Popular science about men's health

The vast majority of men's common health problems are essentially related to three reasons: "carrying small symptoms", "mistrusting folk remedies and supplements" and "long-term accumulation of bad living habits". There is no need to pursue expensive health plans, but by doing these three small things of drinking water, sleeping and exercising, you can avoid 80% of common health risks.

Don't tell me, over the years I've been working as a clinician, nine of the ten young men who came to ask about "kidney deficiency" made their own wild guesses and didn't even undergo basic examinations. Last month, I met a 28-year-old Internet programmer. He stayed up until 2 or 3 o'clock every day for three months working on a project. He relied on iced Coke to drink water. Later, he developed frequent urination and pain in his lower abdomen. He did not talk about it for half a year. He also bought several hundred yuan of internet celebrity kidney-tonifying pills from a friend. He came to the hospital when he had a nosebleed. He was found to have chronic bacterial prostatitis, which has nothing to do with "kidney deficiency". After two weeks of antibiotics, he got better.

Speaking of "kidney replenishing", a topic that has been controversial for many years, there are indeed differences in the current perceptions of traditional Chinese and Western medicine: "kidney deficiency" in the context of traditional Chinese medicine is a general term for systemic dysfunction, and it is also subdivided into yin deficiency and yang deficiency. Not everyone with backache, weakness, and poor condition can just take Liuwei Dihuang Pills. If they are not symptomatic, they will make things worse.； There is no concept of "kidney deficiency" in the Western medicine system. Most of the so-called "kidney deficiency symptoms" are either lumbar muscle strain, urinary tract infection, or a decrease in testosterone levels caused by staying up late for a long time, or simply a physical reaction caused by anxiety. I have also met several young men in their 20s who were anxious for half a month because of a bad sexual intercourse, which turned into a vicious cycle. In fact, they can recover by adjusting their work and rest for a week, without taking medicine at all.

Oh, by the way, many people ask me whether I should wash my private parts with lotion every day? It’s really not necessary. Rinse with water is enough. The lotion will destroy the local flora. The more you wash, the more likely it is to cause problems. This is a conclusion recognized by both Chinese and Western medicine. Don’t blindly buy those Internet celebrity private parts care solutions and pay the IQ tax.

After talking about the functional issues that everyone is most concerned about, let’s talk about hair loss and high uric acid problems that many men over 30 are hiding. Don’t think about buying ginger to rub on your scalp or anti-hair loss shampoo costing thousands of dollars as soon as you lose hair. 90% of male hair loss is androgenic alopecia. If you really want to improve it, you have to use minoxidil or hair transplantation. Other methods are basically IQ tax. There is also high uric acid. Don’t think that only middle-aged and elderly people suffer from it. Last month, I took in a 22-year-old boy who stayed up late playing games every day, drank Coke as water, and ate takeout barbecue every day. The uric acid in the physical examination soared to 620 μmol/L. His feet were so swollen that he couldn’t wear shoes. He came here on crutches and was sweating in pain. It was really unnecessary.

Some fitness enthusiasts have asked me before, is it true that "squats can promote testicles and strengthen virility" on the Internet? This should also be said on a case-by-case basis: Research in the field of fitness has indeed shown that standard weight-bearing squats can promote testosterone secretion and help improve overall physical condition. ； However, the advice of orthopedic surgeons is that if you have an old knee injury or a lumbar disc herniation, blindly lifting heavy weights if your posture is wrong will injure your joints and aggravate your lumbar protrusion, which is not worth the gain. I usually take time to exercise myself, usually doing squats without weight, 3 times a week, 15 times each time, which can move the joints without putting a burden on the body.

Many people also ask whether they should take lycopene regularly to maintain their prostate? There is indeed no unified conclusion in the academic community. Some studies say that long-term consumption can reduce the risk of prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer. There are also large-scale controlled trials showing that there is no significant difference between taking lycopene and taking a placebo. My suggestion is that if you don’t like to eat vegetables such as tomatoes and broccoli, it doesn’t hurt to buy some regular brand supplements. If you usually eat tomatoes with scrambled eggs and tomatoes mixed with sugar, there is no need to spend that wasted money.

Oh, by the way, there is another point that many people are embarrassed to mention: don’t think it is shameful to go to the men’s department or urology department. We treat dozens of people every day and forget about it. No one remembers who you are. If you really feel uncomfortable, don’t bear it, and don’t frighten yourself by searching those messy web pages. Many small problems can be solved with early detection and treatment for dozens of dollars, but if they become chronic diseases, you will suffer more.

In fact, men's health is really not that mysterious. Don't listen to the nonsense of those who sell supplements on the Internet. Smoking less, drinking less, don't stay up for several days in a row, and taking time out every year to have a routine physical examination is better than anything else. I usually forget to drink water when I am busy. Later, I put a 2L large water bottle on my desk and forced myself to drink it every day. In the past two years, I have rarely experienced the pain in my lower abdomen caused by holding in urine. It is a very small thing. If I stick to it, it is more effective than any supplement.