Although individual men may suffer from low sperm counts or poor quality sperm making it difficult for them to father children, a more worrying statistic has recently come to light. This is the fact, discovered by scientists from the University of Copenhagen in 1990, that the sperm count in 20 of the world's countries has fallen by 50 percent over the last 50 years. In 1940, men produced around 113 million sperms per milliliter of seminal fluid; today only 66 million are produced, and by the year 2000, this figure is predicted to fall to 50 million. In theory, a lower sperm count does not equal infertility, but some scientists believe that the count will be down to zero in 70 or 80 years, unless something is done.
The reason for this catastrophic decline is still in debate, although it is considered by many authorities to be the result of artificial substances, such as plastics and pesticides leaching hormone-disrupting chemicals into the soil, water, and food chain. These chemicals can mimic the female hormone estrogen, disrupt the production of the male hormone testosterone, or disturb the functioning of the endocrine system, which regulates the production of the body's hormones. Evidence indicates that birds and animals are also suffering from hormonal disruption. The fear is that these chemicals may also be linked to breast, testicle, and prostate cancer, endometriosis, and general damage to the immune system.
Some countries have reacted by banning PVC and other plastics for food packaging, but the chemical industry as a whole is awaiting the results of more research before it takes any action. There seems to be little that an individual can do since these chemicals are now ubiquitous, although taking steps to strengthen the immune system may help.
Preventing disease - a healthy lifestyle Eat well
A healthy diet doesn't mean you have to stop eating certain foods, it just means eating a wide variety of foods as part of a balanced diet. Ideally, this should include:
* carbohydrates, such as bread, milk and rice - making up at least a third of your daily diet * protein, such as meat, fish and beans or lentils * fats, such as butter, which should be no more than a third of your daily diet * fruit and vegetables, at least five portions a day * less than six grams of salt per day
Be active
Activities such as brisk walking make your heart work harder and can improve your health.
You probably may not have heard about Cupping therapy used as an alternative treatment for eczema. However, this form of treatment is still being practiced in Asia and in China today. A few of my Singaporean subscribers to my newsletter reported that their Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners in fact recommended this form of treatment to them. While it is too early to report if the therapy has helped them, I decided to find out more about what this therapy entails.
Just like acupuncture, Cupping therapy is an ancient form of Chinese healing dating back many years ago. It is the practice of using plastic or glass cups with suction balls at the end placed against your skin. A vacuum is created, causing local congestion and opening up the meridians in your body. Meridians, according to TCM, are channels from which energy enters and flows. Diseases and illnesses happen when the meridian channels are blocked. Opening up the channels can help speed recovery and bring about healing.
Cupping therapy apparently has many beneficial for the skin. It activates your skin tissues and causes them to release toxins. This detoxification therapy can also improve the condition of your varicose veins as it clears blood clotting in the arteries, capillaries, and veins. Very importantly, Cupping therapy supposedly stimulates your lymphatic system - the very system that produces antibodies to help fight off diseases.
Cupping therapy is an alternative treatment for eczema. The therapy can help clear your skin of pathogens being the same ones that trigger an eczema flare-up. Cupping therapy also improves blood circulation and enhances its purification. Since some theories say that certain types of eczema are caused by blood circulatory problems, Cupping therapy may just be the solution that you are looking for.
During the therapy process, the plastic or glass cups are placed on certain points of your body. The points for eczema are specifically located near your navel, just below the kneecap, at the upper tip of the spinal cord, and right above the ankle. When the plastic or glass cups used in therapy are applied in these areas, you would feel calm and relaxed. In fact, this is what you would expect to experience from the cupping therapy. You may find yourself falling asleep during the session and waking up to feeling more refreshed and energized.
Cupping therapy, as an alternative eczema treatment, is worth a try since there is no cure by conventional medicine for eczema. In fact, what most doctors can do for you right now are different ways to reduce the discomfort that you feel with an itchy and inflamed condition. Other than that, there are no guarantees that total healing would happen. You would find that you get eczema outbreaks time and time again. Hence, it would appear that combining the good effects of alternative remedies with modern science may just be the best route to take if you want to cure yourself from eczema.
To find out more about this alternative treatment for eczema, you would need to seek out a TCM practitioner. You can find Cupping therapy practiced in many places where acupuncture services are also offered. Cupping is also said to be an alternative means to massaging your body while allowing it to heal in the process. Hence, there may just be a few massage spas that may offer this form of treatment.
Both Franchis & Evelyn Lim are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Franchis has sinced written about articles on various topics from Japan Car, Supplements and Health. Read out for . Check out. Franchis's top article generates over 301000 views. to your Favourites.
Evelyn Lim has sinced written about articles on various topics from Family, Disease & illness and Acid Reflux. An eczema sufferer for many years, Evelyn Lim now spends her time researching and writing on . Read about her personal journey to healin. Evelyn Lim's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.