We are sharing resources all about ED, how to take our ED Self Test, and how you can find out about your condition and get the help you need.
Erectile Dysfunction is a common disorder among men. More than 18 million men in the United States suffer from Erectile Dysfunction. If you are experiencing symptoms and are a part of this group, keep reading.
What Is Erectile Dysfunction?
Erectile Dysfunction, or commonly referred to as ED, is known for being a condition that affects the penis. More specifically, it affects the ability to get and keep an erection stable enough for sexual intercourse. In general, it is not uncommon for men to experience trouble here and there in the bedroom. If the issue persists and is showing up in your life more regularly, this is a marker for Erectile Dysfunction. This disorder is more common as men age. The older that you are, the higher your risk of developing ED. According to the (AAFP) American Academy of Family Physicians, it is more relevant in men ages 75 and over.
What Can Cause ED?
There are numerous factors that can affect the onset of ED. We will list them here: obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, low Testosterone, smoking, drug use, alcohol consumption, Parkinson’s Disease, prescription drugs, stroke, prostate treatments, prostate or pelvic injury, brain injury or spinal cord injury, and Multiple Sclerosis.
What Signs and Symptoms Do I Look For?
Common symptoms of ED are the inability to get or keep an erection, and loss of libido or decreased sex drive. As stated before, sometimes individually, these characteristics are not uncommon by themselves in a healthy individual. If you find them to be occurring more often, this is where you would want to give your doctor a call and schedule an appointment. While you are waiting, you can take our ED Self Test to get some answers.
Risk Factors For ED
There are a few risk factors to be aware of for those individuals concerned with the onset of this condition in their lifetime. These risk factors include: using tobacco, diabetes and other heart-related conditions, antidepressants, stress & anxiety, alcohol & drug use, and being overweight.
How Do I Know If My Symptoms Are Severe?
When you are experiencing these symptoms discussed above more than half of the time, you will want to seek additional help and resources, as this is considered abnormal. Every man can have an issue here and there, it is when it becomes prevalent that it is not considered normal. In a controlled clinical trial study performed by the Journal of Sexual Medicine, men who have severe symptoms of ED and men who have moderate symptoms of ED, generally feel the same impact from ED about their life and their symptoms. This affects how they find treatment and their overall quality of life.
What Are My Chances of Offsetting This Disorder?
You may take solace in knowing that there are things you can be doing now, to decrease your chances of developing Erectile Dysfunction short and long term. These are things such as dialing in on your nutrition, getting enough exercise, and taking care of your mental health. Let’s take a look at what that can look like individually.
Nutrition:
Dialing in your nutrition can look different for different people. But in general, it means eating foods that give your body energy and taking more accountability for what you feed your body. You can take a mental inventory of what you eat in a day. Include what you drink and all of the snacks that you consume. You can even repeat this food log every day for 1-2 weeks and see what you can gather from your records. Here are a few thought-provoking questions to think about while reviewing your notes.
Do you eat a lot of packaged snacks?
How is your water consumption?
Do you eat vegetables at each meal?
What is your breakfast usually like?
How do you feel after you eat a meal?
Do you consume a lot of candy or sweets?
How is your protein intake?
Do you eat fruit often?
This might seem a little odd at first, but it will give you the power to read between the lines and start making necessary changes. You can begin by picking one item that you wish to improve and work on it consistently for 2-3 weeks. When you feel like that habit is improved and easier to do without reminding yourself, pick up another thing you wish to change and keep going.
There are some foods out there that also can affect testosterone levels which in turn can affect Erectile Dysfunction. The following is a list of 5 food items to include in your diet:
Avocado
Carrots
Chilli Peppers
Tomatoes
Decreasing packaged foods and increasing your whole foods intake will give you drastic benefits as you navigate ED.
Exercise:
Exercise has so many benefits to the mind and body. It increases blood flow, boosts mood, and decreases chances of acquiring less than satisfactory diseases and disorders. Chances are that if you do not have a solid workout regime in the works in your life currently, you are lacking energy, mental clarity, and a solid support system. All of these aspects are positive qualities that exercising regularly can offer you. Just as you did with your nutrition in your life, take a mental note of your daily activity levels. You can start thinking about how long you sit, if you get outside during the day, how many steps you probably walk per day, and any exercise or workouts you complete. Here are a few questions to get the ball rolling:
Would you consider your activity level to be sedentary, moderate, or active?
Do you get your heart rate up at least 1x per day?
How is your endurance level?
Do you seem to get winded when you walk up a flight of stairs?
Do you stretch and mobilize every day?
If you guess, what are your average steps taken per day?
Do you workout intensely at least 3X per week?
Do you have a consistency buddy?
