Majority of medical

scientists say yes

OST PEOPLE know that

women go through what

is called the menopause,

or “change of life,” a period in

aa a woman’s life when important

: 4 changes take place in her re-
, productive system.

But do men go through a
“change of life’?

Until recently this was a
topic of considerable specula-
tion and controversy but. the

~ majority of medical scientists
now agree that they do.

A Soviet doctor, L. A. Bog-
danovich, discusses this ques-
tion in a recent article.

The change of life in men, he
points out, differs from the
menopause in women in several
ways. Whereas to women it
usually comes when they are
approaching ‘the age of 50 and

NATURAL
FERTILIZER

Old Bill he was a gardening man
Of skill in high degree;
Few others could produce, pro-
duce
Near half as well as he.

The local folks oft questioned
him
What made his crops so sure?
And Bill’s reply would always be
Manure, manure, manure.

Bill’s daughter was a tony lass
Who sought her Pa to cure

date
And drop that word manure.

And so she called her mother in
To see could she. advise her
On any way to get her Pa
To call it fertilizer.

You leave your father be, said
she,
His way. you must endure,
It took me twenty years to make
Him call that stuff manure.

—tronbark.

And bring the old man up to:

or

ordinarily lasts from one to
three years, to men it comes
anywhere between the ages of
50 and 70 and lasts for several
years. In each case its duration
and character depends on the
mental, nervous and physical
condition of the man or woman,
his or her medical history, etc.

The functional changes are
also much less noticeable in
men than they are in women.

But many symptoms experi-
enced by men are similar to
those experienced by women
during menopause: dizziness, a
rush of blood to the head, un-
pleasant sensations in the re-
gion of the heart.

At times the complaints are
of an over-all nature: there is
almost no part of the man’s
body, it seems, that does not
hurt. His heartbeat seems to in-
crease; he finds breathing more
difficult; his hands go numb,
especially after sleep; he com-
plains of a general feeling of
weakness and loss of initiative;
he is moody and apathetic.

In spite of all these symp-
toms the doctor, after a most
thorough diagnosis, usually finds
there is little or nothing wrong
with the man physically.

Owing to changes in the
body’s metabolism, there is
often a tendency to put on
weight.

Infrequently, during their
change of life men suffer from
insomnia. They have difficulty
falling asleep and, once waken-
ed, cannot fall asleep again. As

Do men go through a ‘change of life’?

a result they often become de-
pressed, irritable, impatient.

Often they display a lack of
faith in their knowledge and
ability, even though such ten-
dencies had never appeared be-
fore. Insignificant failures call
forth a storm of sharp emotions.
Without reason they appear
overcautious and fearful.

During this time many men
also experience a certain weak-~
ening of sexual functions, some-
times imagined, other times
real, which causes them con-
siderable anguish. This weaken-
ing is specially prevalent among
men who are partial to alco-
holic drinks. ;

The symptoms of the change
of life, Dr. Bogdanovich writes,
do not require hospital treat-
ment. In fact, becoming a bed
patient or even taking time off
from work can actually be
harmful, specially to men_ in-
clined to be overanxious about
their health.

Precisely because the body is
undergoing certain natural
changes at this time, it is im-
portant to help the process
along by adjusting one’s self to
these changes. The numerous
unpleasant symptoms will then
disappear more quickly and the
man will again become ener-
getic and active.

Work, especially work that is
to one’s liking, or a hobby, is
particularly helpful during this
period. It takes one away from
any excessive attention to one’s
feelings and sensations.

The process of change can
also be made less painful and
unpleasant with the aid of cer-
tain drugs — tranquilizers, hor-
mones, etc. — which have to
be prescribed by a doctor. But
the author cautions those men
who resort to certain drugs in
the mistaken belief that these
will help them restore their for-
mer sexual powers. The exces-
sive use of such drugs, he
warns, can lead to deplorable
results.

Very beneficial during this
period are fresh air and not-
too-strenuous exercise, also fre-
quent sponge baths with cold
water followed by vigorous mas-
sage with a dry towel.

If the man who is going
through a change of life is un-
able to cope with his unpleas-
‘ant and difficult sensations by
himself, it is mecessary, of
course, to go to a doctor. The
latter will advise as to what
should be done and, most im-

_ portant, will help to cheer him
up.

The family and close friends
of’ a man going through a
change of life should not treat
him as a sick person. On the
contrary, they should help to
cheer him up and create around
him an atmosphere of activity,
diverting him from depressing
or distressing thoughts about
himself. Specially important at
this time is understanding and
attention from his wife.

Not all men feel the oncom-
ing of a change of life. Healthy
individuals, who have observed
the rules of good health and
proper living, usually.enter this
period almost imperceptibly.

This is specially so with men
who have adjusted their lives
to correspond with the changes

far 109 |
in their age. There Mei Z

younger wes |
iy ther and q
drink to excess,
put on a front 0 sat ©
hysical stamina. sree
2 waste of priceless fe and

placeable nervous ene ]
premature aging. ou

In this connection,
novich recalls the Ro raises
Horace, who sang the | rites
moderation in everythine~ fits
experience, he says,
that it is precisely a:
moderation that s
guarantee of hea
life.

side by
J.$. Wallace

You can’t climb me,
Said the family tree.

VW JHEN TOM MARRIED ADA her uncle was a county
ful lawyer in Washington. Her father was 4 ~incial
Court judge. An aunt was in charge of a ae eil

chapter of Nuns. Still another uncle was Archbishop

of Toronto while a grand uncle was Chief Justi¢

Supreme Court of Nova Scotia.

g 4

Tom wasn’t ashamed of his own family. But h of the
little overkeen to have them look good in front ff one
McNeils, especially May McNeil. He ticked me oe with
time: Why do you have to tell a story by starting O” nat
“When I was in St. Patrick’s Home... .”? (I wonder was
he would say now when I start off by saying: when
in Hull Jail . . . when I was in Don Jail?)

He came to.me very much upset one day an eae
for sympathy. “I wonder what gets into father at re all
especially in front of May McNeil. Yesterday w& WS ned
having dinner together when, out of a clear sky, he }ea5
across the table and said: ‘Tom, you remember your g
the bartender in Toronto?’ As far as I know we never
a cousin who was a bartender in Toronto.”

: - {De
I EXPRESSED SYMPATHY while secretly enjoying 1
way father had shot a few McNeils out of the inkl
didn’t enjoy it when it came my turn for him to spr
salt on the signs of snobbery he saw in me. E

he

We had met in Montreal. It was time to eat an os
wanted to go into one of those joints where steak 4! dive

were advertised for 25 cents. Go into that kind of 4
Never, Z ye

1 =

I tried to steer him to the best, the most expel ie |
hotel: But he balked. Finally we compromised © ight
Queens. For me at that time what followed was 4 ways ‘ll
mare. He asked for service left and right, nearly a
without excuse, and tipped no one. ald

When we were served the main meat course he me
up two of the vegetable dishes that surrounded hi5 “ter,
and said in a voice that danced from table to table:
can I swap these for some extra meat?”

Bi

hat
It wasn’t until the scars of shame had worn off ‘cil
woke up to the fact that my father had been a com™ yest

traveller all his life and so was an experienced hoté

He was taking me down... uch
as when he did the-same to Tom.

it wasn’t as m

8

(7
June 12, 1964—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PO