Prostrate Flickr by silverlily
As you have undoubtedly surmised, this month’s topic is prostate health. Initially, when I received the news, I almost tapped out. I mean, seriously, a spiritual take on prostate health? Not wanting to give up, I kept staring at the word prostate and suddenly — I had it!
Several years ago, I was in a church service and the pastor’s sermon opened with these words, “Last night as I sought the Lord, prostate on the ground.” Yes…a humorous mispronunciation gave me the needed inspiration to tackle this month’s subject.
The English language is rife with faux pas, but perhaps none more confusing than homophones.A homophone is a word that sounds like another word, but is spelled different, i.e. very/vary, wait/weight, etc. So, prostate/prostrate offers a unique challenge in it’s own, right!?
The word “prostate” is a noun referring to a gland surrounding the neck of the bladder in the male species responsible for releasing prostatic fluid, while the word “prostrate” is an adjective referring to the action of laying flat on the ground, face down, in reverence or submission. The correlation is revelatory, if we have eyes to see the implication!
The Real PROSTATE Story
Prostate Cancer by Flickr North Shore-LIJ
Over 30,000 men die of prostate cancer in the U.S. every year. There is mounting controversy over PSA testing, biopsies, surgery on elderly males, etc. Many doctors are now claiming that an overwhelming number of males over the age of 70 have cancer cells present in their prostate gland. However, the ones that bypassed biopsies or surgery lived normal lives and died of natural causes… not related to the prostate!
On the other hand, elderly men who received biopsies and/or surgery suffered from incontinence, impotence and severely compromised quality of life and died prematurely due to prostate cancer!
New evidence is proving that prostate cancer is quickly becoming the most over diagnosed and overly treated malady in America. I am NOT stating that this is always the case. However, I am saying that there are thousands of men who are suffering needlessly because they are misinformed.
The Real PROSTRATE Story
Every month, thousands of people visit this site looking for answers. I am honored to be a part of the consortium of minds offering advice from a myriad of modalities solely dedicated to their ultimate health and transformation.
As previously stated, sometimes it is the simple, unassuming, and unorthodox methods that yield the greatest results. To prostrate oneself means to lie down, to become humble, in an act of reverence or humility. This is the posture of prayer. I believe there are times when medicine is the appropriate solution to the problem. Sometimes a more “holistic” approach is necessary. Still other situations warrant psychological expertise.
Considering the fact that prostate health problems are solely male issues, coupled with the fact that men are “fixers” by nature, it stands to reason...
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The reason you are reading this is because somehow I survived. Young and dumb, I once ventured out on a boogie board on the north shore of the island of Oahu, near the famous and frightening Banzai Pipeline surf reef. Did I mention I am from Kansas?
In general, we all find disease frustrating and can easily empathize with those afflicted and affected. However, diseases that effect children stir up a whole different set of emotions ranging from anger to zeal – anger in terms of how could this be happening and zeal to conquer.
Like the concert virtuoso who sets the tension on a violin string with precision, the Grand Maestro of the Universe determined a specific blood pressure, which would be essential to healthy human life. In the Garden of Eden, God looked at the living bodies he meticulously fashioned and said, “It is good.” In other words: even down to the diminutive details we all take for granted or never slow down to notice, all things both micro and macro, internal and external, are now perfectly set for healthy life to flourish and thrive.
The Bible says a lot about the heart, and even about the importance of having a healthy heart. Something as simple as joy directly affects blood flow. “A merry heart is like good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22) Aside from the astonishing fact that this verse was written a couple millennia before modern medicine discovered the role of the bones in making blood for the heart, there is this now documentable reality that these seemingly non-biological factors directly affect us physically. This monthly column on the Spiritual Dimensions of Wellness is devoted to what was obvious even to healing practitioners in the ancient world – that a wide range of intangible dynamics, especially emotional factors and spiritual forces, directly impact our bodies for good and for bad.
