No-shave November or Movember?

Pastor Chad Wright   -  

For the last decade or more, there has been a growing trend among men in the United States. Literally. Growing man-hair – mustaches and beards – is trending to raise awareness for men’s health. The one movement focuses on mustaches – Movember. The other, No-shave November, focuses on not shaving facial hair for the month of November. Basically, the initiatives encourage participants to donate the money they’d normally spend on grooming supplies, such as razor blades and shaving cream, to one of the organization’s funded programs. Both campaigns are designed to focus on men’s health issues, especially cancer screening and prevention, but it can get a little confusing. Here’s a quick rundown.

No Shave November is geared toward raising awareness for colorectal cancer in men. The goal of the campaign is to increase awareness by men growing their hair — something that many cancer patients lose.  In November of 2007, the children of Matthew Hill, who passed away from colon cancer, expanded the no-shave initiative by asking people to donate the money saved on grooming to help fight cancer, especially colorectal cancer. No-Shave November has helped raise more than $1.8 million in the fight against cancer since 2009.

The Movember Foundation was started in Australia back in 2003 by two guys who were having a beer and couldn’t understand why the mustache ever went out of style.   Around 30 people or so signed up and that was it.  But by the next year, they realized that the mustache had the powerful ability to start a conversation.  The founders decided to start a fundraiser and send the proceeds to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.  They raised just over $40,000 that year, not bad, right? Well since 2004 they have gone on to raise over $700 million! Movember has become a global initiative that has spread to 21 countries.

The Global Health Observatory of the World Health Organization reported that 13% of all deaths originate from cancer (World Journal of Gastroenterology; 2015 May 7). In research on cancer patients, studies have shown that suicide is about three times more prevalent in men. Men are less likely to get regular annual check-ups and screenings when many cancers can now be detected early and earlier treatment often has better health outcomes. Also, men are more likely to postpone testing and treatment when they start experiencing common symptoms or warning signs of cancer. In addition, there are cancers specific to men: prostate cancer which affects 1 in 9 men, and testicular cancer, the most common cancer in men aged 15-39.

Both of these campaigns are focused on helping men to live healthier lives. Raising awareness, education on these issues, and reducing the stigma of regular check-ups, can help improve mental health and overall health.

So is it mustache or full beard? Maybe they should just combine the two campaigns and make it NO-SHAVE MOVEMBER.  But for now, we have them both and whichever one you choose, you will be helping men to live a better and healthier life. So, if you notice my facial hair this month, ask me which one I chose and why. See you next week right here at the intersection of faith and mental health.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Chad Wright