Thursday, January 22, 2009

How To Cope With Diabetes And Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction undoubtedly is one of the most common men’s sexual health problems affecting millions today. Though some people call it impotence, in reality, impotence also involves other problems related to sex and men and these include lack of sexual energy, stamina, inability to get orgasm and poor quality sperm etc. Erectile dysfunction on the other hand relates to the specific problem of inability to get and sustain erection, which makes intercourse impossible. Contrary to popular belief, erectile dysfunction has been found to be irrespective of age. Be that as it may, men suffering from diabetes may suffer from erectile dysfunction 10 to 15 years earlier than other men.
Erectile Dysfunction

Like erectile dysfunction or ED, diabetes is also one of the most common ailments affecting men. Of the many damages that this ailment can do to different body parts, diabetes has a particularly detrimental effect on the sex life of men. Since diabetes impacts the central nervous system, it can easily be linked to ED, since for an erection, the nervous system plays an important role. It is your nerves, which send out signals during arousal and erection. Even when you are mentally aroused, if the nerves sending such messages to the brain are damaged, your sexual organs cannot receive the message. Thus the penis is unable to obey the command of the brain and erection becomes impossible. Diabetes can also damage blood vessels and the smooth flow of blood to different parts of the body gets damaged due to this ailment. Erection is an effect of blood rushing to the penile area, after arousal. So any vascular damage would have a direct negative impact on erection. Diabetes also affects the mind and it has been seen that the disease makes the patient depressed most of the time. Hormonal imbalance and excessive blood sugar cause depression and as we all know, erection is a result of various psychological factors, which come into play during an intercourse.

So what are the steps you should take if you suffer from diabetes and have ED as a concurrent problem? The first step is to control your blood sugar levels. If you cannot do it yourself, seek medical help. You need to prevent any further damage to your nervous system and damage to your blood vessels. You need to quit smoking completely as smoking contracts the blood vessels in the body. Excessive drinking also damages the circulatory system. So you have to choose to drink moderately, if not stopping completely.

Ask any doctor who is an expert on diabetes, and he or she would recommend physical exercise to control the blood glucose levels. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise that every diabetes patient is advised to do. Also, eating healthy and balanced food rich in vitamins and minerals, with less of sugars can also rectify your damaged nervous system and repair the damaged blood vessels.

When it concerns ED drugs, it is best to consult an urologist before you take any of the drugs like Viagra, Levitra or Cialis. Each of these drugs have side effects and adverse drug reactions which might interfere with your diabetic medicines. Only a qualified doctor can advise you regarding the safest way to achieve erection with the help of the right ED drug.
American Diabetes Association Complete Guide to Diabetes

Article Source: http://www.articleset.com

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