Why ED Drugs Are NOT The Answer

You’ve probably seen the commercials for Viagra, Cialis, and the other popular drugs used in the treatment of ED.

The big pharmaceutical companies are constantly bombarding you with ads, both on television and online, hyping the benefits of their latest class of “wonder drugs.”

They’re so popular that many people who don’t have even ED try to get their hands on some of the pills for occasional “recreational use.”

Have you ever wondered though, why pharmaceutical companies would target YOU in their ads?

After all, you can’t get these medicines without a prescription, so showing you an ad about these drugs seems counterintuitive. But when you think about it, it starts making more sense...

The first time you start experiencing problems with your sexual performance, you’re almost certain to ask your doctor for one of the drugs you’ve seen on TV.

Then, of course, once you see that the “magic pill” works for you, you’re hooked.

They’ve got a new customer for life!

The real problem here, is that the big pharma companies have absolutely NO interest in curing you of erectile dysfunction.

They’d much rather see you hooked on their very expensive drug forever. That’s guaranteed monthly revenue for them, but for you, it’s not really a cure, but a workaround and a financial drain.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that ED treatments are the only class of drug they do this with though. Big Pharma is in the business of selling temporary fixes rather than permanent cures.

If they were genuinely interested in fixing your problem, they’d essentially be in the business of putting themselves out of business, and no for-profit company is going to do that.

The reality is that there ARE viable ways to treat erectile dysfunction. Not just treat it, but utterly cure it. Permanently.

Of course, the big pharmaceuticals don’t want you to know about them, because if you did…if you could find a natural way of curing your condition, then you wouldn’t need them anymore.

You’re a cash cow for them. A living, breathing sponge that they can suck dollars out of until the day you die, and they’d just as soon keep you that way.

If you’re going to have any real hope of solving your sexual performance issues once and for all though, you’ve got to really understand the condition.

ED is kind of a “catch all” condition. It has a number of different possible causes, some mental, some physical, some lifestyle, and sometimes, it can even be caused by other medications you’re taking to treat other serious medical issues you might have.

This, of course, works well for Big Pharma. If they can get you taking one medicine, and it has a side effect that causes you to have to take a second, they just doubled their money, right?

Now, I know what you’re thinking. The problem with this is that the same company might not make both drugs you’re taking.

That can happen, sure, but the reality is that there are only about half a dozen major pharmaceutical companies that make almost all of the most common drugs used by the modern medical establishment.

Is it really such a stretch to imagine a scenario in which they might do a bit of friendly cooperation? Everybody wins. They all get richer, month after month and year after year at your expense, so really, that’s not quite right.

Everybody wins but you, but of course, they’ve got you convinced that you win too, because they’re disguising their treadmill as a “fix,” when really, it’s just a temporary workaround.

The good news is that there are people who have poured hundreds of hours into sifting through all the garbage and BS to ferret out real, effective, natural remedies that don’t just treat your symptoms and put you on a treadmill of a different sort, but actually cure your condition once and for all.

The big pharmaceutical companies are predictably none too amused by their attempts to find actual cures, and they have been known to issue cease and desist orders on occasion.

Most of the time though, they don’t have to resort to such tactics, because they know that most of their customers won’t believe that there’s an actual cure, and will go right on faithfully paying them money, month after month, even if they hear about a permanent cure online.

Why? Because advertising is a powerful mechanism. They spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year convincing you that what they’re selling are cures.

If you hear the message enough times, you’ll believe them. If you believe them, you’ll comply. You’ll be a good little lamb and keep giving them money every month.

They don’t have to chain you to the treadmill, they know that more often than not, you’ll do it for them.

ED medications aren’t a cure. At best, they’re a temporary workaround to a problem you can fix yourself, for good. At worst, they’re part of the problem. So don’t allow yourself to get sucked in.

5 Common Mistakes That Make Your ED Worse

When it comes to health issue, we are often our own worst enemies.

You see this in a lot of cases and with a variety of diseases.  People who know they have high blood pressure and high cholesterol don’t change their diets and keep eating lots of fried food, for example.

Erectile Dysfunction is no different.  Here are a five things you may be doing right now, today, that are making your condition worse.

You’re Eating (and Drinking) The Wrong Things

Caffeine.  Alcohol.  Nicotine.  Drugs.  Excess fat.  If you indulge in any of these on a regular basis, the sad truth is that you’re making your ED condition worse.

