A 72-year-old man came to our clinic complaining of pain from chronic prostatitis. The pain was constant, located in his lower abdomen and genitals. This prostatitis acupuncture case study describes how we were able to reduce his pain significantly.
Chronic Prostatitis
There are three main types of chronic prostatitis – chronic bacterial prostatitis, chronic non-bacterial prostatitis (a.k.a. inflammatory chronic pelvic pain syndrome), and prostadynia (a.k.a. non-inflammatory chronic pelvic pain syndrome).
Chronic bacterial prostatitis occurs when a bacterial infection triggers swelling and inflammation in the prostate. Doctors can treat this condition with antibiotics. Chronic non-bacterial prostatitis is a poorly understood condition causing pain in the lower abdomen and genitals. It behaves like a bacterial infection, with inflammation and pain but without any traces of bacteria. Prostadynia involves prostate pain without either bacteria or inflammation. This condition is even less understood, often affecting young, otherwise healthy men. It may have an autoimmune connection.
Chronic prostatitis is quite common, occurring in adult men of all ages and from all backgrounds. Approximately five percent of men experience symptoms of chronic prostatitis at some point in their lives. Chronic prostatitis accounts for 25% of all urologist office visits.
Prostatitis Acupuncture Case Study
Our 72-year-old patient was an amateur ornithologist, having taken up birdwatching in his retirement. He enjoyed traveling all over the country, tracking birds, and participating in bird counts. A few years earlier, he had developed prostate pain and was diagnosed with inflammatory chronic pelvic pain syndrome (the second type of prostatitis). While his diagnosis was precise, his treatment options were limited. His urologist could not offer any specific treatment beyond pain medications that did not seem to help.
This health condition had sidelined him, as he never knew when the pain would flare. He estimated that he was in pain 25% of the time, affecting his lower abdomen and groin area. The pain was quite debilitating, making it impossible to do daily activities during a flare.
Prostatitis Acupuncture Treatment
During his intake exam, we discovered that our patient had a significant amount of internal heat. His tongue was red (as opposed to pink), and his pulse was rapid and wiry. In addition, he often had night sweats and ran on the warm side during the day. All of these signs pointed to excess internal heat. Of course, his prostate condition also involved excess heat (inflammation), so his treatment had to include points to reduce heat.
His Chinese medicine diagnosis was Liver Fire and Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao (abdomen). Treatment included acupuncture points LV2, LV3, KD6, SP6, LV8, CV4, ST28, LV13, GV20, and Yintang. This acupuncture protocol was appropriate for him but may not be correct for someone else with chronic prostatitis. Therefore, we must evaluate each patient individually. This prostatitis acupuncture case study provides a clear example of how acupuncture effectively relieves inflammation of the prostate.
Excellent Results
Within three treatments, our patient had a 40% reduction of flares. He was amazed at how much better he felt. We continued weekly treatments for another seven weeks, at which point his flares were 80% reduced. Also, when he did have pain, over-the-counter pain medications eased his discomfort, something that had not worked in the past. That’s one of the benefits of acupuncture – it makes pain medications work better by reducing the intensity of the health condition.
Our patient in this prostatitis acupuncture case study continued to receive acupuncture once a month for maintenance. It’s been two years, and he is still feeling better. While acupuncture did not resolve his condition completely, it has helped him dramatically improve.
Next Steps
If you, or someone you love, are struggling with prostatitis, try acupuncture. Treatments are safe, natural, and provide long-lasting relief.
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Meet Mark Molinoff, Lic. Ac. (Video). He specializes in Men’s Health.
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