Re: a little embarrassed about this...
Nix your bedroom problems naturally
There must be some hootin', hollerin' and major celebrating going on over in the halls of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer right now. Their cash cow Viagra has just turned fifteen.
And this strapping young teenager sure has made his Big Pharma parents proud.
Heck, these days the word Viagra has practically become synonymous with the word sex. And if you believe the hype, everyone over 50 who's having a good time in the sack is downing bottles of this stuff.
Well, I hate to rain on anyone's parade...let alone their birthday...but you better grab your umbrella because it's about to get wet in here.
The truth is there's very little to be celebrating. Sure, Viagra can help some impotent men get back up into the saddle again. But a slew of unwelcome side effects could come along for the ride.
Sex-drug side effects
For starters there are the side effects that, for some inexplicable reason, are labeled "less serious." But I'm guessing they feel pretty darn serious...not to mention distracting...when you're looking for some romance. These include stuffy nose, facial flushing, headache, upset stomach, back pain, and even, frighteningly, memory problems.
And, as if those "mild" side effects weren't bad enough alone, we're just getting started. Some Viagra users experience ringing in their ears or sudden hearing loss, and popping a Viagra could reportedly leave you with chest pain or an irregular heartbeat.
If swollen ankles, hands, or feet don't sound very sexy to you, then you might want to skip the Viagra, because the side effect has been linked to the drug. Not to mention the possible shortness of breath, nausea, fainting, and sudden vision loss that can occur.
And then there's the one potential side-effect that's sure to send a shudder down the spine of every man who hears it--priapism, a persistent and painful erection that requires a trip to the emergency room and, often, a pressure-relieving operation. And make no mistake about it... it IS just as horrible as it sounds.
So with Viagra starting to look more like a juvenile delinquent than a prom king, what's a guy who's experiencing erection troubles supposed to do? I thought you'd never ask.
Target the cause of erection troubles
The good news is, in many cases, you can combat impotence naturally and every bit as effectively as a drug. Instead of simply throwing drugs at symptoms the key lies in understanding the cause of your problem. When you target the root problem you can rid yourself of it forever.
And the first potential problem starts in the most unlikely of places...your mouth.
As I explained just last year, inflamed gums and impotence are linked, according to a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. In fact, men with the most serious gum and tooth problems had triple the rate of erection issues of men with healthy gums. Fix the periodontal disease, and you very well could fix your erection issues right along with it.
It's no coincidence that many men who suffer with impotence are overweight, too. A big belly can mess with your erections in more than one way.
One recent study found that 41 percent of overweight guys who suffered from sleep apnea and erection problems saw improvements in both issues when they used a CPAP machine. And while CPAP may be a temporary and non-invasive solution to your impotence issues, the longer term resolution is, of course, to drop the extra pounds.
Losing the weight can also help resolve another major cause of erection problems. As we age our testosterone levels naturally drop. This alone can spell trouble in the sack. But being overweight accelerates this natural process with belly fat helping to turn manly testosterone into not-so-manly estrogen.
Drop the belly fat and talk with a doctor skilled in natural medicine about returning your testosterone levels to normal.
And finally, losing the big belly can help you avoid another erection killer...diabetes. It's estimated that between 35 percent and 75 percent of men with the disease will experience some sort of erection problems. (And, of course, that's just the ones who will admit it.)
Losing weight and getting your diabetes under control could be the key to driving your impotence troubles away for good.
Sexy supplements bring bedroom bliss
Strong erections depend on healthy, wide open blood vessels that allow good blood flow into the *****. Your body produces an amino acid that does this naturally. It's called l-arginine.
If you're running low on this critical nutrient your bedroom action could be running low, too. It's found in red meat, fish, poultry, wheat germ, grains, and nuts, and foods containing citrulline, like watermelon, can help your body produce more of it. A supplement containing the amino acid could also help top off your levels.
Supplements that give you an energy boost, like vitamin B12, propionyl-L-carnitine, and acetyl-L-carnitine (PLC and ALC for short), can be a much needed source of stamina. And libido-boosting herbs like horny goat weed, maca root, panax ginseng, Muira puama, Avena sativa, and ashwaganda have hundreds of years of traditional medicine use backing them up.
The truth is you don't need to settle for sex-drug side effects to get back your glory days in the bedroom. Try the natural...and permanent...approach instead.
Until next time,
Allan Spreen, M.D.
