Live Well With Chronic Illness

20/11/2025

The Silent Struggle. When Stigma Drives Men Toward Unhealthy Coping

Chronic illness doesn’t just affect the body, it affects how men see themselves, and how they cope.

What I hear again and again:

Illness often strips away identity. Men who’ve always been strong, capable, and self-reliant can suddenly feel lost and ashamed.

Because vulnerability is still judged harshly, many men hide how bad things really are, even from loved ones.

The pressure to appear fine often leads to unhealthy coping: overworking, gaming, scrolling, drinking, or other addictions.

These aren’t signs of weakness. They’re attempts to escape pain, to feel a moment of control or relief.

What these men need most is not judgement or advice. They need safety. They need understanding. They need permission to speak honestly about what they are going through, and to be met with compassion rather than shame

Healing begins when shame is replaced with understanding.
When men are allowed to tell the truth about their pain, they stop needing to hide it.

18/11/2025

The Hormone Conversation — Testosterone, Chronic Illness, and Balance

“Low testosterone. Chronic pain. Exhaustion. Brain fog. Depression.”
For many men with chronic illness, these symptoms aren’t separate — they’re all connected.

What I see often in my work:

Conditions like Lyme, MCAS, dysautonomia, and Long Covid can disrupt male hormones, especially testosterone.

Low testosterone can leave men feeling flat, unmotivated, and emotionally distant. It can affect mood, libido, energy, and confidence.

There’s growing pressure on younger men to take artificial testosterone. Sometimes this is necessary and life changing — but it’s not always the only answer.

I’ve seen testosterone levels come back into balance naturally when deeper issues are addressed, such as chronic infections, mould exposure, stress, inflammation, circadian rhythm imbalance, nervous system dysregulation, and nutritional deficiencies.

Hormones don’t exist in isolation. They mirror what’s happening throughout the entire system; physical, emotional, and environmental.

Healing is never just about replacing what’s low. It’s about understanding why it’s low, and creating the conditions where balance can return naturally.

17/11/2025

Excited to be attending another menopause event with the lovely people at Every-One on 27th in Spalding. If you are local, why not pop along and join us?!

📢 Free Spalding Menopause Wellbeing Marketplace 📢

🗓️ Save The Date: Thursday 27th November 2025 10am - 2pm
📍 Tonic Health, 6 Broadgate House, Westlode Street, Spalding, PE11 2AF

No need to book...just pop along and find out what could support you or someone you know on the menopause journey.... everyone’s welcome! 🩲

Providers promoting better sleep, mindfulness, herbs, aromatherapy, therapeutic support, staying active... and lots more! 😴🧠🌿🏃‍♀️

30 minute sessions on various topics:

10.15am - Menopause Symptoms & You (Every-One)
11.15am - Menopause & Good Nutrition (Live Well with Chronic Illness)
12.15pm - Getting Better Sleep (The Sleep Hub)
1.15pm - Mindfulness & Meditation (Stuart Couling)

Free Health Checks available throughout the day

We look forward to seeing you there...have a question before? 👇

📧 menoevents@every-one.org.uk
💻 www.every-one.org.uk

Thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund for helping us make this happen 👏

15/11/2025

I'm so pleased to share that Mast Cell Action are proud to be part of the Overlapping Illnesses Alliance, and we are really excited about the change that this could bring to millions of people living with MCAS, PoTS, ME/CFS, EDS/HSD, and Long Covid.

The Alliance is hosting a meeting in Westminster for MPs on 25th November, and it's so important that we get their support and the chance to talk to them about the issues that people with these conditions face.

If you feel able, you can follow this link and use this easy template to ask your MP to attend.

Please take 2 minutes to send this email to your MP to make them aware of the Alliance and ask them to come and meet us!

Thank you so much!

