Men’s sexual dysfunction affects a large portion of the male population and yet it is a topic that is often difficult to talk about even for the most confident of men. But learning and talking about it can help men and their partners understand and manage this common condition. Thankfully, sexual dysfunction is now better understood medically than ever before, and integrated approaches of western medicine with traditional Chinese medicine has been highly effective at treating men’s sexual dysfunction.

For thousands of years in China, acupuncture has been used to enhance the performance of soldiers and to treat injuries as well. In recent decades, it’s a common practice in China to use acupuncture for athletes while they are training and for their recovery from injury. Since late 1990, this trend of utilizing acupuncture and Chinese medicine in sports training and sports injury was gradually adopted and gained high attention by many countries including the U.S. Later, acupuncture techniques and its Sinew Channel theory was adopted by the two most prominent sports injury professions in the U.S. --- Chiropractic Therapy and Physical Therapy --- to their practices, and it is referred to as “dry needling”. Whether it is referred to as acupuncture or dry needling, or whatever name other professionals would like to use, it proves one thing --- acupuncture works and it works well in sports medicine. 

Through thousands of years of evolution and modification, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has become a well-developed and widely practiced medical system that helps human health tremendously. Its unique approach to the human body makes TCM a great medicine in restoring the body’s general condition. TCM has also been proven to be an effective medicine in enhancing fertilization. Before we discuss how TCM works to improve fertility, let’s take a closer look at the mechanisms of infertility as well as the modern fertility treatments used today.

There are many interesting and effective dietary tips to draw from the teachings of Traditional Chinese Medicine. TCM often describes the world as a harmonious and holistic entity where all living beings are viewed in relation to the surrounding environment and that mankind is part of this holistic entity. We are influenced directly and indirectly by changes in weather and our bodies make corresponding physiological and pathological responses to these changes. An example of this is that a change of season causes the rate, rhythm, volume, and tension of your heart’s pulse to vary. According to TCM philosophies, if we consume seasonal foods that are similar in nature to the external environment, we remain in harmony with the environment, adapt better to changes in season and stay healthy. There are numerous underlying principles regarding TCM’s dietary teachings such as how each flavor corresponds to a certain organ of the body but the basic applying principle is "nourishing yang in spring and summer time, and nourishing yin in autumn and winter time." To apply this principle, try following the simplified dietary advice below for each season.