Health: Floppycock?

Is your flaccid penis trying to tell you something? There’s no need to keep a stiff upper lip about your failure to launch.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) used to be a condition that affected men over a certain age, but nowadays it’s become increasingly more common among men of all ages, and if you have recently endured the inability to rise to the occasion, it could be a warning sign.

You may be suffering from something else you’re unaware of, like depression or diabetes, a vascular condition, hormone deficiency, or abnormal nerve function because these may all present ED as one of their symptoms.

You’re in bed with this sexy guy. There’re some sultry slow jams in the background and his body is looking good enough to eat in the warm glow of the candles around the bed. You are getting your groove on and everything is just perfect, except for one small (or not so little) problem: Your penis didn’t get the memo – it’s still fast asleep. This has NEVER happened to you before. What the hell is going on? Well, it could be a few things.

You may be testosterone deficient. In the past, men managed to maintain high levels of testosterone until they stopped producing it as much, which was a normal part of the ageing process. Fast forward to the present and we now have a much tougher time stacking up the ‘T’ hormone.

What we eat and drink and come into contact with daily, is riddled with chemicals that have estrogenic activity (endocrine disruptors). They promote estrogen production and this decreases testosterone levels in men, and sadly, as a result, many of today’s 40-year old guys enjoy the same testosterone levels as the 70-year old gents of yesteryear. Yup, your grandpa, may well have been more of a ‘macho’ man than you currently feel yourself to be. Avoiding plastics and products and foods with artificial ingredients is a good way to avoid this environmental estrogen.

Men lacking testosterone have been documented as experiencing a much lower quality of life, diminished motivation and drive, and higher incidences of depression and other ailments and illnesses that spin-off as a result of their low testosterone.

ED is not merely an indication that you have little testosterone, though, it can also be caused by some other stuff.

An inability to get a hard on when you need one can even be caused by smoking cigarettes. Things like stress, anxiety, alcohol consumption, recreational drug use, exhaustion and even the medication you may be taking for something else, could all have contributed to your ‘major’ not being able to come to attention.

The inability to achieve or maintain an erection is quite common, but it is something you should take relatively seriously and discuss with your healthcare practitioner because it may be an indication that other parts of your system are not working as well, either. You may be far too stressed and this can affect your health in other ways too. You may have a heart condition or circulation or vascular problems that your penis is softly whispering warnings to you about.

Erectile dysfunction can be treated with pills like Viagra, but these can come with other side-effects that might also affect your circulation and vascular system, which is why it is always best to chat to a healthcare provider first.

Holistically, treating what may have caused the ED may be a better way to go, rather than just popping a blue pill or injecting your penis with a substance that will keep you propped up for hours, even after you’ve climaxed.

You can try taking natural supplements that help with testosterone production. The body doesn’t need you to get more testosterone so much as it needs assistance to create it’s own. After checking with your doctor, supplements like Horny Goat Weed, Tongkat Ali and Panax Ginseng can help.

You can take actual testosterone itself as a supplement, but the problem with this is that many believe that the body stops producing enough testosterone when you provide it externally, it gets lazy and then you may have to keep taking it artificially just to come out even. However, there are men who have testosterone deficiency syndrome and they do need testosterone replacement therapy, but only once they are identified as not being risk of prostate cancer.

Artificial testosterone can be detrimental to those suffering or recovering from prostate cancer or other illnesses, and should therefore always be administered by a healthcare provider.

Eliminating stress in your life wherever you can, and taking up meditation has also produced fantastic results for an increase in testosterone levels in men. It goes without saying, that a healthy diet and regular exercise would be the most potent medicine of all that you could take, to up your testosterone and your wellbeing in general.

Article by Supplied by Health4Men. To find your nearest gay-friendly clinic, visit the Health4Men website.