EJFan
Absolute Genius
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2004
- Posts
- 6,591
hi all. i just read this in my "men's health newsletter" and had to share it here at LIT. it's a guide to things you can do to keep erectile dysfunction from "gettin' you down."
in order to comply with the forum's "fair use" policy, i'm editing it down quite a bit from its original form. ask if you want to know more.
"ED stands not only for erectile dysfunction but also for 'early diagnosis,' because you can use ED to predict a heart attack, potentially by years-arterial damage from cardiovascular disease affects the small arteries in the penis first," says Christopher Steidle, M.D., a clinical associate professor of urology at the Indiana University medical center at Fort Wayne. That's one reason it's a mistake to let Levitra, Viagra, and Cialis lull you into an I'll-fix-it-when-it-breaks mindset.
Prevention
Dark fruits like blackberries, bilberries, and elderberries contain high levels of anthocyanins, ultrapowerful antioxidants that could act as erection insurance.
Quick science lesson: Your penis's ability to rise and shine depends, in part, on the availability of nitric oxide, a blood-vessel-dilating chemical. When too many free radicals are present in your bloodstream, nitric oxide goes down-and so does your penis. Enter anthocyanins. These potent antioxidants attack free radicals before they have the chance to lower nitric oxide levels.
Shut down the smokestack.
If you still light up, you've probably accepted your increased risk of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and bladder cancer. But how about dying young and impotent? A study published in the Journal of Urology found that smoking causes arterial damage that doubles a man's risk of total erectile dysfunction. The good news: "If men quit in their 50s or earlier, we can usually reverse the damage," says Andre Guay, M.D., director of the Lahey Clinic for Sexual Function, in Massachusetts.
When Dr. Guay measured nighttime erections in 10 impotent smokers (average age 49), he noted a 40 percent improvement after just 1 smoke-free day.
Become a more sensitive guy.
Everyone knows stress is a psychological cold shower. But untamed tension also works in a more insidious way-by releasing epinephrine, a type of adrenaline that goes straight to your arteries and slowly wreaks havoc there.
In a great medical irony, being hard in the arteries can leave you soft in the shorts. The fix: Force yourself to concentrate on each of your five senses for a few minutes every day-the feel of the steering wheel in your hands, the sound of the engine revving to redline, the sight of the hot brunette in the next car . . . it decreases the epinephrine and ultimately improves your ability to have an erection."
Stop sawing wood.
"All of your tissue needs oxygen to be healthy, and the penile tissue is especially sensitive," says Dr. Jones. "When you snore, you're depriving your tissue of that oxygen." That said, don't waste your money on OTC snore stoppers; research by the U.S. Air Force shows that these products aren't effective. Instead, try placing bricks under the bedposts at the head of the bed. Phillip Westerbrook, M.D., founder of the sleep-disorders center at the Mayo Clinic says, "If you elevate the torso without bending the neck, it changes the effect of gravity on the soft tissues of the throat."
Eat a dark-chocolate dove bar.
It's erection medicine. Dark chocolate contains epicatechins, flavonoids that trigger the release of dilating chemicals in the inner, or endothelial, layer of the arteries. How much should you munch? A University of California at San Francisco study shows that those who ate a 1.6-ounce dark-chocolate bar each day increased their blood-vessel dilation by more than 10 percent.
Treatment
Lower your estrogen levels.
Find our body-mass index (BMI) calculator and enter your vital stats. If your BMI comes in close to or over 25, you may be carrying just enough lard to drag down your erections. "We know that heavier men convert testosterone to estrogen, and that a lower level of testosterone and a higher level of estrogen are not good for erectile function," says Larry Lipshultz, M.D., a Men's Health advisor and chief of male reproductive medicine and surgery at Baylor college of medicine.
Get pricked.
If you think the problem is that you, well, think too much, see an acupuncturist. The results of a study published in the International Journal of Impotence Research suggest that acupuncture can help treat psychologically induced erectile dysfunction. (Relax-the prick points are all in your back.)
Open your medicine cabinet.
And make a list of all the prescription pills you're popping. "A lot of prescription drugs may be associated with sexual dysfunction," says R. Taylor Segraves, M.D., Ph.D.
Still not able to defy gravity?
At this point, it makes sense to consider taking Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra to stimulate bloodflow to the penis, says Dr. Steidle. And who knows what miracles might happen once you prime the pump a few times? "What a lot of men find is that once they restart these medications, they may not need them for every episode of sexual activity-they may need them only now and then," he says.
again, to be sure we're all legal and kosher here, these are excerpts from an article in "men's health magazine." ok. that should do it.
in order to comply with the forum's "fair use" policy, i'm editing it down quite a bit from its original form. ask if you want to know more.
