From "In Touch Zhejiang" magazine, February 2006


Fertility, Virility, and Libido, Libido, Libido

Last month I promised to discuss the significance of circadian rhythm and the body’s biological clock as it relates to one of society’s favorite topics- sex. For those of you who failed to make it through last month’s article on the circadian relationship to depressive disorders, hopefully this will be of more interest to you.

If you read last month’s article, you will recall that the body’s physiological functions are heavily affected by the cycles of light and dark that comprise Earth’s 24-hour day. This relationship of physiology to time is called chronobiology, and is also known as circadian rhythm. The fundamental moderator of this relationship is the pineal gland- a tiny gland residing in the base of the brain. A quick review: darkness increases pineal gland synthesis of melatonin, while bright light restricts it. The basic pattern is that serum (blood) concentrations of melatonin are low during daylight hours and increase to a peak during the dark. Melatonin prepares the body for its sleep-time rejuvenatory processes by making one feel sleepy and shutting down certain metabolic functions, the reproductive system being one.

Irregular sleep patterns adversely affect the body’s chronobiology. This leads, in part, to an increase in serum melatonin levels during the day when the levels should, in fact, be quite low.

The effect of melatonin on the reproductive system can be summarized in one word: anti-gonadotropic (gone = seed, trophe = nourishment). Anti-gonadotropic means inhibition of the growth and/or function of the gonads, gonads being the testes in men and ovaries in women. Melatonin inhibits the secretion of gonadotropic-releasing hormone, which leads to decreased secretion of the various hormones that are responsible for promoting the functions of the reproductive system. In other words, if one’s circadian rhythm is off and melatonin levels do not follow their normal ebb and flow, this can lead to various forms of sexual and reproductive dysfunction.

Before you freak out and worry that your erratic lifestyle and sleep schedule has already caused irreversible damage to your gonads, let me explain that reproductive problems, like nearly all health problems, usually develop over time, gradually proceeding from mild to severe. At first, a malfunctioning biological clock may not yield any overt signs or symptoms of illness, but over time, and in conjunction with other factors, problems can arise such as decreased libido, impotence, and male and female infertility.

In cases of infertility where the problem is purely hormonal (i.e., in women the fallopian tubes are unobstructed, the uterus is normal, etc., and in men the testes are normal) a strictly followed sleep schedule is an important part of a natural treatment approach. As in last month’s article, early to bed and early to rise- this is the way to regulate the body’s circadian rhythm.

That said, I am not suggesting that regimenting sleep alone can reverse infertility, but without this component a cure is more difficult to achieve. Similarly, idiopathic cases of impotence and decreased libido can often benefit from a regular sleep schedule, but it’s not likely the panacea of all sexual dysfunction. Most cases that have progressed to such a level of dysfunction require further intervention, be it western medicine, or something like Chinese medicine, which has a good record of success treating such problems, and without the side-effects and invasive procedures of western medicine.

Treatment with Chinese medicine begins with implementation of healthy lifestyle practices, including appropriate sleep, diet, and exercise. Then herbs, acupuncture, and/or moxibustion are used to correct imbalances in the body that cannot be easily rectified through lifestyle practices alone.

While Chinese medicine can be used to treat problems that have already developed, one of its great strengths is prevention. The ancient Chinese knew about chronobiology and described it in enormous detail. They also knew that disturbing the body’s natural rhythm was a cause of disease. And so came the knowledge that early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

Copyright©2006 Greg A. Livingston