Article 58: Medicinal Diet and Massage for Low Semen Volume and Low Sperm Motility

◇A Guide to Caring for Your Husband's Health as a Good Wife◇

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Treatment and recuperation of common diseases

Medicinal diet for treating low semen volume

1. One pigeon, 25 grams of wolfberries, and 50 grams of polygonatum. Remove the feathers and internal organs from the pigeon, and stew or steam it together with the wolfberries and polygonatum until cooked.

2. Two pigeon eggs, 15 grams of longan pulp, and 15 grams of goji berries. Remove the shells from the pigeon eggs, place them in a bowl with the longan pulp and goji berries, add water and steam until cooked. Add white sugar to taste before serving.

3. Take one yellow dog kidney and 50-100 grams of Chinese yam. Chop the yellow dog kidney and cook it together with the Chinese yam into porridge. Eat it in several portions.

4. Take 12 sparrow eggs, 30 grams of prepared rehmannia root, 30 grams of wolfberry fruit, and 30 grams of mulberry fruit. Place the herbs in a gauze bag, seal it, and boil it with the sparrow eggs. Once the eggs are cooked, remove the shells and swallow the eggs with the broth. Consume 2-3 eggs every morning for 2 months as one course of treatment.

5. 50g fish maw, 30g goji berries, 50g japonica rice. Rinse the japonica rice with water. Put the fish maw and goji berries into a clay pot, add about 2000ml of cold water, and simmer over low heat until it becomes a thin porridge. Eat as desired.

6. Ingredients: 20g male silkworm moth, 1 hen, 2 scallions, 3 slices of ginger, 10g codonopsis, 10g atractylodes macrocephala, 10g angelica sinensis, 10g white peony root, 10g rehmannia glutinosa, 10g chuanxiong rhizome, 5g cinnamon, 5g licorice root. Preparation: Slaughter the hen, remove feathers and internal organs, wash thoroughly, and cut into small pieces. Wrap the herbs and silkworm moth in a gauze bag and soak briefly in water. Place both in a pot with sufficient water, bring to a boil over high heat, skim off any foam, add scallions, ginger, and salt, and simmer over low heat until the chicken is tender. Remove the herb bag, ginger, and scallions from the soup. Let it cool slightly before eating the meat and drinking the soup.

How to perform massage therapy

1. Massage Zhongwan acupoint: Massage the Zhongwan acupoint with the base of your palm for 5-8 minutes, moving in clockwise and counterclockwise directions to stimulate deep tissue movement.

2. Abdominal massage: Rub your palms together to warm them, then place them on your lower abdomen, one on top of the other, and gently massage in clockwise and counterclockwise directions for 5-10 minutes, until you hear bowel sounds.

3. Squeeze the scrotum: Hold the scrotum with a loose palm and gently squeeze the testicles for 5-8 minutes, until you feel soreness and distension without pain.

4. Pressing the Spleen Shu and Stomach Shu points: Press the Spleen Shu and Stomach Shu points on both sides of the spine simultaneously with your thumbs or index fingers. Start with light pressure and gradually increase the force. Press each point for 1 to 3 minutes.

5. Spinal Pinching: Place the index fingers of both hands horizontally against the skin of the spine, press forward with both thumbs, and lift the skin with force using the thumbs and index fingers, alternately pushing forward. Pinch three times and lift once, pinching from the lumbosacral region upwards to the shoulders and back. The amount of skin pinched depends on the patient's tolerance, and each session should be performed 3-5 times.

6. Press and rub Zusanli: Press and rub the Zusanli acupoints on both sides with your thumbs for about 5 to 8 minutes, using moderate pressure.

7. Press Sanyinjiao: Press Sanyinjiao on both sides with your index or middle finger for 3-5 minutes, until you feel a soreness or distension.

What should we pay attention to in daily life?

1. Practice moderation in sexual activity and avoid frequent intercourse.

2. Avoid smoking and alcohol, and refrain from eating garlic, celery, chili peppers, and other similar foods. Strengthen your diet with good nutrition to improve your physical condition.

3. Detect and treat cryptorchidism as early as possible, and thoroughly treat diseases such as seminal vesiculitis, epididymitis, and vas deferens obstruction.

Low sperm motility

Low sperm motility refers to a condition where sperm lack sufficient vitality, affecting their ability to move. It is also known as asthenospermia. Sperm motility is measured under a microscope to observe the movement of sperm, and this test is one of the most important indicators for evaluating male fertility. Sperm motility is closely related to pregnancy rate; the more motile sperm there are, the greater the chance of conception. Sperm motility and fertility are very closely linked, and low sperm motility is often a significant cause of infertility.

Sperm motility grading

All sperm with motile tails are considered motile sperm. Sperm motility (viability) is calculated as the percentage of motile sperm capable of forward movement, and is generally classified into 5 grades:

Level 0: Indicates that the sperm are not motile.

Grade 1: Indicates poor sperm motility, with sperm only moving in place.

Grade 2: Indicates that sperm motility is average, with only forward curved movement.

Grade 3: Indicates that the sperm have very good motility and move forward in a straight line.

Grade 4: Indicates that the sperm have excellent motility and move forward in a fast, straight line.

Normally, the sum of grades 3 and 4 should exceed 50%, and at least 25% of motile sperm should exhibit rapid, linear motion. If grades 0, 1, and 2 sperm exceed 50%, and grade 4 sperm are less than 25%, it is considered asthenospermia. In asthenospermia, sperm lack the strength to move forward and have difficulty passing through the cervix and uterus to reach the fallopian tube and fertilize the egg, thus resulting in reduced fertility.

What are the symptoms?

The diagnosis of this disease is based on the abnormal number of normally motile sperm in the semen and the abnormal sperm motility. Anyone with a sperm viability rate of less than 50% and a sperm motility grade of 2 or below can be diagnosed with this disease.

Patients may be asymptomatic, and this condition is often discovered during semen analysis for infertility. Some patients experience symptoms of sexual dysfunction or prostatitis, while others exhibit signs of neurasthenia and malnutrition.