Nearly thirteen years ago, my husband and I made a decision that seemed like the logical thing to do. Our youngest son had just been born, and we were content with the way our family looked. We decided we were done having kids. So we did what we had to to make sure our decision became reality.
And that is about as much thought as we put into my hubby’s vasectomy. And to be honest, once the results came back that the procedure was successful, I didn’t think about it much after that—until a couple of weeks ago.
As I often do, I grabbed one of Selene River Press’s books in my self-health library and opened it to a random page. This particular day my book of choice was Conversations in Nutrition by Dr. Royal Lee and John Courtney. It’s a great book that features excerpts from various fireside chats Dr. Lee gave back in the day.
This particular talk stemmed from a conversation Dr. Lee had in 1955 about his Standard Process products Orchic PMG and Orchex, which are both related to the testicles and testicular health. When the subject of vasectomy came into the conversation, Dr. Lee’s words were quite jarring.
“A vasectomy is a nonphysiological thing,” he said. “The man will start forming antibodies, and it knocks the hell out of him. It’s an operation prohibited by law, and it should be—not from any moral principle but simply because the victim doesn’t know what he’s in for.”
This led someone to ask Dr. Lee if a vasectomy patient “may as well have been castrated,” to which he responded, “More so, because he develops antibodies from that secretion getting into his body and bloodstream. He builds violent antibodies [that are] liable to mentally ‘drive him nuts.’”
See what I meant about Dr. Lee’s words? He sure didn’t pull any punches. I wish I could say he ended the conversation there, but he didn’t. Dr. Lee went on to say that he wasn’t aware of any way to combat the effects of having a vasectomy, after which the patient is “surgically screwed up” and among the “most hopeless” patients to help. Basically, the man’s endocrine system has been wholly altered. Joseph Antell, Standard Process consultant and educator, elucidates.
“The male body continues to make testosterone, even though it is no longer able to excrete it. This buildup of excess testosterone hormone can signal an imbalance in the endocrine system, so antibodies are formed to suppress or destroy what the immune system sees as a malfunctioning host organ, the testicular network…Unfortunately, the side effects of the procedure may have dramatic negative downstream effects, from testicular pain and prostate enlargement to erectile dysfunction, autoimmune conditions, and cancer.”
Mr. Antell and Dr. Lee are not alone in their assessment. Author and vasectomy patient Kevin Hauber writes, “According to H.J. Roberts, MD, who has done extensive research on the subject for more than twenty-five years, ‘no other operation performed on humans even approaches the degree and duration of multiple immunologic responses that occur in the post-vasectomy state.’”
Hauber also cites Dr. R.F. Raspa in the Journal of the American Family Physician: “Vasectomy produces anatomic, hormonal, and immunologic changes and…has been reputed to be associated with atherosclerosis, prostate cancer, testicular cancer and [kidney stones]. Complications of vasectomy include overt failure, occasional sperm in the ejaculate, hematoma, bleeding, infection, sperm granuloma, congestive epididymitis, antisperm antibody formation, and psychogenic impotence.”
Holy moly. What had my hubby and I done?! While my husband is in pretty good health, he does deal with low thyroid function and excess weight. Perhaps these things would not have been a problem if we had chosen a different option way back when? Dr. Lee’s little chat sure makes me wonder.
In hindsight I’m a little embarrassed to admit I never even considered the long-term effects a vasectomy could have on my husband. I was more naive then, and I hadn’t started my self-health adventure yet. I didn’t know there were things we should have asked about a vasectomy before making our final decision. We just didn’t know what we didn’t know.
Then again, maybe I’m being too hard on myself. Based on the difficulty I had finding any recent research for this post regarding the long-term effects of a vasectomy, it’s quite possible our practitioner wouldn’t have known what to tell us if we had asked.
While there have been doctors sounding the alarm on vasectomy, it seems the procedure is such a cash cow that those voices have been all but silenced. About 500,000 men have a vasectomy each year, and that’s just in the USA. Apparently, it’s even more common in Canada and the UK.
For those of you who have had a vasectomy—and those who are contemplating one—there is good news. Dr. Lee created several Standard Process products to help counter problems resulting from vasectomy. Joseph Antell recommends the following formulations, which holistic practitioners have used successfully to alleviate the side effects of this procedure and its sometimes debilitating outcomes.
“Vasectomies are never recommended,” he says, “but for individuals who have chosen this approach in their life, these recommendations can certainly diminish many of the long-term complications.”
(Note that each of these products is available only through a licensed professional, so ask your health practitioner about them if you are interested.)
Symplex M contains a unique range of glandular substances, including bovine pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, and orchic (testicle). It assists in relieving the burden on these specific endocrine glands, so that “self-regulation” can occur and balance of function can be restored.
Cataplex F (tablets) is a formulation of “vitamin F” factors that assists the body in monitoring and balancing hormone production. Without this range of unsaturated fatty acids, the body has no guidance in hormone selectivity. (For instance, menopausal women can produce excessive facial and body hair as estrogen abates. Vitamin F can diminish this or even prevent it from occurring. Men can have prostate enlargement from excessive suppressed hormone production. Vitamin F assists in regulating this process as well.)
Orchex combines various nutrients to support healthy testicular function and a balanced nervous system. It has a potent calming effect, encourages mental clarity, enhances relaxation, and helps maintain emotional balance.
Orchic PMG is a protomorphogen that supports healthy testicular function.
LivCo is an herbal product from Standard Process’s partner company, MediHerb. It helps the liver clear excess hormones of any kind. “There are also lifestyle steps that help prevent an increase and imbalance of hormones,” Antell says. “For example, purchase only meat and dairy products that are hormone free; avoid unfermented and genetically modified (GMO) soy products; and avoid all contact with materials that contain xenoestrogens, such as plastics and chemicals such as glyphosate (found in Roundup).”
Let’s be honest, men’s hormones aren’t something people really talk about. So maybe it’s not so surprising that there isn’t that much info out there about the negative effects of vasectomies. But I, for one, believe men deserve to have a better understanding of such things. Are you with me, people? Now go find someone to prod in order to get things started. K? K.
Images from iStock/talipcubukcu (main), vchal (SOS), Diy13 (eggs).
Paula Widish, author of Trophia: Simple Steps to Everyday Self-Health, is a freelance writer and self-healther. She loves nothing more than sharing tidbits of information she discovers with others. (Actually, she loves her family more than that—and probably bacon too.) Paula has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Public Relations and is a Certified Professional Life Coach through International Coach Academy.
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