Erectile dysfunction, weight, prostate, sleep, fertility, mental health… The arrival of midlife is often a special stage in the life of a man who is not “not always a pleasure”, immediately advances Laure Dasinieres to present her new work Men’s health after 40published by Éditions 41. “Not because the fall is brutal but because it is a turning point where you realize that your body is fallible and that it is now time to take care of yourself a little and modify certain behaviors.”, she explains.
15 chapters produced in collaboration with health professionals
In this work, the health journalist set out to dissect men’s most frequently asked questions around 15 major themes. “To best meet your questions and expectations, I surveyed men aged 40 and over in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Quebec and the United States, she relates. I received hundreds of written responses and I conducted around thirty interviews from which the quotes at the head of the chapter are taken. These interviews were particularly instructive because, contrary to popular belief, they demonstrated a real concern for taking care of oneself, remedying small everyday ailments and preventing pathologies that could develop with age.”
Food, mental disorders, addictions… what are the problems of people in their forties?
If the journalist instructs her readers on the medical appointments to be made after the age of 40 or recalls the recommendations of the main health authorities concerning sport or diet, she also takes care to respond to certain torments, sometimes taboo, encountered by those in their forties and the fifty-somethings. Through its pages, we see, for example, that many men do not dare to open up about their addiction problems, erectile dysfunction or even psychological suffering. “Men’s mental health is undermined by what we call “toxic masculinity”, a pure product of patriarchy, she explains. On an individual level, this toxic masculinity imposes stereotypical behaviors that sometimes harm self-esteem, feelings of competence and belonging. And, on a relational level, it often restricts intimacy, social connections and interpersonal relationships.”
To find out more: Men’s health after 40 by Laure Dasinieres, Éditions 41. Release scheduled for June 20, 2024.
