Erectile Dysfunction

What is erectile dysfunction?

Risk factors for erectile dysfunction

Physical causes of erectile dysfunction

Psychological causes of erectile dysfunction

Remedies / treatment for erectile dysfunction

References

What is erectile dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction (ED, impotence) is when a man cannot attain a firm erection to have sex. A healthy man should be able to have normal erections at any age. When suffering from ED, he may be incapable of getting an erection, or it may be soft or last for a short period. Erectile dysfunction can occur at any age, affecting one in five men who are 20 years and older. (1) It is four times more common in men in their 60's than men in their 40's. (1) Occasional difficulty maintaining an erection is not necessarily a cause for concern. However, if the problem is persistent it is stressful and can affect self-esteem and relationships. It may also be a warning that other problems need to be investigated.

Low libido or lack of sex drive is common in women but unusual in men. Lack of libido in men should not be confused with erectile dysfunction. Most men with ED still have a normal sex drive.

Erectile dysfunction can have vascular, hormonal, neurological or psychological causes, so depending on the cause the remedy that solves a particular individual's case may vary

Risk factors for erectile dysfunction

• Ageing.
• Cardiovascular - heart and artery deterioration, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis.
• Stress.
• Adrenal exhaustion.
• Insomnia, lack of deep and sufficient sleep.
• Obesity.
• Diabetes or metabolic syndrome (pre-diabetes).
• Inflammation.
• Alcohol.
• Smoking.

Physical causes of erectile dysfunction

Physical causes of erectile dysfunction are common. They include:

• By far the most common cause of erectile dysfunction is poor blood circulation linked to hypertension and cardiovascular disease. The inability to get an erection is a classic sign of poor circulation in the small blood vessels, and is an early warning for impending heart and arterial disease. Having insufficient cholesterol, not being fit through lack of exercise, poor digestion of fats, high blood pressure, inflammation, dehydration and obesity are all connected.
• Nitric oxide deficiency. Nitric oxide (NO) helps relax the blood vessels, improve blood flow, and release oxygen into the blood. NO has many other benefits, helping the testes to produce testosterone, regulating the stress hormone cortisol, and assisting with deep sleep. NO levels decrease with age, and most 40 year old men have only half the level of NO that they had in their late teens. People with NO deficiency tend to have breathing ailments such as asthma, sleep apnoea and a general loss of cardiovascular lung fitness. NO improves insulin sensitivity. This is why people with diabetes or insulin resistance often tend to suffer from erectile dysfunction.
• Estrogen look-alikes. Many man-made chemicals in the environment mimic the estrogen in our bodies and are able to attach to the estrogen receptors on human cells. These xenoestrogens include many pharmaceutical drugs, industrial chemicals, agricultural chemicals and food additives. For example, regular consumption of foods and drinks containing tartrazine yellow food dye (E102) can cause hormonal upsets and a lowering of normal testosterone levels in both men and women. For example, see the warning for yellow-coloured turmeric powder.
• Adrenal exhaustion.
• Low testosterone. This is the cause that doctors and other health practitioners like to suggest, because there is money to be made here. But it is not the most common cause, so first get your blood testosterone level tested. If your testosterone levels actually are low, the next thing to do is get your body to make its own testosterone.
• Zinc deficiency.
• Pyroluria.
• Drug side-effects, particularly from anti-depressants and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
• Obesity.
• Diabetes.
• Vitamin D deficiency.
• Smoking.
• Gum disease. A study suggests an association between chronic periodontitis (periodontal inflammation) and erectile dysfunction. (3)
• Potassium deficiency.
• Surgery or radiation therapy around the colon, prostate, bladder, or rectum that may damage the nerves and blood vessels involved in erection.
• Bicycling. Extended periods on a narrow cycle saddle put pressure on the perineum and constriction around the penis, and may cause erectile dysfunction. (2)
• Neurological problems including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and stroke.
• Kidney disease.

Psychological causes of erectile dysfunction

If you often wake up in the night or early in the morning with a firm, hard erection, then your erectile dysfunction probably has a psychological rather than physical cause. Another confirmation that the cause is psychological is if you can get and maintain an erection when comfortably masturbating on your own with no time pressure or other disturbance, but not with a partner. Obviously, pressure for sex and performance from your partner or yourself will not help.

An excellent healing training is to take plenty of time to masturbate, to hold an erection, and NOT to ejaculate. Withholding ejaculation is an important exercise, especially for older men. Success breeds success, and a loving and understanding partner is important at this time.

• Chronic stress, causing high levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
• Performance anxiety or negative feelings.
• Substance abuse (alcohol, other drugs, addictions).
• Mental disorders including depression, schizophrenia, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, personality disorders, psychological problems.