Even if you do other things to improve your condition – even if you take medication to offset it, those things will be less effective than they could be unless you dramatically reduce or cut down on the items listed above.

You’re Not Eating Enough of The Right Things

Here’s a short list of foods known to increase your vascular health, which in turn, will improve the quality of your erections:  whole grains, green, leafy vegetables, fruits (especially watermelon and blueberries), and oysters.

If you like everything on that list, you’re in luck.  Eat more of all of those and you’ll see your ED symptoms diminish markedly, and possibly even disappear altogether.

If you’re not currently eating any of the above, then you’re definitely making the problem worse.

By itself, diet may not be able to completely cure your erectile dysfunction, but it can make a huge difference and have a tremendous impact on the quality of your erections.

You Work Too Much

Stress is a very big contributor to ED.  If you’re working too many hours, or if you don’t take the time to unplug and decompress, you’re only making your condition worse.

We were simply not cut out for long term exposure to the kind of stress that our modern lifestyle subjects us to.  Because modern life is so stressful, you’ve got to make time for yourself.  You’ve got to take the time to unwind, because guess what?

If you don’t do it for yourself, no one else will do it for you.  Your boss isn’t going to give you several bonus days off to unwind, so if it’s going to happen at all, it’s going to happen because you make it a priority.

Be good to yourself and find a way to take the time.  Yes, making it a priority can be a challenge, but you’re worth it, aren’t you?

Your sex life is worth it, isn’t it?  Of course it is, so what are you waiting for?

You Don’t Get Enough Sleep

Yes, too little sleep can impact your sex life.  Did you know that after just three days with no sleep, you’re prone to having a psychotic break?

It’s true, and not only that, but lack of sleep is a major contributor to depression, which is another big cause of erectile dysfunction.

You Don’t Get Enough Exercise

When you strip erectile dysfunction down to its barest essentials, ED is a circulatory condition.  Your penis gets and stays hard by virtue of the amount of blood that flows to it.

More blood flow equals firmer erections.  Less blood flow equals weaker or even nonexistent erections.

It’s not too difficult to guess which of those choices most men would prefer, and the good news is, you can do something right now, starting today, that will help you improve and increase your blood flow to all parts of your body, including your penis.

Unfortunately, the best way to do that is also something that most people really don’t like to do.  Exercise is something that almost everyone acknowledges is both good and necessary, but in practice, few people actually make time for.

You should.  If you do, the quality of your erections will improve, so even if you’re not all that excited about exercise for its own sake, do your sex life a favor and make regular exercise a part of your weekly routine.

We recommend exercising three times a week.  You may be surprised by the relatively low frequency of exercise, but that’s because we also recommend finding a sport you’re passionate about and making it a regular part of your weekly routine as well.

It doesn’t really matter what it is, as long as it gets your heart rate up, and that you enjoy doing it, because let’s face it, if you hate it, you’re not going to do it with any regularity.

Are you doing (or not doing) any of the above?  If you are, you’re making your ED worse.  You’re literally working against yourself.

Even if you’re doing a few things to offset those, or taking expensive medications, they’re simply not going to be as effective as they could be.

The Truth About Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is a deeply misunderstood condition. There are a couple of major problems with diagnosing it.

The first is the fact that very often, men jump to the conclusion that they’re suffering from ED the first time they experience a performance problem. Sometimes, however, a performance problem is just that.

A (temporary) performance problem. We’ve all been there. Every sexually active man has, or will have the occasional problem with performance. It happens. It’s just a fact of life.

The second major problem is the fact that “ED” is actually kind of a catch all term describing chronic, ongoing male performance issues.

There are actually a staggering number of things that can cause ED. Some of these are physical, but others are mental. In this article, we’re going to talk about the mental things that can cause ED.

These are cases when the “big head” messes with the  "little head," causing sexual performance problems which can lead to very real relationship problems.

Depression

Depression doesn’t kill, at least not directly, but chronically depressed people have a vastly higher rate of suicide than the national average.

Depression touches all areas of your life. It can leave you closed off from the rest of the world, and make maintaining relationships a very difficult proposition.

Worse, when you’re depressed, sex is about the last thing on your mind, and because you’re already suffering from low image and self-esteem, any time you find yourself in a romantic situation, you’re going to be plagued with doubts.

Those doubts will often wind up expressing themselves in a total inability to perform, sexually. It’s a vicious cycle. Your depression leads to lack of confidence and doubt, which leads to an inability to perform, which makes you feel even less confident and more full of doubt.

