Acupuncture Offers a Natural Solution for Male Health Issues
Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest. Acupuncture doesn't involve complicated therapies or expensive prescription drugs, yet provides effective relief for many men's health issues.
Acupuncture Basics
Acupuncture clears blockages of Qi and treats deficiencies that can affect the normal functioning of your body. Qi, a vital life force, flows through your body through a series of meridians and is essential for good health.
Although a treatment that involves placing needles in your skin may sound painful, most people don't find treatments uncomfortable, thanks to hair-thin acupuncture needles. At most, you may feel a slight pinching or tugging sensation when a needle is placed in your body. Needle placement varies depending on the condition being treated. In some cases, your acupuncturist will place needles in a meridian located some distance away from the body part being treated.
Unlike Western medicine, Eastern medicine considers the whole person during the treatment process, not just the particular body part or system. Your acupuncturist understands that improving your health involves a complex interaction between the body and mind, so he or she will take the time to get to know you and address your most sensitive concerns.
Treatments Offer Help for Sexual Issues
Sex is an important part of life, yet many men feel uncomfortable discussing sexual issues or are leery of the side effects prescription drugs can cause. Erectile dysfunction (ED), the inability to achieve or maintain an erection hard enough for sex, can affect men of all ages, but is particularly common as you grow older. The problem can occur if you have a kidney Yang deficiency or a Qi blood flow issue in your abdomen. Acupuncture treatment increases blood flow and restores kidney balance. In one study published in the International Journal of Impotence Research, 68.4% of men obtained full erections after acupuncture treatment, compared to only 9 percent in the placebo group.
Acupuncture is also helpful for other sexual and reproductive issues, such as premature ejaculation, low testosterone levels, and low sperm count. Chinese researchers noted raised serum testosterone levels in rats that received electroacupuncture treatments. The treatment can also help prevent early ejaculation and improve sperm count by decreasing the temperature of the testicles.
It's not unusual to feel a little stressed if you have a sexual problem. Unfortunately, the more you worry about the issue, the worse it may become. Acupuncture treatment reduces stress as well as anxiety and depression, improves your sense of well-being, and increases your energy level.
Acupuncture Offers a Natural Solution to Prostate Issues
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) affects approximately 50 percent of men between 51 and 60 and 90 percent of men older than 80, according to the Urinary Care Foundation. The condition occurs when the prostate becomes enlarged and can lead to leakage of urine and the inability to empty the bladder fully. A systematic review of acupuncture studies published in PLoS One revealed that patients treated with acupuncture reported short-term improvements in their International Prostate Symptom Scores (IPSS). The IPSS questionnaire is a screening tool used to assess common symptoms of BPH.
Acupuncture Can Even Help Treat Hair Loss
Have you noticed that your hair has begun to thin? Acupuncture treatments offer a drug-free solution to topical hair regrowth medications. Treatments can enhance sebaceous gland functioning, increase the flow of blood and Qi to the head to improve the health of hair follicles.
Not Just Needles: Other Ways Your Acupuncturist Can Help
In addition to offering acupuncture treatments, your acupuncturist may also recommend vitamin supplements to counteract deficiencies or prepare herbal medications for you that will enhance the effects of your treatment. He or she may also suggest diet and exercise changes that can improve your health.
Male health problems don't have to affect the quality of your life. Call us to schedule an appointment to learn how acupuncture can help treat your issue.
Sources:
International Journal of Impotence Research: Acupuncture in the Treatment of Psychogenic Erectile Dysfunction,10/16/03
https://www.nature.com/articles/3901021
Transitional Andrology and Urology: Erectile Dysfunction Treatment and Traditional Medicine—Can East and West Medicine Coexist?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5313309/
Acufinder.com: Top Men’s Health Concerns and How Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Can Help
HealthCMI: Acupuncture Restores Urine Flow Blocked By Enlarged Prostate
U.S. National Library of Medicine: PLoS One: Acupuncture for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, 4/4/17
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5380320/
U.S. National Library of Medicine: Acupuncture in Medicine: Effects and Mechanisms of Acupuncture and Moxibustion on Reproductive Endocrine Function in Male Rats with Partial Androgen Deficiency, 4/16
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26508663
Pacific College of Oriental Medicine: How Hair Loss Can Be Treated with Chinese Medicine, 9/15/16
https://www.pacificcollege.edu/news/blog/2016/09/15/how-hair-loss-can-be-treated-chinese-medicine