"ED stands not only for erectile dysfunction but also for 'early diagnosis,' because you can use ED to predict a heart attack, potentially by years-arterial damage from cardiovascular disease affects the small arteries in the penis first," says Christopher Steidle, M.D., a clinical associate professor of urology at the Indiana University medical center at Fort Wayne. That's one reason it's a mistake to let Levitra, Viagra, and Cialis lull you into an I'll-fix-it-when-it-breaks mindset.
Prevention
Dark fruits like blackberries, bilberries, and elderberries contain high levels of anthocyanins, ultrapowerful antioxidants that could act as erection insurance.
Quick science lesson: Your penis's ability to rise and shine depends, in part, on the availability of nitric oxide, a blood-vessel-dilating chemical. When too many free radicals are present in your bloodstream, nitric oxide goes down-and so does your penis. Enter anthocyanins. These potent antioxidants attack free radicals before they have the chance to lower nitric oxide levels.
Shut down the smokestack.
If you still light up, you've probably accepted your increased risk of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and bladder cancer. But how about dying young and impotent? A study published in the Journal of Urology found that smoking causes arterial damage that doubles a man's risk of total erectile dysfunction. The good news: "If men quit in their 50s or earlier, we can usually reverse the damage," says Andre Guay, M.D., director of the Lahey Clinic for Sexual Function, in Massachusetts.
When Dr. Guay measured nighttime erections in 10 impotent smokers (average age 49), he noted a 40 percent improvement after just 1 smoke-free day.
Become a more sensitive guy.
Everyone knows stress is a psychological cold shower. But untamed tension also works in a more insidious way-by releasing epinephrine, a type of adrenaline that goes straight to your arteries and slowly wreaks havoc there.
In a great medical irony, being hard in the arteries can leave you soft in the shorts. The fix: Force yourself to concentrate on each of your five senses for a few minutes every day-the feel of the steering wheel in your hands, the sound of the engine revving to redline, the sight of the hot brunette in the next car . . . it decreases the epinephrine and ultimately improves your ability to have an erection."
Stop sawing wood.
"All of your tissue needs oxygen to be healthy, and the penile tissue is especially sensitive," says Dr. Jones. "When you snore, you're depriving your tissue of that oxygen." That said, don't waste your money on OTC snore stoppers; research by the U.S. Air Force shows that these products aren't effective. Instead, try placing bricks under the bedposts at the head of the bed. Phillip Westerbrook, M.D., founder of the sleep-disorders center at the Mayo Clinic says, "If you elevate the torso without bending the neck, it changes the effect of gravity on the soft tissues of the throat."
Eat a dark-chocolate dove bar.
It's erection medicine. Dark chocolate contains epicatechins, flavonoids that trigger the release of dilating chemicals in the inner, or endothelial, layer of the arteries. How much should you munch? A University of California at San Francisco study shows that those who ate a 1.6-ounce dark-chocolate bar each day increased their blood-vessel dilation by more than 10 percent.
Treatment
Lower your estrogen levels.
Find our body-mass index (BMI) calculator and enter your vital stats. If your BMI comes in close to or over 25, you may be carrying just enough lard to drag down your erections. "We know that heavier men convert testosterone to estrogen, and that a lower level of testosterone and a higher level of estrogen are not good for erectile function," says Larry Lipshultz, M.D., a Men's Health advisor and chief of male reproductive medicine and surgery at Baylor college of medicine.
Get pricked.
If you think the problem is that you, well, think too much, see an acupuncturist. The results of a study published in the International Journal of Impotence Research suggest that acupuncture can help treat psychologically induced erectile dysfunction. (Relax-the prick points are all in your back.)
Open your medicine cabinet.
And make a list of all the prescription pills you're popping. "A lot of prescription drugs may be associated with sexual dysfunction," says R. Taylor Segraves, M.D., Ph.D.
Still not able to defy gravity?
At this point, it makes sense to consider taking Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra to stimulate bloodflow to the penis, says Dr. Steidle. And who knows what miracles might happen once you prime the pump a few times? "What a lot of men find is that once they restart these medications, they may not need them for every episode of sexual activity-they may need them only now and then," he says.
again, to be sure we're all legal and kosher here, these are excerpts from an article in "men's health magazine." ok. that should do it.
