Erectile dysfunction is amazingly common, with nearly 20 percent of American men affected, according to a Johns Hopkins study. With age the numbers climb to 50 percent of those 40 through 70.
Only 10 to 15 percent of those so afflicted seek medical solutions, though the condition is highly treatable. What’s more, it could be your body’s way of providing a warning sign of greater physical trouble.
Although most men find it difficult to acknowledge ED, ignoring it could bring even worse consequences, according to Chicago urologist Dr. Michael Young, former chairman of urology at Illinois Masonic Medical Center and St. Joseph’s Hospital.
“ED may just be the tip of the iceberg,” Young said. “When the penis is put on demand and fails, that may be an underlying sign of something else. The bulk of ED cases are caused by vascular disease, so you want to make sure that’s not occurring in the coronary arteries and that there are not other diseases present, like diabetes.”
But there are false signs as well. Just because you may not perform the same (or as frequently) as when you were younger is not necessarily a sign of ED. According to Young, the clinical definition of ED is, over a course of three months, “a failure to obtain and maintain an erection satisfactory for intercourse.”
Over-the-counter supplements are popular but unproven. Herbal remedies such as the heavily advertised Enzyte contain ingredients such as L-arginine, ginseng, ginkgo, horny goat weed, maca and Tribulus terrestris and promise longer, stronger erections, but their effects are debatable.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest challenged the claims of Enzyte, which eventually scaled back earlier claims of added length, but the maker of the supplement has been embroiled in a series of legal troubles, including lawsuits by dissatisfied customers and a trial this month in Ohio over accusations of marketing fraud.
Viagra, Levitra and Cialis are proven effective in improving erections by increasing blood flow, but even these prescription drugs are no substitute for investigation by a doctor.
“Bottom line … we can treat ED, but we need to look for what the source is,” Young said. “It’s more than just taking a little blue pill.”