My work with male fertility was a bit of an accident initially.

In 2004 I was just getting started in practice after a 5 year double degree in human biology and Chinese medicine, having also worked in hospitals in China for 2 years after that. In fact, Chinese medicine was kind of an accident too, as in a previous career life I was an engineer.

However, back to clinic, as my practice built and other kind colleagues referred patients to me, more and more men came to my clinic for male related conditions, especially infertility. As the years went on, I began to realize the issue of male fertility wasn’t going away and was on the increase.

When I first started treating male infertility, my results were poor. I tried so many combinations of herbs, acupuncture and supplements. There seemed to be no tangible patterns to what was causing male infertility and how I could treat it. I couldn’t even find any ancient records in Chinese medicine as it seems to be a modern affliction.

Over the next 12 years I experimented on myself, refined patient’s treatments and developed a 4 week program that nourishes the body and addresses male fertility from every angle. This I will briefly cover, however I really want to clarify what seems to going on here with male infertility and what might be causing it.

How Common is Male Infertility?

According to ‘Andrology Australia’, around 1 in 6 couples have trouble conceiving and of those couples that are ‘infertile’, around 1 in 5 is solely a male infertility factor HR, however Monash IVF says 30%, and other sources refer to figures between 40%-50% male issue alone.

Having said that, in September 2015, the University of Western Australia performed sperm analysis and testicular ultrasounds on over 400 random 20-22 year old men in Western Australia. The results were astounding. 85% of these men were categorized ‘infertile’ under the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) criteria. That’s 6 in 7 young men that are infertile. Article

What are the symptoms of male infertility? How do I get tested?

In a western medical sense, In most cases there are no signs and symptoms of male infertility and the sperm looks visually normal to the naked eye.

There is really no way to tell if there is an issue unless you talk to your GP or andrologist and get a sperm test.

The sperm test is very easy and painless to do. In Australia, if you ask your GP for a sperm test through a standard pathology lab, you are covered under Medicare and there is no out-of-pocket charge.

I have personally undergone the test more than 5 times and although it was initially slightly awkward, you get over it – it’s an important test. The reasons I did the test is because I am interested in how our cells function and what biomarkers of the body reflect health, and of course, want to be a dad one day and just making sure. The male sperm cells are the smallest cells in the body and are also the most sensitive to radiation and other factors of environmental toxicity. You could say they are the canaries in the coal mine. If your body is receiving excess radiation, pesticides, heat exposure, mental stress, physical inflammation etc, the damage will show up in your sperm quite clearly.

Why Are Our Reproductive Cells So Sensitive?

Vulnerability to toxic insult varies with the rate of cell division and with the developmental state of the exposed tissues. This means that rapidly dividing cells, such as spermatocytes, neural stem cells, and embryonic cells, will be especially susceptible. The faster that cells grow and the younger they are, the greater their propensity to make errors and the lesser their ability to repair that damage.

What Causes Male Infertility?

There are many causes of male infertility, some are genetic and can’t be changed, but are very rare. If you have genetic deletions such as Kleinfelters, which is very rare, there is unfortunately no option to increase fertility. Other conditions may include blockage of the sperm duct or congenital absence of the sperm duct. These conditions are also rare but may be corrected with surgery. 

The best first port of call is to talk to your GP, get a semen analysis and discuss the results with them. From there, either your results will require further testing such as an ultrasound or blood test, or you will be classed as having idiopathic (unknown) infertility where no known cause is given. At that point you would fall into the majority of men who have sub-optimal sperm. This is what we will discuss in detail in this article.

Into the Unknown – What Causes ‘Unknown Male Infertility’

When men’s sperm can’t fertilize an egg and all blood tests and genetic tests come back normal, the men fit into the category of  ‘Infertility of Unknown Origin’, which is classified into either  Idiopathic Male Infertility (IMI), where there is an unexplained reduction in sperm parameters or Unexplained Male Infertility (UMI) where there is infertility with normal sperm parameters. 

This is where my interest, Chinese medical, functional treatment and environmental toxin and radiation protection and minimization come in. 

