From a Chinese medicine perspective foods and herbs are prescribed based on their ability to enhance specific energy systems in the body. Although your ultimate goal is to enhance sperm production, quality and sexual vitality, making significant changes to your diet will also dramatically improve your overall health creating a natural balance in the body. There are multiple causes for male infertility, most of which respond well to dietary changes and TCM.
One of the main causes of male infertility is Kidney energy deficiency. This does not refer directly to how your kidney organ is functioning but rather to your meridian or energy system. The kidney system is important because it is the foundation of yin and yang for all of your other organs. Kidney yin is the fundamental substance for birth, growth and reproduction and kidney yang is the motive force of all physiological processes. Kidney meridian weakness can be caused by a multitude of activities including, too much sexual activity, over consumption of food and alcohol, drug abuse, overwork, unmanageable levels of stress and lack of nourishing foods. Some common signs of kidney meridian dysfunction are moodiness, rapid body temperature changes, low back and chronic knee pain, ringing in ears, fatigue, premature hair loss, low sex drive and infertility. Because the kidney system is the foundation of energy it is always beneficial to support this meridian. Foods that enhance your kidney energy, therefore enhancing your fertility, include:
Anchovy
Chicken
Eggs
Fish
Fish oils
Ghee
Kidneys (Chicken)
Liver
Mussels
Oysters
Salmon
Sardines
Trout
It is important that the foods you consume are free range, wild or organically raised to avoid the hormones, antibiotics and pesticides contained in conventional foods. Also incorporate these plant-based foods to enhance fertility:
Avocados
Brussels sprouts
Carrots
Leafy greens
Sprouts
Barley
Black beans
Black soybeans
Legumes
Millet
Mung beans
Whole grains
Almonds
Black sesame seeds
Chestnuts
Coconut
Flax seeds
Flaxseed oil
Pumpkin seeds
Walnuts
Honey (sparingly)
Mulberries
Raspberries
Barley grass
Chlorella
Kelp
Kombu
Micro algae
Nettles
Unrefined
Sea salt
Wakame
Wheat grass
All food is best consumed fresh and unprocessed, i.e. not out of a can, jar or box. Foods that harm the reproductive system include:
Alcohol
Cold and raw foods
Excess rich foods
Foods that you find difficult to digest
Juices
Peanuts
Processed foods
Spicy-hot foods
Sugar
Too much salt
Common daily activities that should be avoided when trying to conceive:
Car seat warmers
Drugs
Hot baths
Hot computers on the lap
Hot tubs
Late night eating
Microwave ovens
Overeating
Saunas
Smoking
Remember, it takes three months for your body to produce mature sperm. During this time acupuncture used in tandem with diet and lifestyle can successfully create balance and enhance fertility.