Erectile dysfunction is a fear every man has but just because having trouble getting or keeping an erection from time to time doesn’t necessarily mean you have a problem. Experts suggest that, as long as you’re able to achieve an erection 80% of the time, treatment isn’t needed. However, if you are having troubles more than 50% of the time, you could be dealing with erectile dysfunction. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean that you’ll never be able to experience sexual pleasure again. There are many treatments available that can help restore your erections. In this article, we get to the root of E.D. – pardon the pun – to help you determine if there is a problem and most importantly, what you can do to start healing.
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What is Erectile Dysfunction?
In the simplest terms, erectile dysfunction is the inability to get or achieve an erection hard enough for sex. It can come with additional symptoms, such as a lack of sexual interest, and tends to affect men as they get older. In fact, more than 50% of men between 40 and 70 years of age experience some form of ED. However, it can occur at any age.
Now, there are two forms of erectile dysfunction:
- Primary Erectile Dysfunction: A condition where you have never been able to achieve or sustain an erection.
- Secondary Erectile Dysfunction: A condition typically acquired later in life where you have difficulty achieving or sustaining an erection by a man who was previously able to attain erections.
Experiencing erection problems from time to time isn’t always a cause for concern. Sometimes, you just need to make some simple changes in your lifestyle to ease stress, build confidence, reduce anxiety and work through emotional blockages. However, if impotence is an ongoing issue, it is possible that you are dealing with erectile dysfunction or an underlying health condition and it’s important to speak with a healthcare provider.
Common Causes of Erectile Dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction can be caused by a variety of emotional, mental and physical factors. It can be the result of stress, anxiety or injury, a side effect to a medication you’re taking or a sign of an underlying health condition. As such, it is always important to seek medical attention if your symptoms persist.
To help you determine what may be contributing to your erection troubles, some common causes are:
- Trauma: An injury that causes ED symptoms.
- Mental health symptoms and conditions: Stress, depression, performance anxiety and a lack of stimulus from the brain can cause ED symptoms. Mental health symptoms and illnesses can also accompany erectile dysfunction. So, they can be a cause and a symptom.
- Vascular disease: When the blood supply to the penis becomes blocked or narrowed.
- Neurological disorders: When the nerves that send impulses to the penis become damaged from diabetes, a stroke or another condition, such as multiple sclerosis.
- Medication: Certain medications can cause erectile dysfunction by affecting your hormones, nerves or blood circulation. Common medications where ED may be a potential side effect include diuretics, high blood pressure drugs, antidepressants, Parkinson’s disease medications, tranquilizers, antiarrhythmics, antihistamines, muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory drugs, chemotherapy medications, prostate cancer medication, hormones and anti-seizure medications. Unfortunately, they are not always listed as a potential complication or side effect.
- Recreational substances or drugs: Other substances can lead to permanent ED, such as alcohol, amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, methadone, nicotine, and opiates.
Treatment Options for Erectile Dysfunction
While discovering that you’re dealing with erectile dysfunction can take a significant toll on your mood and overall mental health, there are plenty of treatment options available. Speaking with a healthcare provider will help you determine the best form of treatment for your ED, based on the cause.
Medical Treatments
However, some common treatments used by doctors to treat erectile dysfunction include:
- Oral medications, such as Viagra, Levitra and Cialis
- Non-surgical options, such as vacuum device or penile injections
- Surgical treatment options, such as a penile implant
- Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), such as hormone treatment in topical gels, creams, patches, injections and pellets
Natural Remedies
If the medical options don’t appeal to you, we don’t blame you. Many conventional medical treatment options are painful and come with their own risks and potential side effects. Fortunately, there are just as many natural and effective treatments that can be used to heal erectile dysfunction.
Now, you will notice that some of the medical treatments mentioned above are also mentioned here. That’s because, although they are a form of conventional treatment, they do not use medications or any invasive procedures.
