About Erectile Dysfunction
"When men develope erectile dysfunction, he does everything to avoid his partner; going to bed at different times, becoming increasingly irritable, finding small things to argue about. He becomes distracted and depressed.
When women have partners with erectile dysfunction, a cascade of negative feelings arise, resulting ultimately in feelings of rejection, lack of desirability, and actually result in changes in her own sexuality and behavior. They have a whole host of fears that they frequently do not verbalize, either to their husband, to their doctor or to their gynecologist. Women are anxious about the possibility of extramarital affairs as well as a whole host of their own body image issues.
Because erectile dysfunction has such profound implications on the relationship and on the women herself, it is extremely important to address these issues early, before the relationship is irrevocably harmed" - Steven Lamm, MD-Men's Health Channel for myDNA.com's Medical Advisory Board.
Erectile dysfunction due to vascular disease may readily respond to nutritional changes and herbal support.
Nutrition
- Eat whole, fresh, unrefined, and unprocessed foods. Include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, soy, beans, seeds, nuts, olive oil, and cold-water fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, halibut, and mackerel).
- Drink 50% of your body weight in ounces of water daily.
Supplements
Recommended doses:
- Bioflavonoids ?ETake 1000 mg daily.
- Flaxseed meal ?EGrind 2-4 tablespoons daily. Flaxseed meal is a better choice due to its fiber, lignan, and vitamin content, but flaxseed oil (1 tbsp daily) can be substituted.
- Inositol hexaniacinate ?ETake 1000-3000 mg daily to improve circulation and lower cholesterol. Diabetics should not take this supplement.
- Selenium ?ETake 200 mcg daily.
- Vitamin C ?ETake 1000 mg 3 times daily with meals.
- Vitamin E ?ETake 400 IUs daily.
- Zinc ?ETake 30 mg daily.
Herbal Medicine
Herbal medicines usually do not have significant side effects when used appropriately and at suggested doses.
Halpern is Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of California - Davis. His key medicinal findings on Cordyceps are:
Heart Disease: The effectiveness of Western medicine is enhanced when it is combined with the use of Cordyceps. "It is therefore tempting to suggest that cordyceps may play a significant role in helping to prevent and treat heart diseases."
Atherosclerosis: The health benefits of cordyceps are "dramatic and far-reaching" particularly when combined with exercise, improved diet or cholesterol-lowering prescription drugs.
Liver Disease: "cordyceps can be instrumental in stopping the onslaught of these and other killer diseases" (in reference to cirrhosis and hepatitis).
Erectile Dysfunction: "every study to date has concluded that cordyceps can be of great value to men suffering from erectile dysfunction."
Kidney Disease: "there are many good reasons to believe that cordyceps is a tonic for the kidneys par excellence." Nonetheless Halpern stresses caution when dealing with patients who have had kidney transplants, are undergoing dialysis or who are taking other drugs which could be affected by taking cordyceps.
Respiratory Disease: "For the growing numbers of people affected by diseases of the lungs and airways, there is no doubt that cordyceps is a valuable element in the line of defense."
Immune Disorders: "Treatment with cordyceps has been shown to boost sluggish immune systems, as well as to calm those that are overactive." Halpern also points out that researchers can't agree on what is happening here. He suggests that many variables in past studies have not been carefully controlled and that experiments using the same strain of Cordyceps could offer important insights.
Chronic Fatigue: "Although there are indications that cordyceps alleviates fatigue, more research must be conducted to prove its effectiveness."