Is there a problem with male fertility?
Today male sperm in the western population has decreased in viability. A study in 2017 showed that male sperm counts are down by 59% since 1970!!
Many factors have influenced this:
- Chemicals in the environment – such as oestrogen in the water supply, and plastic wrapping around food
- Heat from laptops, technology, mobile phones
- Tight clothing
- Hormonal changes in men
- Drugs
- Long-term stress
- Sedentary lifestyles
What can a bloke do?
Quite a lot. Men are lucky in that they continuously produce new sperm. It takes about 74 days (two to three months) from an immature ‘spermatogonium’ to mature into fully mature and functional sperm. Therefore approximately three months is all that is needed to improve a man’s fertility.
Research shows that there a number of changes that a man can make to improve sperm count and quality. Each man will have individual needs and there may be lifestyle or dietary changes required. Some of these include:
- Avoid tight underclothes
- Keep technology away from the lower part of the body
- Use filtered water
- Eat organic meat
- Avoid plastic wrapping around food
- Eat a good quality diet and avoid junk food and sugar
- Improve intake of specific minerals and vitamins such as Omega 3, Selenium, Zinc and vitamin C
Sometimes in addition to all these changes a man still does not have significant improvement. Why? Because male age, previous habits and genetics are also a factor. This is why we may also recommend medicinal herbal supplements and or acupuncture.
What specifically can acupuncture do?
Sperm is a single cell and carries all the DNA that is needed to combine with an egg to make a child. Like every other cell in the body it can be effected by chemicals, temperature and environment. Acupuncture has been shown to:
- Improve blood flow. Regular acupuncture may improve the environment where the sperm mature
- Reduce stress levels. Long term stress impacts the adrenal glands and cortisol release. This then impacts fertility hormones. Acupuncture works by stimulating the neurological system which in turn influences the hormones.
We have experience, we have the time and we get the results. Speak to one of our health directors today
References
Hagai Levine, Niels Jørgensen, Anderson Martino-Andrade, Jaime Mendiola, Dan Weksler-Derri, Irina Mindlis, Rachel Pinotti, Shanna H Swan; Temporal trends in sperm count: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis, Human Reproduction Update, Volume 23, Issue 6, 1 November 2017, Pages 646–659,
Jerng UM, Jo JY, Lee S, Lee JM, Kwon O. The effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for poor semen quality in infertile males: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Asian J Androl. 2014 Nov-Dec;16(6):884-91. (This review looks at a selected number of RCTs that examined the effect of acupuncture on sperm motility and count, but not morphology. From the 4 trials they examined, they report that motility and sperm concentration were significantly increased in the acupuncture groups)
Engel CC, Cordova EH, Benedek DM, Liu X, Gore KL, Goertz C, et al. Randomized effectiveness trial of a brief course of acupuncture for posttraumatic stress disorder. Med Care. 2014 Dec;52(12 Suppl 5):S57-64.