June is Men’s Health Month!

How good are men at taking care of their health?

We celebrate Men’s Health Month every June, but have to wonder: do men participate?

It seems that we hear plenty about women’s health, and perhaps that’s because women are more interested in learning more about their health than men.
Some experts say men may be responding to society’s messages that equates seeking health care and medical advice with weakness.
So, we were eager to dive into the topic in a recent Heal the World Show Podcast that featured two practitioners who address men’s health issues.

James Kawainui, of Hawaiian Healing, has a similar story, where he didn’t seek healing, but it perhaps sought him out.
Although he can trace his family’s experience in healing back 20 generations, he himself was not initially a healer.
He was someone who was immersed in corporate culture when he had his first call to healing 25 years ago, and he quit his job to pursue healing, mentorship and spiritual strategy. He counsels clients to overcome obstacles using these perspectives.
His own experience where he was hospitalized underscores what men don’t often do: ask for help, and receive help when it’s offered.
Even as a healing practitioner, he felt he could do it on his own, and “as men, we try to muscle through so many things,” when instead he needed to humble himself to accept the help he needed.
He called the ability to ask for and receive help a gift, and from one man to another, he chuckles and advises to “get over yourself, and stop being so darn stubborn” to get help.

Jean-Luc Allaire, founder of Blueprint For A Life Of Peace and Joy, also works with clients to help them overcome stress in their lives, which can oftentimes cripple their ability to focus, feel a sense of control, and lead to downward spirals in mental and physical health.
Studies point to the lower levels of oxytocin in men that lead to “fight or flight” responses to stress, and as mentioned, society often gives men messages that seeking help for stress is a sign of weakness.
Allaire’s upbringing held similar messages where, being one of nine brothers in his family, “there was no place for emotions, you just had to be tough.”
Although having learned the practice of Reiki, he was immersed in the stressful and demanding occupation within the construction field.
“I spent my whole life fixing these limiting beliefs,” he explains. 
When he was diagnosed with bladder cancer a little over eight years ago, he decided to employ practices related to death doulas, who focus on end of life issues, as well as his own holistic practices, he was able to work with his doctor to eventually receive a clean bill of health without surgery.
He retired from construction and now teaches others to find their true passion and purpose to lead them to healing.
His advice is to get out and move, be active and focus on your nutrition to help you stay healthy. He says that too often men have not seen a physician in decades, and that’s the biggest obstacle to understanding where you’re at in order to make the right changes leading to good health.
 
This was such a rich, insightful and delightful session!
Take a moment to listen in to my chat with these gentlemen – and bring your husband, boyfriend or other male friend or relative along –  to learn ways we can all improve our health.

Let’s take a cue from June, and whether you are a man, or someone who cares for one, take good care of ourselves by leading them to take charge of their health.
Reach out with any questions to see how we can connect you with a practitioner who fits your needs.