Post Date December, 03 2023
We always say that female menopause actually forgets that men also have menopause. Male menopause is later than female menopause and the symptoms are not as obvious as female menopause, so it is often overlooked by people. Male menopause generally occurs between the ages of 50 and 60, exhibiting symptoms such as mental tension or depression, susceptibility to fatigue, decreased memory, lack of concentration, insomnia, paroxysmal hot flashes, sweating, decreased libido, and erectile dysfunction.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that after men enter menopause, due to the gradual decline of kidney qi and insufficient blood essence, the imbalance of yin and yang in the kidneys is caused. Kidney Yin and Kidney Yang are the fundamental components of Yin and Yang in various organs. The imbalance of Kidney Yin and Kidney Yang leads to dysfunction of various organs, thus forming the pathological basis of male menopausal syndrome.
Eight major symptoms of male menopause
1. Skin aging
Skin aging begins with wrinkles on the face. Subsequently, the skin on the neck, hands, and feet will gradually relax and droop. This is due to the gradual reduction of fat and elastic tissue.
2. Cardiovascular aging
With age, the heart often has hypertrophy and thickening of endocardium, which may be caused by the increase of cardiac connective tissue, deposition of plasma lipid, calcification of heart valves and other structures. In addition, vascular problems such as decreased elasticity, hardening, arteriosclerosis, and narrowing of blood vessels may also occur one after another.
Vascular dysregulation: Sometimes, like a child, it can cause fever all over the body, even kicking the quilt, restlessness due to dryness, headache, dizziness, palpitations, etc.
3. Aging of digestive organs
As age increases, the fibers and glands of the smooth muscle in the digestive tract gradually atrophy, the gastric mucosa gradually thins, and the colon and gastric cavity gradually expand and lose elasticity. These changes occur gradually, so most of them are asymptomatic. But if one does not control their diet, pay attention to hygiene, and maintain emotional stability, it will be significantly induced.
Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency: Symptoms include dizziness, low back pain, tinnitus, night sweating, irritability, redness and rising fire on the face, hot hands and feet, dry mouth and throat, short and red urine, red tongue, and thin and stringy veins.
4. Urinary aging
Around the age of 50, the glomerular filtration rate of the human body will gradually decrease, the urea nitrogen in the blood will begin to rise, the renal tubular function will be significantly reduced, and the urine concentration function will also be sharply reduced. So after entering menopause, one often feels like urinating too much at night, urinating or experiencing residual urine. Symptoms of heart kidney disharmony include restlessness, insomnia, palpitations, dizziness, low back pain, forgetfulness, restlessness in the five hearts, pale red tongue, and thin pulse count.
5. Aging of reproductive organs
After entering menopause, the reproductive organs will also experience significant aging, which is caused by the gradual decline of gonadal function; It is also the most important link that affects the personality, emotions, and thinking of elderly people. If not faced with healthy thoughts, it will lead to the emergence of "menopausal syndrome".
6. Sexual dysfunction
Common symptoms include apathy, disappearance, or erectile dysfunction. For male menopausal symptoms, traditional Chinese medicine believes that it is a physiological dysfunction based on low levels of kidney yin and yang
7. Aging of the nervous system
The brain is the central nervous system, and as the body functions age, brain tissue gradually shrinks. At this time, the number of nerve cells, nerve fibers, and sensory organ cells will gradually decrease.
Mental and neurological symptoms: such as nervousness, impatience, fatigue, frequent depression, decreased memory, thinking and concentration, insomnia, loneliness and fear, lack of confidence, etc.
8. Bone aging
From the age of 55 to 65 for men and 35 to 45 for women, the loss of bone tissue will accelerate, which will increase the number of sponge like pores in the skeleton, leading to bone softening, atrophy of intercostal muscle, hunchback and other phenomena.
The regulation of male menopause should not be ignored, and care should be given to men just like caring for female menopause, with adjustments in diet, lifestyle, and emotions.
Dietary therapy and conditioning formula for male menopause:
1. Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency Type: dizziness, tinnitus, palpitations, hot flashes, restlessness, dry mouth, excessive dreaming and lack of sleep, hot hands and feet, red tongue, and thin pulse.
Xuandi Black Chicken Soup: 9 grams of Xuanshen, 15 grams of raw ground, and 500 grams of black bone chicken. Remove the internal organs of the black bone chicken, sew the black ginseng and raw ground tightly in the chicken belly, simmer with water and simmer until cooked, season and take.
Huaishan jujube meat pot lean meat: Huaishan 30g, jujube meat 20g, pig lean meat 100g, add water and simmer in a sand pot until cooked, eat meat and drink soup.
2. Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency Type: dizziness and dizziness, low back pain, fatigue and fatigue, edema, excessive nocturia, light tongue, thin and white coating, and thin pulse.
Congee with Walnut and Lotus Seeds: 20g of walnut kernel, 18g of lotus seeds, 18g of Gorgon Euryale, 60g of rice, cooked together into Congee, seasoned and eaten.
Qi mutton soup: 15g goji berries, 18g chestnuts, 60g lamb, wash and cut lamb into pieces, put all the ingredients into a pot and simmer until cooked, season and serve.
3. Heart kidney disjunction type: palpitations and restlessness, emotional fluctuations, occasional joys and sorrows, dizziness and tinnitus, forgetfulness and insomnia, red tongue, and thin pulse count.
Longan lily Congee: 30g longan meat, 30g lily, 6g jujube, 100g rice, some rock sugar, cooked into Congee and eaten in the morning and evening.
Lean pork lotus seed lily soup: 250g lean pork, 30g lotus seed, 30g lily, boiled with water, seasoned and consumed once a day.
5 taboos during menopause
1. Avoid using the brain before bedtime
If you have the habit of working and studying at night, you should first do something that is more challenging, and then do something that is more relaxed, in order to relax your mind and make it easier to fall asleep. Otherwise, if the brain is in an excited state, even if lying in bed, it is difficult to fall asleep, and over time, it is also easy to form insomnia.
2. Avoid eating before bedtime
After a person enters a sleep state, the activity rhythm of some parts of the body begins to slow down and enter a resting state. If you eat before going to bed, the gastrointestinal, liver, spleen, and other organs will have to be busy again, which not only increases their burden, but also prevents other organs from getting sufficient rest. The functional area of the cerebral cortex in charge of the digestive system will also be excited, and nightmares often occur after falling asleep. If you eat too early for dinner and feel hungry before going to bed, you can eat less Dim sum or fruits (such as bananas, apples, etc.), but after eating, you should rest for at least half an hour before going to bed.
3. Avoid talking before bedtime
As the saying goes: Eat without words, sleep without words. Because when people speak, it is easy to excite the brain, activate their thoughts, and thus affect sleep. Therefore, elderly people should not speak too much before bedtime.
4. Avoid getting excited before bedtime
People's emotions are likely to cause excitement or disorder in the central nervous system, making it difficult to fall asleep or even cause insomnia. Therefore, try to avoid great joy, anger, anxiety and anger before going to bed, and keep your mood stable. If you find it difficult to fall asleep due to mental tension or emotional excitement, please take a supine position, place your hands under the navel, lick your palate with your tongue, relax your whole body, and continuously swallow your body fluid while producing fluid in your mouth. After a few minutes, you will fall asleep.
5. Avoid sleeping on your back
The best sleeping position is to lie on your right side, so that your bones and muscles are naturally relaxed, making it easier to fall asleep and eliminate fatigue. Lying on the back can put the bones and muscles of the whole body in a tense state, which is not conducive to eliminating fatigue and can easily cause nightmares due to the influence of hand on chest on breathing, thereby affecting sleep quality.