Once you’re on that treadmill, it can be very difficult for you to get off (or get HER off!)

Stress

Another big factor on the mental side is stress. Studies have shown that Americans are some of the most stressed out people on the planet.

We work too much, we don’t take enough vacations, and when we do, we usually drag our work and all the drama that goes with it along with us.

We’re always connected, always “on” and we’ve built our lives around that paradigm. We feel that if we’re not performing like rock stars 24/7, then we’re doing something wrong.

The problem, of course, is that it’s just not possible to do that in the long term and keep your sanity. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to take some down time.

If you don’t, then your body will eventually force the issue, you’ll get sick and you’ll have no choice but to take some down time.

Long before that happens though, you’ll start seeing erectile performance issues.

The good news about this is that of all the mental causes of ED, this one’s the easiest to fix. Just slow down. Take a deep breath. Relax. Make a habit of meditation or yoga.

I know, I know, you’re the Master of the Universe, and if you’re not always “on” then the world won’t be able to get along without you…except of course that it will.

Do yourself a favor and hang up the Superman cape, at least every once in a while.

Head Games

Sometimes, you’re your own worst enemy when it comes to sex. You’re not depressed, and you’re not stressed out, but all of a sudden, you find yourself plagued with doubts and before you know it, you can’t perform.

This is sometimes jokingly referred to “hot chick” syndrome. You know how it goes: You’re out somewhere and you pick up an amazingly beautiful woman.

She’s totally into you, one thing leads to another, and before you know it, your clothes are coming off.

As her clothes come off, it suddenly hits you just how amazingly beautiful this woman is. Your brain kicks into overdrive, and you find yourself thinking, “wow…she’s almost too beautiful!”

Then you start thinking maybe she really IS too beautiful for you. That you’re "playing out of your league."

That’s about the time the self-doubt starts creeping in, and before you know it, your erection melts away like a snow cone on a hot summer day.

That kind of thing can happen even to the most confident, self-assured men. It’s embarrassing, sure, but in most cases, it’s a temporary thing, tied to a specific woman or sexual encounter.

The problem is, sometimes it can become more than that, if you allow that one-time performance issue to occupy too much of your mind.

In these cases, there’s nothing physically wrong with you, it’s just that your psyching yourself out, and your big head is pulling the plug on your little head, preventing you from enjoying sex at all.

This one’s also pretty easy to fix, provided that you catch it before it leads to full-blown depression. Mostly it’s about engaging in other activities that boost your self-confidence, and acknowledging that it really is all in your head.

Think about all the times you’ve had sex. You had no problems then, and so she’s especially beautiful…so what? That’s a good thing, certainly not something to get uptight about, right?

The bottom line is that while there are many causes of ED, some of them are mental, and of the various causes of the condition, these tend to be the simplest ones to fix.

How To Know If You Suffer From ED

Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is a problem that affects millions of men. The older you are, the more likely it is that you’ll experience it.

The problem, of course, is knowing when ED is an actual problem, and when you’re just experiencing a temporary glitch in your anatomy.

It’s no secret – men are pretty attached to their penises, so when something goes wrong and you can’t get it up on demand, most men’s minds immediately go to the worst case scenario.

The good news is, that’s usually not the case.

For instance, if you enjoy a good drink (whiskey, bourbon, beer, or whatever your poison of choice is), that might put you “in the mood”...but at the end of the day, alcohol IS a poison, and if you drink too much of it, you’ll find that your body won’t cooperate when it’s time for some fun between the sheets (no matter how horny you might feel!)

If you smoke, and try to have sex shortly thereafter, you also run the risk of having performance problems. In this particular case, it’s because nicotine constricts your blood vessels, which translates into lower blood flow.

Your penis relies on good blood flow to get (and stay) hard. Anything that interferes with that blood flow is going to work against you.

Sometimes it’s just a simple case of performance anxiety, and let’s be honest: we’ve all been there at one time or another, especially if we’re undressing a drop-dead gorgeous woman.

The hotter she is, the more likely we are to start thinking some variation of “what the hell is this Goddess of a woman doing with me?!”

And of course, once that little seed gets planted in our “big head,” the “little head” starts getting nervous. One thing leads to another and before you know it…

It’s embarrassing, it’s awkward, but it happens. That’s not ED though. That’s just nerves.

At other times, it’s not so much your body that gets the better of you, but life in general. Again, this is not new or news to anyone, and everybody has experienced this at one time or another.

