VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Nov. 17, 2010) - The stats speak for themselves: In Canada, men are expected to die an average of 5 years sooner than women. Thankfully, this month, men's health is finally taking centre stage. In fact, November is now officially "Movember" in Vancouver. The purpose of Movember is to bring attention to men's health and shed light on men's health issues that are often overlooked by the general public, specifically prostate cancer, which will affect 1 in 6 men.

The lack of awareness and the failure of many men to get regular health checks has spurred the creation of Medicine Centre Pharmacies' focusCare Men's Health Tune-Up. The focusCare Tune-Up includes a blood pressure check, cholesterol screening, blood sugar screening, testosterone assessment and lifestyle assessment. The purpose of the Tune-Up? To engage men to start thinking about their health before problems arise. Health education and early detection of possible health issues are key steps in preventing or delaying the onset of many chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes. Medicine Centre pharmacies hope that by providing the Men's Health Tune-Up, they can help prepare men for conversations they need to have with their physician.

According to Peter Cook, Pharmacist/owner of Regency #6 Medicine Centre, the Tune-Up is a much-needed service for men, many of whom are hesitant to see a doctor. In fact, according to the Movember Foundation of Canada, men are less likely to schedule doctor's appointments when they feel ill or go for an annual physical,  thereby denying them the chance of early detection and effective treatment of common diseases. Studies show that many men don't get regular health checks because they are scared of the outcome, embarrassed about the topic, or too busy to make an appointment.

Medicine Centre pharmacies have created the Men's Health Tune-Up to help combat many common and potentially life-threatening reasons that men avoid seeing the doctor. For more information on the Men's Health Tune-Up and to view participating locations please visit http://medicinecentre.com/tuneup.html.