When I see such a diverse range of male patients come through the doors of my office, I often wondered the question … So why sometimes do the seemingly really unhealthy overweight guys have many children and the marathon runner fitness guy can’t father even one? That is a complicated question. But, to answer best I can, I believe from everything I have read that is up-to-date to this point, aside from diet,  it has a lot to do with your parents, grandparents, genetics and environmental toxins.

Is It Our Parents Fault, Or Even Our Grandparents? What Do Genetics and Epigenetics Have To Do With It? 

Genetics: Genetics is the study of genes, heredity, and genetic variation in living organisms.[1][2] It is generally considered a field of biology, but it intersects frequently with many of the life sciences and is strongly linked with the study of information systems.

Epigenetics: Epigenetics is the study, in the field of genetics, of cellular and physiological phenotypic trait variations that are caused by external or environmental factors that switch genes on and off and affect how cells read genes instead of being caused by changes in the DNA sequence.[1][2]  

Damage to sperm DNA and Egg DNA may be transmitted from us to our offspring, so yes, there is a possibility that if our
father or mother smoked during conception, there may be an issue which has genetic as well as epigenetic components.32,106 From the human data, we know that fathers should not smoke during conception because DNA damage can be transmitted to the cells of the offspring.5 Cigarette smoke behaves as a human germ cell mutagen, as was also confirmed by Linschooten et al.6 who demonstrated that paternal smoking caused increased heritable mutations. Dubrova et al.86 demonstrated that these mutations were found in survivors exposed to post-Chernobyl radiation and that radiation also behaves as a human germ cell mutagen. Link

I have personally met third generation offspring, born of children who’s parents were survivors of the Hiroshima nuclear bombing in 1945. One particular child was born mentally disabled and had stomach cancer. His brother also had stomach cancer, as did their two parents (obviously unrelated) whom passed away in their 40’s from the same from of stomach cancer.

The role of genetics is widening, and the study of epigenetics, in the scope of things, is relatively unknown territory, as we need time and new technology to monitor effects on humans through generations.

Oxidative Stress

Oxidative stress is basically an imbalance between the production of free radicals (atoms or groups of atoms with unpaired electrons that make them unstable and possibly destructive to cells in the body) and the ability of the body to counteract or detoxify their harmful effects through neutralization by antioxidants (Vitamins A, C, E, selenium, glutathione etc).

In a study in 2003 in the journal Fertility and Sterility, showed that sperm DNA damage is significantly increased in men with idiopathic and male factor infertility, and in men who failed to initiate IVF. This increase may be related to high levels of seminal oxidative stress. Study 

As we can see above, there are 3 major oxidants or what we call Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). O2- or ‘superoxide anion’, H2O2 or ‘hydrogen peroxide’, and the very reactive OH- or ‘hydroxyl’.

Basically we can look at this from 2 angles. What is attacking the body or causing inflammation and increased ROS and sperm destruction and what is overwhelming or decreasing our antioxidant defenses. 

The Suspects

Urinary tract infection:

Infection/inflammation of the urinary tract is suspected when semen analysis shows an increased number of leukocytes. Infections such as chlamydia, mumps, tuberculosis and syphilis may cause irreversible damage to the testes, however infections in the prostate and urinary tract usually respond to antibiotic therapy or appropriate herbal preparation.

Endocrine and Fertility disrupting chemicals: 

PFC’s/Perfluoro:

PFC’s damage male and female fertility cells. Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), have for the first time been linked with male and female infertility. The synthetic PFCs are used in a variety of products, including carpets, paper food packaging and clothing. One type is a component of Teflon©, widely used as an anti-adhesive in pots and pans, and another is found in Scotchguard©, which is a popular stain repellent used in clothing, carpets and furniture.

Tips to avoid

Avoid camping gear and jackets with PFC treatment, teflon coated frying pans, microwave popcorn, scotchguard treatments.