Things are tough and frustrating at work. You’re putting in long hours, the boss is on your case constantly, and you’ve got big, important deadlines looming. All of that can take so much of your time, attention, and energy that by the time you finally get home at night, sex is about the last thing on your mind.

It’s hard to put in a five-star performance in the sack with work stuff looming over you like that.

Sometimes, it’s hard to put in any kind of performance at all. Stress kills, sure, but long before it turns fatal, it can wreck your sex life.

Depression is the same way. If the weight of the world has you down, not only are you a lot less likely to think about sex during the course of a given day (remember: the average male thinks about sex thirty times a day!), but when it comes time to perform, you may or may not be able to even get hard.

Even if you succeed, you may or may not be able to maintain your erection for very long, depending on how depressed you are.

In exactly NONE of these cases though, is the problem ED. These are all situational causes of sexual dysfunction, and while they’re embarrassing, these kinds of problems are easily fixed.

Don’t smoke for a couple of hours before having sex, or better yet, give it up altogether. Limit or eliminate your intake of alcohol. Take time to de-stress and decompress.

The key, defining characteristic of ED is different from all of these, however. Erectile Dysfunction is a chronic condition.

It’s not something that crops up only once in a while, or only in certain fairly specific situations, but rather, it’s a continuous, ongoing issue with getting and keeping an erection.

All that to say, while it’s natural to jump to conclusions and let your imagination run away with you, don’t assume the worst just because you have an occasional problem getting or keeping an erection.

Every male experiences those kinds of problems once in a while, and when it happens to you, sit down and really think about your day, especially the hours just before you tried to have sex.

Odds are good that you’ll identify the culprit, and you’ll find that it’s pretty easily remedied.

This is not to say that you should completely ignore or write off even sporadic problems with your erections. Definitely make note of them and keep track, because you could be seeing the leading edge of a long term trend which really could point to ED.

Just don’t panic the very first time you have trouble in that department. It could be all in your head, or rather, your big head could be sabotaging your little head.

ED And the Importance Of Exercise

It’s hardly a news flash that exercise is important for your overall health, but what you may not have known is that getting enough exercise is also an important step toward minimizing your ED symptoms.

Of course, don’t expect to hear such things from the people who are selling you ED pills every month. They’d just as soon see you not do anything to minimize your symptoms so you’ll keep buying from them every month, but it’s true.

By itself, exercise is almost certain not to be sufficient to totally eliminate ED, but it can absolutely help minimize your symptoms.

Why Exercise Improves Your ED

At the core, erectile dysfunction is a circulatory condition. It’s all about blood flow. Think about it: What is it that causes your penis to become erect? Blood flowing to it.

The better your circulation and the more blood that flows into your erectile tissue, the firmer and stronger your erections will be.

This explains why some exercises are better than others at reducing ED symptoms. Specifically, what you want are cardiovascular exercises.

Yes, you want to work up a sweat, but more than that, you want to do an exercise that really gets your heart pumping.

People will tell you that the best way to start is to start modestly. To commit to, say, fifteen minutes of exercise, three to five times a week when you’re first starting out.

Then, over time, slowly increase your duration, and the number of days per week you’re exercising.

That’s generally pretty good advice, but we’d like to add an additional wrinkle to that.

For starters, KEEP your exercise to three days a week, but yes, gradually build up the length of time you spend exercising.

In addition to that though, find a sport you enjoy. It could be anything. Kayaking, soccer, fencing, hiking…just make sure it’s something you enjoy, and something you’re passionate about.

If you love to do it, and are passionate about it, you’ll naturally be inclined to do more of it.

This is the reason you don’t need to bump up your exercise to more than three times per week. You’ll be supplementing that with your new sports activity.

Consider this to be your “sweat equity.” This is the equity you put into living a longer, healthier life. In exchange for that sweat equity, you’ll get a healthier heart and lungs, better circulation, more energy, more stamina, and if you have ED, you’ll notice a marked reduction in your symptoms.

If you don’t have ED, a good exercise program won’t guarantee that you’ll never experience difficulties, but if and when you do, they’ll be much milder than they otherwise would have been.

There are relatively few people outside of “gym rats” who love to exercise, so look at it as an investment. That’s why we used the term “sweat equity.”

We want you to think of it in exactly the same terms as financial investments you make in your future. If you can put yourself in that mindset, and if you supplement your regular exercise with a sport you love, you’ll be much more likely to stick with it, and consistency is key.