And just like the prior, the best form of treatment will highly depend on the cause of your ED. To help you determine what that may be, here is a list of common natural remedies:
Talk Therapy
Erectile dysfunction caused by psychological factors, such as stress, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, can often be treated with some talk therapy. This involves speaking with a licensed therapist about any potential stress or anxiety factors, insecurities, limiting beliefs, subconscious conflicts or feelings about sex that may be contributing to your ED. The therapist will then provide you with tips to help you heal and overcome these mental factors disrupting your ability to achieve and sustain an erection. You can also use talk therapy with your partner to help them understand and accept what you’re going through.
If you don’t feel comfortable speaking to a therapist, self-help books and self-therapy journals can be a good alternative. Although, there are significant benefits to speaking with a trained professional about your individual circumstances.
Vacuum Pumps
While the name doesn’t sound very appealing, vacuum pumps can be an effective way to stimulate an erection. It’s a vacuum device that draws blood into the penis and is entirely non-invasive. To use this form of treatment, you would place your penis in a plastic tube, move an elastic ring to the base of your penis, and use the pump to start drawing air out of the plastic tube. The pump will increase blood flow to get an erection and the elastic ring will help you maintain the erection by holding the blood in the penis. It can stay on for 30 minutes.
Additionally, penis rings can have a similar effect as the elastic band and can be an excellent option if you’re able to get an erection but have a hard time maintaining it.
Kegel Exercises
They’re not just for the ladies! Kegel exercises are simple movements you can do to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and the bulbocavernosus muscle, which is a muscle that enables the penis to fill up with blood during an erection and that throbs during ejaculation. Studies show that men can see significant improvement in their penile function in just three months by doing regular pelvic floor muscle exercises. Additionally, after 6 months, 40% of men are able to regain normal erectile function. Additionally, kegel exercises can help treat premature ejaculation.
A quick search online will give you detailed instructions and plans, but to get you started now here are the simple steps:
- Start by identifying your pelvic floor muscles. Stop peeing midstream and notice the muscles that you are using. These are your pelvic floor muscles.
- When you’re ready to do your kegel exercises, activate those muscles and contract them for 3 seconds.
- Then, release them.
- Repeat this exercise 10 to 20 times in a row, several times per day.
Regular Exercise
Getting moderate to vigorous exercise in can help increase blood flow in the body, which can potentially help with treatment ED and improving your overall health. It’ll also help combat any mental health symptoms you’re struggling with that may be contributing to your ED or being caused by your ED. Some prime examples of aerobic exercise to do include swimming and running, or anything that gets your heart pumping.
Studies found that doing 160 minutes of weekly exercises for 6 months can cause a decrease in erectile problems. Other studies found that exercise can help increase testosterone levels to further help with ED. So, choose an activity and stick with it.
Yoga
On the entirely opposite side of aerobic exercise is yoga, a calming exercise designed to relax your mind and body. This can be particularly helpful if stress and anxiety are causing your ED. Studies found that men between the ages of 24 and 60 saw their sexual function increase after just 12 weeks of yoga.
There are many yoga studios you can attend or online videos you can use to exercise in the comfort of your own home.
Eating Erectile Dysfunction Foods
As the saying goes, you are what you eat, and food can be an excellent way to help combat ED by improving your blood vessel health. After all, ED is often linked to problems with blood flow. An ideal diet for treating ED is a plant-based one, according to studies. So, you may want to try a vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian or flexitarian diet.
Health Supplements
Various studies have found that many herbs and supplements can help treat erectile dysfunction, such as:
- DHEA
- Ginseng
- Honey goat weed
- L-arginine
- L-carnitine
- Shatavari
- Yohimbe
- Zinc
Acupuncture
This traditional Chinese medicine practice involves inserting painless needle into specific areas (acupoints) on the body to activate nerve stimulation and release neurotransmitters. Studies have found that it may help treat psychological ED.
Lastly, there are programs out there that help you with the issue. One of our recommendations is: The Erectile Mastery Program.
Erectile dysfunction is a fairly common condition that makes it difficult to attain and sustain an erection. It typically tends to affect men as they get older, and can be caused by a vast array of physical, mental and emotional health factors. Fortunately, there are all kinds of effective treatments available.