Alkylphenol Ethoxylates (APEs):

The long-chain alkylphenols are used extensively as precursors to the detergents, as additives for fuels and lubricants,
polymers, and as components in phenolic resins. These compounds are also used as building block chemicals that are also used in making fragrances, thermoplastic elastomers, antioxidants, oil field chemicals and fire retardant materials. Through the downstream use in making alkylphenolic resins, alkylphenols are also found in tires, adhesives, coatings, carbonless copypaper and high performance rubber products. They have been used in industry for over 40 years.

Tips to avoid

Choose household cleaning products that fully disclose all ingredients and seek out safety ratings for these products. Avoid products that contain alkylphenol ethoxylates (found in some detergents and stain removers), or whose names ends in “–phenol ethoxylate.”

Bisphenol A (BPA): 

BPA (bisphenol-A) is a potentially toxic estrogen-mimicking compound used in plastic production that has been linked to breast cancer, early puberty, infertility, and other maladies. It’s dangerous enough that it has been banned in baby bottles in Europe, Canada, and Australia.

Tips to avoid

1. Trade in kitchen plastic — dishes, containers and appliances — for glass, stainless steel or porcelain.

2. Choose safer plastics #2, #4 and #5 — #3 and #7 often contain BPA.

3. Swap out plastic wrap — Parchment paper, glass jars, beeswax cotton wrapsor recycled aluminum foil are better options.

4. Keep plastic out of the freezer, microwave and dishwasher. BPA and phthalates leach from plastics at a higher rate in hot or cold  temperatures.

5. Enjoy BPA-free coffee and tea at home. Use a glass French-press, stainless steel electric percolator or glass kettle to avoid piping hot water against plastic pieces.

6. Bring your own mug. Disposable paper cups are often lined with plastic — and they’re wasteful!

7. Can the canned goods. Many are lined with BPA. Even “BPA-free” cans may contain BPS (another estrogen mimic) or PET film (which may contain DEHA).

8. Skip aluminum soda cans — also lined with BPA!

9. Breastfeed (or use powdered baby formula). BPA transfers through breast milk, so protecting you also protects baby. More BPA leaches into liquid than powdered formula.

10. Request “no receipt”. Thermal paper (receipts, event and cinema tickets, airline tickets) contain BPA. It transfers to your fingers and, when recycled, can leach into new paper products (like toilet paper).

11. Play it safe. Wood and cloth toys are excellent, toxin-free alternatives to plastics.

12. Talk to your dentist. Dental sealants and composites can contain BPA.    List

Bisphenol S (BPS)

Bisphenol S is an analog of Bisphenol A. It is commonly found in thermal receipts, plastics, and household dust. Traces of BPS
have also been found in personal care products.[95] It is more presently being used because of the ban of BPA. BPS is used in place of BPA in “BPA free” items. However BPS has been shown to be as much of an endocrine disruptor as BPA.[96]

Tips to avoid:

Same as for BPA

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (BPDE)

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a class of compounds found in flame retardants used in plastic cases of
televisions and computers, electronics, carpets, lighting, bedding, clothing, car components, foam cushions and other textiles. Potential health concern: PBDE’s are structurally very similar to Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and have similar neurotoxic effects.[123] Research has correlated halogenated hydrocarbons, such as PCBs, with neurotoxicity.[119] PBDEs are similar in chemical structure to PCBs, and it has been suggested that PBDEs act by the same mechanism as PCBs.[119]

Tips to avoid:

Try to choose sofas and beds made without flame retardants that contain PBDE’s. When vacuuming, use a vacuum with a HEPA filter. Clean the house often. Avoid carpet in house. Use a HEPA indoor filter.

