Erectile Dysfunction (ED) : Causes, Symptoms, Treatment and its Homoeopathic Approach

What does Erectile Dysfunction or ED means:

Erectile Dysfunction or ED, is defined as trouble getting or keeping an erection that’s firm enough for sex. ED is the most common sex problem that men report to their doctor.

Previously ED referred to as impotence. Occasional ED isn’t uncommon. ED that is progressive or happens routinely with sex is not normal, and it should be treated.

Know The Erections Method:

During sexual arousal, nerves release chemicals that increase blood flow into the penis. Blood flows into two erection chambers in the penis, made of spongy muscle tissue (the corpus cavernosum). The corpus cavernosum chambers are not hollow.

During erection, the spongy tissues relax and trap blood. The blood pressure in the chambers makes the penis firm, causing an erection. When a man has an orgasm, a second set of nerve signals reach the penis and cause the muscular tissues in the penis to contract and blood is released back into a man’s circulation and the erection comes down.

When you are not sexually aroused, the penis is soft and limp. Men may notice that the size of the penis varies with warmth, cold or worry; this is normal and reflects the balance of blood coming into and leaving the penis.

Erectile Dysfunction Causes :

ED can result from health problems, emotional issues, or from both.

Physical Causes of ED

ED happens when:

There is not enough blood flows into the penis-Many health issues can reduce blood flow into the penis, such as hardened arteries, heart disease, high blood sugar (Diabetes) and smoking.
The penis cannot trap blood during an erection-If blood does not stay in the penis, a man cannot keep an erection. This issue can happen at any age.
Nerve signals from the brain or spinal cord do not reach the penis-Certain diseases, injury or surgery in the pelvic area can harm nerves to the penis.
Diabetes can cause small vessel disease or nerve damage to the penis
Cancer treatments near the pelvis can affect the penis’ functionality-Surgery and or radiation for cancers in the lower abdomen or pelvis can cause ED. Treating prostate, colon-rectal or bladder cancer often leaves men with ED. Cancer survivors should see a Urologist for sexual health concerns.
Drugs used to treat other health problems can negatively impact erections-Patients should talk about drug side effects with their primary care doctors.

Emotional Causes of ED

Normal sex needs the mind and body working together. Emotional or relationship problems can cause or worsen ED.

Some emotional issues that can cause ED are:

Depression
Anxiety
Relationship conflicts
Stress at home or work
Stress from social, cultural or religious conflicts
Worry about sex performance

So The known risk factors are:

Being over age 50-Even though ED becomes more common as men age, growing old is not always going to cause ED. Some men stay sexually functional into their 80s.
Having high blood sugar (Diabetes)
Having high blood pressure
Having cardiovascular disease
Having high cholesterol
Smoking
Using drugs or drinking too much alcohol
Being obese
Lacking exercise

ED can be an early sign of a more serious health problem. Finding and treating the reason for ED is a vital first step.

The Symptoms:

You may have ED if you regularly have:

trouble getting an erection
difficulty maintaining an erection during sexual activities
reduced interest in sex

ED may be associated with Other sexual disorders ,which may include:

premature ejaculation/rapid ejaculation/early ejaculation
delayed ejaculation
anorgasmia, or the inability to achieve orgasm after ample stimulation

If there is any of these symptoms, especially if they’ve lasted for 3 or more months. Need treatment.

Erectile dysfunction Diagnosis:

Diagnosis of ED not only involve a physical examination but taking of health and sexual history is also necessary. Additional tests also may be performed to determine if ED are caused by an underlying condition.

Physical examination:

Beside the routine physical exam like listening of heart and lungs, checking blood pressure, examination of testicles and penis also done.

Psychosocial history:

To evaluate symptoms, health/medical history and sexual history few questionnaires usually asked . The responses help to evaluate the severity of your ED.

Some questions that usually be asked may include:

How long have you been experiencing ED? Did it come on suddenly or gradually?
Are you having any problems with feeling sexual desire, ejaculating, or reaching orgasm?
How often do you have sex? Has this frequency changed recently?
How firm are your erections? Is this affected by particular situations or types of stimulation?
Do you wake up in the morning or in the middle of the night with erections?
How’s your current relationship? What expectations do you and your partner have for each other? Have there been any changes?
Have you recently been experiencing a lot of stress?
What medications are you currently taking? Do you use tobacco, alcohol, or nonprescription drugs?
Do you have any underlying conditions or have you had any surgery on or injury to your pelvic area?

Additional Test:

Beside Psychosocial history taking, some additional test like USG, Blood tests can be done to check for conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, thyroid issues, and low levels of testosterone. These tests can guide the treatment as well as determine if an underlying condition that may lead to ED.

Erectile Dysfunction Treatment :

How ED can be managed?

