MALE DISORDERS – Impotency - Erectile dysfunction
There are lots and lots of opinions on sex. For some, it is nothing; for
some, it is something; for some others, it is everything. So, everything
depends on the interest.
For powerful sexual activities, people often use bunny
rabbit or horse as a symbolic representation. These symbols have been used for
a long time since bunny rabbit is a symbol for Playboy in sex, due to its
brisk, funny, jumping activities and its indulgence in sex, and the horse is an
indicator of power, for gaining vim and vigour. Some others may show a
masculine body to denote power. In olden days, men had multiple wives and they
were also able to satisfy all of them with their physique, healthy food and
good, hard work. But this era of white collar jobs with hurried and tensed
lifestyle which does not allow for it
In our culture, man is often challenged for his manliness or maleness in
all aspects a childless man is suspected to be an impotent. Actually, sex is somewhat
different from fertility. It is a mutually pleasurable activity and nothing
more than that. Infertility is the failure in producing an offspring. Impotency
is the failure in performing sex. Impotency is a very sensitive topic since the
person never wishes to discuss about it with his friends or family or even
family doctor.
Any man will be ashamed of himself if his performance in sexual activity is
not satisfactory to himself or his partner. In order to conceal his impotency,
some men will keep away their wife and pose as if they are not enamoured of her
beauty or her activities. The wives are also not so courageous to reveal this
to the world due to their shyness. Men take this advantage and blame the women
for everything. They also suffer silently, without going for any proper
treatment.
Erectile dysfunction (impotency) is the leader of all the complaints which
are often left untreated or maltreated. The worst nature is fear and lack of
confidence. No excuses should be given in this world of science, as everything
can be treated or managed well.
Sexology has become a money-minting zone for quacks who cheat and ruin the
life of the patients. Even though there is no complaint at all, taking
advantage of the fear and shyness of the patient, they do some costly
treatments and recommend multiple drug cocktails, which initially boost the
sexual activity but later on often hinder the sex health of the patient.
Generally, lots of impotency drugs are coming into market with attractive
advertisement for increasing size, time and act. Are these attractive boosters
really useful for the sufferers? No. Since they do not deal with the cause of
the complaint or never drive the sufferer to a doctor for analysis or
investigating the problem, but it makes them purchase the drugs directly from
drug stores.
Many young chaps, with lots of fear and lack of understanding, go for
testing their maleness before marriage. They often go to a sexologist,
sometimes they even go to prostitutes to rule out their fear and test their
efficacy. There they get trapped and exploited with more fear and lot of
investigations. Media advertisement is the major trap for youngsters to enter
into the unwanted drug world.
Also, most of the young chaps turn up for treatment or drugs only after
seeing erotic blue films. They try the same in their life. Sometimes, they
could not meet the same in size, time and act, since the film must have been
shot in many ways and it was a result of several days of shooting. Don’t try to
imitate anything or anyone, maintain your own originality. Also most of them admit
or assume they have become impotent and lack confidence to regain their
potency. To get rid of all the problems, everyone should know what sex is, how
it occurs, what is behind it, what could cause problems, and how to rectify it,
etc.
Sexology is the study of act of sex or sexual relationship. Sexual activity
is a pleasure or treasure. The attitude and behaviour pertaining to sexual
activity differ from person to person. The time and satisfaction also varies,
depending upon the person or individual. While indulging in sex activity for
the first time, fear of performance or tremor or shiver will be very common for
everyone. With great fear or excitement, no one can do anything just right or
perfect.
All about sex:
Sex is mainly influenced or driven by sex hormones androgen and oestrogen
Sex is one of the strongest and basic instincts
which makes one crave for more
Sex is one of the recreations which can relax the mind and body
Sex appetite is common for everyone but its control varies
Sexual activity and interest can decline with age
Sex keeps everyone young in mind and thoughts
Sex is a pleasurable sportive act or exercise
Sex is really good for health
Sex can bring offspring
Impotency
The most common male sexual dysfunction is impotence. Impotency or erectile
dysfunction (ED) is means inability to perform the sexual activity. Almost all
men experience this at some or the other time due to overindulgence or due to a
lot of time gap. Even though there are many roots for impotency, the main stem
is psychology. Even in a good mood, with desire and environment, impotency can
occur if the person is stressed out or has problems in life. It can reflect in
getting erection. Also, usually, older men need more time to attain firm
erection, more time to ejaculate and much more time or days between two
erections. Likewise, they will find difficulty in maintaining erection for more
a long time. They have to accept Nature’s laws. They could be able to perform
better if they adapt to this.