Exercise, and its overall effectiveness is only as good as your commitment to it.

The only kind of exercise that comes with a caveat is bicycling. There’s no doubt that it is a great way to get (and stay) in shape, but it has one small drawback.

Studies have shown that spending a lot of time cycling can lead to an increased likelihood of problems with your prostate gland.

It can also, in at least some cases, cause numbness in and around the penis, which while not quite the same as ED, can definitely decrease the quality of your erections.

In addition to cardio-based exercises and a regular workout routine, don’t overlook the importance of stretching.

You can do something like Tai Chi or Yoga, for example. Both of these are great ways to stretch and tone your muscles, and make an excellent addition to your overall fitness routine.

The great thing about Yoga is that it’s a wonderful, meditative technique, in addition to being a great way to stretch. Start simply and modestly, and slowly work your way into more advanced postures.

The bottom line is simple: Exercise is not just good for your overall health, it’s also good for your sexual health.

If you’re genuinely interested in maintaining an active sex life well past your forties, when men typically begin experiencing sexual difficulties, then you’re going to want to make regular exercise an important part of your daily routine.

Again, the most important thing here is to be sure you pick a sport that you’re genuinely passionate about, because that makes it easy to stick with it.

Is Your Diet Helping (Or Harming) Your Erections?

Erectile Dysfunction can be devastating to men, and unfortunately, millions of men suffer from the condition.

If you go to the doctor to talk about the issue, you’re likely to get put on one or more of the popular medications used to treat the condition.

While they can be effective (temporarily), these medications come with a raft of side effects, some of which are decidedly unpleasant. Even worse, these medications aren’t really a cure, they’re more like a temporary workaround.

Worst of all, they tend to be really expensive. Month after month, you’re having to pay to work around your condition. That’s what the Big Pharmaceutical companies want.

Why would they want to cure you when they can rope you into buying their overpriced pills month after month? That’s pure profit for them.

They’re no more interested in actually providing a cure for your condition than your dog is. If pills aren’t the answer then, what is?

At the root, Erectile Dysfunction is a circulatory issue. The quality of your erections is directly tied to your circulation.

The more and better your blood flow, the better your erections will be.

Fortunately, there are a number of natural ways you can increase your circulation overall, which has the happy side effect of improving your erections. We’ll cover some of the biggest ones just below:

Fruits & Grains

Not just any grains will do. Specifically, if you want to increase blood flow, then you want to eat more whole grains. Fruits, too.

They’re loaded with natural sugars, vitamins and anti-oxidants, all of which will help you (and not just with your ED). In fact, given the above, one of the best things you can do to improve your overall level of health and help your ED naturally is to adopt the Mediterranean Diet.

Increase those Nitrates!

Also, any food that is loaded with nitrates is good for your circulation, and by extension, good for your penis, or more specifically, the quality and firmness of your erections.

Here, we’re talking about leafy greens and beets. If you can stomach it, beet juice has an insanely high concentration of nitrates, but to say that it is an acquired taste is an understatement.

Still, if you’re looking for a fast way to get a mega dose of nitrates, hold your nose and drink a glass.

Increasing the amount of nitrates in your body like this is essentially the same strategies that doctors are employing when they put you on those expensive ED pills.

That’s essentially what they do. Increase your nitrates to increase your blood flow.

Dark Chocolate

Are you a chocaholic? If so, you’re in luck! Dark chocolate is filled with flavonoids, and flavonoids, like nitrates, help to improve your circulation.

It's the same basic principle as those leafy greens, but a whole lot better tasting. So buy a bar of dark chocolate and enjoy!

Pistachios

A recent study showed that eating pistachio nuts every day led to a significant increase in sexual performance after just three weeks.

In addition to lessening the effects of ED, it also had the benefit of increasing overall sexual satisfaction.

What causes this almost magical effect? It all comes down to a protein called arginine, which, like the other things we’ve mentioned so far, help to relax blood vessels.

Oysters

For centuries, oysters have had the reputation as being an aphrodisiac. It isn’t, but part of that reputation stems from the fact that oysters are packed with just incredible amounts of zinc.

You may not have realized this, but zinc plays a pivotal role in the production of testosterone in men. That matters because one of the causes of ED is low testosterone. Eating oysters (or shellfish in general) is a great way to help solve your low-T problem, which in turn, will reduce your ED symptoms.

