5 Natural Methods That May Help Improve Your Erectile Dysfunction

What is Erectile Dysfunction?

Erectile Dysfunction or ED, occurs when a male penis cannot have or sustain an erection. If this is something you deal with, you are not alone. It affects more than 30 million men in the United States alone!

Generally, this happens to men as they age but it can happen at any moment. Sometimes it occurs overtime, sometimes it happens suddenly and unexpectedly.

What Causes Erectile Dysfunction?

Aging
Taking medications
Obesity
Smokers
Diabetic
High Blood Pressure
Stress
Hormone Changes
Depression
Drug or Alcohol Abuse

There are many potential causes of Erectile Dysfunction. Sometimes it isn’t so clear as to what causes it but erections occur during arousal as your brain sends nerve messages to stimulate the penis. Impulses from the brain and nerves cause the muscles to relax, allowing blood to flow into your penis causing it to expand and create an erection. Most often ED occurs because blood flow to the penis is limited or nerves are harmed. It could be a more brain to nerve issue, such as emotional stress or depression, or it could be related to blood flow, which often gets blocked due to poor eating habits, old age, high blood pressure or diabetes.

Diet and Exercise

Often diet and exercise is mentioned with most illnesses or conditions to improve them. This is because your body performs better without the accumulation of fat and LDL cholesterol blocking your blood vessels. Processed foods are the enemy. They contain little to no nutritional value and often contain bad fats, even trans fats that your body struggles to process. Go for more whole foods such as:

Fruits
Vegetables
Fish
Beans and Legumes
Whole Grains

When consuming meat, lower your red meat intake and go for more lean cuts of meat. It is best to consume less saturated fat to lower the chances of developing ED.

Physical Activity can also help improve ED as it combats obesity, heart disease and more. Simply fit a workout in at least four times a week. Try to choose exercises you enjoy so it doesn’t feel like a chore. Exercises such as:

Bicycling
Swimming
Hiking
Weight Lifting
Participate in Sports such as:
- Football
- Basketball
- Soccer
- Tennis

Diet & Exercise has the ability to improve your ED by decreasing clogged blood vessels, raising testosterone levels and mentally giving you the confidence to support yourself in the bedroom.

Counseling

If Erectile Dysfunction is caused due to emotional distress from conditions such as stress, anxiety or depression, counseling may be the answer. A counselor or therapist is trained to help you understand your own mind better and cope or improve it through different therapy techniques or medications. Often therapy for men has a bad stigma. Only about one-third of people in therapy in the US are men. While over 14% of men in the US experience a mental health issue, very few of them get help. This is an issue as therapy is often the only real solution to correcting or coping with mental conditions. So if you are dealing with depression, stress or anxiety seek treatment. If you broke your leg, you would seek a doctor to correct it. The same should go for your mental health. Seek professional help to target your mental condition.

Caffeine

Caffeine is the most common morning beverage for every citizen to drink in the United States and surprisingly, it benefits men’s Erectile Dysfunction!

Ideally if you drink two to three cups of coffee a day, it may improve your erections. One study found that men who consumed between 85-170 milligrams of caffeine per day were 42% less likely to experience erectile dysfunction. Those who consumed between 171-303 milligrams of caffeine a day were 39% less likely to report ED compared to those who didn’t consume caffeine.

Caffeine consumption has the ability to relax your arteries and muscles around the penis, allowing blood to flow much easier. Caffeine also increases testosterone in men. One study found that consuming more than 4 milligrams of coffee prior to exercising boosts testosterone levels in athletes.

Caffeine consumption isn’t for everyone. Some may experience anxiety, jitters, increased heart rate and more. If you consume caffeine, monitor your body and understand your limits. Coffee is also a diuretic so be sure to drink water to maintain hydration.

Supplements

Scientifically, there isn’t supportive evidence for supplementation for ED but supplements are natural and contain herbs that won’t create harmful side effects if it doesn’t work. Be sure to discuss with your doctor if it is okay to include any of these supplements into your diet.

Supplements for Erectile Dysfunction:

Omega -3s
DHEA
L-Arginine
Panax Ginseng
Maca Root
Yohimbine (West African Tree Bark)
Mondia Whitei (African Plant Root)
Ginkgo Biloba
Horny Goat Weed
Musli
Saffron
Tribulus Terrestris

There is a laundry list of supplements to try. Be sure to do your research before choosing an option and don’t take on too many at once as you may experience complications or changes and not know which one is right for you.

Sound Wave Therapy

Sound wave therapy is a non-invasive treatment option that has the ability to reverse the effects of Erectile Dysfunction. This is done by the use of a handheld machine that transmits low intensity pulsed ultrasound waves to your penis, causing the plaque buildup in the penis to breakdown and allow easier blood flow.

Sound Wave Therapy has been proven to treat soft tissues and vein damage.

This technology has helped:

Curved penises
Increased sensitivity
Penile enhancement
Increased blood flow
Firmer erections
Long lasting erections
Spontaneity
Confidence

If you are interested in this type of therapy, we here at Neuropathy and Pain Centers of Texas offer this advanced technology. Our goal is to return patients to these most intimate and private activities that can truly improve their quality of life. We encourage you to begin the journey toward erectile restoration by making an appointment to see one of our physicians.