Prevention:

There are several steps that help to prevent ED. Many of these steps involve making healthy lifestyle changes. Therefore, they’re not only good for preventing ED, but also for improving your overall health.

Follow the advice below to help prevent ED:

Keep medical conditions such as heart disease and diabetes under control.
Make sure that you get regular exercise, Yoga, Aerobic exercise .Certain exercises like Kegel exercises help the condition with ED.
Kegel exercises are simple movements to strengthen pelvic floor muscles. Here’s how:Identify pelvic floor muscles. To do this, stop peeing midstream. The muscles which use to do this are pelvic floor muscles. Now contract them for 3 seconds. Then release them. Repeat this exercise 10 to 20 times in a row, three times a day.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Focus on eating a healthy diet. Focus on eating whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. Limit your consumption of red meats, full-fat dairy, and processed sugars. Drink alcohol in moderation. Several specific foods, from cocoa to watermelon, may help with ED
Find ways to reduce or manage stress.
Seek help if experiencing anxiety or depression.
Quit smoking.
Only use alcohol in moderation.
Avoid using drugs that haven’t been recommended by your doctor

Counselling/Talk Therapy:

Studies show that psychological factors are the most common cause of ED.

Psychological causes, like emotional and environmental factors, are usually curable. This includes stress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. In the case of an erection, stress and anxiety can interrupt how your brain sends messages to the penis to allow extra blood flow. Stress and anxiety about ED can also contribute to a cycle of ongoing ED. Experiencing ED can lead to behavioral changes that contribute to anxiety and incidences of ED.

If there is psychological ED, it may benefited from Counselling/talk therapy. Over several sessions, with counselor/ therapist several issues are discussed like major stress or anxiety factors, feelings around sex, subconscious conflicts that could be affecting sexual well-being etc.

The reasons for ED vary per age group, but generally follow:

Psychological ED (mainly nervousness and anxiety) affects about 90 percent of teenagers and young men. These events are fairly short-lived.
Personal and professional stress, such as relationship trouble, is the main reason for ED in middle-aged men.
Physical impotence is the most common cause for older men, but the loss of a partner and loneliness can also cause psychological stress.

Psychological ED tends to go away with time. But the ED that doesn’t go away, needs treatment.

Homoeopathic Approaches of treating ED:

There is NO SPECIFIC REMEDY for Erectile Dysfunction. Totality Of Symptoms of Individual patient is way of treatment.

Here is MOST RELEVENT RUBRICS For Treating ED With their gradations (According to Kent’s & Boerick’s Repertory) below:

ERECTION, troublesome : Alum., am-c., am-m., anac., ant-c., arn., aur-m., aur., berb., cann-i., Canth., cham., chin., cocc., coff., dig., eupho., ferr-i., ferr-p., ferr., fl-ac., graph., ham., hyos., ign., iod., kali-bi., kali-c., kali-i., kreos., laur., led., lith., lyc., mag-m., mag-s., morph., mur-ac., nat-c., nat-m., nat-p., nicc., nit-ac., Nux-v., op., ox-ac., petr., ph-ac., Phos., Pic-ac., Plat., plb., puls., rhod., rhus-t., seneg., sep., sil., stann., staph., stram., sul-ac., tab., tarent., ust.

incomplete : Agar., Agn., arg-n., ars-i., ars., bar-c., calad., calc., camph., caust., chin-a., cob., coc-c., Con., ferr-p., form., Graph., hep., ign., iod., kali-ar., kali-i., lach., Lyc., lyss., mang., merc-cy., merc., mur-ac., nat-a., nat-c., nat-m., nat-p., nuph., nux-m., nux-v., petr., ph-ac., phos., rhod., sars., sel., Sep., Sulph., tarent., ther.

wanting (impotency) : Agar., Agn., alum., am-c., ant-c., arg-m., arg-n., ars-i., ars., aur-s., aur., Bar-c., bor., bufo., Calad., Calc-s., Calc., camph., cann-s., caps., carb-s., caust., chin-s., Chin., cob., coc-c., coch., coff., coloc., Con., corn., crot-t., dig., dios., dulc., elaps., eug., ferr-i., ferr., fl-ac., gels., graph., ham., hell., helon., hyos., ign., iod., kali-br., kali-c., kali-p., kali-s., kreos., lach., lec., Lyc., mag-c., Med., merc., mosch., mur-ac., nat-c., nat-m., nat-p., nit-ac., nuph., nux-m., Nux-v., onos., op., ph-ac., Phos., phyt., plb., psor., puls., rhod., sabad., Sel., Sep., sil., spong., stann., staph., stram., Sulph., sumb., tab., teucr., ther., thuj., tus-p., uran., ust.

