New York Times Looks at Men’s and Women’s Health

Sunday's New York Times featured two special sections on men's and women's health titled "Men & Health" and "Women's Health." Below are excerpts from the sections and links to the articles.

Men's Health

• "The Standard Checkup? Well, Not Exactly": Examines the rise of "executive physicals," which "combine personal attention with the latest medical technology." Participants in executive physicals will often undergo several blood tests and other screenings, meet with a number of specialists and receive advice on risk and lifestyle factors. The physicals often take place in "luxurious setting[s]" where patients can gaze on lakes and exotic animals or receive a massage (Tuller, New York Times 6/24). To read the article, click here. Note: This link is available only to Web readers.
• "Men's Magazines: How Much Substance Behind the Covers?": Looks at whether magazines such as Men's Health and Men's Fitness are "primarily concerned with six-pack stomachs and sex" and speculates on "[j]ust how much real health information is ... in the so-called magazines aimed at men" (Kuczynski, New York Times, 6/24). To read the article, click here. Note: This link is only available to Web readers.
• "Necks and Elbows are O.K., but Knees are His Thing": Profiles New York orthopedist and knee specialist Dr. Elliott Hershman, who also serves as the team orthopedist for the New York Jets (Rogers, New York Times, 6/24). To read the article, click here. Note: This link is only available to Web readers.
• "At Fitness Boot Camp, Changes in Habits and Waist Size": Gives an overview of a "fitness boot camp" run by Duke University in Durham, N.C., that administers a variety of weight-loss and fitness regimens, including "intensive exams for highly stressed executives" and a "rice diet" for people with high blood pressure (Volz, New York Times, 6/24). To read the article, click here. Note: This link is only available to Web readers.
• "New Weapons to Assault an Epidemic": Examines osteoarthritis, a disease which causes the protective cartilage surrounding a joint to wear away. Osteoarthritis, which affects about 21 million Americans, is more common in women than in men, but the number of men developing severe cases of the condition is on the rise (Katzenstein, New York Times, 6/24). To read the article, click here. Note: This link is only available to Web readers.
• Drug Ads: The section also contains three full-page ads for pharmaceuticals, including one for Viagra, one for the anti-osteoarthritis drug Mobic and a third for CosaminDS, a drug which is designed to preserve the cartilege surrounding the joints. The Mobic ad features a large photo of former Jets quarterback Joe Namath and the CosaminDS ad contains a picture of former Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer (New York Times, 6/24).

Women's Health

• "A Devastating Lack of Awareness": Looks at why many women today "don't believe heart disease can really affect them," despite the fact that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women (Grady, New York Times, 6/24). To read the article, click here. Note: This link is only available for Web readers.
• "Looking for Health News? A Bikini Belly? There's More to Read": Profiles the content and target audience of a number of women's health magazines, including Self, Health, Shape and Fitness. The Times reports that the "boom" in women's health magazines can be attributed at least partially to an American culture that is "obsessed with image, aging and health" and the "enormous flood of pharmaceutical advertising" peppering the publications (Kuczynski, New York Times, 6/24). To read the article, click here. Note: This link is only available to Web readers.
• "Paying a Price for Drinking Men Under the Table": Examines the differences in how men and women respond to alcohol, how women "appear to suffer from many alcohol-related problems and illnesses at an earlier stage than men" and how women are at greater risk than men of sustaining some types of alcohol-related liver, cardiac or neurological damage (Wartik, New York Times, 6/24). To read the article, click here. Note: This link is only available to Web readers.
• "Banish Wrinkles in an Hour! (For a While, Anyway)": Reports on how a growing number of people are opting for "smaller, less invasive" types of plastic surgery, such as chemical peels, laser treatments and soft-tissue augmentation (Wilkinson, New York Times, 6/24). To read the article, click here. Note: This link is only available to Web readers.
• Drug Ads: The section contains a full-page advertisement for Ditropan, a prescription drug for people with an "overactive bladder" (New York Times, 6/24).