Consumption of cold drinks can lead to infertility in not only women, but also men, a Taichung-based doctor of traditional Chinese medicine said on Monday.
Many women who are trying to get pregnant know that they should avoid consuming cold drinks to “keep the uterus warm,” but few people know that men need to protect their fertility too, Wang Ya-hsiu (王雅秀) said.
One couple, a 35-year-old firefighter and his wife, turned to traditional Chinese medicine after being unable to conceive after trying for a year, Wang said.
The firefighter’s wife had a “cold body constitution” and the firefighter’s digestive system was “weak,” Wang said.
The firefighter said that his job was very stressful, as sometimes he had to respond to a call every hour, Wang said.
To boost his energy levels and relieve stress, he drank at least one or two cups of iced coffee each day, Wang added.
Another male patient who worked as a security guard could not conceive after trying for three years, she said.
He spent all day in a guard house and drank several cold drinks each day during the summer, she said.
Traditional Chinese medicine stresses adjusting the “constitution” of the body, Wang said.
Shortly after following her recommendation of avoiding cold drinks and taking herbal medicine, the two men and their wives successfully conceived, Wang said.
Consumption of cold drinks leads to a stagnation of blood circulation in both men and women, Wang said.
For men, blood stagnation affects the mobility and equality of their sperm, she said.
Besides avoiding cold drinks, couples who are trying to conceive should also increase their intake of ingredients that are considered “warm,” such as yams, sweet potatoes, chestnuts, sesame seeds and garlic, Wang said.
Western medicine also believes that sperm is sensitive to heat exposure and recommends that men who are trying to conceive avoid hot springs and hot showers to avoid affecting the quality of the sperm, said Lee Tsung-hsien (李宗賢), director of reproductive medicine at Chung Shan Medical University Hospital in Taichung.
Although he is not familiar with traditional Chinese medicine, Lee said that blood circulation does affect sperm and many patients experience infertility due to varicocele, a varicose enlargement of the veins of the spermatic cord producing a soft compressible tumor in the scrotum.
Men who sit for long periods of time can experience varicocele due to a disruption in the blood flow, affecting sperm count and mobility, he said.
Lee recommends that men get up and walk around for 10 minutes every hour to prevent the condition.
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