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Context: People are increasingly exposed to low frequency (LF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs), mainly from electricity distribution networks and electronic devices. Critics of this widespread exposure believe that it can have detrimental effects on the human body. On the other hand, many in vivo and in vitro studies have claimed that low frequency electromagnetic therapy can function as a form of alternative medicine and that therapists can treat disease by applying electromagnetic radiation or pulsed EMFs to the body or cells. It is not yet entirely clear, however, whether LF-EMF is beneficial or harmful., Objectives: This study aimed to examine the effects of LF-EMFs on men's reproductive functions, according to the types of waveform and the frequency and duration of exposure., Design: The study reviewed all available research, both human and animal, on the effects of LF-EMFs on male reproductive functions, covering the literature from January 1978 to June 2016. The documents were obtained from PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, and any article that was irrelevant or a duplicate was excluded. A total of 61 articles were found, and 27 articles were reviewed., Setting: This project was performed at the Avicenna Research Center (Tehran, Iran)., Participants: Literature included human and animal studies conducted on rabbits, mice, rats, and boars., Intervention: Among these studies, any article that was irrelevant, a duplicate, or published with duplicate data was excluded. At the end, 27 articles were checked., Outcome Measures: Outcome measures included testing related to reproductive organ weights, reproductive endocrinal hormones, fetal development, and spermatogenesis as well as sperm motility, morphology, and vitality., Results: The reviewed studies provided contradictory results that were highly dependent on the exposure parameters, such as the shape and frequency of wave, intensity, duration, and timing of the exposure., Conclusions: LF-EMF at 15 Hz with a peak intensity of 8 Gauss, with a square waveform of 50 Hz frequency and a duration of a few hours or less can have a positive effect on sperm quality, motility, and fertility. Exposures at other frequencies either had no effects on the sperm's performance and quality or held biological hazard for cells. It appears that there is still little understanding of how EMF affects cellular functions. Therefore, more standardized and controlled studies should be carried out to understand the effects of EMF on the body.

Context: Depending on the cause of the infertility, nonsurgical or surgical treatments may be used to treat men and women with infertility. Despite improved outcomes due to medical advances, assisted reproductive technology (ART) for couples with infertility is sometimes unsuccessful. Success may be affected by the patient's social, psychological, and physical status., Objective: The study examined the effects of yoga-including asanas (yoga poses), pranayama (proper breathing), shavasana, and meditation-on male and female fertility and ART outcomes., Design: The research team performed a literature review, electronically searching for articles published between January 1978 and January 2016 in the PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar databases., Setting: The study took place at the Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center at the Avicenna Research Institute at the Academic Center for Education, Culture, and Research (Tehran, Iran)., Participants: Participants were couples with infertility taking part in 87 reviewed studies., Intervention: Yoga was the intervention., Outcome Measures: The outcome measures comprised fertility factors in males and females, fertility rate, and ART success rate., Results: The reviewed studies showed that yoga can provide stress management for patients with infertility, with beneficial effects on fertility, helping couples give birth. They found that yoga also could reduce pain; decrease depression, anxiety, and stress; reduce the rate of assisted vaginal delivery; and improve fetal outcomes., Conclusions: Yoga can help couples overcome infertility and increase the ART success rate by improving the physiological and psychological states of both men and women.

Background: The prevalence of obesity, a major public health problem, is increasing in many countries, including Iran. Leptin, a peptide hormone that is released from adipocytes, is a major factor in appetite regulation. Levels of plasma leptin increase with increased body fat mass (BFM). Research has found acupuncture to be effective both in weight loss and suppression of appetite. Although a few studies have reported the effect of body and ear acupuncture on leptin levels, researchers have performed few studies on the effect of body electroacupuncture in humans., Objective: The research team examined the effects of body electroacupuncture and a low-calorie diet on plasma leptin in obese and overweight individuals with an excess (phlegm-dampness or phlegm-heat) or deficiency (spleen/stomach qi deficiency or primary qi deficiency) pattern according to Chinese medicine., Design: The research team randomly assigned participants to one of two groups, intervention or control., Setting: This study occurred in the nutritional clinic at Ghaem Hospital in Mashhad, Iran., Participants: Participants were individuals (N = 86) between 18 and 65 years of age with body mass indexes (BMI) between 25 and 45 kg/m2., Intervention: The intervention group (n = 47) received actual electroacupuncture, and the control group (n = 47) received sham acupuncture. Both groups consumed a low-calorie diet for 6 weeks., Outcome Measures: The research team measured plasma leptin, BFM, body weight (BW), and BMI before and after treatment., Results: For participants in the intervention group with both the excess and the deficiency patterns, the research team found a significant reduction in plasma leptin (24.96%, P = .001) and BFM (8.29%, P = .001). In the control group, the team found a less significant reduction in leptin and BFM. The difference between the two groups was significant for leptin (P = .03) but not for BFM (P = .8)., Conclusions: While body electroacupuncture with a low-calorie diet can reduce plasma leptin concentration, the mechanism will require further clarification.