Phthalates

Phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) are a family of organic chemicals produced from oil. Phthalates are used in a large variety of products, from enteric coatings of pharmaceutical pills and nutritional supplements to viscosity control agents, gelling agents, film formers, stabilizers, dispersants, lubricants, binders,emulsifying agents, and suspending agents. End-applications include adhesives and glues, agricultural adjuvants, building materials, personal-care products, medical devices, detergents and surfactants, packaging, children’s toys, modelling clay, waxes, paints, printing inks and coatings, pharmaceuticals, food products, and textiles. Phthalates are also frequently used in soft plastic fishing lures, caulk, paint pigments, and sex toys made of so-called “jelly rubber”. Phthalates are used in a variety of household applications such as shower curtains, vinyl upholstery, adhesives, floor tiles, food containers and wrappers, and cleaning materials. Personal-care items containing phthalates include perfume, eye shadow, moisturizer, nail polish, liquid soap, and hair spray.[9]

Pthalates are of potential health concern because they are known to disrupt the endocrine system of animals, and some research has implicated them in the rise of birth defects of the male reproductive system.[40][136][137]

Tips to avoid:

1. Stay away from fragrance. Unfortunately, you will very rarely see phthalates listed on a product label — particularly if you’re worried about a rubber ducky or a vibrator. Luckily, there are clues. When it comes to cosmetics, the word “fragrance” or “parfum” on a label almost always means phthalates. What you want to see are claims like: “no synthetic fragrance” or “scented with only essential oils” or “phthalate-free.” 

2. Crack the code. Plastic products with recycling codes 3 and 7 may contain phthalates or BPA. Look for plastic with recycling codes 1, 2, or 5.

3. Ditch hand-me-down plastic toys. Happily, several types of phthalates are now banned from children’s toys, teethers, bottles, and feeding products. But these laws only took place in 2009, so anything made of soft plastic that was manufactured before that probably contains phthalates (think rubber duckies, not Legos).

4. Avoid plastic whenever possible, and never heat your food in plastic. Foods that are higher in fat — meats and cheeses,
for instance — are particularly prone to chemical leaching. Even BPA or phthalate-free plastic may contain harmful chemicals. Opt for glass food storage containers, and choose bottles and sippy and snack cups that are mostly stainless steel, silicone, or glass.

5. Eat organic produce, meat, and dairy. Phthalates are used in pesticides and are also found in sewage sludge that is used in conventional agriculture. Neither is permitted on certified organic produce, and pesticide-treated animal feeds are not allowed in organic meat and dairy production.

6. Invest in a water filter. Granular activated carbon filters should remove DEHP, which is the type of phthalate used in water pipes. Unfortunately, some sourcesclaim that a percentage of water may pass through the carbon without filtration. Anano-filtration system is more expensive but possibly more reliable way to filter out phthalates.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, also known as C8), was an essential ingredient in DuPont’s non-stick cookware for decades.

The chemical is also used in hundreds of other non-stick and stain-resistant products, from microwave popcorn bags and fast-food wrappers to waterproof clothing and soil-repellant carpet and furniture treatments.

PFOA exerts hormonal effects including alteration of thyroid hormone levels. Blood serum levels of PFOA were associated with an increased time to pregnancy — or “infertility” — in a 2009 study. PFOA exposure is associated with decreased semen quality. PFOA appeared to act as an endocrine disruptor by a potential mechanism on breast maturation in young girls. A C8 Science Panel status report noted an association between exposure in girls and a later onset of puberty.

All nonstick cookware coatings, including the popular Teflon, T-fal, SilverStone and Calphalon, use PFOA as a component of their manufacturing. When overheated (to temperatures of about 360°C), these coatings release toxic gases.

Tips to avoid

Switch your frying pans to cast iron, rip up the carpet, use less plastic.

Oxybenzone

Oxybenzone or benzophenone-3 (trade names Milestab 9, Eusolex 4360, Escalol 567, KAHSCREEN BZ-3) is an organic compound. It is a white solid that is readily soluble in most organic solvents. Oxybenzone belongs to the class of aromatic ketones known as benzophenones. It is a component of many sunscreen lotions. You might see this written on your sunscreen: BP-2 or 4OH-BP, Dioxybenzone and oxybenzone. These two are some of the most powerful free radical generators around as they can disrupt hormone function. Aslo, it might contain Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) which is an undesirable sunscreen ingredient.