Watermelon

While there are a number of tasty treats that are packed with antioxidants, few pack as big of a punch as watermelon. If you don’t like watermelon, give blueberries a try.

Both are great sources of antioxidants, and both will help mitigate your ED symptoms.

Tomatoes (and Pink Grapefruit)

Both of these foods are loaded with lycopene, which does good things for people who suffer with ED.

Lycopene, when mixed with oily foods such as avocados or olive oil can help in the same way that watermelon and blueberries do – in this case, it’s all about the antioxidants!

In addition to adding certain things to your diet, you’ll do a lot to help yourself by taking certain things OUT of your diet.

Specifically, if you smoke, consider stopping. The nicotine in cigarettes is known to constrict your blood vessels, which reduces blood flow. Those smokes are literally working against your sexual performance.

Alcohol is another thing to seriously consider reducing your intake of. While a little bit of alcohol can increase your sexual desire, it’s essentially a poison, and can actually decrease your sexual performance.

If you’re serious about minimizing the effects of ED, get it out of your diet.

Are The Meds You Take Harming Your Erections?

There are a stunning variety of things that can cause or worsen erectile dysfunction (ED).  Some are psychological.  Others are diet or lifestyle choices.

Others still though, are medicines your doctor may have prescribed to you in order to treat other health conditions you may have.  Some of them are pretty well known and understood, but some of the things on this list might surprise you.

Read on, and if you see anything on this list that you’re currently taking, consult your doctor to see if there might be an alternative that might accomplish the same goal, but without the ED-related side-effects.

Blood Pressure Medications

This is the big one.  If you have high blood pressure, which is quite common among people with CAD (Coronary Artery Disease), then you’re almost certainly on some kind of blood pressure medication.

The problem with these medications is that they work perhaps a bit too well.  As your blood pressure drops, it becomes correspondingly more difficult to get and maintain an erection.

If you had ED before you started taking blood pressure meds, they will almost certainly make matters worse.  If you didn’t have ED before, they can often cause the condition to develop.  Fortunately there are (a few) alternatives you may be able to try.

Antidepressants

There are more than a dozen antidepressants that can cause or worsen erectile dysfunction.  This can be a tricky issue to resolve, because depression itself can cause the condition, and the drugs they give you for it can make it worse.

Talk to your doctor.  There may be an alternative you can try, but the best bet would be to find a way to treat your depression that doesn’t call for a prescription.

Of course, this is not always possible.  In any case, don’t just stop taking your medication.  Always seek the advice of a medical professional.

Antihistamines

Allergies are no fun.  They can make life pure misery.  Of course, an inability to have sex can also make your life pretty miserable, so again, this one is something of a two-edged sword.

Fortunately, there are lots of pretty effective ways to mitigate, or even eliminate allergy symptoms, so this may be something you can cure naturally and slowly wean yourself off of your allergy medicine.

Honey, from a local source near where you live, for instance, is a great way boost allergy immunity. Note that honey does carry some health risks for young children, so again, this is not a decision you want to make on your own and without a consultation from your doctor.

Non-Steroidal, Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

Pain killers like Naproxen and Indocin can often make ED worse.  These drugs will seldom actually cause the condition, but if you’ve already got it, you’ll notice a big difference when taking them.

Note that muscle relaxants like Flexeril and Norflex are also big contributors, but in these cases, they can actually cause erectile dysfunction in some men.

Antiarrythmics

If you take a drug called Disopyramide (also known as Norpace), it could make your ED worse, and can, in some cases, cause it.

Histamine H2 Receptor Antagonists

These are medicines like Tagamet, Axid, and Zantac. If you take any of these for stomach or digestive issues, they could worsen your ED.  These medications will seldom actually cause the condition, however.

Medications For the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease

Almost all of the major medications currently in use to treat Parkinson’s Disease, including Biperiden, Benztropine, Trihexyphenidyl, Procyclidine, Bromocriptine, Levodopa, and their generic equivalents can frequently cause erectile dysfunction.

There are few alternatives here, so in these cases, you may be forced to take ED medications to help offset the effects of these drugs on your sexual performance but again, always check with your doctor before making any decisions about that.

The pace of advancement in the medical industry is blinding, and there may be some new or emerging treatment options available.

Prostate Cancer Medications

If you take Flutamide, Eulexin, Leuprolide, or Lupron, you’re probably going to notice problems with your sexual performance.  If you had ED before taking these, it will almost certainly worsen the condition.

