Clinic Update: Dr. Troy Sing from Health Wise is featured in a recent article in South China Morning Post: "How traditional Chinese medicine treats sexual problems, from lack of desire to fertility issues to erectile dysfunction".
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has long been used to treat disorders and diseases, including those relating to sexual or reproductive health.
Dr. Troy Sing's input in this SCMP article is related to Traditional Chinese Medicine's role in helping with female fertility. Scroll down to the sections below to see our summary of Dr. Troy Sing's contribution to the article.
Read the full version in South China Morning Post here:
South China Morning Post Article: How traditional Chinese medicine treats sexual problems, from lack of desire to fertility issues to erectile dysfunction
Clinic Update Contents:
Therapies at Health Wise
South China Morning Post Article Highlights
"TCM may help with a number of sexual health concerns.
In women, these include infertility issues as well as irregular and painful periods.
In men, TCM is used to help with erectile dysfunction, decreased or low libido, infertility issues, premature ejaculation, and sexual anxiety."
Learn more about fertility treatments at Health Wise Chinese Medicine Consultancy.
History Of Female Fertility In Traditional Chinese Medicine
Qi stagnation – though not always of the liver – has long played a central role in women’s illness in TCM, says Troy Sing, a TCM practitioner from Health Wise Chinese Medicine Consultancy in Hong Kong’s Central district. This was thought to be because of the unique emotional and sexual challenges women face.
For example, the ancient Chinese believed that women experienced greater sexual frustration because they were subject to different sexual norms than men and were not allowed to express themselves in the same way. Women were also believed to be more vulnerable to loneliness and depression, especially after they became widowed"...
Ancient medicine practitioners, who understood the mind-body connection and its link to disease, looked at female sexual disorders and women’s emotional stress as being because of sexual frustration.
“But now, centuries later, we recognize that these issues were in part a consequence of the oppressive social conditions and not just biological,” says Sing.
It wasn’t until the Song dynasty (960-1279) that Chinese doctors developed a better understanding of women’s sexual health, and gynecology found its place as a specialty in the Chinese medicine system.
Acupuncture & Cupping For Fertility
TCM physicians address sexual health conditions in ways that include scalp and body acupuncture, cupping, and herbal medicine.
Scalp acupuncture targets different parts of the brain to help heal the affected organs, says Chan. The brain is believed to be the body’s primary healing center, and TCM doctors target specific acupoints in the scalp to deal with the problem, according to the diagnosis.
In body acupuncture, needles are applied to certain meridian points to target affected organs to help them function optimally again.
Dr. Sing says that many studies done over the last decade found acupuncture to be effective in patients with sexual disorders.
Findings from a recent meta-analysis published in 2021 in the Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine suggest that acupuncture improves male sexual dysfunction – particularly in relation to desire, libido, erectile dysfunction, and impotency.
The literature showed that acupuncture was effective in reducing some female sexual dysfunction problems, also. Acupuncture may be suggested as a non-pharmaceutical alternative, but more research is needed, Dr. Sing says.
Herbal Remedies For Fertility
Herbal medicine is used to help with almost all sexual health conditions, and to restore balance to the organs and body.
One herb that’s said to improve sexual function is suo yang (Herba Cynomorii Songarici). According to Sing, it contains natural compounds like anthocyanins and tannins and can help to treat impotence, premature ejaculation, and weak loins and knees.
Others are yin yang huo, also called horny goat weed, that “tonifies” (increases the energy) of the kidneys, and she chuang zi (Cnidium Monnieri), used for drying dampness and addressing itchiness in the genital area.
Self-Care To Safeguard Fertility
Lifestyle practices also play an important role in sexual health.
The early Chinese believed that one’s body is inherited from, and given by, one’s ancestors, Sing explains.
Taking care of the body and its physical functions, or nurturing life (yang sheng), was a sign of respect for one’s parents. A healthy body was a fertile one, and the more offspring a person had, the stronger their clan and the better the family’s fortune.
According to passages in the Huangdi Neijing Suwen (the highest authority on TCM and part of the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor, an ancient Chinese medical text), the ancient Chinese also believed that sexual capacity is inherited from the ancestors.
“They strongly associated sexual potency and child-bearing capacity with human life-preserving forces,”
Sing adds. That’s why they stressed that maintaining a healthy body entailed taking care of the reproductive organs, also – “by way of exercise, diet, and abstinence from any excessive and unrestrained behavior”.
Learn more about fertility treatments at Health Wise.
Health Wise Chinese Medicine Consultancy
Health Wise Chinese Medicine Consultancy led by Dr. Troy Sing has been home to one of Hong Kong's best-regarded Chinese Medicine Practitioners, since 1990.
The clinic provides individualized treatment plans to address each patient’s internal landscape. At HealthWise, you’ll receive a 60-minute initial consultation and treatment with custom-made formulas for your body's constitution.
We aim to provide a caring and compassionate environment. To allow you to tell your story and not just recite medical results and outcomes.
Health Wise provides customized treatment plans for:
Dedicated Care With Meaningful Results
Our approach is deeply rooted in Classical Chinese Medicine, yet integrates seamlessly with the Western medical care that our patients receive. We look forward to joining you on your journey.
Therapies at Health Wise
Health Wise has over 30 years of clinical experience providing leading Traditional Chinese Medicine therapies including cupping.
Our expert practitioners can diagnose your unique pattern of symptoms and formulate a holistic treatment plan for your condition. The process is dynamic and is adjusted according to the changes in your situation.
We provide the following Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment therapies at Health Wise:
Learn More About Chinese Medicine
Visit our Health Wise Blog, we have a number of informative articles to help our patients. Here's a series of articles that we think may be beneficial:
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