Today I'm educating you all on a very sensitive subject; Erectile Dysfunction.
First, what everyone needs to realize is that this is an extremely common issue! In general, around as many as 52% of men will suffer ED. 40% of that will be men in their 40's and up and 70% of men in their 80's and up. Don't fall into those age ranges? Well, ED can be due to much more than just age!
Before I get into the causes, let me familiarize you all with how erections happen. It's actually a very intricate process, a lot of things occur chemically with in the brain in body. It's not as simple as one might think!
An erection starts in your head, meaning, your brain! Something that you saw, felt, smelled, heard, or thought will activated your central nervous system causing your nerves to send chemical messages to the blood vessels in your penis. The arteries in the penis relax and open up allowing more blood to flow in; at the same time, the veins clamp down holding the blood in. Once blood is in the penis, the pressure between the vessels and musculature create the hardening and engorgement. When the blood flow stops and the veins open, your penis becomes flaccid again. This happens after orgasm or if the chemical signals from the brain stop.
Here's a glance at why the above may not happen:
Heart Disease
Athrosclerosis (clogged arteries)
High Cholesterol
High Blood Pressure (hypertension)
Diabetes
Obesity
Parkinson's Disease
Multiple Sclerosis
Peyronie's Disease (development of scar tissue inside the penis, this IS something I do treat as well)
Medications
Tobacco Use
Alcohol Use
Sleep Disorders
Treatments for prostate cancer or an enlarged prostate (another common issue I treat often)
Surgery or Injury that affecting pelvic area, genitals or spinal cord
Depression
Stress
Other Mental Health Issues
Anger
Anxiety
Low Self Image
Low Libido
Your Overall Health
If you have ED, what do you do about it? Everything you'll read on the internet, commercials you see on T.V. will tell you go to your doctor or take this drug and your doctor, all their going to do, is to prescribe you that drug!
Now sure, those drugs will give you a hard-on but they will not fix the actual problem. Their a band-aid. Right now, the latest, "greatest" drug is medication you inject. Yes! You have to stab a needle into your own penis to get an erection! I've seen how this works and it has been reported back to me both, that it does and does not hurt. It doesn't always give you an erection either, just as the pills don't always! So I ask, is it worth putting a drug with nasty side-effects in your body or stab your delicate penis with a needle when there's natural, safe solutions?
Now, I do not insert needles into the penis when doing acupuncture for any disorder! Needles are placed strategically throughout the head, torso, arms and legs based on your personal diagnoses. Treatments are crafted to you and your condition and not based on anyone else. There are commonly used points for ED but acupuncture is not a "one pill fixes all" ED type of treatment. That's part of why acupuncture works! We can always include herbs or supplements that are also natural and safe ways to get your body responding the way it should!
Ladies! Yeah, you girls! This does affect us too! Your partner's performance in the bedroom can definitely be a difficult subject to bring up. What I want you to know because I hear this often, is that his lack of response sexually, it truly isn't because of you! There is something going on with your man medically. Don't get down on yourself as that can potentially make the entire situation worse for both parties. Get him the correct help instead!
Erectile Dysfunction, or any other of the health concerns guys face, are absolutely nothing to be ashamed of! They do deserve attention! Don't just sit on it! You and your man can stand tall!
Make that call today! lisa@whole-healthacupuncture.com
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Men's health is my specialization and very important to me! Please share what you have learned today with the men and women in your lives! There will be future newsletters detailing more health concerns facing men to come. Stay tuned!