Note that this is also true of chemotherapy drugs like Busulfan, Myleran, Cyclophosphamide, and Cytoxan.  These drugs are absolutely critical to your health, however, so it’s unlikely that you’ll have many options here, save for seeing if your doctor can recommend an ED medication in addition to these.

As you can see, the sad reality is that there are numerous drugs for serious medical conditions that either contribute to the worsening of ED, or that can cause it outright.

The good news is that there are, at least in many cases, alternatives your doctor can prescribe.  In cases like these though, never make any changes to your prescriptions without first consulting with your doctor.

3 Hidden Causes Of Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile Dysfunction is no laughing matter. It can hit any man, of any age, but of course, is much more prevalent among older men.

Once you hit forty, you’re increasingly likely to suffer from ED. It’s important to understand, however, that not every case of sexual dysfunction is an ED problem.

Sooner or later, every man faces the occasional performance problem. When it happens, you’re going to feel bad about it.

You’re going to feel like a failure, and let’s face it, like less of a man, but unless it’s happening consistently and over a period of time, it’s not ED.

Here are some of the more common causes of erectile dysfunction:

Diet, Exercise, and Lifestyle

The sad truth is that in a significant number of cases, erectile dysfunction is a condition we bring upon ourselves.

Even when these things aren’t the outright cause of ED, they’re almost certain to be contributing factors that make your condition worse.

This is a big, expansive category that covers a lot of ground, but in a nutshell, here’s what you need to know.

Eating lots of leafy greens, whole grains, oysters, watermelon, and blueberries (most any fruit will work, really) will help you give your body all that it needs to improve the quality of your erections, while cutting out processed foods, cigarettes and alcohol will provide further benefits.

Add in a healthy dose of exercise at least three times per week, and you’re well on your way to better sexual health!

The Meds You Take

You’ve almost certainly seen various medications advertised on TV. The funny part about those ads is that they spend almost as much time talking about the side effects of their latest “wonder drugs” as they do about its supposed benefits.

Unfortunately, many of the drugs on the market today that are designed to treat various conditions, have side effects that include the degradation of male sexual performance. The most common of these are blood pressure medications, but there are many others.

The good news is that in many cases, there are often (but not always) alternatives to the meds with these side effects. If that’s the case, your doctor can prescribe you an alternative to help alleviate the problem.

Your Big Brain Working Against Your Little Brain
Many of the causes of erectile dysfunction are actually psychological. Understand that this is not the same as saying that it’s all in your head, because it’s not.

Psychological issues can easily lead to a variety of very real physical ailments. If that surprises you, it shouldn’t.

Stress can lead to heart disease, so why can’t other psychological issues lead to ED? It’s a pretty common, fairly well understood phenomenon.

Stress is, in fact, one of the leading causes of ED, which makes it a particularly nasty condition (because it also can lead to heart troubles, so it hits you twice).

Long before stress kills you though, it will impact your sex life in a major, and entirely negative way.

Our modern society is filled to the point of overflowing with stress triggers. We work too many hours. We don’t take enough vacations, and even when we do, we tend to bring our work with us, thanks to the advent of the smart phone, which is both a blessing and a curse.

Yes, it lets us keep in touch with friends and families no matter where we are in the world, but it also means that we have the tendency to never unplug. We need that. We need time to decompress and relax. Sure, you can run at top speed for a while, but if you do it too long, you’ll burn yourself out.

If you keep going much beyond that, your problems will only worsen with time. Why would you want to do that to yourself? It simply makes no sense.

Depression

Depression is another common cause of ED, and let’s face it. When you’re depressed, sex is about the last thing you’re thinking of.

Stress is a particularly nasty cause of ED, because most of the antidepressant medicines available only make ED worse.

Depression is insidious on another front as well, because it’s easy to get caught in a negative, self-reinforcing feedback loop trap.

What we mean by that is that when you’re depressed, your self-esteem is (by definition) low. If you try to have sex, your low self-esteem may lead to performance issues. Then, when you fail to perform, sexually, it lowers your self-esteem further, which makes future sexual performance issues even more likely.

Once you’re caught in that trap, it can be notoriously difficult to get out of it.

One thing you’ll note that isn’t on the list is "performance anxiety." That’s because while performance anxiety can lead to a lack of sexual performance in certain specific situations, these are generally isolated, one-off events.

The risk, however, is that a failure to perform sexually can sometimes lead to depression, which can cause ED.