Impotency can pose in different forms depending on the types of origin
·
Difficulty in getting erection (varies from occasional or
partial or complete, etc.)
·
Difficulty in sustaining erection (varies from short span
to zero time)
·
Difficulty in performing the sexual activity
·
Difficulty in ejaculation or early ejaculation
·
Sex without satisfaction in size, time and act.
Incidence
Impotence affects 15-20 per cent of males. Its occurrence is more common in
depressed and psychologically upset persons than others of the same age groups.
It is more common in smokers, alcoholics, drug addicts or persons suffering from
diabetes or hypertension. Also its incidence increases with age, overindulgence
in sex or craving for more. Now impotency is more common than ever before due
to early pollution of the mind through the media or modern culture. Now teens
get mature very early. This criterion also clinches a major cause for the
increased incidences of impotency.
Before discussing the cause of impotency and its treatments, everyone
should know about the organs involved in sexual activity in the right way.
Male reproductive organs
Testis
The two male gonads are small
oval-shaped glands which hang in a scrotal sac of the inguinal region. They
produce sperms. The testis originates in the abdomen and gets descended from
the third month of uterine life to the scrotal sac. The ectopic or undescended
testis may end in failure. The testis is mostly covered with convoluted
seminiferous tubules. The secretions of seminal vesicles and bulbar glands add
for the bulk or volume of semen. It is the responsible organ for manliness or
maleness with its male hormones.
Sperm
is the spermatozoa of men. It is dispersed through semen. Semen is a mix of
sperms and secretions which get ejaculated at the end of sexual act from the
penis.
Prostate gland
is located just below a male’s bladder and surrounds the top portion of the
urethra contributing to the sexual function with its secretions. It adds for
the volume of the semen and it neutralises the acid suspension of the sperm and
makes the sperm more capable of motion and increases the likelihood of
fertilisation. Its secretion is continuous and more during the sexual act.
The benign tumour of the prostate in old age will cause increased desire,
priapism (persistent erection of the penis in night) and spermatorrhoea.
Penis
It is a muscular & vascular organ which appears as
a long slender shaft in a male. The penis is mainly composed of erectile
tissues which are made of sponge-like work that can be filled with blood. The
penis is capped with glans penis which is partially covered with prepuce. The
glans penis has most sensitive receptors for stimulation of erection and
ejaculation. The penis consists of two long columns of the corpus cavernosum
and one column of corpus spongiosum. The corpus cavernosa has much arterial
supply and blood vessels which usually get filled during erection and account
for size enlargement. The centre of corpus spongiosum is pierced with urethra,
the tube through which urine or semen get emerged. During sexual excitement,
the penis gets engorged with blood and lubricating mucous gets poured into the
urethra. Finally erected penis propels the semen deep into the vagina in a
series of spurts followed by flaccidity of the penis.
The size and strength of the organ varies from person to person and races.
Many males normally crave for long thick penis to satisfy their partner and go
for unnecessary treatment. Even though science has proved that the size of the
organ is not at all important in activity, as the vaginal canal of the female
is sensitive for the initial 4-5cms only, males have a constant craving for it.
But in extreme cases of small penis, surgery could help.
The tip or end of the penis has urethral opening. It is the common
pathway or outlet for passing urine as well as semen, but never both at a time.
If there is a leak of semen in urine, it is called spermatorrhoea which should
be treated to avoid weakness.
Erection of penis
Penis erection during sexual activity is important for penetrating the
vagina. Also a firm erection is absolutely needed to lodge the semen deep in
the vagina. The erection of the penis due to the filling up of the erectile
tissue with blood makes it rigid and elevated. It depends upon the mental or
physical make-up of the person. It gets varied depending upon the partner,
places, stimulation and moods. The erected condition of the penis closes the
opening of the bladder end and opens the opening of vas end. Normally, a male
will have 2-3 erections in sleep (in REM type during dreams which occurs mostly
in the early morning).
