Article 123: Dietary Therapy, Massage, and Physical Exercise Therapy for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Management of Urinary Retention

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Treatment and recuperation of common diseases

8. 500g dog meat, seasonings as needed. Cut the dog meat into pieces, simmer over low heat until cooked, then add seasonings. Eat the meat and drink the soup. This has a warming and tonifying effect on kidney yang. Suitable for those with benign prostatic hyperplasia of the kidney yang deficiency type.

9. 250g of wolfberries, 1 sheep kidney, and 100g of mutton. First, split the sheep kidney open, wash it, remove the inner membrane, and shred it. Wash and chop the mutton. Simmer the wolfberries to extract the juice, strain out the dregs, and then add the mutton, sheep kidney, scallions, and rice. Add appropriate seasonings and serve. Suitable for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

10. Combine 60 grams of corn silk, 200 grams of watermelon rind, and 3 peeled bananas with 4 bowls of water and simmer until reduced to 1.5 bowls. Add rock sugar to taste and drink in two divided doses throughout the day. Used for painful urination and urinary urgency.

11. Take 30 grams each of dried earthworms and Job's tears, and 10 grams of Achyranthes bidentata. Add water and simmer together. Then add 200 grams of soybeans and simmer until the water evaporates. Remove the soybeans, store them in a bottle, and eat 20-30 soybeans each time, 3 times a day.

12. Take 60 grams of mulberry fruit, 30 grams each of raw Job's tears and mung beans, add 4 bowls of water, simmer until 2 bowls remain, add appropriate amount of white sugar or rock sugar to taste, remove residue and drink. Used for those with lower back pain and oral ulceration.

How to perform massage therapy

1. Massage the lower dantian: Lie on your back, place your hands one on top of the other on the lower dantian (located 3 inches below the navel), and massage in a circular motion 30 times to the left and 30 times to the right. Do not use too much force or go too fast.

2. Acupressure method: Select Zhongji (2 cun below the navel), Yinlingquan (in the depression below the medial malleolus on the medial side of the tibia), and Sanyinjiao (3 cun directly above the medial malleolus, on the posterior border of the tibia). Press each acupoint with your fingers for a few minutes, once in the morning and once in the evening.

3. Massage the perineum acupoint: Lie on your back with your knees bent to locate the acupoint. Rub your palms together to warm them, then gently massage the perineum acupoint 20 times with your index finger, once in the morning and once in the evening.

4. Rub the soles of your feet: Rub your palms together until they are warm, then rub the sole of your left foot with your right palm, and then rub the sole of your right foot with your left palm, 50 times each. Do this 3 times each in the morning, noon, and evening.

5. Acupressure method: Gently press on the area below the navel, in the lower abdomen, and above the pubic symphysis from left to right, pressing once every 1-2 seconds, for about 20 consecutive times. However, be careful not to apply too much force. This method is used for urinary retention caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Sports therapy

1. Hip shaking: Lie on your back with your legs naturally straight. Use your heels and shoulders to support your hips and lift them up. Then suddenly relax, causing your hips to shake against the bed. You can do this 10-20 times a day.

2. Waist swinging: Lie on your back with your legs naturally straight, and swing your waist from side to side like a fish swimming 100-200 times.

3. Anal sphincter contraction: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet close to your buttocks. Use your shoulders and feet to support your weight on the bed and lift your buttocks. Inhale deeply while contracting your anus. Hold for a moment, then relax and return to the starting position. Repeat 10-30 times.

4. Cycling: Lie on your back with your legs raised and perform a cycling motion in the air for 50-200 times.

What to do if acute urinary retention occurs?

1. Hot compress method: Applying hot compresses to the suprapubic bladder area and perineum often has a good effect on patients with short-term urinary retention and mild bladder distension. A hot bath can also be used. If you feel the urge to urinate in the hot water, you can try to urinate in the water. Do not insist on getting out of the bath to urinate, so as not to lose the opportunity to urinate on your own.

2. Massage method: Gently massage from the navel to the midpoint of the pubic symphysis, gradually increasing the pressure. You can press the Guanyuan acupoint with your thumb for about 1 minute, and gently press the bladder from above to below with your palm to help with urination. Do not use too much force to avoid bladder rupture.

3. Acupuncture therapy: Select acupoints such as Guanyuan, Zhongji, Yanglingquan, Sanyinjiao, and Sanjiaoshu. Use moderate intensity stimulation, combining tonification and sedation. The needles can be retained for 10 minutes. Generally, urination can occur half an hour after the needles are removed.

4. Umbilical application therapy: Heat 250 grams of salt in a pan, wrap it in a cloth, and apply it to the navel and abdomen. After it cools, heat it again and apply it to the navel. Alternatively, crush one clove of garlic, three gardenia fruits, and a little salt, spread the mixture on paper, and apply it to the navel.

5. Urinary catheterization: Urinary catheterization should be performed under sterile conditions and therefore should be done by medical staff.

6. Bladder puncture and aspiration: In cases where a catheter cannot be inserted, to temporarily relieve the patient's pain, bladder puncture can be performed under aseptic conditions at the midline two finger widths above the pubic symphysis to aspirate urine.

7. Cystostomy.

How to prevent urinary retention

To prevent urinary retention, older adults should take the following preventive measures:

1. If elderly people experience difficulty urinating or increased frequency of urination at night, they should go to the hospital for examination to determine if their prostate is enlarged.

2. Elderly men with benign prostatic hyperplasia should not hold their urine, as this can cause sudden congestion of the bladder neck and increase difficulty in urination.

3. Keep your bowels regular and avoid constipation, as long-term constipation can also compress the bladder neck.

4. Avoid excessive fatigue, especially prolonged sitting, to prevent poor blood flow to the prostate area.

5. Eat a light diet, avoid spicy and other irritating foods, and drink little or no alcohol.

How should men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) conduct their sex life?

For patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), excessive sexual activity is inappropriate. Frequent intercourse can keep the prostate and genitals in a state of congestion, which not only aggravates prostatic hyperplasia and bladder outlet obstruction symptoms, but also, for an elderly person, excessive fatigue is detrimental to physical and mental health. However, a sexually functional man should have sexual desires, and forcing him to completely abstain from sex is also inappropriate. Because without sexual satisfaction and prolonged inability to release sexual tension, the genitals and prostate will also be frequently congested, which is also detrimental to the patient's physical and mental health. Therefore, patients with BPH should arrange their marital life appropriately according to their individual circumstances and conditions.

Because sexual intercourse can cause congestion in the genitals and prostate, temporarily worsening bladder outlet obstruction and lower urinary tract irritation symptoms, the bladder should be emptied before intercourse to avoid urinary retention afterward. However, a warm sitz bath after intercourse can improve local blood circulation and help urination return to normal quickly.

If necessary, 0.2 mg of tamsulosin or 2 mg of terazosin can be taken orally after intercourse to help relax the smooth muscles of the bladder trigone, prostate and posterior urethra, relieve lower urinary tract obstruction and restore normal urination.