ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION

Five Myths About Male Sexuality and How They Contribute to Erectile Dysfunction.

• A normal consequence of aging is the loss of capacity to have an erection.
  
• The larger the man’s penis in a flaccid state, the larger it is in the erect state. Penis size it the best measure of virility.
  
• A major cause of ED is low testosterone.
  
• Viagra results in firm erections 100 percent of the time
  
• Smoking does not affect sexual functioning.

Yes, they’re all myths, and if you bought a few or all of them, you’re not alone. Even some medical professionals have misconceptions about ED. The truth is that male sexuality is a lot more complex than most of us realize, and sexual dysfunction can be rooted in physiological, psychological, and relationship problems. Often, all of these factors play a role.

Drs. Michael Metz and Barry McCarthy have seen these myths cause their patients undue suffering, and it’s one of the reasons why they wrote Coping with Erectile Dysfunction: How to Regain Confidence and Enjoy Great Sex. In their practices and in their book, they strip away the persistent myths about male sexuality and give men the skills and information they need to overcome ED. Here’s just some of what they have to say:

Medical and sexual health professionals don’t entirely agree on an objective definition of ED. It’s not just a numbers game as the traditional definitions suggest. In 1970 Masters and Johnson defined ED as failing at intercourse more than 25 percent of the time, but what if a man has unsuccessful intercourse only 15 percent of the time? When it happens, he and his partner may be devastated.

There is increasing evidence that smoking has a long-term negative impact on sexual health because it causes respiration and vascular deterioration.

There are three physiological systems that affect erections: vascular, neurological, and hormonal. An underlying problem in one of these three systems can contribute to ED.

The factors that cause ED may not be the same ones that maintain it. For example, a health problem may be the trigger of ED, but diminished self-confidence may perpetuate it after the health problem is resolved. Anticipatory anxiety about ED and other mental distractions are sexual poisons.

A serious flaw in the medical approach to ED is that it focuses solely on the man. ED is best understood and treated as a couple’s problem.

Medications such as Viagra, Levitra, or Cialis may be a vital resource in treatment, but they should not be expected to give a man perfect, 100-percent-predictable erections. When men expect this, they are often disappointed and demoralized.

Because adolescents and young adults consider sexuality to be such an automatic matter, it’s hard to convince adult men to think differently about sexuality.

For more information email Earlita Chenault or call 510-652-0215, x142