Remedies / treatment for erectile dysfunction

• Exercise, both aerobic exercise that raises the heartbeat and rate of breathing, and weight-bearing exercise which improves testosterone levels. Regular aerobic exercise (daily, or most days) improves the blood circulation in the small vessels, and raises the level of nitric oxide in the blood. (4)
• Breathe through your nose rather than through your mouth. Nose breathing has numerous fitness and health benefits, one of which is improving the level of nitric oxide in the blood.
• Fasting, both with a limited window in which to eat every day, and with longer periods of fasting lasting full days or multiple days.
• Avoid polyunsaturated oils / vegetable oils / golden supermarket oils such as canola, corn, cottonseed, safflower, sunflower, soy and all other legume and seed oils. (Olive oil is OK, it is not a polyunsaturated seed oil).
• Increase your saturated fat intake with coconut and palm oils, and animal oils such as butter, tallow, lard, poultry fat and ghee. Saturated fats are the precursor (building material) to make steroid hormones, essential to build up your level of testosterone. Better to make testosterone yourself rather than supplement (see below). My ebook Grow Youthful explains why saturated fats are NOT dangerous, but instead are essential for good health. It points to many scientific studies that prove that saturated fats are health-giving and polyunsaturated vegetable oils are man-made, un-natural, and toxic.
• Sunshine. Get regular sunshine in the eyes and on the skin. Low frequency ultraviolet rays (UV-A) release nitric oxide in your skin. Sunlight improves your level of nitric oxide, vitamin D, and other hormones.
• Watermelon is high in citrulline, an amino acid that improves the ammonia recycling process and increases the level of nitric oxide in the body. Remember that watermelon is high in fructose, so if you want to avoid getting a sugar hit that best way to consume watermelon is to juice the rind and the white pith, and discard the sugar-rich pink part. Consume up to one cup of this juice per day, for four to six weeks. Lesser amounts of citrulline can also be found in beets, pumpkin, squash, cucumber and other kinds of melons.
• Ensure that you have sufficient carbohydrates in your diet. This most likely applies if you are not overweight, and tend to eat a low-sugar low-carb and high protein diet. A study (5) compared two groups - one on a high-carb low-protein diet and another on a low-carb high-protein diet. Fat intake and calories were identical for each group. After ten days the high-carb group had significantly higher free testosterone levels (+36%), lower SHBG levels, and lower cortisol. Another study (6) showed that in exercising men, the stress hormone cortisol increased rapidly when they were put on low-carb diets. As cortisol increases, the level of testosterone decreases.
• Zinc supplementation or zinc-rich foods.
• Low intensity shockwave therapy. I have heard good reports on its efficacy, but would advise you to also tackle the root causes of why the erectile dysfunction occurred in the first place.
• Cayenne pepper.
• Avoid estrogen look-alikes.
• Avoid alcohol and sugar, which inhibit the production of nitric oxide.
• Herbs. Ginkgo biloba is an anti-inflammatory, vasodilator and cardiac and cerebral circulatory stimulant. It measurably improves blood flow in the brain, limbs and penis. It improves memory and brain function, treats heart disease, lowers risk of stroke, as well as significant help with erectile dysfunction.
  
  Tribulus (tribulus terrestris). Also known as devil's weed, thorny goats head, devil's thorn, caltrop, cat's head, ji li (China), gokhru (India). It is mainly the dried fruit that is used, although leaves and roots are occasionally used as well. Tribulus is a reproductive, cardiac and urinary tonic that lowers blood pressure, it prevents kidney stones, stimulates DHEA production, and is a diuretic, demulcent and aphrodisiac. Other herbs I have heard work well are forskolin and black ginger.
• Testosterone supplementation. This should only be used if a test confirms testosterone deficiency. Weight-bearing exercise is a far better way to tackle testosterone deficiency, because when your body creates its own testosterone there are no side-effects and increased risks.
• Alkaline diet with high-nitrate foods like beets, spinach and leafy greens to assist with the production of nitric oxide.
• Get sufficient deep, regular sleep. Good sleep improves the level of nitric oxide in the blood.
• Methylene blue.
• View remedies & comments contributed by visitors to Grow Youthful's Ailments & Remedies pages.
• Other remedies depend on the likely cause of the ED, for example: weight loss, giving up smoking, drinking or other drugs, dental health, practice techniques for relaxation / meditation, counselling.

References

1. Christopher S. Saigal, Hunter Wessells, Jennifer Pace,Matt Schonlau, Timothy J. Wilt. Predictors and Prevalence of Erectile Dysfunction in a Racially Diverse Population. Journal of Urology (2000;163:460-463).

2. Schrader SM, Breitenstein MJ, Clark JC, Lowe BD, Turner TW. Nocturnal penile tumescence and rigidity testing in bicycling patrol officers. J Androl. 2002 Nov-Dec;23(6):927-34.

3. Zadik Y, Bechor R, Galor S, Justo D, Heruti RJ. Erectile dysfunction might be associated with chronic periodontal disease: two ends of the cardiovascular spectrum. J Sex Med. 2009 Apr;6(4):1111-6. Epub 2008 Dec 15.

4. Constance G. Bacon, Murray A. Mittleman, Ichiro Kawachi, Edward Giovannucci, Dale B. Glasser, Eric B. Rimm. Sexual Function in Men Older Than 50 Years of Age: Results from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Ann Intern Med. 5 August 2003;139(3):161-168.

5. Anderson KE, Rosner W, Khan MS, New MI, Pang SY, Wissel PS, Kappas A. Diet-hormone interactions: protein/carbohydrate ratio alters reciprocally the plasma levels of testosterone and cortisol and their respective binding globulins in man. Life Sci. 1987 May 4;40(18):1761-8.

6. Michael Gleeson, Nicolette C Bishop. Special Feature for the Olympics: Effects of Excercise on the Immune System. Immunology and Cell Biology (2000) 78, 554-561; doi:10.1111/j.1440-1711.2000.t01-6-x.