Varicocele (varicose veins of the testicles) in Chinese medicine
Varicocele is over widening and deficiency of the veins that drain blood from the testicle. The testicles are located outside of the man’s body because of the sperm need to keep constantly cool. This is why is case of Varicocele damage to sperm quality can be caused due to overheating of the testicle which damages male fertility and sperm count.
Varicocele is a problem in the vein valves that drain the waste produced by the testicles, which in turn causes fertility defects among men. Due to this problem oxygen entry to the testes is blocked, which damages the production of normal sperm cells and is the main reason for infertility in men. Varicocele is often accompanied by intense pain radiating from the area of the testes to the legs and lower abdomen.
The testicles function in the male’s body like a factory that produces sperm and testosterone. Their operation produces waste which supposed to be drained out and upwards – against gravity. In order for waste not to come back down, there are one-way valves in the veins that prevent waste materials to flow back to the testicles. In varicocele the one-way valves become damaged, allow two-way flow and fail to prevent the waste from flowing back to where it came from. As a result of the waste flowing back, there is a disruption in the oxygen supply to the testicles which is vital to the production of normal and fertile sperm.
Since varicocele affects sperm production, it impairs all the important aspects of the process, such as sperm cell concentration, the speed of their movement, and their morphology (the shape of the outer cell that represents the integrity of the genetic material inside). In majority of cases, varicocele will exists in both testicles.
Varicocele has been observed in men aged 15+ and is getting worse with age. Varicocele can occur in men who have already become parents, and it could interfere with the efforts to have more children. This is because varicocele is a gradual process and its impact on sperm production is increasing over the years. Varicocele is the reason for approximately 87% of the world’s male fertility problems.
40% of the fertility problems in the general population actually stem from sperm problems. In is known that in the past 50 years sperm concentration has decreased by hundreds of percent per cubic centimeter (cc). By comparison in the sixties the average sperm concentration was 80 million sperm cells and today the average concentration dropped to 20 million sperm cells.
Diagnostic:
In the past it was customary to carry out a physical inspection only to detect varicocele. It is now known that this test is limited and can only detect the problem in the left testicle (despite varicocele is a problem of both testicles).
Today, color ultrasound is performed to identify varicocele.
Israel is well known worldwide as a leader in fertility treatment for men thanks to the development and improvement of advanced technologies in this field, as well as progress and development in the field of female infertility.
The treatment in varicocele in Western medicine:
One way to handle varicocele is using catheterization which was developed by two Israeli doctors (Gat and Goren) that researched varicocele and discovered it’s connection to sperm production problems. The method, named after them both, locates all damaged veins and treats it on both sides. The procedure is performed in the lower abdomen and does not require surgery, anesthesia or hospitalization and recovery.
In rare cases where varicocele is only on one side, a routine operation performed under general anesthesia can be performed to tie the main vein (also called “upper binding”). After tying the main vein, new veins start to develop and they are able to return blood from the testicle correctly.
Sperm quality:
The parameters that determine the quality of sperm are: sperm concentration, motility (movement), morphology (normal forms).
Healthy sperm:
- Full liquefaction within 30 minutes.
- Volume of normal sperm is 2-6 cc.
- Sperm concentration above 20 million per cc (cubic centimeter).
- The percentage of moving sperm cells (motility) on the first hour is over 50% and over 40% on the fourth hour.
- Normal sperm shape (morphology) according to the Kruger method considers over 14% to be normal, between 4-13% to be moderate, and less than 4% is considered poor.
The diagnosis of varicocele in Western medicine is done in a number of ways:
- Clinical examination: the patient is asked to raise the intra-abdominal pressure (such as when going to the toilet) to allow the doctor to feel the testicle and look for dilated veins (varicocele). There are doctors who believe that the only through feeling and looking varicocele can be diagnosed before they can justify having an operative.
- Thermal test: the thermal test examines how warm the testicle become as a result of the veins failure to operate properly. By examination the testicular warmth levels it is possible to assess the severity of the varicocele.
- Testicular Mapping: is done by injection of contrast material into the veins of the testicle, the concentration of the substance in some places in the testicle could indicate the severity the varicocele.
- Testicular Doppler Ultrasound: is currently considered the most reliable test to diagnose varicocele. In this test the patient is asked to raise the intra-abdominal pressure, similar to the first test, and then through Doppler ultrasound the testicular blood flow and it’s ability to reverse itself and flow back is tested. It is only acceptable that only varicocele Level 2 or above justifies treatment.
The treatment in Western medicine:
There are two main methods for treating varicocele:
- Operational: by opening a small incision in the side of the lower abdomen and tying the veins.
- Selective Catheterization: by injecting plastic coils directly into the vein to expanded the blockage.
The reason for varicocele – in most cases:
- Demanding and tense lifestyle.
- Long working hours accompanied by pressures and competition.
- Prolonged sitting on a chair of over 8 hours with minimal displacement.
- Decline in food quality and the consumption of high-fat foods, sugars and processed food full of hormones and other toxins.
Why treat varicocele with Chinese acupuncture?
Because through Western medicine no matter in which method it is decided to amend the varicocele it is no expected to see a difference in sperm quality for the first six months after the treatment, and sometimes it might make the problem worse.
So why then have surgery if you could otherwise achieve even better results and in less time. Chinese medicine treatments offer an effective and noninvasive treatment to varicocele. The treatment duration is 12 weeks during which we would like to see significantly improvement in sperm quality. The improvement could be hundreds and even thousands percent more in sperm concentration and sperm motility.
Case study:
Barry, a patient of Maoz Marpe clinic was diagnosed with varicocele grade 3 and was sent to undergo operation. Barry decided to try Chinese medicine treatment before undergoing surgery and came to our clinic through the recommendation of friends. Barry had the following sperm test results: concentration of sperm – 5 million, mobility – 13% after an hour, and morphology of 1%.
After 12 weeks of weekly therapy sessions including acupuncture, dietary changes (including weight loss recipes) and Chinese herbal medicine, Barry repeated his sperm test and here are the results as follows: the concentration of sperm cells up to 38 million, motility increased to 72% and morphology rose to 9%. Two weeks after the end of treatment Berry‘s wife became pregnant naturally and in July 2009 their first son was born.
What to bring to your first Chinese treatment:
- The patient should bring a few of his most recent sperm test results. It is important not to rely on a single test since the changes in sperm quality can be extreme from one test to another.
- Most recent blood tests.
- List of all the medications, remedies, or any other prescription medicine the patient might be taking.
- If you’ve gone through surgery or any other treatment, please bring the findings or treatment summaries with you.
At Maoz Marpe clinic:
Maoz Marpe Clinic treats fertility in a unique, professional and thorough way, true to the source of Chinese medicine. At Maoz Marpe we have developed a comprehensive program to help you conceive a balanced pregnancy fast, safely and as natural as possible. Our goal is to try and help out wherever possible for women and couples who are experiencing fertility issues who are going through fertility treatments (before, during or after) with no results.
In our clinical experience, many patients who come with fertility issues including sperm and varicocele, significant change has been achieve in hundreds of thousands percent in sperm quality after treatment. Many patients were able to conceive a natural pregnancy after treatment.
