Pumpkin Seeds and Acupuncture: Alternative Treatments for Prostatitis

Pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, are edible. Whether you prefer raw or pumpkin seed oil, they are rich in nutrients that may contribute to prostate health. Thus, pumpkin seeds have become a popular folk remedy for men's health problems.

According to a study in 2014, either pumpkin seed oil or a combination of pumpkin seed oil and saw palmetto oil can improve symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The researchers concluded that pumpkin seed oil and saw palm oil are safe and effective alternative treatments for BPH.

An earlier study suggested that pumpkin seed oil can prevent certain types of prostate growth. Rats induced with testosterone and the receptor blocker prazosin were used in this study. Testosterone is considered to act in the development of BPH, but its reasons remain unclear.

It is believed in one theory that dihydrotestosterone is a powerful metabolite of testosterone that builds up in the prostate and causes it to grow. However, the phytochemicals in pumpkin seeds can mitigate the effects of dihydrotestosterone on the prostate. They may also prevent the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone.

Zinc is essential for the normal function of the prostate. In a normal prostate, zinc is the highest element it contains. A study in 2011 showed that zinc levels in prostate tissue in patients with malignant prostate tissue and prostate hyperplasia were significantly lower than in the prostate of a normal person. An increase in urinary zinc excretion was also found in the study.

Pumpkin seeds are a good source of zinc. More research is needed to prove the relationship between zinc in pumpkin seeds and prostate health. But people believe that eating small amounts of pumpkin seeds a few times a week can help you maintain optimal zinc levels.

From the perspective of modern medicine, prostatitis is relatively high, including acute and chronic prostatitis, which occurs in young adults. Chronic prostatitis is common in adults, and cute prostatitis is rarely seen in them. There is no practical method for treating prostatitis, but acupuncture and moxibustion therapy have a certain alleviating effect on prostatitis.

Prostatitis is mainly caused by the accumulation of dampness and heat in the lower energizer, lasting for a long time and resulting in poor bladder gasification and blocked fluid channels. Long-term accumulation of the dampness-heat will cause loss of qi and blood as well as kidney qi loss, and it can even result in inefficiency in Yin and difficulty and pain during urination. Over time, excessive fatigue can easily recur, caused by the dysfunction of the opening and closing of the lower energy center (Xiajiao).

Acupuncture can reflexively stimulate the pelvic and sacral plexus nerves to adjust the tension of the smooth muscles of the prostate gland and the bladder and improve the local blood circulation of the prostate gland. 

Acupuncture can reduce the excitability of sympathetic and pudendal nerves by regulating neuroendocrine function, facilitating relaxing pelvic floor muscles, and the urethral sphincters to regulate bladder and urethra functions, promoting the recovery of prostatitis.

Acupuncture for prostatitis cause mild stimulation to the acupoints in the prostate areas, which promotes blood circulation, removes blood stasis, and disperses, resolving hard lump. It can accelerate metabolism and blood circulation to improve the symptom of difficulty urinating in the human body, promote the rapid excretion of urine from the body, shorten the treatment time, and accelerate the recovery of prostatitis.

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