Men’s Healthcare
A) Sexual dysfunctions
We treat sexual dysfunctions in men that are secondaryorfunctionally in nature. These include:
---Impotence or erectile dysfunction [ED]
---Diminished libido
---Premature ejaculation
---Delayed or inhibited ejaculation
The physiological process of sexual activity begins in the brain and involves the nervous and vascular systems. Neurotransmitters in the brain (e.g., epinephrine, acetylcholine, nitric oxide) are some of the chemicals that initiate it. Physical or psychological stimulation (arousal) causes nerves to send messages to the vascular system, which results in significant blood flow to the penis. Two arteries in the penis supply blood to erectile tissue and the corporacavernosa, which become engorged and expand as a result of increased blood flow and pressure. So any factors that impact the pathway could contribute to the sexual problems
Causes
Limited blood flow-- Anything that limits blood flow to the penis can cause ED. The most common conditions that limit blood flow include cigarette smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, and normal aging. In addition, many commonly prescribed medications, such as antihypertensive (HBP) medications, especially diuretics (Thiazide),beta-blockers and peripheral adrenergic inhibitorscan interfere with male sexual function. Reduced blood flow in the penile arteries can happen before decreased blood flow to other vital organs, such as the heart. Therefore, men with ED should be evaluated for cardiovascular risk by your doctor.
Neurological causes--ED can be caused by a stroke, diseases such as diabetes, spinal cord injury, or prostate surgery that damage nerves to the penis.
Drugs-- A large number of drugs that affect the nervous system and some that lower testosterone levels or inhibit testosterone action can cause ED. Opioids that are taken for chronic pain can also cause ED.
Psychological causes-- Depression, performanceanxiety, poor body image, cultural or religious taboos, differences between the reality of sex with a partner and sexual fantasies and lack of focus are common causes of psychogenic ED
Therefore, relatively speaking, TCM therapies address on the holistic regulation, which means they adjust the entire physical and physiological functions among the different remedies or modalities in the body, most target the root of the aliment in order to enable the body's own equilibrium functions to balance it again.In this way, damage can be repaired and functions be resumed gradually and naturally. However, due to advances in medical knowledge, modern TCM physicians now rely more on syndrome differentiation. They understand that the “liver, spleen and heart (mind)” also play important roles in the causes of sexual problems and should also be simultaneouslyaddressed in their treatment.A valid therapy encompasses regulating the liver, nourishing the spleen, promoting normal heart activities and enhancing gall bladder function respectively. Different therapeutic modalities may be applied in conjunction with one another to improve the success rates.
If you are seeking more natural ways to solve your problem, the approaches in alternative medicine could be a great option. Acupuncture could be advised by your doctor or someone else. We usually recommend about 8-10 sessions of acupuncture over the course of about 4 weeks to assess the effects of our treatment. On average, you should begin to experience the benefitsafter 4 or 5 sessions. Our office will be able to provide a more accurate assessment in person base on severity of conditions. Chinese herbs are often used as a powerful supplement to treatments. These herbs will work on exactly the same issues but from a nutritional point of view. While there are many herbs known to improve male sexual function, it is advisable to take an individual approachrather than buying ‘herbal Viagra’.
B) Prostate problems
The prostate is a male reproductive gland that lies just below the bladder. It encircles the urethra, the tube in the penis through which urine and semen pass. The prostate contributes fluids and nutrients to the semen. All men are at risk for prostate problems. That's because all men have a prostate. The most common problems men face arethe following:
1. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Also known as an enlarged prostate, is growth of the prostate gland to an unhealthy size. A man's chances of having BPH go up with age: 50% for Age 51-60 and 90% for age over 80 will have this problem. Symptoms include:
Urinating frequently, especially at night. Difficulty getting a urine stream going and feeling as if you are unable to get all the urine out.
2. Prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Unlike most prostate problems, prostatitis -- inflammation or an infection of the prostate -- occurs more often in young and middle-aged men. Only 5% to 10% of men develop prostatitis in their lifetime. In fact, for decades most doctors and Urologists have been bewildered and at a loss to explain what actually cause the long-term chronic prostatitis known as “chronic pelvic pain syndrome” (CPPS), the most common prostatitis disorder affecting 95% of complaints. Possible symptoms include: Pain urinating or ejaculating, fever and chills, pelvic pain, frequent urinate and cloudy urine.