Mechanism of getting erection
Penile erection is mostly controlled by the autonomic nervous system, i.e.
sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves. The stimulation can be from psychogenic
or genital touch. On getting stimulation, from brain or genitals,
·
Penis blood supply is increased in many ways
·
Venous return of the penis is blocked for holding all
incoming blood in the penis itself
·
The blood filled penis gets elevated and becomes firm
If anything goes wrong, the penis will be flaccid and not enable sexual
activity.
Ejaculation – is the sudden forcible expulsion or
throw or spurt of semen into the vaginal canal from the penis to reach the
uterus. The erected penis will throw semen deep into the vagina. Or, otherwise,
it oozes out. It is a reflex phenomenon which intensely makes it a pleasurable
sensation for men. The stimulation of ejaculation arises from the glans penis
which finally pours the sperm into the vagina with the contraction of the
smooth muscles of various glands and ducts. Early ejaculation may occur prior
to penetration, or before getting orgasm.
Nowadays, you can see advertisements from money-minting people who promise
extra long time for ejaculation. Sometimes, this extra long time may cause
failure in getting ejaculation and satisfaction.
Libido – is the
psychological feeling for moods of sex. It drives and keeps us in sex.
Orgasm – is the height
or apex in the sexual excitement. The violent muscular contractions and
movement of the body including the changes in heart beat, respiration and blood
pressure with excitement accounts for the orgasm which is followed by a
pleasant fatigue.
Female reproductive organs
Vagina is the sheath-like structure forming vaginal canal
of nearly three inches from vulva to cervix. It accepts penis during sexual
activity. Inflammation may cause pain, loss of libido and white discharges.
Itching and urinary tract infection can also spread infection inside the vagina
and reflect in sex. Dryness of vagina will cause difficulty in sexual activity
and painful sex.
Uterus is the hollow muscular pouch or organ which usually
gets prepared during every period for providing lodging facility for the fertilised
ovum (if any). It takes care for the accommodation, nourishment and development
of the fertilised ovum. If fertilisation of egg doesn’t occur, then it sheds
its layers as menstrual bleeding.
Ovaries – are a pair of almond-sized organs which is kept loosely
by the side of the uterus by a fold of peritoneum. They manufacture eggs for
fertilisation and it is the organ responsible for the sexual moods and
femininity of the female.
Fallopian tube – is a tube which leads the ovum from the ovaries
to the uterus. Usually fertilization occurs in the middle of the fallopian
tube. In case of blocked tubes, the egg or sperm will not be able to reach each
other, for fertilisation which may result in infertility.
Ova or ovum – the egg of the female, which after getting
fertilised have the ability to become an offspring.
In the female reproductive organs, except the vagina, nothing else is
involved in the sexual activity. Ovaries may account for moods.
Causes for impotency may be
Psychological – fear of sex, unfavourable
circumstances which affect privacy, inferiority complex, thoughts of previous
failures, anxiety, stress, depression, drowsiness, scheduled sex in couples who
are planning to have a child, lack of drive for sex, etc., can lead to
impotency. Even though the psychological causes are several, in most of the
cases the main spark is first time failure which leads to psychological fear
and secondary so on.
Physical – can be classified as primary
·
Primary – from the very beginning, the
person would suffer from the complaint due to physical complaints, i.e.
testicular failure caused by congenital deformities like undescended testis
(Cryptorchidism), torsion testis, hypogonadism, chromosomal abnormality, hypospadias
(urethral opening in the under surface of penis), Hormonal disorders, metabolic
disorders, etc.
·
Secondary – is due to
effects of diseases or other causes
Nervous system – Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord
injuries
Vascular diseases – Hardening of the arteries caused by arteriosclerosis
caused by hypertension, diabetes, increased level of cholesterol and metabolic
disorders like kidney failure or liver failure, etc., can damage nerves or
blood vessels that are engaged in erection of the penis. Stenosis of the
arteries or obstructed or clogged arteries can also cause the same effect.
Infection – Orchitis, untreated mumps can cause swelling of testis and
impotency
Drugs – Anti-hypertensive drugs (betablockers), hormonal
tablets, anti-depressants, chemotherapy and other drugs used in treating
paralysis can cause impotency.
Habits or activities
Food habits – a cholesterol-rich diet, which causes deposition of plaque,
obstructs the blood flow producing impotency.
