Patient's question:
I am 42 years old, male, Han Chinese. I have been masturbating for over 30 years, every day, and now I often feel lower back pain. The sides of my lower back often hurt, but not severely. However, I have noticed a significant decline in my memory—I sometimes forget the names of celebrities even when I see them. Occasionally, I also experience tinnitus. Is this related to masturbation? I am married with children, and my sexual life is relatively normal, averaging about four times a month. But I cannot break the habit of masturbation. It also causes me great pain. What should I do? Is the lower back pain related to masturbation? Please, experts, give me a prompt reply. Thank you very much for your help here!Doctor's answer:
Hello: This is a clear symptom of kidney deficiency, but it's hard to determine whether you have yang deficiency or yin deficiency based on your description. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), kidney yang deficiency is considered a type of cold deficiency syndrome caused by the decline of kidney yang, failure of warming function, and loss of authority in qi transformation.Symptoms include: pale complexion, sore and cold knees and lower back, feeling cold, especially in the lower limbs, impotence and premature ejaculation in men, cold semen, uterine cold and infertility in women, reduced libido, or loose stools, frequent clear urine, nocturia, pale tongue with white coating, deep and weak pulse, especially on the (the part of the pulse on the little finger). Treatment generally focuses on warming and tonifying kidney yang, and herbs like Jinkui Shenqi Wan (Golden Cabinet Kidney Qi Pill) and Yougui Wan (Right Regulating Pill) can be used.
TCM also recognizes kidney yin deficiency, which is a weak syndrome caused by insufficient nourishment and the emergence of internal heat. Symptoms include: sore and weak knees and lower back, dizziness and tinnitus, spermatorrhea and premature ejaculation in men, insomnia and forgetfulness, dry mouth and throat, heat in the palms, soles, and chest (), night sweats, flushed cheeks (feeling hot), yellow and scanty urine, red tongue with little moisture, thin or no tongue coating, and a thin and rapid pulse. Treatment generally focuses on nourishing yin and tonifying the kidneys, with herbs like Liuwei Dihuang Wan (Six-Flavor Rehmannia Pill) and Zuoyuan Wan (Left Regulating Pill). However, TCM emphasizes syndrome differentiation and treatment, so it's best to consult a local traditional Chinese medicine hospital for clinical diagnosis and the combined use of the four diagnostic methods ().