After answering those questions, how did you do? By now you have a mental idea of where you can start to improve in your physical exercise every day.
According to the American Heart Association, individuals should be completing 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity each week. This can be alternated with 75 minutes of intense vigorous aerobic activity each week also. Individuals and families are also challenged to include at least 2 days of strength training exercises each week. The following are some options of moderate intensity aerobic exercises you can do:
Brisk walking
Tennis
Gardening
Biking
Water Aerobics
Dancing
Vigorous aerobic intensity exercise would be:
Swimming laps
Aerobic dancing
Heavy yard work
Cycling
Hiking
Running
By improving your physical health, you are also improving your mental health. The benefits of exercise severely outweigh any discomfort that comes with starting a new workout regimen or the sore muscles that can accompany it. Better blood flow is also a benefit to reversing Erectile Dysfunction.
Mental Health:
Last but not least is mental health. Unfortunately in our society, mental health is not given the coverage or attention it needs. It is also usually the last on the list when it comes to self-care. Why? Because as humans we don’t address mental issues as real issues because they aren’t seen like a physical wound is. The phrase, “Out of sight, out of mind” comes to mind.
You can start to change this narrative by investing in your mental health. And just as we did with nutrition and exercise, let’s take a little mental checklist of how your mental state is on a day-to-day basis. Here are some questions to get you started thinking about your life and feelings:
Do you frequently feel agitated and irritable?
Do you suffer from Anxiety?
Have you experienced or do you experience bouts of depression?
Do you have a loss of appetite?
Are you in a stressful romantic relationship?
Do you have emotional support?
Do you have close friends?
How often do you do something for yourself?
Do you participate in social gatherings you enjoy?
Do you have a hard time saying no to extra tasks?
Do you have a hard time accepting help?
How are your sleep patterns?
Do you own a journal?
Do you currently see a therapist?
Now that you have mentally answered these questions, you probably have a good idea on the areas in your mental health that could use some care. Mental health plays a large role in Erectile Dysfunction characteristics and symptoms. For example, if you are in a relationship and experience ED, chances are that not only you could benefit from talking to a therapist, but also your significant other might be able to benefit from talking to a therapist. ED can cause issues for the person who develops the condition, but also the romantic partners as they learn and offer support. There is hope and help available for both individuals. Life with ED and life without ED can both be fulfilling.
Our ED Self Test
We have provided an online test to give you a better idea of where to start if you are experiencing symptoms of this condition. You can find this test on our website at genesysmenshealth.com under the Erectile Dysfunction tab. Once there. you can click the drop down menu to find ED Self Test. This is a brief sexual history for men quiz. The cost is $30.00 once finished so you can have a consultation with one of our trained and experienced doctors. A sample of the questions are listed below:
- How would you rate your confidence that you can get or keep an erection?
- When you have an erection with sexual stimulation, how often are your erections hard enough for penetration?
- During sexual intercourse, how often were you able to maintain your erection after you had penetrated your partner?
- During sexual intercourse, how difficult is it to maintain your erection to completion of intercourse?
- When you attempt sexual intercourse? How often is it satisfactory for you?
If these questions sound like they could offer help to you, go online and submit your answers.
You can find our online test here.
What Treatment Options Are Available for ED?
There are a variety of treatment options for Erectile Dysfunction. We will review them here as follows:
Focused Shockwave Therapy
This type of therapy uses a wand to deliver high-energy waves to multiple areas of the penis. This quickens tissue repair and boosts cell growth. Here are a few main facts about this type of therapy.
- Focused, concentrated area
- Deep penetration
- High energy waves
- 100% pain-free
- Proven to improve erectile dysfunction
- More expensive, delicate equipment
Radial Wave therapy
This type of therapy is also termed “Energy Wave Therapy.” This form of therapy uses low energy sound waves to improve blood flow through the penis. A few main facts about Radial Wave therapy are as follows:
- Broad, unfocused area
- Shallow penetration
- Low energy waves
- Unfocused Radial waves often produce pain and may require numbing cream or nerve block
- Not proven to improve erectile dysfunction
- Cheaper machine, more like a massage gun
Other treatment options include medications, penis pumps, surgical procedures, and therapy.
Visit Genesys Men’s Health for Your Erectile Dysfunction Needs
At Genesys Men’s Health, we value every patient that comes through our doors, and do everything we can to help them find the answers they seek. We have multiple resources available to guide individuals on their unique journey with ED, including our ED Self Test. Our team of friendly doctors are well schooled in Erectile Dysfunction and will be your advocate in finding you the best route of treatment. Visit our office in Sandy, Utah, or give us a call and talk to one of our friendly staff. You can reach us at (801)-671-7456. Contact us today!