The Health Blog

Long-term drinking can also sap your potency. Many me know firsthand that drinking too much makes them unable t get an erection, at least temporarily. What isn’t as well Know is that long-term heavy drinking can sabotage potency. While no one fully understands just how this works, we do know the excessive alcohol can severely reduce the production of testosterone in the testicles. Whatever small amounts of the hormone a chronically heavy drinker does manage to produce may be rendered ineffective by his damaged liver, which hi to metabolize the hormone. Large amounts of alcohol can also hurt the nervous system, which plays an important role in erection.

The effects of this type of self-sabotage can remain undetected for years, finally recognized only after serious damage to potency has occurred. Limit your use of alcohol now so you’ll enjoy sex in the future.

You don’t need to give up liquor altogether; you just need to be moderate. In small amounts—such as one beer or one 4-ounce glass of wine or one shot of hard liquor per day-alcohol may actually increase the cholesterol-removing HDLs in your body, and thus help prevent clogs in your arteries, There’s no question, however, that large amounts of alcohol will do you and your erections much more harm than good.

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In general, a good candidate for implant surgery is emotionally stable.He is not severely depressed, though of course, some depression is common. Some doctors perform implant surgery only on men with physically caused potency problems, but other physicians find that men whose erection problems are attributed to psychological factors, if properly screened, can be quite satisfied and happy with the results of surgery. (These men may not have found that sex therapy improved their erections.) Whether physical factors are present or not, if s generally agreed that implant surgery should be considered only after any simpler treatments have been tried.

If a man has a regular partner, it’s enormously helpful, both lovers are motivated to solve the problem. And it’s important that the couple continue to be warm toward each other and try to maintain good sexual communication.

One study shows that men interested in increasing their sexual enjoyment and that of their partners, as well as in regaining a feeling of being a “whole man,” are much more satisfied with the results of surgery than those who are trying to improve relationships, change their marital status or the number of their sexual partners, or have children. And, not surprisingly, men in better health and with fewer complications after surgery are more likely to be pleased with their results.

A good candidate for implant surgery is not overly concerned with the size of his penis, because a penis erect from an implant usually will be slightly smaller in circumference and slightly shorter in length; he is healthy enough to withstand the operation, which sometimes requires a general anesthetic; he recognizes that he will experience pain following the operation, and that it will be weeks (and occasionally, months) before he is fully recovered and able to enjoy his newfound potency. Most important of all, perhaps, he is motivated by a strong desire to have intercourse and to get his problem fixed. He does not look upon the surgery as something to change his personality or make him more popular.

Of course, not all good candidates for surgery need to fit each of these criteria perfectly. Perhaps the most important factors are that a man who is considering such surgery be honest with himself, his partner and his doctor about his needs, wants, hopes and fears regarding the implant and the changes it will bring; that he gets answers to his questions (and a second opinion if he likes); and that his expectations are based on facts and information, not on myths and wishes.

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As I mentioned in Chapter 2, ginseng has already been shown to have an amazing ability to enhance erections. This herb contains many gensenosides, also called panaxosides, which are biologically active compounds thought to be responsible for its physiologic activity. If you have access to an Asian market, buy whole ginseng roots or “tails,” which are pieces trimmed off from the main root. The natural product is expensive, selling for as much as $20 to $30 an ounce, depending on availability. The roots and tails can be chopped, and the pieces steeped in hot water, to make a herbal tea.

How much or how often ginseng should be taken depends on personal need. For men who are thirty-five to fifty-five years old and in good health, small quantities—about one eighth of an ounce of prepared or whole root—may be taken regularly as a tonic. For older men, this dosage can be doubled to one fourth of an ounce taken daily.

A much easier solution is to buy commercially prepared ginseng tonics, powders, and capsules; health food stores and pharmacies stock them. Be sure to check labels for gensenoside or panaxoside content. Price is another indicator of quality; look for higher-priced products manufactured by a reputable company. To get maximum results, follow the label directions.

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If couples cannot talk to each other about the effects that ED is having on their relationships and their lives, they should seek psychological help. At the other end of the relationship spectrum are the majority of people I see. For them, the availability of the pill has prompted the most heartfelt and honest self-evaluations I have ever heard.

One of the most memorable examples of this was articulated by Janice, a forty-five-year-old woman who was about to be married for the first time when her fiance, Vincent, began to experience ED. They came to my office and Janice offered a keen insight into what kind of person she was and the bond she and Vincent shared.

“Vincent says that we should delay our marriage, that he’s having second thoughts and doesn’t want me to be saddled with a man who is ‘defective,’ “she said. “I’m trying to make him understand that, to me, he’s a hell of a lot more than just stud service. We’ve been together for two years. During that time we’ve traveled, met each other’s friends and family, and discovered what we like—and dislike—about each other. Then, last year, my mother became very ill. It was a very rough time for me and my family, and Vincent was there, every step of the way. And when she died, he gave me the kind of support I hope everybody gets at a time like that. I’ll never forget it, and I’ll never leave him when he needs my help.”

For Janice and Vincent, whose bond is based on growing together, the pill offers another opportunity to build on an already solid foundation. Because their self-esteem is not moderated by selfish motives, they can share the problem and revel in its solution. They are now happily married. The pills prescribed for Vincent have made a satisfying relationship that much better.

But what do you do if your partner won’t see a doctor?

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Sometimes potency problems are the first sign that a man has diabetes. New York researchers studied three groups of men who were thought not to be diabetic. The men in the first group were impotent, the men in the second group complained of premature ejaculation and the men in the third group had normal sexual function.

Blood tests to diagnose diabetes showed that about one in eight of the men complaining of impotence were diabetic. These men had no other diabetic symptoms. None of the men in the other two groups were found to be diabetic. The lesson: When potency problems develop, it’s important to check for diabetes.

In Daniel’s case, the “downhill slide,” as he called it, happened fairly fast, once the problem surfaced. But other men find the problem develops much more gradually, over a period of several years. Bert, a manufacturer’s representative, was diagnosed as diabetic when he was 31. Even after the diagnosis he didn’t always take proper care of himself, he admits, and after several years he developed circulation problems in his feet as well as other complications. But it took about five years for him to notice a change in his erections, and even then it was several years before he considered problems with erections a chronic condition. “I just gradually got to the point where I couldn’t have sex,” he says.

For Bert, the problem wasn’t only damage to the nerves and arteries—when Bert’s diabetes got out of control, his erections got worse. The strain on Bert’s body made erections impossible. When his diabetes was under better control, his erections improved. Bert, however, is a case study of how not to deal with diabetes. For some people, restoring normal blood sugar will restore normal potency. The key is not to ignore the problem until if s too late.

Maintaining a proper diet, using prescribed medication and following a doctor’s recommendations for exercise and weight control are essential for the diabetic man who wants to put all the potency odds in his favor. This way, you’re more likely to avoid other complications of this disease: nerve damage, blood-flow blockages and blindness. A diabetic man without these unpleasant conditions runs less chance of developing erection problems than a man who has such problems.

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