Another question from our anonymous Have A Question page:
Hi, I am 69 years old and have been suffering from e d. Is there product you know of that I can take without having to use those dangerous prescription drugs. This is causing some problems in our sex lives. I don’t know if this is a question you deal with but I thought I would give it a try.
Thank you
Good question. Now, I’m not a doctor, dietitian, natural-path or homeopath, and I have no training in any of those fields. But, I do read a lot and hear some things. Here’s some things I’ve heard of, but you should double check with your doctor to ensure they won’t add complications to existing conditions or medication.
Overall fitness, nutrition and health and erectile dysfunction
Of course, one of the things that lends itself to a healthy sexual being, is being physically healthy. If you are obese, have heart issues, diabetes, thyroid problems, or a host of other issues, they can all affected erectile ability. So, change your diet, change your fitness level, get healthy, start eating right and some may see an improvement just from that.
As well, some might find that certain foods affect your ability to get and/or maintain an erection. Try removing some things from your diet and see if you have any food sensitivities in this area. Some of the common suspects are dairy and wheat.
And just because you don’t put it in your mouth doesn’t mean it isn’t being absorbed into your skin. I’ve heard of many people having sexual dysfunction due to the skin care products they use. Try laying off of them for a couple of weeks to a month each and see if that helps. In particular, I know paraben, a common ingredient, affects many people because it can mimic estrogen, and that can really screw with your hormone levels.
Also, most people don’t drink enough water, and water is a key component in producing more blood, and guess what makes your erection…erect…yep, blood. So, drink more water while you’re at it.
Testosterone levels and erectile dysfunction
Testosterone is a hormone found more in men than women, and it’s responsible for …. well, a lot that makes us men. From the very beginning, testosterone changes our brain structure by burning away some of the connections that make women more able to multi-task, which makes men more able to focus on a single task and be goal oriented. This testosterone continues to guide our development through puberty, and is a key component to our sex drive and sexual performance.
Sometimes erectile dysfunction can be caused by a lowering in testosterone. Now that can happen for a lot of reasons. Stress, grief, lack of sleep, bad health, older age, these can all be causes of lower testosterone. So, to counteract it, you can reverse some of these: get more sleep, fix your health (if you can), learn to deal with stress effectively. As well, you can start lifting weights. Strength training specifically has been shown to boost testosterone. If you don’t have weights, you can use body weight and still get a very good workout that will result in the same testosterone boost.
Natural supplements and erectile dysfunction
Lastly, there are natural supplements, and I don’t mean the ones labeled “Natural Viagra”. Put those back on the shelf. But, there are some herbs that can help. These in particular you should check to make sure they don’t negatively combine with your medication.
Macca root (you can buy it as a powder) increases sexual ability in some, from increasing libido to increasing erection strength. It does this by helping to balance hormones.
Moringa seeds are a natural vaso-dialator, which is a big word for saying they expand your blood vessels, and more blood means, yep, you guessed it, harder erections. Taking these with a blood thinner is dangerous I believe, but I’m not a pharmacist either, so ask someone who is if that’s a concern.
Advice from my (soon to be) doctor friend about erectile dysfunction
I also took some time to speak with a good friend who is very knowledgeable about these things. In fact, she’s currently studying to be a doctor of Original Medicine (but she’s not yet, so don’t take her advice in place of a valid medical consultation). Here’s what she said:
- Erectile dysfunction is often related to kidney health (or poor health).
- Kidney health can be promoted with apples and asparagus
- Often kidney health is damaged by medication, in particular blood pressure and high cholesterol medication, which sadly many are put on as a preventative measure, not because they need it. She says there are ways to manage this without medication, but an individual assessment needs to be made in order to offer medical advice of that nature.
- You can boost testosterone with Zinc and Tribulus (a plant). However, I can’t help you with specific dosages or treatments, of course.
And lastly, she said there is absolutely no “natural” reason why a man who is 69 should be having erectile dysfunction. If he is, it means something else is going wrong, and usually it’s the medication he’s on.
So, there you have it, everything I know on the topic. I hope that helps. For the most part, I think you’re going to have to seek some qualified help. If you email me, I can put you in touch with my friend for that.
P.S. One of my readers, upon reading this, asked me to relay this: “Acupuncture Not painful. Even if it was it’s worth it. Please share this with your ed question. Thanks”. I know nothing about acupuncture (beyond what everyone does from the movies), but it may be something to look into.