Tips to avoid:

Use zinc, UV protecting clothing, use a sunscreen without oxybenzone. The only one I could find (although i’m sure there are others) and have used myself is: Moo Goo 

Heat Damage: 

The lack of thermoregulation of scrotal temperature causes testicular hyperthermia (increase in temperature), which leads to genital heat stress. This is detrimental to spermatogenesis and results in spermatozoa of inferior quality. Both the epididymal sperm and testicular germ cells are sensitive to damage by heat stress (Zhu et al., 2004). Spermatozoa resulting from sperm cells exposed to hyperthermia in mice undergo apoptosis (Yin et al., 1997b) and contain damaged DNA (Perez-Crespo et al., 2008), leading to poor fertilizing capacity in vivo and in vitro (Yaeram et al., 2006).

As we know that there can be a relationship between male infertility in relation to increased scrotal temperature, we have seen in studies where scrotal cooling or for example acupuncture induced scrotal cooling (study) over time, will improve sperm parameters on all levels.

Heat damage and lack of proper thermoregulation via the pampiniform plexus or by the complication of a varicocele does have merit, however will not always improve the sperm result in every case.

Varicocele & Heat Damage

A varicocele is an abnormal enlargement of the pampiniform venous plexus in the scrotum. This plexus of veins drains the
testicles. The testicular blood vessels originate in the abdomen and course down through the inguinal canal as part of the spermatic cord on their way to the testis. Upward flow of blood in the veins is ensured by small one-way valves that prevent backflow. Defective valves, or compression of the vein by a nearby structure, can cause dilatation of the testicular veins near the testis, leading to the formation of a varicocele. Varicocele is known as one of the causes for male infertility and can be treated by a surgery or non-surgical treatments. The effectiveness of varicocele embolization surgery is yet to be fully assessed.

Heavy Metal Toxicity:

We are exposed on a daily occurance to various heavy metals in food, water and airborne as aerosols from contaminated dust, fumes and pollution. In particular, cadmium, lead and mercury are the main perpetrators when it comes to fertility. The toxicants lead (Pb2+) and cadmium (Cd2+) seem to particularly accumulate in the male testis. As the Calcium (CA2+) and Potassium (K+) pumps in the sperm cells are involved in acrosome reactions and susceptible to poisoning by lead and cadmium . Ca2+ pumps are poisoned by cadmium and the K+ pumps susceptible to poisoning from Lead.

Antisperm Antibodies (AsAb)

Conclusion

We have seen in independent studies that genetics, epigenetics, radiation, heat, varicocele, plasticizers, mineral and vitamin deficiencies, estrogen analogues and heavy metals all play a role in the cause of male infertility, and that depending on your genetic pre-disposition, you may be more likely than others to either, bioaccumulate more toxins via poor elimination pathways, or infertility is from a chain reaction of events that leads to multiple factors, or where you work/live contains excess elements of the previous toxicants. The ruling is clear that male infertility is getting worse and there are well supported contributing factors.

Conclusion to heavy metal testing: In a study published in ‘Academia Scholarly Journal‘ the interest is where we see infertility correlations with increasing in ratios of Selenium (Se), Zinc (Zn), Lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd). The protective function of the Zn and Se were shown to offset the effects of the Pb and Cd, and when the ratio of Zn/Pb or Cd and Se/Pb or Cd deviated away from the standard deviation 1.0 ratio (Cadmium and Lead were higher ratio than Zinc and Selenium) there was a direct link and observation with lower sperm counts.

So how do we know which ones are effecting us and what do we do about it?

This is the 1 Billion dollar question

The answer I believe is complicated, however not without options. The short answer is that there is no single test that will tell us the cause of your infertility, and in fact, if the issue of ‘unknown origin male infertility’ is the sole or partial cause of you and your partner not achieving full-term pregnancy.

I believe in time we will see more research and better testing methods, markers and protocols. For now, there is no agreed western medical testing protocol for male infertility of unknown origin. However, from what I can gather and what I have experienced over the years, let me lay-out what I believe is an accessible flow of testing and approach.