3. Prostate Cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men (besides skin cancer). About one man in six will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime. Prostate cancer is usually slow growing and only about one in 35 men will die of prostate cancer.Like BPH, the risk for prostate cancer increases with age. About two out of every three men with prostate cancer are over age 65. No one knows exactly what causes prostate cancer, but risk factors associated with it include family history and race.
C) Male Infertility
What is male infertility?
Reproduction (making a baby) is a simple and natural experience for most couples. However, for some couples it is very difficult to conceive. A man’s fertility generally relies on the quantity and quality of his sperm. If the number of sperm a man ejaculates is low or if the sperm are of a poor quality, it will be difficult, and sometimes impossible, for him to cause a pregnancy.
Male infertility is diagnosed when, after testing both partners, reproductive problems have been found in the male. Many men will still be able to father children naturally even though they may have a lowered sperm count.
Our office only provides treatments for BPH and Prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Traditional pharmacological treatments for prostate problems like BPH and Prostatitis can consist of pharmaceutical drugs such as an alpha-adrenergic blocker for BPH (Flomax) or antibiotics for Prostatitis. As with most drugs, for instance, Flomax can cause side effects that may impair thinking or reflexes. While treatment for Prostatitis/CPPS was traditionally focused on the prostate itself whereas more modern-day treatments are taking a multimodal “whole body” approach encompassing naturopathic and traditional medicine and alternative treatments.
Numerous studies havedemonstrated that men who choose acupuncture for prostate problems frequently enjoy relief from their symptoms, and without worrisome side effects associated with medications. If you are living with BHP or chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) and pharmacological treatments are not effective, acupuncture may be what you are looking for. Acupuncture can provide a safe and natural alternative to medications. When treating the prostate with acupuncture, needles are likely to be placed in the arms and legs, abdomen and back. Acupuncture channels run vertically along the body, and the acupuncture points that are most effective are often those that are the furthest from the local area. The needles may be used with or without a miniscule electrical charge, in which case the treatment is known as electro acupuncture. How many needles will your acupuncturist use? That depends on your condition and symptoms, as each acupuncture treatment is tailored andindividualized. You may have as few as 3 to 4 or as many as 8 or 10. The number of sessions necessary to experience long-lasting relief also varies, but typically patients have 1 to 2 treatments per week for five to eight weeks or more.
Traditional Chinese Medicine explanation
Traditional causes-based treatment approaches often include significant side effects. A combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbs can restore balance in the necessary organs and increase energy without having as much associated side effects. This can stimulate sexual appetite and increases penile erection which were attested by a large number of patients worldwide. Theoretically, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) considers the sexual problems came from the unbalance in yin-yang of associated organs in the body, special the “kidney”. (To clarifying, when discussing organs in TCM we do not mean the anatomical organs but the conceptual collection of multiple functions associated with that organ in TCM theory.TCM kidney not equal to anatomical kidney)When the yin-yang theory of TCM is used to explain sexual problems, the kidney's physiology function refers as the capability of erection, it claims sexual activities or functions pertain to yang, and the physical form pertains to yin. In this way, sexual activity is the manifestation of kidney yang, which is fueled by the material basis of kidney yin, called the essence (Jing). Hence, sexual problems would attribute to “kidney deficiency” in the diagnosis of TCM. They are not referring to the anatomical pair of elimination organs in the back of your body. Rather, they mean a set of functions which Chinese medical theory groups under the rubric of ‘Kidney’. To extend the meaning, we can understand why TCM regards impotence or ED as "withered yang"(yang wei), while enhancement in sexual function is said to strengthen or enhance “yang” (fortifying the kidney-yang).
How common is male infertility?
Infertility is a widespread problem with a worldwide incidence. In the UK and USA, it is estimated to be 6% and 10% respectively. In USA ,for about one in five infertile couples the problem lies solely in the male partner and in another quarter, both partners have problems. In about one in seven infertile couples, the cause of the problem cannot be found (idiopathic infertility). In almost half of infertile couples, there is a problem in the male alone or both male and female partners. It is estimated that one in 20 men has some kind of fertility problem with low numbers of sperm in his ejaculate. However, only about one in every 100 men has no sperm in his ejaculate. (source of booklet" Male Infertility" by Australian Government Department of Health). Acupuncture as alternative approach for male infertility can be tracked back to 2000 years ago in China. in the past couple of decades, there’s actually quite a bit of conventional scientific evidence to support the use of acupuncture for the treatment of patients with poor sperm quality even without sufficient evidence of significant pregnant rate improvement . The acupuncture, as an alternative approach, is recommended for patients with unsuccessful conventional treatment afterwards. for more information, pleases go to male infertility page