Smoking, alcoholism and other stimulants can cause impotency
Overindulgence in sex can cause weakness and impotency
Occasional sexual contact
Planned or scheduled sex
Symptoms of impotency
Psychological
·
Lack of libido (mood and interest) and confidence
·
No orgasm
·
Dejected life
Physical – may be in different forms
·
No erection at all during sexual activity.
·
Unable to perform due to erection that is less firm
·
Unable to complete the sexual activity due to early
erection failure
·
Early ejaculation which causes flaccid penis before
getting into the act
·
No satisfaction due to ejaculation failure
Puny penis size
Effects of impotency
Ø Sleeplessness
Depression
Ø
Fear of life
Ø
Keep roaming to avoid coming home
Ø
Family disintegration or divorce
Suicidal mania
Present way of diagnosis
There is no need for diagnosis and investigations if erection failure
occurs once in a while or so. But if it occurs repeatedly without any notable
weakness or emotional stress, it should be properly investigated in the early
days itself, to treat it or otherwise the more the time delay, the more the
problems arises in mind, body and family.
The routine tests are
Hormone tests for testosterone and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)
Testicular failure is often indicated by
* Decreased testosterone level (normal testosterone level – 300-
1100ng/dl)
* Increased FSH (normal FSH level – 2-17 ml IU/ml)
Penile Doppler scans to check arterial obstruction or stenosis and venous leak
Rigi scan – for two consecutive night (in sleep laboratory) to
check the occurrence of rigidity or erection in night for diagnosing the cause
– whether physical or psychological. If there is no erection at all at night,
then mostly the problem will be physical i.e., due to artery stenosis or
obstruction or venous leak or others
Semen analysis
Ultra sound scan for prostate problems
Routine blood tests including electrolytes to rule out any metabolic disorders
Advice to sufferer to enjoy sex again as a pleasure
Caring or precaution or prevention
In general, keep good health with regular good habits and good exercises.
Do’s
·
Try sexual activity in early morning if there is problem
in getting erection, since erection will be more rigid during or after deep
sleep and in a cool climate. The success will trigger your mind and body to
become normal.
·
Don’t give much gap between two sexual activities (not
more than a week) which may lead to premature ejaculation or erectile
dysfunction or dissatisfaction. For this, normal condition can be revived by
tuning the frequency of sex itself.
Avoid
·
Stress and strain
·
Loneliness and deep thoughts
·
Pre-occupied notion or thoughts of poor experience while
indulging in sex
·
Stimulants like alcohol, drugs, coffee and tea
·
Drug cocktails
·
Smoking (since it will promote arteriosclerosis and
obstruct arterial blood flow)
·
Fatty diet
Take
·
Natural foods, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, honey,
milk, meat, egg, etc.
·
Recent research shows that drumstick seeds have some
aphrodisiac (sex boosting) effect. Also from good old days, garlic, onion,
asparagus, cashew, pista, dates are believed to have medicinal effect for
impotency.
·
But usually people run behind quacks who sell costly,
rare ‘medicines’ which is supposed to have an aphrodisiac effect i.e., rhino
horn, moschus musk, horn of deer, vivera civetta (a rare variety of cat),
peacock feather, mutilla occidentalis, fat oil from shark, etc. Also some
recommend cannabis sativa for boosting effects. People usually think that the
thing which cannot be achieved easily or which is high in demand has highest
value. But nothing have been proved so far about their efficacy.
Finally for better sex – Spice your spouse or spouse should spice you.
Advice for the sufferer
·
Be open hearted to your better half and doctor
·
Hope for success and hope to succeed
·
Greed never wins and he greedy never get satisfied.
·
Haste goes waste
Advice to partner
·
Your satisfaction keeps your partner more energetic
·
Foreplay is important in getting full erection
·
Never do intercourse until full erection is attained or
otherwise it may lead to failure
·
Keep in mind, if the partner is cheering and cooperative,
drugs are just litter
·
Don’t tease about failure
False ideas
·
All childless men are impotent.
·
Aged persons cannot perform sex
Masculine and a well-exercised body is more potent
General treatment
First of all, everyone should understand that for getting treatment, age is
no bar. Lack of treatment or getting treatment late makes oneself and one’s
partner suffer psychologically. Impotence is the commonest problem of men which
is often corrected easily with treatment and reassurance.
