4 Ways Traditional Chinese Medicine Benefits Men’s Health

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been around for thousands of years, it’s an incredible system to treat many conditions and can be useful for men, women, and the entire family.  This holistic medicine encompasses many modalities besides just the insertion of tiny needles in the body, which is known as acupuncture. It also includes lifestyle recommendations, dietary advice, herbs, cupping, and other treatments, depending on the practitioner.  TCM can be done for the entire family, is helpful for any age, for almost any condition and has little to no side effects. Actually, there are usually positive side effects like improved sleep, less seasonal allergies, and decreased pain. The most common negative side effect is a small bruise.  TCM can be used for acute or chronic problems and is a great first line of treatment for a variety of ailments.

Conditions that affect both sexes that TCM treats include digestive disorders (IBS, Crohn’s, colitis, constipation, bowel control problems, heartburn, reflux, GERD and diarrhea), emotional imbalance, and insomnia (difficulty falling or staying asleep and/or getting deeper more restful, uninterrupted sleep).  Oftentimes, these issues are interrelated, so stress can cause IBS or vice versa. Diet can also play a crucial role in these conditions, so your acupuncturist will often give you some nutritional advice to aid in your treatment. Acupuncture has been shown to bring such a balance to the body and mind that it allows both to relax and restore leading to better results than over the counter remedies without the side effects or dependency.  Even if these issues are not the chief complaint, they can also be improved during a course of treatment.

There are many conditions that are more prevalent in men than women and can be efficiently treated with a course of treatment in TCM.  TCM helps with: lowering high blood pressure, improving athletic performance, recovery from injuries, decreasing pain, improving sexual vitality and performance, bettering of urinary and digestive issues, deeper and better sleep, and lastly helping with prostatitis.

Lowering Blood Pressure

Acupuncture has been known to be very beneficial in lowering blood pressure, which, in turn, helps prevent heart conditions.  Men will often get acupuncture as a means to avoid taking blood pressure medications to avoid erectile dysfunction, a common side effect of blood pressure medication. Additionally, acupuncture encourages the release of natural endorphins in the body, which decreases the heart’s activity and lowers the need for additional oxygen.

Improve Athletic Performance and/or Recovery from Injuries

Many popular athletes have been vocal about believing in acupuncture, such as:  Tom Brady, Snoop Dogg, Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Howard, Michael Phelps, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Jim Carrey, NFL’s Tony Richardson, Aaron Rodgers, Tiki Barber, Pittsburgh Pirates AJ Burnett, NBA’s Kobe Bryant, Charles Barkley, Steve Nash, Yao Ming, Grant Hill, and Cyclist Vincenzo Nibali.  They have been featured in articles as well as have posted selfies on Facebook and Instagram. One of the mechanisms of acupuncture is to bring fresh blood and qi (energy or life force) to the injured area which can speed up the healing. If you have a broken bone you should get it set in the correct position by a physician before seeking acupuncture as acupuncture can heal it so quickly it can be reset incorrectly.  After seeking medical help for a broken bone, get acupuncture and inquire about our tinctures for a speedy recovery. TCM can effectively treat acute or chronic injuries as well as sprains, tightness, pain, soreness, tennis elbow, tendinitis, frozen shoulder and much more.

Acupuncture can help by:

• Reducing inflammation
• Relaxing sore or tight muscles
• Strengthening weak or loose muscles
• Improving range of motion
• Increase flexibility
• Stimulating tissue repair
• Increasing maximal oxygen uptake

Sexual Vitality and Performance

This is definitely not an easy subject for men to talk about but is one that weighs heavily on their minds.  A condition seen often is erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence, which is the inability to get or maintain an erection for sexual intercourse.   ED can be caused by conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, medications, stress, or emotional issues. Since blood pressure medication is known to cause erectile dysfunction, many patients seek acupuncture as a means to wean off the medication to prevent or stop this condition from happening.  TCM can help increase arousal, stamina, and increase sperm quality, quantity, and motility, in turn, helping with fertility issues. Western treatments include medications, mechanical devices or surgery. Acupuncture is a safe, effective approach to tackling this issue and getting to the root of the problem and avoiding scary side effects.  Most sexually related conditions in TCM are related to the kidneys. Therefore the goal in treatment is to strengthen and revitalize the kidneys to balance them.

Urinary Issues (Prostatitis, Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH))

Urinary issues can be caused by prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and several other conditions.  These are some of the most popular and most researched conditions to be treated by TCM. Prostatitis is most commonly defined as swelling and inflammation of the prostate gland which sits right under the bladder in men.  The prostate produces fluid like semen that encourages and transports the sperm. Prostatitis can often cause painful or difficult urination. Some studies have shown that acupuncture and herbs are very effective in treating the pain and urinary symptoms caused by prostatitis.  The most common prostate issue is BPH which is more commonly seen in men over 60. BPH is also known as prostate gland enlargement and the amplification of this gland can cause uncomfortable urinary symptoms such as blocking the urine, slowness, dribbling, hesitancy or difficulty in starting the flow, frequent urination and/or night time urination.  Acupuncture and herbs are safe treatments in improving these conditions and balancing the urinary system.  

At Natural Point Acupuncture and Wellness Clinic we specialize in helping men with lowering blood pressure, improving athletic performance, recovery from injuries, enhancing sexual vitality and performance and, last, but not least, with urinary problems.  Our 100% natural process of relieving pain, reducing inflammation, and increasing vitality have given thousands of patients relief by improving performance, enhancing vitality, recovering from injuries, and resolving urinary issues without surgical procedures or harmful medications.   

Are you a male suffering from high blood pressure? Do you want to improve performance and vitality?  Are you experiencing urinary issues? If so, make an appointment here.