Experts warn: To protect male reproductive health, bad living habits must be changed

October 28 this year is the 22nd Men's Health Day in my country. The theme of the event is: "Together we protect a healthy China, and popularize men's health knowledge first."

In my country, men's health has gradually attracted the attention and attention of the general public. People have a deeper understanding of men's diseases, are more willing to seek medical treatment, and have a stronger demand for medical treatment. Nowadays, there are many factors that affect men's health, and the research and treatment of related diseases are still in the catching-up stage. This requires attaching great importance to men's health literacy, further increasing popular science publicity, and ensuring men's physical and mental health.

People often see advertising slogans such as "Prostatitis can cause impotence, premature ejaculation, affect fertility, and even eventually develop into uremia" or "For men's diseases, of course choose a certain hospital, which will make men free again" on buses or TV. Indeed, prostatitis and male infertility are both diseases with a high incidence rate in men, but in recent years, under the vigorous "popularization" of a few private hospitals, people always naturally equate prostatitis with male infertility. Such misleading information has brought a great mental burden to many young and middle-aged patients with chronic prostatitis, and even some handsome men dare not get married because they are worried that prostatitis will affect their fertility.

So, is there any scientific basis for this statement? Is it groundless or exaggerated? In a recent interview with a reporter, Professor Zhang Rui, a member of the Chinese Traditional and Western Medicine Men's Professional Committee, chief physician of the Men's Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, and a master's tutor, pointed out: "You reap what you sow." When it comes to passing on the family line, the most important thing is the "seed" - sperm. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that "the kidney stores sperm and controls reproduction", that is, only with strong and healthy sperm can you ensure strong reproductive ability. Human sperm is stored in the "sperm chamber", which is equivalent to the prostate, testicles, seminal vesicles and other organs in modern medicine. It can be said that the "sperm chamber" is the "home" of sperm.

From the perspective of modern medicine, semen consists of two parts: seminal plasma and sperm. Seminal plasma is the living environment of sperm, and the relationship between the two is like the relationship between fish and water. Seminal plasma is composed of testicular fluid, epididymal fluid, etc., including prostatic fluid, which accounts for about 30-40% of the entire seminal plasma. Professor Zhang explained that the slightly alkaline prostatic fluid contains a large amount of active proteases and trace ions, which can stimulate the vitality of sperm, promote the liquefaction of semen, increase the survival rate of sperm in the slightly acidic female vagina, and help sperm pass through many barriers and then combine with egg cells.

From this, it can be seen that the prostate and sperm are indeed "in perfect harmony", so chronic prostatitis may cause certain obstacles to fertility, but it will not evolve to the point of "extremely poor". In fact, from clinical observation, the vast majority of male patients with chronic prostatitis are relatively mild. Although the inflammation of some individuals is very serious, their fertility is safe and sound. A survey study showed that although 209 out of 534 male infertility cases were diagnosed with chronic prostatitis, it was also found that chronic prostatitis only interfered with one aspect of semen - liquefaction function, and did not change other sperm indicators too much. This result shows that prostatitis does not interfere much with fertility.

Professor Zhang Rui emphasized that although prostatitis can interfere with male fertility in many ways, the causes of male infertility are very complex and are not just caused by prostatitis. Rather than putting the blame on prostatitis and fighting it to the end on the road to treatment, it is better to nip it in the bud and take precautions to avoid some adverse factors that may cause infertility. Zhang Rui warned that the following issues must be highly vigilant and practical measures must be taken:

Improper diet

With the improvement of living standards, people's dietary choices are becoming more and more diverse, but in fact many people have developed the habit of being picky eaters. As for men, many people prefer meat and alcohol, following the dietary creed of "no meat, no fragrance, no alcohol, no joy", which is called "eating fat, sweet and thick flavors" in Chinese medicine; coupled with the fact that modern people eat irregularly, have no time for hunger or fullness, weak spleen and stomach, and poor transportation and transformation ability, it is very easy to produce dampness and phlegm, which will turn into dampness and heat over time, invade the sperm chamber downwards and reduce the fertility level. Professor Zhang suggested that male friends need to adjust their diet, increase the intake of dietary fiber, and eat more grain porridge; at the same time, pay attention to moderation, don't eat too much, eat more vegetables and less meat, and eat 70% full; all kinds of vegetables and fruits can be consumed in moderation, focusing on regular and quantitative, balanced nutrition, and appropriate warmth.

Overweight and obesity

Under normal circumstances, male sexual function includes sexual desire, penis erection, sexual intercourse, orgasm, ejaculation and other aspects. It is a complete process composed of complex conditional and unconditioned reflexes. Any problem in the above links may lead to male sexual dysfunction. Professor Zhang Rui explained that the high energy intake in modern times, coupled with the lack of exercise of modern people, the poor circulation of yang energy, the poor circulation of qi and blood, and the internal generation of phlegm and turbidity have caused many people to be overweight. This requires everyone to control their mouths, move their legs, exercise at least twice a week, sweat as the degree, and exercise on time step by step. It should be known that about half of obese people have low sexual function, and one of the complications of obesity is infertility.

Poor living habits

"Staying up late and sitting for a long time seem to have become the norm for people, and men are more obvious because they shoulder more responsibilities and pressure." Dr. Zhang Rui warned that staying up late for a long time does not allow the body to get enough rest, which consumes the essence and blood secretly; the consequences of sitting for a long time are more serious. Long-term sitting will cause poor blood circulation in the genitals, forming stasis; and long-term sitting will increase the temperature of the scrotum. The sperm that does not like high temperature will naturally decrease its vitality, thus affecting the reproductive ability. Professor Zhang suggested that in daily life, we should go to bed early and get up early, which is good for the body; at the same time, we should take a good nap, that is, maintain the habit of taking a 20-minute nap every day, and go to work and rest on time at 23 o'clock. A good work and rest schedule is not only a good habit, but also the benefits it brings are immeasurable. The other thing is to move more. If you sit for about an hour, you should stand up and walk around; even when you are sitting, you can consciously do exercises such as lifting the anus.

Always have a cigarette in your mouth

It is an indisputable fact that modern men often smoke to relieve stress, and unknowingly become "old smokers" with yellow faces, yellow teeth, and a smell of cigarettes. The huge pressure sometimes makes people really wonder "who to talk to", and such men are very prone to liver qi stagnation. Zhang Rui explained that Chinese medicine says that the liver is responsible for the release of semen, which can regulate the release of semen. If the liver qi is stagnant, it will be unfavorable for the release of semen, which will greatly reduce fertility. Not only that, the harm of tobacco used to relieve worries to fertility is even more difficult to estimate. Studies have shown that smokers' sperm are prone to deformity and also have a destructive effect on the integrity of sperm DNA. Therefore, men should not only learn to be good to their families, but also know how to take care of themselves, manage their emotions well, be calm and peaceful, and look at life positively and optimistically. Be good at reducing pressure, resolve negative emotions at work in a timely manner, and strengthen communication with colleagues and family members.

Here, Professor Zhang Rui quoted an ancient saying: "The mind is relaxed and has few desires, the heart is at peace and not afraid, the body is working but not tired, the Qi is smooth, everyone follows their desires and everyone gets what they want", which means that the mind is relaxed and has few desires, the emotions are stable and not anxious, the body is working but not tired, so the Qi is smooth, everyone can follow their desires and satisfy their own wishes. Professor Zhang warned that in order to achieve "dad career", it is really important to maintain a good lifestyle and a healthy mentality!