I look at this "Men's Health" forum, and I see that nobody seems to be using it. There have been eleven threads started in the past two and a half months. Four by men, three by women, and four by a robot. There have been forty-five posts made, but thirty-four of those have been by women, and again, four by a robot. Of the four threads started by men, one man started three of them. You know what that means? That means that two people...two men...have made use of the forum in all this time. That's an average of less than one a month. The rest of the threads have been started by women hoping to give us men a boost. To make us open up about our "problems." If you don't believe me, then go check out the Women's Health forum. You'll see just how robust and active it is.

The most immediate assumption is that men don't post here because it is "embarrassing." Embarrassing??? I think it goes a whole lot deeper than that. I mean, what is a Men's Health forum, anyway? What separates men from women? Is it our shyness, or our deep-rooted fear of not measuring up as a man among other men? The women see this, guys. Women are more naturally nurturing and open about their concerns. Honestly, how many of you would rather have a male psychologist than a female one? I wouldn't. It's hard to talk about male things to other men, unless it's football, or fishing, or whatever your "male" interests are. Men aren't just shy. They are terrified of having their masculinity called in to question. We're not like women. Women deal with these kinds of issues all their lives...tampons, liners, yeast infections, the fear of becoming pregnant. The ups and downs of their monthly cycle. Their personal health is almost always on some part of their mind. But us guys get stuck up on having a "stiff-woody" (no pun intended), a steady stream, and short trips to the bathroom. After all, that's what being a man is all about, right?

Wrong. Maybe it's that way at some point in our lives. When we enjoy youth, and complete health, things might really work that way. But then we start to age, or we get sick, or both, and our bodies don't work that way anymore. It's like some invading army has conquered our own perceptions of what masculinity really is. If it's drooping, it's surrendering. If it's an invasive procedure, and we go along willingly, then we have given in to an easy defeat. But that's just silly, if you really think about it. When we are on top of the world, we can focus completely on being those things which we think broadcast our manhood. But when our bodies and minds are weakened, we have other important things to focus on, too. And one of those is getting back to the balance we had before. Or at least the best balance we can achieve. Women may be better listeners, but only other men know what you are really going through. How much it really means, and how hard it is to say. Only men can give you practical male advice from a male perspective. But to gain that means breaking down some of those timeless barriers. It takes daring, sharing, and caring.

These are only my thoughts, but I know a lot of other guys on this site have had them, too. But we shy away from the "Men's Health" forum like it's the plague, because our perception of what "men's health" means is very specific, and it's a line we are reluctant to cross. Maybe we shouldn't think about it in terms of asking, but rather in terms of giving. Of helping. Because if the first few men don't open up, nobody else will follow. And that means they will just hold it in and never get the help and advice they need. It's time to take a lesson from the ladies and open up. What else is a chronic health forum for, anyway?