Testing

Sperm Testing

Assuming you have had a standard sperm test from your GP. This includes: sperm count, motility and morphology. That’s generally what you get, the basics. Two extra sperm tests I would recommend are: 1. anti-sperm antibodies and 2. DNA fragmentation. Your GP may not be interested in getting these tests for you, as perhaps they see IVF and ICSI as the only option. However, with extra information, we have more parameters and markers to chart progress as you get your body healthier. You have have more information at your finger tips and it’s important to know if things are getting better or worse. Current male infertility screening is inadequate and doesn’t give us that much information. It is best to consult with a specialist or do your own research to ascertain other tests and how they impact on sperm health.

Blood Testing

There are some markers in blood that can help us.

Standard blood test: Vitamin D levels are important, B12, B6, Folate are generally covered in standard blood tests these days, however can be requested if not standard. I also recommend getting a celiac gluten allergy test which you can do through your GP. This is the tissue transglutaminase test, which is 98% accurate. A thyroid test may also be warranted if you’re: feeling down, anxious and jittery, have altered taste buds, your brain is fuzzy, you have lost your libido, your heart palpitates or flutters, you’re chronically constipated, your skin is dry, your have painful extremities, cold hands, your voice is gravelly, you’ve gained weight, your hair is falling out and you have high cholesterol.

A General Summary of Testing

1. See your GP and have a standard physical. In Australia, they will generally follow these guidelines but it will vary doctor to doctor. They will give you a sperm test and possibly a blood test.

2. Get the sperm test (try to get AsAb and DNA fragmentation done at the same time- these are usually ‘extra/requested’) and blood test (also check male hormones, iodine, B12, folate, Vitamin D, selenium, zinc, copper – all usually ‘extra/requested’).

3. Either everything will be normal or you will be referred to a specialist or you will be in the ‘unexplained infertility’ camp with possible low sperm parameters in one or the other areas. This article discusses the ‘unexplained’ scenario, so we will follow that thread.

4. Count is low (<15 million). Generally a low count with normal other sperm values isn’t that common in my experience, however it may be a product of too frequent ejaculation or a nutritional deficiency. If it were hormonal based it would most likely show up in your blood test. Generally if the sperm count is low, all other values are low. Depending on how low, this may be the call of the doctor. Very low (>2 million) may require further investigation such as a genetic test (but generally only if there is no sperm- this requires a specialists advice), or testicular ultrasound (to look for cysts or varicoceles). Generally if it is just under the normal expected range, you will just wait another 6 weeks and get a second sperm test to compare as the values can fluctuate.

5. Motility is low (<40% swimming progressively). Again, low sperm motility doesn’t often stand alone, it will normally be accompanied by other lower values. Motility is the ability of the sperm to swim well in a forward direction. This can be an issue when the sperm are an abnormal shape such as damaged tails (can be a sign of selenium deficiency) or damaged head, or a propulsion issue (not enough ATP energy in the sperms battery pack- the mitochondrion). The other thing it may be is clumping. Clumping occurs when the sperm stick together. This may be due to Antisperm Antibodies (AsAb) or abnormal pH.

6. Morpholgy is low (<4% normal forms). I disagree with 4% normal being okay. This number came from the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines established in 2010 and took studies and averages of 4,500 men from 14 countries who were able to conceive in the last 12 months of being tested. The morphology result ‘normal median’ was considered around 15% normal sperm must be present, the far lower end, 4% normal.

As sperm morphology decreases we can see lesser chances of conceiving and more occurrence of miscarriage. Towards the lower end of the sperm morphology spectrum, where 4% or less normal morphology is seen, not only do we see a greater degree of live births, but a much higher degree of DNA fragmentation between the 2-7% total abnormal morphology range.

7. DNA Fragmentation. DNA fragmentation is the separation or breaking of DNA strands into pieces. Research indicates that
live birth rates for natural conception and intrauterine insemination (IUI) can be dramatically reduced in couples where the male has high levels of sperm DNA fragmentation damage. This same research also indicates that 20%-30% of males from couples seeking evaluation for fertility issues may have abnormally high levels of sperm DNA fragmentation. The presence of ROS can be detected in semen samples, but it is not known exactly what threshold level of ROS we should regard as a threat to DNA integrity.  It is possible that increasing antioxidants in the diet, such as vitamins A, C and E may help prevent high ROS levels.  Smoking is a potent source of ROS and stopping has been shown to help semen quality in some smokers.

