| The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem. |
What Is Impotence?
Simply stated impotence (erectile dysfunction) is the consistent inability to get or keep an errection suitable for successful intercourse. If this definition applies to you, you are not alone.
Impotence affects millions of couples worldwide. Experts estimate that up to 30 million American men are impotent, but fewer than five percent have ever been treated. The first step and probably the most difficult is admitting the problem. But only by first admitting the problem, can you discover that impotence is easily treatable.
What causes Impotence?
Although the likelihood of impotence increases with age, it is not an inevitable result of aging you just have to tolerate. Impotence is a secondary condition brought on by other, primary causes. About 85% of all impotence has a physical cause. The remaining 15% is either totally psychological or mixed in origin.
The most common medical conditions that cause impotence are vascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and stroke. Poor blood flow in the heart causes heart attacks; in the brain it causes strokes; and poor blood flow in the penis causes impotence.
Diabetes is another leading medical cause of impotence. Nerve disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury also cause impotence.
Other common physical causes are pelvic surgery and radiation treatment, particularly for prostate cancer. And substance abuse, especially from tobacco, cigarette smoking and alcohol, can negatively affect male potency.
Over 200 prescription drugs can bring about impotence. The most common types include high blood pressure pills and antidepressants.
| Vascular Disease | 40% |
| Diabetes | 30% |
| Nerve Disorders | 10% |
| Pelvic Surgery, Injury | 9% |
| Rx Drugs, Substance Abuse | 8% |
| Hormonal Deficiency | 3% |
Who treats impotence?
You can begin by discussing your impotence with your family doctor. Many primary care physicians are not treating impotence in their practices. If your family doctor does not treat impotence, he or she will probably refer you to a urologist.
The physician who treats your impotence should first determine the cause of your impotence and then help you choose the simplest, safest and most effective treatment option for you.
What Are The Curent Treatments For Impotence?
Most important is the fact that impotence is easily treatable. You and your partner can resume a healthy sex life if you both decide to take action by visiting your doctor and then using the chosen treatment.
Sex counseling or sex therapy can be effective for the small percentage of men who have psychological impotence. Counseling or therapy is most often successful when you have a cooperative partner willing to attend sessions with you.
Yohimbine is an oral medication that can improve erections in the very small percentage of men who do not have significant physical causes for their impotence. The effect of Yohimbine has never been scientifically proven to be anything other than the placebo effect.
Hormone replacement therapy, in the form of testosterone injections can be effective for the 3-5% of men who are impotent due to a low level of male hormone.
External vacuum therapy is the most frequently used treatment option. Physicians prescribe ErecAid System more than any other vacuum device for their impotent patients. Pioneered and developed by Geddings Osbon, ErecAid System has helped over 250,000 couples resume sexual intercourse. And this non-surgical, drug-free and very effective option works for all types of impotence. (Osbon Medical Systems - 1-800-438-8592)
Penile injection therapy is a more invasive treatment option that requires you to inject your penis with a medication that can produce an erection. Many men are fearful of injecting themselves in the penis, and dropout rates for injection therapy are high, somewhere around 50%. InjecAid System is a medication delivery system for penile injections that reduces anxiety over self-injection by concealing the needle. InjecAid System also allows you to penetrate your skin at the touch of a button.
Penile implant surgery is the most invasive option. This surgical procedure is a permanent and irreversible form of treatment. Most physicians offer their impotent patients the conservative options first, before resorting to surgery.
Which Treatment Option Would a Physician Choose?
A medical publication asked urologists, in 1990, how they would treat themselves if they became impotent.
The question was: "If you or a close family member suffered from erectile dysfunction (impotence), which treatment would you choose/recommend as the first step?"
The responding physicians, as shown in the table below, favored vacuum therapy.
| External Vacuum therapy | 43% |
| Penile Injection Therapy | 31% |
| No Treatment | 15% |
| Penile Implants | 7% |
| No Answer | 4% |
| TYPES OF TREATMENT | ADVANTAGES | DISADVANTAGES |
| Sex Counseling / Therapy | No surgery or drugs. Leads to understanding. Improves communication. |
Indefinite time frame. Sucess rates vary. Costs $75-$150 per hour. |
Yohimbine
[ See Viagra ] |
Non-surgical Painless May improve libido. |
Minimal effectiveness. Treatment must be continuous. Possible unpleasant side effects. Costs about $40 monthly. |
| Hormone Replacement Therapy | Non-Surgical. Painless. May improve Libido |
Effective only with severe testosterone deficiency. May stimulate growth of prostate tissue, cause liver damage or increase generalized fluid retention. Costs about $25-$35 monthly. |
| Erec Aid System | Safe. Non-surgical. Immediate results. May result in occasional natural erection. Use as often as desired. Over a 90% success rate. |
Requires some manual dexterity and strength. Must remove tension ring after 30 minutes. Involves learning a manual technique. May cause mild bruising. Costs $400-$500 |
| Penile Injection Therapy | Non-surgical. Erection lasts 1-2 hours. Erectile response for about 70% of men. |
Requires test dosing and follow-up Requires pre-planning Use limited to twice a week. Fibrosis or scarring may occur. Prolonged painful erection may occur. Annual cost $500-$1500 |
| Penile Implant Surgery | Patient/partner satisfaction | Requires a surgical procedure. Risk of infection, rejection. Alters internal structure of penis and may prevent other treatment. Costs approximately $6,000-$15,000 |
Copyright © 1997 Rosebud's Treehouse
Created Monday, December 29, 1997 08:28 PM.