Here’s a question I received from our anonymous Have a Question page about dealing with erectile dysfunction:
Hey Jay! Have you ever dealt with the Christian’s response to medications that are designed to help men with E.D.? I’m into my 60’s now and the equipment just work like it used to. I am contemplating getting some help. I would appreciate your response. Thanks
I’m not sure all Christians would agree with me, but here is what I think the Christian response should be:
Erectile Dysfunction is a symptom, not a disease or a problem to be dealt with. Rather, I think we should be targeting the source of the problem and dealing with that.
For some, that could be psychological, or relational, but since you’re over 60, I’m going to guess that it’s physiological. Most medical professionals will tell you “that’s normal, we’ll put you on Viagra”, but if you talk to a naturopathic doctor, it’s a different story. The ones I’ve talked to say that is no reason a man in his 60s should be having erectile dysfunction without some other underlying cause that should be dealt with. Often, it’s due to other medication that are dealing with yet other symptoms of a root cause (instead of dealing with the real issue).
I’m not saying medication doesn’t have a place or a use, but personally, I think we should be using it as a temporary stop gap, which we figure out the real issue. Instead, in our culture, we use it as the solution.
So, my response would be to go find a naturopathic doctor and find the real issue. If it’s due to other medication, see if it’s possible to get off of those, with the professional’s help. In the mean time, find other ways to pleasure each other when your having a difficult time getting or maintaining an erection, and check out the post on dealing with erectile dysfunction naturally.
Thoughtful response, but I’m not sure it addresses the “Christian response” part. Is there anything biblically/theologically that influences this topic?
Not directly, which makes it hard to quote scripture. I mean, most of the verses on diseases involve prayer, not medication. Now, I’m not discounting prayer, but unfortunately, most men won’t be willing to go to their elders and ask for prayer for erectile dysfunction (as per James 5:14), and most wives won’t go to the elders and ask for prayers for their husbands for the same. Sadly, I feel a lot of elders wouldn’t respond appropriately either.
But, you raise a valid point, that’s the Biblical advice for dealing with medical issues. Granted, they didn’t have medical care like we do today, so I’m not saying that the Bible discounts that care. But, neither should I bury the fact that the Bible says to take it to the elders to pray over, just because I don’t think anyone will do it.
Outside of that, we see a strong theme of being stewards of our body, of not putting in anything that will harm it, and in my personal opinion, medications are harmful more than they are helpful, especially when taken long term. Thus, I’d be looking for a root cause to get off the medication, so that we can better stewards of our body.
Brings up other problems as well, PLEASE keep pounding guys to get their prostates checked on a regular basis, PSA until they come up with a better test and also not a “BIG DEAL” the DRE.
John
I’d recommend going to a urologist, who is an MD.
Can you elucidate what a naturopath would do to find the “real issue”, that a practitioner of conventional medicine would not?
Sure, for example, often erectile dysfunction is due to hormone imbalances. Now, a urologist will not find any problems, because it’s outside of the scope of their field. They might recommend medication to deal with the symptom (not enough blood flow), but not deal with the root cause (improper diet, exercise, blood PH balance, lack of nutrition, low testosterone, etc..). Even if they determine that it’s due to low testosterone, for example, they’ll likely again deal with the symptom by recommending testosterone injections. A naturopath, instead, would first seek to find a natural method of rebalancing hormones using food, exercise, etc., dealing with root issue, rather than the symptom. Convention medical doctors, by definition, must find medical means to solve symptoms. Everything is seen as a disease to be addressed with drugs or surgery, because that’s what they’re trained to do. But, something like malnutrition that is causing erectile dysfunction is not a disease to be fought with drugs. Imbalance hormones due to medication is not a disease that needs to be solved with more medication. One needs to find the root of the first problem, solve it naturally, and then the first and second level of symptoms will resolve themselves.
At least, that’s how I see it.
My husband and I deal with ED EVERY time we make love. My husband is a prostate cancer survivor, and the surgery left him unable to get an erection. There is no “root” to get to.
I’m sorry for your struggles. I would argue that the root cause is probably still there, but the symptom was dealt with by surgery, and that caused an irreversible secondary symptom. Personally, I’d still be working to make my body less susceptible to cancer. I think we all should.
I can relate to that. I struggled with ED years before my heart attack, and after that it was over with, I can’t get an erection and as a Christian I feel toys are not acceptable and finding a substitute is not allowed. So, the only thing left is crack ( joking ).
I’m curious what about being a Christian makes you feel that toys are not acceptable?
My hubby takes something for his ED which is caused by blood pressure meds he has been on for many years. Could he get off meds? I have no doubt. Is he willing to do that? Probably not.
I prefer to naturally heal the body through whole nutrition and herbs instead of pharmaceuticals and believe it is completely possible to do so but not everyone believes this way and for my hubby it may not be desired.
Since we’ve gone grain-free and eat a whole food diet he has noticed his blood pressure consistently lower, but he likely will never get to a place where he is willing to give up his meds completely (unless his doctor said to) because it’s just what he thinks is necessary and it’s okay if we see a little differently on that issue. He trusts my opinion but isn’t willing to go completely med free.
So I’m grateful and so is he that there is something to help him with ED otherwise in our situation of being together once a week it could lead to a much more difficult time with sex.
As far as I can see in the bible there is nothing to suggest that taking meds, even ED meds when necessary, is wrong. We are to take care of our bodies but that certainly doesn’t mean pharmaceuticals are bad. I think with ED meds the line is crossed when men use it to enhance or prolong sexual activity when there is no medical necessity for it. It seems young men are turning to it thinking it will make sex much better.
And yet, what constitutes medical necessity? As you point out, ED is often the symptom of some other underlying problem and if that is resolved chances are ED may be taken care of too.
So in the case of the person who asked the question, I don’t see it as being wrong for him to try ED meds but I too would say it might not be necessary, at least not all the time.