Treatment

Western Orthodox + Holistic Medicine (Functional/Natural/Supplemental Medicine + Chinese Medicine)

Before we start to divide the treatments up into categories it will be interesting to look at the lens from which different sides of the table look through. Orthodox medicine, or Western medicine as we may call it in most developed countries are the main reason why many more humans around the globe are living till the age of 80-100. Advances in medicine and surgery, vaccines and hygiene have all dramatically improved and prolonged the lives of millions.

The view of holistic medicine is based on the understanding that to know health and disease it is crucial to understand the interaction and interfunctioning of all organs and systems of the body as an integrated organism and how that responds and is effected by the external environment and emotions. Traditionally orthodox medicine focuses on the treatment and diagnosis of individual physiology and biology of organs, cells and molecules in isolation.

As the WHO has changed their health definition as “a state of complete physical, social and mental well-being, and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity”, we will hopefully see a move from the clinical role of medical trials that focus only on micro-levels to other qualitative data that includes the complexities of a more ‘whole systems approach’ ie, focusing on interactions and links as much as just raw hard data and isolated findings.

This brings me to the point that although we have much data to individually spotlight causes of idiopathic male infertility such as heat, chemicals, heavy metal toxicity and radiation, no wide scale trials have collected all available data and ‘connected all the dots’. I’m not just talking about a metadata approach, however a ‘whole systems approach’, where we can look at existing data and how this fits in with genetic make-up, country, environmental changes, soil quality, water quality and as many variables and factors as we can ascertain viable.

This unfortunately would be very difficult and expensive, but not impossible. As it has not been done yet, we shall look at existing data and do our best to connect our own dots.

CoQ 10: Significant research reveals that CoQ10 is effective in doses between 200mg and 300mg over a period of 2-3 months. In one study of 212 infertile men, 1 month after ceasing use of CoQ10, the men’s count and motility remained at the improved level and did not drop significantly, however the sperm morphology did decrease over time.

L-Carnitine:  This amino acid shuttles omegas. L-Carnitine has been shown to help normalize sperm motility in men with low sperm quality. L-Carnitine helps sperm to metabolize fats and sugars for energy.

L-Arginine:  This amino acid increases natural circulation to the reproductive organs for improved detoxification and to bring oxygenated, nutrient rich blood to the sperm.

EMF and Radiation Protection: Taking CoQ10 and L-Carnitine provide a protective buffer against sperm damage from the toxic effects of radiation exposure. Study Of course if you want to protect down there from radiation, you can wear “Wireless Armour” which are briefs impregnated with silver to reflect mobile phone radiation and other EMF’s.

Selenium: It is important to know the levels of selenium in the blood, as if you already have a high level and supplement, you have an increased risk of prostate cancer, according to  study. Should I take a supplement? Well, you can get tested first, however, 2 Brazil nuts per day is roughly equal to 100mug selenium, which in a study proved to be a more bioavailable source of selenium and raised plasma glutathione levels more than the selenomethionine supplement. Your body will absorb what it needs from your food source.

Vitamin E: Also a well documented supplement for improvement of sperm parameters, was also shown in studies increased the risk of high grade prostate cancer, in men who had low selenium.

Zinc: It has long been studied that Zinc is a crucial element in normal levels to achieve optimum fertility. Zinc acts as an antioxidant and has been found in studies, higher in fertile men and lower in infertile groups of men. Zinc sulphate was found in one study to reduce the serum concentration of Anti Sperm Anti Bodies (ASAB).

Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine:

Acupuncture had been shown in many studies to increase the quality and quantity of sperm. Study Study2 and assist sperm in ART. Chinese herbal medicine has also been studied to assist in improving male fertility rates and pregnancy. Chinese herbal medicine application using Gui Zhi Fu LIng Wan, has also shown to be effective in the treatment of varicocele and improving sperm parameters and pregnancy rates over a 3 month period.