Present way of treatment
Psychological – even before analysing the cause, everyone should be
psychologically reassured for complete recovery. Psychological counselling can
help
Hormonal – Sometimes hormonal supplementation will be given when
there is a disturbance in hormones. But beware that testosterone therapy can
cause cancerous testis or prostate
Early ejaculation – Anti depressive drugs are often used for this type of
complaints. This may create dependency or drowsiness or lack of concentration
Physical complaints like artery stenosis and venous leak may need surgical
correction
For systemic illness like diabetes and hypertension – the blood glucose and
blood pressure should be maintained in a perfectly normal level or otherwise
there will be permanent damage in getting erection
For aged – Aged persons generally need more local stimulation or
physical arousal since the brain gets atrophied during the ageing process. So
getting the mood through psychological arousal gets weakened. But this is
normal. No medications are required if they accept nature and life. The word
“as before” is often used by these patients during consultation. One thing
should be clearly understood: yesterday will not come today and today will not
come tomorrow. We must satisfy ourselves with the present situation. They can
surely perform sex pleasantly and pleasurably, but not vigorously as before.
Drugs for vim and vigour – These drugs mostly encourage men to
use it for recreational use. They have side-effects like headache, flushing,
allergic problems and diarrhoea. Even though the market is full of new
arrivals, Viagra and Levitra lead the race. They reward sexual life for the
time being, by flooding the penis to have a prolonged erection.
Injections – Papaverine is injected into carpora cavernosa to get firm
erection for the time being. The common complication of using this injection is
priapism.
Organ development – In extreme cases, surgical corrections can be
done by inserting two silicon rods into corpus cavernosum to increase the size
of the organ and better sex. But this procedure will cause persistent erection
all the time. There are many companies and doctors who cheat people by
lengthening the size of the penis by selling oils, jellies, tablets, tonics and
even some instruments. Unless otherwise the person is in a growing age, it is
not possible to increase the size. They have so much confidence that people will
not come back or expose them about giving them false hopes or the failure in
treatment. Regular erection in a good mood act as an exercise for developing
the organ size.
As the main message of this article, don’t be depressed or fearful or
feel hopeless. A hopeful heart always keeps you happy. Be optimistic. Be
cheerful.
Further, there is no need for magic prescription when you keep yourself on
the right track, i.e., providing the right treatment for your problem. To
recapture your youthful vigour, don’t go in for booster drugs. They last only
for a few minutes. You will need it again the next day and you will not be able
to have sex without those tablets – it will create dependency. Homeopathy never
acts as a booster. But it works to make a person normal or revive the active
normal state. So Homeopathy drugs can’t be used just for recreational purpose
or just to boost erection or get the right mood for the time being, like other
drugs.
In Homeopathy, erectile dysfunction can be corrected without any dependency or
side-effects. It will blend perfection, pleasure and happiness in your life.
Homeopathy also cures the most distressing symptoms of the impotency like
early ejaculation and flaccid penis. Happiness
usually continues after a single success.
Homeopathy treats the patient and not the disease. It gives importance to
the feelings of the patient. It cares for each individual and every symptoms of
the disease or patient. Individualization is the specialty of Homeopathy.
There are many wonderful drugs for sexual weakness or relaxation of the
parts. The Homeopathic medicines commonly used in cases of impotency are Acid
phos, Agnus castus, Arg nit, Caladium, Cantharis, Conium, Damiana, Gelsemium,
Lycopodium, Moschus, Nuphar luteum, Onosmodium, Pulsatilla, Sabal serrulata,
Selenium, Sepia, Staphysagria, Titanium, Yohimbinum, etc. These Medicines
should be taken under the advice and diagnosis of a qualified Homeopath.
for new hope
Dr. S. Chidambaranathan, BHMS, MD (Homeo)
Laxmi Homeo Clinic
24 E. New Mahalipatti Road
Madurai, TN 625 001
India
Tel: +91-984-319-1011 (Mob /
Whatsapp)
Clinic : +91-452-233-8833 |
E-mail: drcheena@gmail.com
(Disclaimer: The
contents of this column are for informational purpose only. The content is not
intended to be a substitute for professional healthcare advice, diagnosis, or
treatment. Always seek the advice of healthcare professional for any health
problem or medical condition.)