Peter Deadman

About

Media

Outline

Male infertility, or more correctly male subfertility, has long been thought to contribute to around 50% of couple infertility. In the light of the growing number of men presenting at infertility clinics, the rise in ICSI procedures compared to IVF, and the well documented and now incontrovertible steady decline in sperm counts and quality, this figure now appears to be rising. In fact the possible decline in male infertility reflects a wider crisis for men, with signs of similar increases in the incidence of testicular cancer, cryptorchidism and hypospadias.

There is very little that can be done in Western medicine to treat impaired sperm count and quality. If the male partner is subfertile, therefore, assisted reproduction techniques are generally advocated, with their requirement that the female partner takes fertility-enhancing medication. These procedures can be prolonged, exhausting and damaging to male self-esteem.

Fortunately, from clinical experience and a growing number of clinical studies, it is clear that acupuncture can often increase sperm count, motility and morphology.

In this presentation, we will take a Western medicine overview of male infertility, and then look at Chinese medicine pattern differentiation and treatment. We will review the use of the semen analysis as a 'before' and 'after' guide to treatment and discuss the overall treatment plan. Finally we will review the existing clinical studies into the treatment of male infertility by acupuncture.

Reviews

About

Media

Outline

Erectile dysfunction (difficulty achieving and/or maintaining an erection) may impact negatively on a man's quality of life and his sense of self-esteem. Even more importantly it may be the first signifier of a serious disease. For many men erectile dysfunction is the first indication of a blood vessel problem that will end up with a serious complication within three years, either a heart attack or a stroke.

Whilst the new generation of erectile dysfunction drugs have proved very successful and have also, incidentally brought the subject much more into the open, they are not without problems. They may have unacceptable side-effects, diminish in effectiveness and fail to treat many men successfully. More importantly, they are directed only at the biao (manifestation) and fail to address the ben (root) of this disorder.

Acupuncture can play an major role in helping erectile dysfunction, whether it belongs to the 80% which has a physical cause or the 20% which is emotional in origin. In this presentation, I will give a western medicine overview of erectile dysfunction and explain both the physiology and pathology of the erection process according to Chinese medicine. We will of course also look at the differentiation of patterns, acupuncture points, needling methods, lifestyle changes and – most importantly - physical exercises that can be used to treat this problem.

Reviews