A Way Out of Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction (ED) or male impotence is a sexual disease characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis for satisfactory sexual intercourse. There are various underlying causes, such as diabetes, many of which are medically curable.

The causes of erectile dysfunction may be physiological or psychological. Psychological impotence can often be helped by almost anything that the patient believes in; there is a very strong suggestive effect. Due to its embarrassing nature and the shame felt by those afflicted by this disease, the subject was not openly discussed for a long time, and is the subject of many urban legends. Folk remedies have long been advocated, with some being advertised widely since the 1930s. The introduction of perhaps the first pharmacologically effective drugs/remedies for impotence is sildenafil or Viagra, Cialis and Levitra.

Medical symptoms: Erectile dysfunction is mainly characterized by the inability to maintain an erection. Normal erections during sleep and in the early morning suggest a psychogenic cause, while loss of these erections may signify underlying disease, often cardiovascular in origin. Other reasons leading to erectile dysfunction are diabetes or reduced testosterone levels due to disease affecting the testicles.

Medical diagnosis: There are no formal tests to diagnose Erectile Dysfunction. Some blood tests maybe done to exclude other diseases, such as diabetes, hypogonadism and prolactinoma which in turn could be responsible for ED. Impotence is also related to generally poor physical health conditions, irregular eating habits, excessive weight or obesity, and most specifically cardiovascular disease such as coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disease.

A useful and simple way to distinguish between physiological and psychological impotence is to determine whether the patient ever has an erection. If never, the problem is likely to be physiological; if sometimes (however rarely), it is more likely to be psychological. The current diagnostic and statistical manual of mental diseases has included a listing for impotence.

Treatment: Treatment for ED depends on the cause. Testosterone supplements may be used for cases due to hormonal deficiency. However, the cause is more usually lack of adequate penile blood supply as a result of damage to inner walls of blood vessels. This damage is more frequent in older men, and often associated with disease, in particular diabetes. ED can in many cases be treated by drugs taken orally, injected, or as penile suppositories.