Many men struggle with their mental wellbeing. For them life can feel pointless, dull and even not worth living.
Sadly, they don’t understand why, or how to get things better.
Dr Ed Rainbow has created approaches to help men when they feel like this.
Dr Rainbow specialises in men mastering their mental health. He understands that men’s minds are complex, and so takes a whole-approach to help men understand and improve their wellbeing for the long term.
‘I experienced burnout, depression and anxiety, and recovered by looking at my life, and what I was doing that was causing the problems. By taking a whole-person integrative approach, I was able to make great improvements, so much so that I feel the best I have felt mentally for decades.’
Through this journey he realised that the medical model lacks is ineffective for understanding and recovery from both mental health issues.
He understands Testosterone deficiency (The andropause / male menopause) is an important and under-recognised issue, which when tackled effectively can help men to get themselves back to their normal selves.
He also understands that men approach their health differently to women. Messages and assumptions men are given about how they should lead their lives, for example by being strong, able to fix their own problems, and being self-reliant can unfortunately reinforce the difficulties they face.
One example is with exercise. Many men know that exercise helps their wellbeing, and that they do this regularly, sometimes on their own. Unfortunately, many men with mental health issues find this is not enough to help their issues.
He also understands that challenges in mid-life, of combining working long hours, financial and family commitments and relationship strain can play a large role in driving these issues.
Dr Rainbow uses a whole person assessment, looking at their life in the round. This can involve looking testosterone and other important male hormones, assessing lifestyle, and creating a timeline of the difficulties in their lives.
Through this, he can help men to understand the difficulties they are facing, and therefore what can be done to help.
From there, he can help make clear plans to make changes, and offer prescriptions for Testosterone and other hormones if needed.
‘I really enjoy hearing men’s stories. Why they are with me, what difficulties they have, what they want their lives to be like. It is fulfilling helping them make sense of their struggles, whilst helping them make concrete changes to improve their mind in the long run.’
Dr Rainbow trained at Nottingham University where he obtained his BMBS. He did his GP training in Leicester, gaining MRCGP in 2016. He also has a MSc in Palliative Care, and the Diploma in Lifestyle Medicine. He has also undertaken training Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and ADHD (Adult Attentive Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
Other roles include teaching medical students at the University of Leicester, and mentoring GPs
He enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters, playing badminton, being outdoors, adventures in the campervan and growing food on his allotment.