Despite popular belief, men are not immune to developing health issues, though many are very poor at asking for help when needed. Whilst a lot of focus in medicine is put on the troubles and changes a woman’s body goes through as they age, men can develop issues also, and they shouldn’t be ignored.
Men unfortunately do have a well documented history of not looking after their health, prone to more poor lifestyle choices than women. Bad habits such as smoking, excessive alcohol intake, lack of exercise and poor diet can lead to a host of health issues.
Fertility
A study performed in 2015 found that “male obesity is associated with reduced reproductive potential.” In Chinese Medicine, this is because damp (fat) is an obstructive pathogen, which blocks the nourishment of the kidney essence to help the body produce healthy sperm.
A man’s sperm has roughly a 2 month cycle of reproduction. The good thing is that men continually produce new sperm, whereas women are born with all the eggs they’ll ever have. By making positive lifestyle changes, men can often reverse the negative effects that diet/lifestyle have taken on their health. Realise though that your diet 2 months ago is affecting your sperm now! Hence the importance of sticking to a good diet/lifestyle.
Often these poor lifestyle choices are out of bad habits for coping with either stress or a pre-existing illness or injury. This is where we may be able to help.
Acupuncture is a good form of stress relief as well as pain management. By helping you feel more relaxed and in control, it may help with your will power and discipline to stick with corrective lifestyle choices.
Whilst there has been research in the past showing Acupuncture may assist with male fertility, these studies have all been deemed of a low quality and the results cannot be deemed as conclusive.
Prostate Problems (chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome)
As women get older they can develop issues due to hormonal changes such as menopause, men can also suffer similar problems in regards to their prostate. The prostate is a small gland in the male reproductive tract that produces seminal fluid. This fluid helps protect and feeds sperm. At age 20 it is about the size of a walnut, as a man ages its size can increase due to changes in their body’s production of testosterone. Due to its close proximity to the bladder, it can but pressure on it causing pain and urination issues.
It can also lead to chronic pelvic pain due to the inflammation in the prostate aggravating the surrounding tissue and structures. There is some research to suggest that Acupuncture may be useful in providing pain relief to men suffering from prostatitis and chronic pelvic inflammation.
A study performed in 2015 found: “Our results show that the use of acupuncture in treatment of men with CP (chronic prostatitis)/CPPS (chronic pelvic pain syndrome ) symptoms resulted in a significant decrease in total NIH-CPSI scores.”
Another study from 2016 concluded: “Acupuncture has promising efficacy for patients with CP/CPPS. Compared to standard medical treatment, it has better efficacy. Thus, it may also serve as a standard treatment option when available.”
If you would like to discuss this further, or any other health concerns, feel free to call the clinic on 9796 2388