable to sit still and begins to seem jittery, in teens without ADHD this can be a sign of steroid or creatine use. Remember: Depression in teenage boys does not look like crying and sadness. More often, it tends to look like intense anger and are growing up in an evolving digital world that can be overwhelming for parents and children alike. But while it may look different today, industries profiting of teen's body insecurities is nothing new. When we understand what's happening behind phenomena like "looksmaxxing," and understand that boys need safe offline spaces to talk about their bodies and their place in this world, we will also have the tools to start advocating for and supporting boys in ways that help them grow into healthy adults. While parents may never be able to entirely free their sons from the grip that social media has on their childhoods, we can find ways—however small—to give them a break from the social media deluge and just let them be boys again. Read the original article on Parents
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
Men are not OK, report on premature deaths in Canada suggests
About 44 per cent of men living in Canada die prematurely, according to a new report from the Movember Institute of Men's Health. The report defines premature mortality as deaths in men before age 75. The deaths from cancer, coronary heart disease, accidents, suicide and the opioid crisis include some causes that might have been prevented through vaccinations, lifestyle changes like quitting smoking or avoiding injuries. In 2023, almost 75,000 males died prematurely, according to Statistics Canada. "We're here because too many men are dying too young from largely preventable causes," Catherine Corriveau of Movember Canada said at a news conference on Parliament Hill on Thursday. Suicide was the fourth leading cause of premature death in males after cancer, coronary heart disease and accidents. Three in four of the deaths by suicide in Canada were men, Corriveau said. While the report looks at the health needs of men overall, the group noted those statistics were much worse for Indigenous men or men living in vulnerable communities. Stigma, gender bias and low health literacy are long-standing barriers that often prevent men from seeking care until it's too late, the report's authors said. The impact extends to families, communities and the economy. Fathers and sons learn together Niigaan Sinclair, a co-author of the report and professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Manitoba, said one solution is to have fathers and sons learn together. He gave an example during a recent fathers' weekend where he spoke and saw boys and men who grew up without fathers or uncles learning skills like how to tie their shoes, do a puzzle or build a lodge together. "That young man who has become a father, he too didn't learn that because he wasn't able to, because many of those ceremonies in his community were gutted and removed," said Sinclair, who is also the son of the late Senator Murray Sinclair, the first Indigenous person appointed as a judge in Manitoba and chief commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into residential schools. "Making mistakes together, learning humility together, learning to laugh together at themselves, but then ultimately making something together that they could be proud of. That's truly what I think a goal would be for any program that would teach healthy Indigenous masculinity or Indigenous manhood." WATCH | Black men discuss Black masculinity, dating and fatherhood: Those lessons could help men avoid outcomes like jail, hospitalization or premature death, Sinclair said, while also benefiting families and their communities. The report also suggests embracing the power of sport to promote health. Experiences with seeking help The report's authors also analyzed national mortality trends. Previously, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) said deaths from preventable causes were twice that for men than women. The Movember report included a nationally representative poll of more than 1,500 men on their experiences engaging with primary care. Only about 48 per cent of respondents said they felt actively listened to during a first health-care interaction. "If they don't feel listened to and if they don't feel cared for, they might not show up again," Corriveau said. Dr. Vincent Agyapong, a professor and head of psychiatry at Dalhousie University, said he was surprised by that finding. "It reflects that health-care providers need to listen more empathetically," said Agyapong, who was not involved in the report and welcomed the authors' multi-pronged approach to mental health that isn't one-size-fits-all. "It's always very difficult for men to reach out and seek help," Agyapong said. Prioritize mental health literacy When men do seek help, Agyapong said, it's important that health-care providers are sensitive and focus on the main concern that brought the person in off the bat, instead of launching into a checklist of background questions. Agyapong said schools and workplaces should prioritize mental health literacy, providing men with resources to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders and know they are treatable with medications and psychological approaches. Mental health promotion for men at risk will lead to more people seeking healthcare such as psychological help earlier on when they are distressed rather than trying to manage themselves or turning to alcohol and drugs, which can be risk factors themselves, Agyapong said. Corriveau said Canada has an opportunity to address the challenges of health promotion by developing a national men's health strategy to respond to their health-care needs. Australia and the U.K. have already done so. If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to look for help:
