Causes of Erectile Dysfunction

When the flow of blood in the blood vessels is insufficient or blocked due to some physical reasons, the male organ cannot achieve the desired erection. With aging, the functions of the blood vessels get reduced and the rock hard erection is not achieved. But there are other causes too which factor a lot in this sexual dysfunction, both psychological and physical.

1. Persons suffering from diabetes, having high blood cholesterol or undergoing some severe medication, high blood pressure face this problem.

2. Atherosclerosis, stroke, kidney failure, Parkinson’s disease leads to Erectile Dysfunction (ED) problem.

3. Too much drinking habits, smoking are the most important factors for ED.

4. Physical tiredness or stress in workplace lowers libido factoring for the ED.

5. Anxiety, depression and troubled relationship with partner are responsible for ED.

Natural Cures for Erectile Dysfunction

The main reasons for the erectile dysfunction, whether it is psychological or physical needs to be determined first before starting the treatment. This problem can be overcome to a great extent by following some simple guidelines.

1. Avoid being lazy and try to remain active through some light physical activities.

2. Alcohol, tobacco must be strictly prohibited to avoid ED.

3. Being obese leads to laziness and lowers the libido which can play a vital role in ED. Controlling the body weight reduces this sexual dysfunction.

4. Relaxing few hours with a mind devoid of stress, tension before sex increases the blood flow in male organ giving a hard rock erection.

5. Citrus fruits rich in Vitamin C helps in overcoming this sexual problem

6. The herb Ginseng, the Korean herb has proved wonders in increasing libido and energy in males when taken regularly.

7. Arginine present in foods increases the production of nitric oxide which helps in erections.

8. Some do go for acupuncture which is proved to have provided the desired erection.

The crux of the matter lies in the fact that no medicine herbal or drugs can match with a healthy life style bubbling with vigor and energy. No use in wasting time looking for medicines and treatment, but just adopt few activities, remain cheerful to enjoy the sexual pleasure throughout the life.

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One in ten men suffers from persistent impotence. In the USA alone it is estimated that a shocking 20 million men suffer this affliction. Despite a greater prevalence in older men, impotence affects men of all ages.

Male impotence has a number of potential causes. It was once thought that the problem was almost entirely psychological but research has since shown that in over 75% of cases there is an identifiable physical cause. These include diabetes, alcoholism and smoking.

The effects of male impotence are many. An inability to engage in successful sexual intercourse can cause a lack of self-confidence.

It can as a also result in discord within relationships because of the woman feeling rejected and inadequate.

Causes of Male Impotence

Male impotence is something that all men fear and hope that they never get. As men age, the likelihood of getting any number of disease grows with every year.

Some diseases can cause male powerlessness and some drug connections can also bring the onset of male impotence.

One of the things that can cause impotence is diabetes. It is important to keep diabetes under control.

If diabetes is left to its own course, impotence can develop. Some populace might not get impotence from diabetes but not scheming diabetes can also result in the option of other bigger problems.

This fact alone should urge populace to keep their diabetes in check.

Something else that can cause male impotence is depression. Depression can make people feel like there is nothing worth living for.

It is sad that in the civilization in which people live, the consideration of seeing a doctor for mental health makes other people distinguish weakness.

Symptoms of Male Impotence

Impotence is a common problem among men characterized by the consistent inability to sustain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse or the inability to achieve ejaculation, or both. Impotence can vary.

It can involve a total incapability to achieve an erection or ejaculation, an conflicting ability to do so, or a tendency to maintain only very brief erections.

The risk of impotence increases with age. It is four-fold higher in men in their 60s compare with those in their 40s according to a study in print in the Journal of Urology (2000; 163:460-463).

Men with less education are also more probable to experience impotence, perhaps because they tend to have less fit lifestyles, eat a less healthy diet, drink more and work out less. Physical exercise tends to diminish the risk of impotence.

Treatment of Male Impotence

A vacuum pump is a plastic cylinder. Vacuum pumps work by placing the device over the penis.

Sucking out the air from the tube creates force and blood is forced fast into the penis (simulating what happens in an erection).

A ring is then applied for the time being to the base of the penis to stop the blood demanding away too quickly. This sustains the erection.

Transurethral therapy (Muse). A small pellet of a medication is put directly into the urethra.

The urethra is the tube that runs from end to end the penis and carries urine from the bladder and out from side to side the tips of the penis.

The drug is absorbed into the erectile tissue of the penis. It gives an erection within five to ten minutes.

Home Remedies for Male Impotence

Your diet is important for flushing your arteries and your body of the toxins, cholesterol and plaque which may be built up from years of neglect.

You should immediately begin to eat vegetables and fruit regularly.

Eat more vegetables (4-5 servings daily) for the fiber result which will flush your body. Fruit can have lots of sugar and can make you feel sluggish so only eat 2-3 servings daily.

Eat lean meats and switch to fat free dairy. Keep your meals simple and fresh. Obviously, avoiding high fat and high cholesterol foods is important.

Lastly, you should try to become a grazer when you eat which means you should eat 5-6 small meals every day and not 3 big meals.

Exercise is important! You should get at least 45 60 minutes of exercise daily. Start slow and begin to push yourself.

Exercise can increase blood circulation levels by 15% and you will immediately notice a change.

If you do work at the back a desk, try to be active by taking the staircase and taking multiple water breaks to get up and walk! Drink 100 ounces of water daily too!

Moderate your caffeine can make you feel sluggish at the end of day. Try to wean yourself off of caffeine.
Sleep at least 8 hours a day for optimal health.

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On an average, these men’s sperm counts were almost 30 percent lower than those who didn’t drink cola, reports dailymail.co.uk.

While the sperm count would still be considered normal by the World Health Organisation, men with fewer sperm generally have a higher risk of being infertile.

The link is unlikely to be due to caffeine, the researchers say, because coffee did not have the same effect. Instead, other ingredients in the beverage or an unhealthy lifestyle could be involved.

Kold Jensen, who led the new research, said only a few studies have looked at caffeine’s impact on reproductive health in men. The participants have generally been a very select group, such as infertile men, and the results have been conflicting.

Danish youth has been upping their consumption of caffeine-containing soft drinks over the last decades and the researchers decided to study how this might affect their reproductive health.

More than 2,500 young men were included in their study. Those who didn’t drink cola had better sperm quality averaging 50 million sperm per millilitre semen and tended to have a healthier lifestyle.

In contrast, the 93 men who drank more than one litre a day had only 35 million sperm per millilitre. However, they also ate more fast foods, and less fruit and vegetables.

It is still not clear if the cola or the unhealthy lifestyle, or both, is to blame and the scientists said further research was needed.

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The Department of Health said mothers-to-be were more vulnerable to any type of flu and sought to defuse a row over whether delaying pregnancy could cut a woman’s risk of catching the virus or reduce its severity.

GPs have accused the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) of scaremongering after it advised women to consider postponing trying to become pregnant until the swine flu pandemic has passed.

The Department of Health insisted couples were not being advised to delay conceiving during outbreak and said there was “no need to panic”.

A spokeswoman said swine flu was so far proving to be mild for most people “although for a small number it has been severe”.

She added: “We advise everybody to plan their pregnancy carefully; we are not advising women not to conceive.

“Mums-to-be are more vulnerable to any type of flu. It is particularly important that anyone who has existing health problems and is thinking about starting a family should talk to their GP first, as they normally would.”

Holidaymakers were also advised to take medication such as paracetamol with them and avoid public places if they fall ill. A party of British schoolchildren were kept in quarantine in Beijing after members of their party were diagnosed with swine flu.

The NCT, Britain’s leading parenting charity, said delaying pregnancy could cut a woman’s risk of catching the virus or reduce its severity. “Expectant mothers are thought to be at greater risk from the virus because the immune system is naturally suppressed during pregnancy to ensure it does not reject the baby,” said Belinda Phipps, the trust’s chief executive.

“Early figures also suggest it takes expectant mothers longer to fight off the disease. Most would still only develop a mild case, but in rare cases symptoms could lead to premature labour, a miscarriage or even cause birth defects.”

The comments were condemned as “scaremongering” by Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

“This is one of the few times I have disagreed with the NCT,” Field said. “Although technically correct, its advice is a completely disproportionate reaction. I don’t believe it’s appropriate to give out this sort of message, because it adds to the sense of hysteria and panic that seems to be engulfing the nation.

“At its worse, the pandemic will hit 30% of the population, of whom 0.3% might die. The number of pregnant women in this group is tiny,” he added. “Anyway, pandemics last for two to three years. It is very difficult for people to plan around that, even if they want to.”

It emerged last week that pregnant women and very young children were among key swine flu risk groups, according to hospital figures and the age profiles of those who had already died. Among the victims was Ruptara Miah, 39, who died of swine flu last Monday, shortly after giving birth prematurely.

The Royal College of Midwives gave fresh advice yesterday on giving expectant women antiviral drugs, saying that pregnant women with flu symptoms could be given a course of Relenza, via an inhaler. The Health Protection Agency altered its advice last week after Miah’s death, to include children under five in the category of those “predominantly affected”.

The health department has also warned that women who are part-way through a fertility programme would “need to balance possible difficulties in deciding to interrupt the programme by choice or because the service becomes unavailable, against the urgency to complete the programme and the safety of the pregnancy and newborn during a pandemic”.

Bruce Mann, the director of the Civil Contingencies Secretariat, which co-ordinates the government’s response to national emergencies, has written to businesses warning that he expects there will be significant absences from work. In a letter to the Business Advisory Network for Flu, Mann suggests: “Absence rates for illness may reach 12% of the workforce in the peak weeks of the current wave and up to 9% by the end of August.”

The letter says: “These figures cover the proportion of the workforce who may be absent from work because they are ill themselves or because they are looking after ill children.” While supermarket chains and banks have drawn up contingency plans to ensure that food and cash continue to move around the country, the government has also issued guidance to ensure that a stripped-down version of civic society will function.

The most controversial proposal would allow the Crown Prosecution Service to hand out more cautions or fines, rather than take offenders to court for relatively minor offences such as theft, drugs and some crimes involving violence against the person. However, a CPS spokeswoman said that any decision on issuing new guidelines on conditional cautions would be left to the director of public prosecutions.

A 59-page government document, entitled “planning for possible influenza pandemic: a framework for planners preparing to manage deaths”, outlines how “inflatable storage structures”, which “come in various designs and can be customised and deployed to a range of terrains”, could be used as temporary mortuaries. Shipping containers could also be used, although the document notes: “These are likely to require shrouding, body racking and power generators.”

Faith groups may also have to consider their role. Guidance issued by the government suggests: “Those arranging and conducting funerals should prepare for basic and shorter services at the chapel, or for memorial services to be held at other venues (eg the home or place of worship).” It also suggests: “Local planners should also consider with crematorium managers whether it is practical for crematoria to move to 24/7 working.”

In the U.S., the H1N1 virus has sickened tens of thousands and closed summer camps at a time when there should be little or no flu activity.

Even as the WHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to raise awareness of this potentially deadly disease, which appears to be killing both sick and healthy individuals, the topic has virtually disappeared from the headlines.

“Complacency is a major concern,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director for National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC.

“This virus is a new one, and on top of that, we really still don’t know how it’s going to behave,” Schuchat said during a media conference call Friday. “There are special efforts that have been undertaken by health agencies, but individuals also need to be ready, to be thinking ahead and have steps in place should a family member get sick or a workplace close down or a situation arise that requires working from home.”

Over the next six to 12 weeks, there are several concerns that national health officials are preparing for:

1. Figuring out how the virus will react and spread once students return to schools, especially inner city schools, which typically struggle with overcrowding issues.

2. Overseeing the completion of a vaccine and getting it to the individuals who need it most.

3. Determining how the virus will behave as it spreads and mutates.

Schools

School districts across the U.S. struggle every fall with outbreaks of typically non-flu respiratory viruses, which are easily spread through germs on surfaces and doorknobs, as well as passed from student to student through sneezing, coughing, and sharing drinks and food.

Seasonal influenza usually begins to spread through schools in the late fall and early winter, but this probably will not be the case with swine flu, which behaves differently than seasonal influenza – by oddly thriving in warm and humid conditions.

“This year we’re seeing the H1N1 virus circulating through summer camps and military units, so I’m expecting we may see an increase in cases once school starts, but we don’t definitely know that,” Schuchat said. “We are concerned that there will be challenges in the fall. It is the kind of thing we want to be ready for and not surprised by.”

Schuchat said national and state health officials are working closely together on updating their guidance for schools and similar institutions with regard to swine flu outbreaks.

“We still believe that the best place for kids is in schools, where they can be nourished receiving a healthy breakfast and lunch and learning,” she said. “But we also believe the best place for a sick kid is at home being cared for. So we’re working on putting strong plans in place on communication and preparedness on the local and state levels.”

Click here to read the CDC’s advice for parents for educating and protecting children from swine flu.

Vaccine

Companies such as Baxter, GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis are working to ready a swine flu vaccine for October. Earlier this week, concerns were raised that the U.S. may not receive all the vaccine it needs because it only manufactures about 20 percent of its own supply. The other 80 percent is produced in foreign countries, which will also need ample supplies of the vaccine.

But Schuchat downplayed those concerns, saying the U.S. has contracts in place with manufacturers around the world that guarantee it will receive adequate vaccine.

But, will the vaccine be effective?

In a typical year, the seasonal flu vaccine is about 70 to 90 percent effective, depending on how closely the vaccine matches the strains circulating and on the population the vaccine is used in. In other words, a vaccine is not going to be as effective in a person with a compromised immune system or someone who is considered at high risk for the virus.

Scientists typically spend months researching the strains of seasonal flu virus that are circulating the globe in order to pick out the three strains that it puts into the annual vaccine.

Because swine flu is new and mutating – for example, in Argentina the virus appears to have mutated to where it can now easily spread from humans to pigs – scientists have their work cut out for them when it comes to determining what strains of the H1N1 swine flu virus to include in the vaccine.

“Unfortunately, right now, we do not know how effective it will be in different populations,” Schuchat said. “We will be looking back at how well it worked, taking into account whether it worked as well as expected, better than expected or worse than expected. Unfortunately, that’s something we’re not able to do until after the fact.”

Virus Behavior

World and U.S. health officials have already determined that swine flu behaves differently than seasonal flu in a number of ways. First, it’s able to spread in hot and humid weather, which is not usually the case for the seasonal flu virus.

Second, the infection appears to be more severe in young people and less severe in the elderly than the typical seasonal flu. Schuchat said in some countries, elderly people, usually at high-risk for influenza, appear to be immune to swine flu – possibly because of the similarities between swine flu and the 1918 flu pandemic, which some of the world’s elderly survived and may be resistant to.

“We are particularly concerned about pregnant women; we’re seeing fatalities and life-threatening illnesses that have occurred in pregnant women in the Southern Hemisphere,” Schuchat said. “We are expecting pregnant women to get a recommendation to get the H1N1 vaccine to reduce the risk of complications from influenza. We know many pregnant women don’t like to take any drugs, but this is one instance where you need to be much more concerned about your health than the baby’s health.”

“We’re in a very active stage of preparing for the [coming months],” she continued. “We’re working with the private sector. We want individuals and families to be preparing. Influenza in general is unpredictable, and we don’t know what to expect in the weeks and months ahead.”

‘Yes, we now have a total of 11 cases in the country. The 35-year-old man who was tested positive Sunday has transmitted it to his mother,’ Shiv Lal, the head of the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, said.

She is in ‘home quarantine,’ he added. The woman’s 35-year-old son had reached Delhi from New York June 2 and tested positive for the flu.

‘He developed flu like symptoms two days after reaching Delhi and tested positive for it. The man is on home quarantine and his contacts have been provided with medicine,’ the official said.

Health secretary Naresh Dayal Monday said: ‘There is nothing to panic about.’

‘We have received more stock of vaccine from the World Health Organisation. There is nothing to panic about,’ Dayal told a news channel. India on Sunday reported second human-to-human transmission of swine flu.

The first human-to-human transmission was reported in Hyderabad where a 28-year-old techie, who was coming from the US via London, was tested with the flu.

He reached Hyderabad airport May 31, but he reported to the identified hospital with swine flu symptoms on June 1. The techie had transmitted the flu to his younger brother and a 30 year-old woman and her four-and-a-half-year old daughter. The duo were travelling with the techie on the same flight.

Of the 11 cases, seven are from Hyderabad, which also reported the first case in the country May 16.

JAMAICA HAS come a far way as it relates to the treatment of persons living with HIV/AIDS, according to Dr Kevin Harvey, senior medical officer in the Ministry of Health’s HIV/STI Control Programme.

Addressing a recent Gleaner Editor’s Forum, Harvey disclosed that there had been significant gains in the last five years in the management and care of persons who are HIV-infected.

“We find that most people are willing to sit beside, hold hands, talk to, and even take care of somebody who is HIV-infected, particularly family members. This has been a significant shift we are seeing now,” Harvey told the forum, which was held at the newspaper’s, central Kingston head offices.

Harvey added: “We still have a challenge where persons refuse or have difficulties buying food or eating from somebody who they know to be HIV-infected; but they are more willing to allow their children to go to school with HIV-infected individuals and work alongside them.”

Ministry of Health estimates indicate that of the 27,000 persons who are living with the disease, 18,000 are unaware of their status.

IMAGE SHIFT

Harvey said that there had also been a significant shift in the face and image of HIV/AIDS in Jamaica from one of persons being ill, losing a lot of weight, hardly being able to help themselves, to one of an image of being a regular Jamaican.

“We are saying you cannot tell by looking; anybody sitting beside you or working with you can be HIV-infected and you don’t know,” said Harvey.

He attributed this to the affordable treatments that were now available.

Harvey told the gathering that in 2003, it cost somewhere between $20,000 to $30,000 each month for anti-retroviral drugs.

Now, the most expensive regime costs approximately $9,000 per month, and is free in the public sector.

Harvey also revealed that the test to monitor persons who were HIV-infected had been reduced from $10,000 to $3,000.

Persons living with HIV are now living longer, Harvey also revealed. He said before the introduction of anti-retroviral drugs, the average life span after being diagnosed with the disease was one year.

“Now, we have people who are diagnosed with AIDS up to five years, and some people who have been on, before our major programme up to 14 years of anti-retroviral drugs and are living healthy, happy lives,” Harvey reported.

Health authorities said a 26-year-old man, who had no international travel history, had tested positive for the virus strain. His brother, who flew into Hyderabad in a British Airways flight (BA 277) on May 31, has already been isolated after testing positive. Interestingly, a woman and her daughter who travelled by the same flight also were found to be affected by the virus. The woman (31) and daughter aged four-and-a-half years have also been quarantined. This takes the total number of isolated virus positive cases in Government Chest Hospital here to five.

Earlier, the country’s first confirmed flu patient was treated and discharged from the hospital.

Alarmed over the developments, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy took up the issue with authorities concerned, in a video conference, where it was decided to screen all the inbound passengers from abroad.

The government has also decided to create quarantine facilities in districts — isolation wards with at least 10 beds in every district, Health Secretary L.V. Subramanyam said.

A team from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases from New Delhi is also arriving here to help authorities chalk out a contingency plan in case of an outbreak.

The latest case of the young man testing positive is causing concern since he had attended a series of interviews in the last few days in Hyderabad and the authorities fear that he could have transmitted the virus to others. Authorities are also administering anti-viral drugs to those seated in the nearby rows in the British Airways aircraft.

Referring to compulsory screening of all passengers, authorities said anyone resisting or avoiding the screening would be arrested.