SEXUAL PASSION diminished : Acon., agar., Agn., alum., am-c., apis., arg-m., arg-n., aur., Bar-c., bell., berb., bor., calc-p., carb-ac., carb-an., clem., cycl., dios., ferr., Graph., hell., hep., ign., Ind., indg., kali-br., kali-c., kali-i., kali-p., kali-s., Lyc., mag-c., mur-ac., nat-m., nat-p., nit-ac., nuph., op., petr., ph-ac., psor., rhod., sabad., sel., sep., Sil., spong., Staph., sulph., teucr., ther

SEMINAL discharge,

quick, too : Aloe., bar-c., berb., bor., brom., bufo., calad., calc., carb-s., carb-v., con., eug., gels., Graph., Ind., Lyc., nat-c., nat-m., onos., ph-ac., phos., pic-ac., plat., sel., sep., sulph., Zinc.erection, shortly after an : Ph-ac., sulph.

intromission, before : Sulph.caresses, during : Arn., Con., gels., nat-c., nux-v., petr., phos., sars., sel., ust.

erections, without : Absin., arg-m., bell., bism., calad., carb-an., chin., Cob., con., Dios., ery-a., fl-ac., gels., Graph., ham., kali-p., mosch., nat-c., nat-m., nat-p., nuph., nux-v., op., ph-ac., phos., sabad., sars., sel., spig., sulph.

frequent : Alum., am-c., arg-m., bar-m., bor., calc., carb-an., carb-v., caust., cob., con., dig., ferr., kali-c., kali-p., lach., lyc., mag-m., nat-c., nat-m., nat-p., nit-ac., Nux-v., op., petr., Ph-ac., phos., plb., puls., sacc., sars., sep., stann., Staph., sulph.

in an old man : Bar-c., caust., nat-c.woman, while frolicking with a : Con., phos., sars.

when in the presence of a : Nux-v., ust.

COITUS

Aversion to — Arn., Graph., Lyc.

DESIRE

Diminished, lost — Agn., Arg. n., Bar. c., Berb. v., Calc. c., Caps., Con., Hep., Ign., Iod., Kali br., Kali c., Lecith., Lyc., Nit. ac., Nuph., Onosm., Oxytr., Phos. ac., Sabal, Selen., Sil., Sul., X-ray.

IMPOTENCE — Agn., Anac., Ant. c., Arg. n., Arn., Ars., Avena, Bar. c., Berb. v., Calad., Calc. c., Camph., Carbon. s., Chin. s., Cinch., Cob., Con., Damiana, Dig., Diosc., Gels., Glycerin, Graph., Hyper., Ign., Iod., Kali br., Kali iod., Lecith., Lyc., Nat. m., Nit. ac., Nuph., Nux v., Onosm., Phos. ac., Phos., Picr. ac., Plumb. m., Sabal, Salix n., Selen., Sep., Sil., Staph., Strych., Sul., Thuya, Tribul., Yohimb., Zinc., Zinc. p.

SPERMATORRHŒA (sexual debility, deficient physical power, nocturnal pollutions) — Absinth., Agn., Anac., Arg. m., Arg. n., Arn., Ars., Aur., Avena, Bar. c., Calad., Calc. c., Calc. p., Camph. monobr., Can. ind., Canth., Carbon. s., Carbo v., Chlorum, Cim., Cinch., Cob., Coca, Cocc., Con., Cupr. m., Dig., Digitaline, Diosc., Eryng., Ferr. br., Formica, Gels., Gins., Graph., Hyper., Ikshug., Iod., Iris, Kali br., Kali c., Kali p., Lyc., Lyssin, Lupul., Med., Mosch., Nat. m., Nit. ac., Nuph., Nux v., Onosm., Orchit, Phos. ac., Phos., Picr. ac., Plumb. phos., Sabal, Salix n., Scutel., Selen., Sep., Sil., Staph., Strych., Sul., Sul. ac., Sumb., Thuya, Thymol, Titan., Turnera, Upas., Ustil., Yohimb., Zinc. picr., Viola tr.

Emission [with]

Orgasm absent [And] — Calad, Calc. c., Selen.

Premature — Agn., Bar. c., Calad., Calc. c., Carbo v., Cinch., Cob., Con., Graph., Lyc., Ol. an., Onosm., Phos. ac., Phos., Selen., Sep., Sul., Titan., Zinc. m.

Slow, Too — Calc. c., Lyc., Nat. m., Zinc. m.

Erections [with]

Deficient — Agar., Agn., Arg. m., Arg. n., Calad., Calc. c., Caust., Con., Graph., Hep., Kali c., Lyc., Mag. c., Nit. ac., Nuph., Phos. ac., Phos., Selen., Sul., Zinc. m.

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