For many years now I have been treating men suffering with conditions such as; male factor infertility (poor sperm parameters), premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, low libido (testosterone), and prostate conditions such as prostatitis, BPH, and chronic pelvic pain (CPPS). I have come to some overarching conclusions about the treatment and prognosis of these conditions, and not surprisingly, they are not that dis-similar to one another.
First and foremost, if treatment is to be successful, it is of absolute importance that the partner be 110% supportive of the man and their challenges. If this piece is not present, I see only very minimal improvement if that. The male ego is a powerful thing, and when conditions of the reproductive organs arise, the utmost of sensitivity surrounding the subject must be exercised at all times. If a partner gets upset, angry, frustrated, sad, or withdrawn, the condition most likely will snowball into something increasingly difficult to treat. These conditions most often are present with a certain degree of psychosomatic etiology (mental emotional causes of physical symptoms), but an non-supportive partner will most certainly and exponentially worsen the issue, and end up causing a multitude of other problems as well. In these cases I see men become half the man they used to be. The guilt of not being able to provide their loved one with very basic needs eats away at the very core of what being a man is all about. They either bury themselves into a cave or do absolutely everything in their power to make things better, just to make their partner happy again. The programming of love only coming if their penis is working right installs itself so quickly, and is difficult to reverse. The reality is, unless major work is done individually (both partners), often the only cure for these conditions is a dissolution of the relationship.
When men do have the support of their partners the scenario is much brighter, prognosis much better. From my perspective, at a point such as this, I am allowed to focus treatment 1/2 on the actual organic issue, and 1/2 on the mental-emotional component, instead of constantly just trying to keep the mans emotional life on an even keel. This 50/50 treatment principle creates the space necessary for holistic healing and incremental improvement of the condition in question. I feel, with this environment, treatment with traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture can improve conditions, most often, to a point where quality of life is re-established and long-term healing can be expected.
With any of the above mentioned health conditions, a minimum of 12 acupuncture treatments (1/week for 12 weeks or 2/wk for 6 weeks) is required to both understand how to properly treat the condition and to display improvement. Additionally, 3 months of Chinese herbal medicine is most often administered alongside the acupuncture treatments. The combination of the two drastically affects the overall efficacy of my treatment protocols. There may also be a few supplements (vitamins) recommended, as well as lifestyle and dietary changes. Often, other types of treatment may be encouraged, such as couselling or coaching, as working through the emotional component of any condition is so important, especially for men (despite our reluctance!). It should also be noted that additional courses of treatment may be required to bring-fourth lasting effect. Cost of one course of treatment (as outlined above; acupuncture, herbal medicine, and supplements inclusive) usually amounts to approx $1500. Package pricing is available.
It should be emphasized that these health conditions, or any for that matter, are most often a reflection of deeper underlying patterns that should be addressed. The sooner the ‘whole’ health of the man is taken into consideration, the greater the chances of feeling better overall, AND averting more serious health conditions down the road. Recent correlations between poor semen parameters and testicular or prostate cancer is quite conclusive. The semen being an accurate bio-marker for other diseases gives us a benchmark for determining male health and prognosis for other conditions. If this is not motivation for looking after oneself then I throw my hands in the air and bow down to the power of ‘stubborn’ !