TCM can be a useful part of an overall treatment plan for andropause. There are three things to keep in mind:
1) Treatment will likely include both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Chinese dietary therapy and/or movement prescriptions may be advised as well, depending on the individual case.

2) The patient must commit to a prudent life-style. This is always sound advice, particularly as we age. It is particularly important in the treatment of low T.

3) Treatment must be based on an accurate TCM pattern diagnosis. This is because signs and symptoms vary among patients and, in TCM, are specific to different patterns. Different acupuncture point combinations and Chinese herbal medicine formulas are pertinent to different patterns. These patterns generally include:

-- Kidney yin vacuity
-- Kidney essence decline and vacuity
-- Debility of Kidney yang
-- Heart - Spleen dual vacuity
-- Kidney yang and yin dual vacuity
-- Binding depression of Liver qi

Today men are bombarded by advertisements to regain their lost youth. While it is tempting to attempt a return to our youthful vigor (yes, that’s right; you may no longer be a babe magnet), being too aggressive can have consequences. Among younger men, over consumption of Kidney yang supplementing medicinal can lead to anxiety, palpitations, acne, headache, constipation or other heat-type signs and symptoms. Among middle aged or older men, excessive consumption of yang supplementing medicinals may cause a brief period of well-being only to be followed by a "crash" as we push the aging body beyond its natural capacity and deplete it even further.