Overcoming ED

How to treat erectile dysfunction.

Treat the causes of erectile dysfunction, and see other health conditions improve as well.

Erectile dysfunction affects an estimated 40% of men at age 40 and 70% by age 70, but its ramifications extend beyond the bedroom. “Erectile dysfunction is a portal into men’s health,” observes Aksam Yassin, M.D., Ph.D., the senior author of a recent study that found ED symptoms often indicate diabetes, heart disease and testosterone deficiency.

Yassin, who presented his research at The Endocrine Society’s 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, examined 771 men (average age 56) who complained of ED. Among them, 35% had type 1 or type 2 diabetes, 31% had high blood pressure, 21% had abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels, and 14% had heart disease.

In addition, 18% of men in the study had abnormally low levels of testosterone, but all were unaware of this deficiency. The study concluded that men with ED should be screened for testosterone deficiency and metabolic syndrome, a combination of the risk factors measured in the study.

Low testosterone levels can be corrected with prescription testosterone therapy. In addition, there are herbal formulas for men designed to enhance male hormone levels and sexual performance.

Reverse ED Naturally
For any man who is overweight or has a big gut, getting leaner is the best way to reverse ED naturally. Otherwise, excessive levels of estrogen, in comparison to testosterone, will make a man feel—to put it simply—less manly.

“Fat makes estrogen, so the more fat you have, the more estrogen you make, and the more likely you are to have ED,” explains Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., an integrative physician and author of From Fatigued to Fantastic (Avery, 2007) and other books. He recommends taking a good multivitamin, exercising, and eliminating sugary and high-starch refined foods. Plus, taking 2 gm daily of the amino acid arginine (also found in men’s formulas) can improve male hormone balance and the health of blood vessels.

 

♦ ED Fit Facts Regular exercise reduces the risk of ED by 30%, while obesity nearly doubles the risk and smoking increases it by 50%, according to a 14-year study of 22,086 men between the ages of 40 and 75. Source: The Journal of Urology