Today, Mast Cell Action are proud to be part of the launch for the Overlapping Illness Alliance. A coalition of charities working to improve recognition, care and support for those living with complex, overlapping conditions. Check out our website: https://www.overlappingillnessalliance.org.uk/

The Overlapping Illness Alliance is hosting a drop-in session at the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday 25 November to inform MPs about these illnesses, and what they can do to support. Mast Cell Action will be there. Ask your MP to attend using our simple form: https://dub.sh/OIAdropin

13/11/2025

13/11/2025

I work with people living with complex chronic illness, and the food that they eat, in particular the quality of that food, is something that can make a huge difference to their health.

My clients often struggle with processed foods, especially food that is high in histamine. There are low-histamine meat suppliers available online, but it is extremely expensive, with huge minimum orders which many of my clients can't afford.

I always suggest to my clients that they find a local butchers, and buy their meat fresh from them. Building a good relationship with a local meat supplier means you know exactly what you are eating, and you can get advice from them because they know their own products best.

With that in mind, I need to shout out to Hannah and the wonderful team at Mill Farm They have been absolutely amazing at supporting me, and because I was able to get fresh meat from them on the day of delivery, I was able to keep eating meat when many others with MCAS struggle.

And today, when I put my Christmas order in, Hannah immediately replied to ask whether I wanted my pigs in blankets gluten free. Which I had forgotten to say! But she remembered that I am gluten free. That's service for you!

And for people living with complex, chronic health conditions, it's this kind of relationship with your food supplier that can make a huge difference to your health.

So, thank you Hannah! And, yes, please - gluten free pigs in blankets. Plenty of them! 😉😂

13/11/2025

When Masculinity Collides with Illness — Identity, Strength, and the Struggle to Let Go

How cultural expectations of masculinity and strength conflict with chronic illness and healing.
“For many men, strength isn’t just a quality — it’s part of who they are. But what happens when your body stops playing by those rules?”

Men often define themselves through physical strength, productivity, and the ability to “provide.”

Chronic illness threatens those pillars of identity, leading to shame, guilt, and a crisis of self-worth.

Many men try to heal using the same logic they’ve always used — to push harder, fight through, and resist rest.

But true healing often requires the opposite: slowing down, surrendering, and self-compassion

Healing asks for a new kind of strength — the courage to let go of who you were, so you can become who you need to be now.

11/11/2025

Silent Suffering — The Stigma and Shame Men Face When They’re Sick

The emotional isolation, shame, and silence men experience around illness and pain.

“Men with chronic illness often suffer twice — once from the illness itself, and again from the silence they’re trapped in.”

Many men feel deep shame about being sick — it can feel like a personal failure or weakness.

They struggle to confide in friends or family, fearing judgment or pity.

Mental health often declines as men try to “push through” their symptoms.

This silence means they rarely get the emotional or practical support they need.

If you’re a man living with chronic illness: please know that you’re not weak, you’re human. Speaking up about your pain doesn’t diminish your strength; it’s the most courageous act you could take.

10/11/2025

I'm sad I won't be at this one, Market Rasen a bit too far, but if you are local, I highly recommend you pop along. 🥰

07/11/2025

Finding Hope In Difficult Times - A Path to Healing

In this chat Caroline Rose and I share our insights on navigating life’s most challenging moments and what it means to find hope when things feel impossible.

I hope that this conversation will remind you that you are not alone in your chronic illness journey, and that hearing about the small steps toward self-care, presence, and connection that we have taken can inspire you to do similar things for yourself. It doesn’t have to be anything big or grand, just small daily practices that nourish us can make a big difference.

06/11/2025

The Hidden Struggles — Why Men with Chronic Illness Are Often Overlooked

Men’s chronic illness is invisible because chronic illness is culturally coded as a “female issue.”
“When I first started working as a chronic illness coach, I assumed most of my clients would be women. But I was wrong — nearly half, sometimes most, of my clients are men.”

Society tends to associate chronic illness with women — which means men with long-term conditions are often forgotten or misunderstood.

Men’s suffering is frequently invisible, even to health professionals, because they’ve learned to hide it.

Many men don’t fit the “expected” image of a chronically ill person, so they fall through the cracks.

As a society, we all need to broaden the conversation around chronic illness. Men get sick too — and they deserve understanding, support, and visibility.