MUST READ [YOUR HEALTH]: Antioxidant solution to impotency

Erectile dysfunction, generally known as impotence, affects an estimated 18 million men in the United States alone, while Nigeria men share the borderline of the statistics. However, while this condition is no picnic, it is not as horrible or as permanent as it sounds or as it is generally believed to be. All the terror and the shame usually associated with this problem is only so because the condition is most often, completely misunderstood and the permanent solution evades us.

According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately five per cent of 40-year-old men and between 15 per cent and 25 per cent of 65-year-old men, experience ED on a long-term basis.

But ironically, close to 15 per cent of Nigerian youth between the ages of 27-35 are fast entering the list. A much more common problem which affects the majority of men at some point in their life is the occasional failure to achieve an erection, which could occur for a variety of reasons, ranging from drinking too much alcohol to being extremely tried or even variety of health problems.

Continue reading after the cut.....

But then, let us first attempt to define and to understand exactly what erectile dysfunction is, and how it is caused. Then, we would discuss how it could affect the lives of men who suffer from it, and how it directly or indirectly affects the people around them. Once we have a comprehensive understanding of the condition and what it entails, we’ll discuss how to cure it.

Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is generally defined as the inability to achieve or to maintain an erection long enough to engage in sexual intercourse.

However, to fully understand erectile dysfunction, one first has to understand how the process of erection works. Initially, you need to realise that the penis contains two chambers. These chambers are called the corpora cavernosa, which are filled with spongy tissue. They run the length of the organ and contain a maze of blood vessels shaped like cavernous spaces. An erection is achieved when the blood vessels of the corpora cavernous relax and open up because of nerve messages which stimulate the penis, and impulses from the brain and local nerves. As blood rushes in through the cavernous arteries to fill them, it is trapped under high pressure, which expands the penis and you would just take off!

So, under normal circumstances, when you are sexually stimulated, your brain would send a message downstairs, through your spinal cord and into the nerves of your penis. The nerve ending of the penis then releases chemical messengers, called neurotransmitters, which signal the arteries that supply blood to the corpora cavernous to relax and get filled with blood. As they expand, the corpora cavernosa close off other veins which would normally drain blood from the penis. As the penis becomes engorged with blood, it enlarges and stiffens, causing an erection. Problems with blood vessels, nerves, or tissues of the penis can interfere with an erection.

In essence then, erectile dysfunction is simply a problem with your blood flow caused by variety of issues ranging from organic, circumstantial, psychological, environmental, and psychosomatic to lifestyle and eating habits and so on. And thus, it is a problem that could be easily resolved. No need to be embarrassed about it, or to throw away your marriage relationships, and be distressed and depressed, for it could happen to anyone. Failure to achieve an erection less than 20 per cent of the time is not unusual and treatment is rarely needed. Failure to achieve an erection more than 50 per cent of the time, however, generally indicates that there is a problem requiring attention.

Sometimes, Erectile Dysfunction only occurs in certain situations. For example, you may be able to obtain an erection by just looking at nude pictures or just thinking about your wife or just remembering the last time you had an earth shaking sexual escapades, or you may find that you sometimes wake up with an erection. However, you may be momentarily unable to obtain an erection when you are with your wife.

In these circumstances, it is likely that the underlying cause of ED is primarily psychological, psychosomatic and circumstantial. However, if you are unable to obtain an erection under any circumstances, it is likely that the underlying cause is primarily physical.

In order to achieve an erection, the following conditions must occur. If there is something interfering with any or all of these conditions, a full erection would be prevented. The blood circulation into the penis must be adequate. The veins and tissues must be able to “trap and keep” the blood inside the penis. There must be a stimulus from the brain. The nerves must be very sensitive, the prostate must produce testosterone.

Common causes of Erectile Dysfunction include diseases which affect blood flow, such as atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) or venous leakage (weak veins), diseases affecting the heart in general, issues with diabetes mellitus, infection. Furthermore, psychological factors, such as stress, depression, and performance anxiety can lead to ED, as well as an injury to the penis. Additionally, chronic illness, certain medications, and a condition called Peyronie’s Disease (scar tissue in the penis) can also cause ED.

Now, as most men and couples fail to truly understand Erectile Dysfunction, its causes, and how it can effectively be cured, through entirely natural means at home or natural herbal preparations, exercises and even massages, they tend to get scared, and then leap to panic and irrational conclusions. The lack of understanding breeds unfounded fears, which spins a series of misguided thoughts and rash actions, and those in turn, engender significant distress, and a host of other problems in life.

All the distress, and each of those problems, can easily be avoided, however, by accomplishing some simple processes.

To be continued next week.

- Funmi Akingbade

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