Internet rumors go viral that "massage and diet therapy" can improve nocturia? Experts say it's useless! Wrong information may gain millions of traffic
Frequent nocturia leads to poor sleep quality. Can “acupuncture” or “massage” alone solve the problem? Beware of misleading information on the Internet that may affect the golden period of treatment! According to foreign research, the proportion of health-themed content on social media platforms containing misinformation is as high as 40%.
More than half of middle-aged men have the problem of “nocturia”! Wrong information may have received millions of traffic
The information verification platform also stated that taking “nocturia” which often occurs in middle-aged and elderly people as an example, there are many reports that “nocturia is only related to the bladder, kidneys or prostate”, “nocturia can be improved by dietary supplements”, “press Misleading videos such as “A certain acupuncture point instantly cures nocturia” were reported, and several videos have exceeded one million views. In this regard, Cha Dailong, Chairman of the Taiwan Urology Association, expressed concern that if the health video content that goes viral on the Internet is not verified and contains misleading information, it may cause people to misbelieve and not seek urological specialist help as soon as possible.
According to the International Incontinence Society (ICS), if sleep is interrupted by a strong urge to urinate at least twice or more in a night, it meets the definition of “nocturia”. The results of the 2023 nocturia questionnaire jointly conducted by the Taiwan Urological Medical Association and the Taiwan Urinary Incontinence Prevention and Treatment Association showed that more than half of men over 40 years old met this definition.
The Internet went viral with “2 tricks” to improve the problem of nocturia? Doctor slaps you in the face: Massage and dietary supplements are useless
Chairman Meng En of the Taiwan Urinary Incontinence Prevention and Treatment Association further explained that nocturia is mainly divided into “nocturnal polyuria” and “nocturnal frequent urination.” Clinical observation shows that nearly 90% of patients with nocturia have nocturnal polyuria, which means that the urine output at night is greater than that of the whole day. one-third of urine output. However, it can be found from statistical data that there is a lot of misleading content related to nocturia, and its influence cannot be underestimated:
Misleading information 1: Eating more lotus seeds, pumpkin, and taro can relieve and improve nocturia. Many videos circulated on social media mentioning the consumption of specific foods such as lotus seeds, pumpkins, and taro. Chairman Cha Dailong shared his clinic observations and pointed out that patients generally have low awareness of nocturia, and most believe that nocturia is just a normal aging phenomenon. , it can be improved by adjusting your diet and living habits.
Misleading information 2: Nocturia can be eliminated overnight through massage or acupuncture. Chairman Meng En reminded that for patients with nocturnal polyuria, which accounts for the largest number of nocturia, clinical observations are mainly caused by the degeneration of pituitary gland function, resulting in insufficient secretion of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) in the brain.
When going to bed at night, the pituitary gland secretes antidiuretic hormone, which reduces urine output and concentrates urine. As age increases, the ability of the pituitary gland gradually deteriorates. Once the body’s antidiuretic hormone secretion is insufficient, it will cause too much urine at night and have to get up frequently to go to the toilet. Therefore, neither “food supplements” nor “acute acupuncture” can directly solve the problem. Treating the problem on your own without seeking medical treatment may risk aggravating the symptoms.
Misleading information three: Nocturia must be a problem with the bladder, kidneys, or prostate. There is a lot of misleading information in the community that directly attributes nocturia to a single organ. It is spread that nocturia can be solved by solving kidney, bladder, prostate problems, or even exercising more heart function. In this regard, Chairman Meng En explained that nocturia has multiple causes and the human urinary system is complex. Poor bladder storage capacity, medication for chronic diseases, abnormal secretion of brain hormones, etc. may cause nocturia.
Does nocturia not only affect sleep? Actually related to “these 6 top ten causes of death”
Survey results in Taiwan show that more than half of men over the age of 40 urinate more than twice a night on average, but 40% delay seeking medical treatment for more than a year. International research shows that people who get up to go to the toilet more than twice a night more than double the risk of fractures and fall-related trauma, and a quarter of elderly people’s nighttime falls are directly related to nocturia.
In addition, poor sleep is the “root of all diseases”. Studies have shown that sleep disruption and insufficient sleep time are related to a reduction in the proportion of immune-related natural killer cells, increasing the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, sympathetic nerve activation, insulin resistance and even diabetes. risk. Studies have also shown that patients with nocturia have a 36% increased risk of hypertension and cerebrovascular disease; and lack of sleep is more likely to lead to daytime fatigue and lethargy, leading to an increased risk of car accidents.
Chairman Meng En also cited international research and pointed out that untreated nocturia not only leads to sleep disorders, but may even lead to cancer, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease and diabetes. The above diseases rank 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th among the top ten causes of death in Taiwan respectively. name, and high blood pressure, accident injuries, etc., also rank 7th and 8th among the top ten causes of death. We remind middle-aged people over 50 years old not to ignore the influence of nocturia.
Chairman Meng En shared the case of a 55-year-old male mid-level executive: The patient had long-term nocturnal polyuria, which greatly affected his sleep. Until one day, he was in a trance and had a traffic accident while crossing the road. He was bedridden for a long time before he recovered, causing serious financial problems. and health impairment. Further inquiries revealed that the patient had been suffering from nocturia for about three years, but he only tried to improve the symptoms through online remedies and never sought medical treatment, which led to the unfortunate incident.
Don’t believe misleading information on the Internet! Experts urge: Remember the “23 remedies for nocturia” formula
As the temperature drops in autumn and winter, the chance of nocturia may also increase. If nocturnal polyuria is confirmed, in addition to adjusting daily habits as recommended by a urologist, oral antidiuretic hormone is now also available to alleviate the problem of insufficient hormone secretion, improve nocturnal polyuria, and prevent subsequent health and physical and mental consequences. Risk makes a good night’s sleep no longer a luxury.
In order to enhance public awareness of nocturia and combat unverified and suspicious information, the academic association has also launched the “23 Nocturia Doctors” formula, hoping to use the slogan to help the public easily and initially determine whether there is nocturnal polyuria:
2: Getting up more than 2 times a night with a strong urge to urinate interrupts sleep.
3: The urine output at night is greater than 1/3 of the urine output throughout the day.
Medical: Be sure to go to a urology specialist as soon as possible to seek professional help.
LINE’s “Yewen AI Smart Chat Room” jointly operated by the academic association has also compiled a list of more than 300 urology specialty medical institutions in Taiwan, helping the public to more conveniently obtain correct health education information and easily find the nearest medical channel to them. The public is reminded that as long as they have symptoms of nocturia or any urinary disturbances or abnormalities, they should seek a urologist as soon as possible; if they find suspicious information, they can also go to the information clarification and verification platform to verify the correct information.
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