Kidney Deficiency Treatment and Digestive System Health Assessment: Analysis of the Damage to Kidney Function Caused by Urinary Retention and the Etiology of Stomach Problems and Cirrhosis in Middle-Aged Men

36. How should middle-aged men correctly understand and view kidney deficiency? Symptoms of kidney deficiency include: lower back pain, tinnitus, dizziness, forgetfulness, insomnia, shortness of breath upon exertion, heel pain, fatigue, decreased libido, premature ejaculation, nocturnal emission, dribbling after urination, increased nighttime urination, graying hair, and loose teeth. Kidney deficiency can easily lead to aging. As men enter middle age, they experience a normal physiological decline in kidney essence. However, "kidney deficiency" in men is not the same as kidney disease or "decreased sexual ability." Kidney deficiency is a common condition among middle-aged men and should be correctly understood and addressed. The fast-paced lifestyle of middle-aged men, frequent late nights, smoking, excessive fatigue, overwork, and excessive consumption of spicy foods are often causes of pathological kidney deficiency. Developing and maintaining good lifestyle and dietary habits, and timely and appropriate kidney tonification, are good ways to prevent kidney deficiency and delay aging.

37. Why does holding urine for too long harm the body? Urine is one of the waste products produced by human metabolism. It is 95%–97% water and 3%–5% solids. The solids mainly include electrolytes and non-protein nitrogen. Among the electrolytes, chloride, sodium, and potassium ions are more abundant; the non-protein nitrogen compound is mainly urea. These chemical elements cannot be utilized by the human body. If they cannot be excreted in time, they will lead to azotemia and uremia. The bladder has a limited capacity to hold urine. In a normal adult, the urge to urinate only begins when the bladder contains 150–250 ml of urine; urination is triggered when the urine volume reaches 250–450 ml, at which point there is no discomfort in the bladder. Therefore, physiologically, this number is called the "physiological bladder capacity." Normally, once the urine in the bladder exceeds this physiological capacity, the pressure inside the bladder increases, the bladder wall expands, and thus a feeling of distension and discomfort in the abdomen, even pain and irritability. "Holding urine" refers to consciously suppressing the flow of urine beyond the bladder's physiological capacity. Over time, the sphincter muscles responsible for urination become lax, the bladder wall loses elasticity, and urination function declines. This can lead to increased frequency of urination, prolonged urination time, and even involuntary urination. Because of reduced bladder function, residual urine often remains, sometimes resulting in edema of the kidneys. In short, urine is waste and should be expelled, not held in.

38. How should middle-aged people view stomach problems? The term "stomach problem" is actually a general term for many diseases. They share similar symptoms, such as discomfort and pain in the upper abdomen, bloating after meals, belching, acid reflux, and even nausea and vomiting. Common clinical stomach problems include gastritis, gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcers, combined gastroduodenal ulcers, gastric polyps, gastric stones, benign and malignant tumors of the stomach, as well as gastric mucosal prolapse, acute gastric dilatation, and pyloric obstruction. Furthermore, some diseases of adjacent organs can also cause symptoms resembling "stomach problems," such as cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, chronic hepatitis, and cirrhosis. In common parlance, gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcers, and chronic gastritis are collectively referred to as "stomach problems." In middle age, the smooth muscle of the gastrointestinal tract begins to atrophy, its elasticity decreases, and peristalsis slows down. Food moves more slowly through the gastrointestinal tract and is more likely to stagnate. Simultaneously, the mucous membrane on the inner surface of the gastrointestinal tract gradually thins, digestive glands gradually atrophy, digestive juice secretion decreases, and the ability to break down food is reduced. These physiological changes lead to a decline in digestive function in middle-aged people. At the same time, due to social competition and changes in dietary structure, middle-aged people have become the main group suffering from stomach diseases. Most middle-aged people suffer from stomach diseases of varying degrees, especially gastric ulcers, and men are significantly more affected than women.

39. What are the causes of cirrhosis in middle-aged men? Cirrhosis is a common chronic, progressive, diffuse liver disease caused by one or more long-term or repeated effects of certain factors. Pathologically, it involves extensive hepatocyte degeneration and necrosis, nodular regeneration of hepatocytes, connective tissue hyperplasia, and fibrosis, leading to the destruction of normal liver lobule structure and the formation of pseudolobules, causing the liver to gradually deform and harden, eventually developing into cirrhosis. Causes of cirrhosis in middle-aged men: (1) Viral hepatitis: Acute hepatitis with extensive hepatocyte necrosis and fibrosis can directly lead to cirrhosis, but the more important progression is through a stage of chronic hepatitis. (2) Chronic alcohol poisoning: In Europe and America, alcoholic cirrhosis accounts for about 50% to 90% of all cirrhosis cases, while it is rare in my country. Its pathogenesis is mainly the direct damage of the liver to the liver by ethanol, a metabolite of alcohol. (3) Hereditary and metabolic diseases: Cirrhosis gradually develops from liver diseases caused by hereditary and metabolic diseases. (4) Liver congestion: Chronic congestive heart failure, chronic constrictive pericarditis, and hepatic vein obstruction syndrome caused by various etiologies can all lead to long-term liver congestion and hypoxia, thereby causing liver damage. (5) Chemical toxins or drugs: Long-term use of certain drugs, such as bisacodyl tincture, methyldopa, tetracycline, etc.; or long-term repeated exposure to certain chemical toxins, such as phosphorus, arsenic, carbon tetrachloride, etc., can all cause toxic hepatitis, which eventually develops into cirrhosis. (6) Malnutrition: Nutritional imbalance can also lead to cirrhosis.

40. Why are middle-aged men a high-risk group for fatty liver? Fatty liver refers to the deposition of lipids in the liver caused by various factors. When the lipid content in the liver accounts for 5% to 10% of the liver weight, it is called fatty liver. Fatty liver is a common clinical disease today, and middle-aged men are a large high-risk group. About 50% of fatty liver patients have no obvious symptoms. Fatty liver may lead to cirrhosis. According to statistics, nearly 60% of long-term drinkers develop fatty liver, and 20% to 30% will eventually develop cirrhosis. The main factors causing fatty liver in middle-aged men are: (1) Alcohol abuse: It ranks first among the pathogenic factors of fatty liver. After alcohol enters the human body, it is mainly broken down in the liver. It is the liver cells that break down and metabolize fatty acids. The more alcohol you drink, the easier it is for fatty acids to accumulate in the liver, and the easier it is to lead to alcoholic fatty liver. (2) Obesity: 53% of those who are more than 20% overweight develop fatty liver. Excessive consumption of high-fat foods will cause a large amount of fatty acids to accumulate in the liver, exceeding the liver's transport and processing capacity, and thus be converted into neutral fat deposits, forming fatty liver. (3) Diabetes: mainly refers to fatty liver of diabetes, which is common in non-insulin-dependent adult diabetic patients. (4) Drugs: many drugs can cause an increase in liver fat content, among which hormones have the most obvious effect. (5) Lack of exercise: long-term lack of exercise will cause excess nutrients in the body to be converted into fat. When this fat is deposited under the skin, it manifests as obesity; when it is accumulated in the liver, it manifests as fatty liver.

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