Peyronie's disease is a problem predominantly found in 3-9% of adult men, especially after 40 years of age. In the disease, a scar tissue is formed in the outer layer of the penis called tunica albuginea. Scar tissue is a just plaque inside the penis.

Peyronie's disease causes the penis to bend sideways or upwards and can make sex become difficult due to deformity and erection may be a painful process. It is usually associated with erectile dysfunctions, severe anxiety and reduced testosterone levels. It is worth noting that there are treatments for peyronie's disease, however, the pain often goes away on its own, generally, in 6-18 months of onset, but the deformity stays.

Here is everything you need to know about this disease:

Causes
It is not known exactly what causes peyronie's disease, however, there are some factors, which make it more likely than others. Here are those factors:

1. Trauma: this is the most common factor which causes peyronie's disease. It is believed that when someone suffers from tiny bleeding of the penis, which is very common in patients of diabetes, the plaque starts to build up. The injury or trauma, which causes the bleeding may go unnoticed as well.
2. Genes: genes are also a possible cause of peyronie's disease.

Symptoms
The symptoms of peyronie's disease vary, such as:
1. Pain on erection: there is usually pain in erection during the initial phase.
2. Bent penis: when the penis becomes hard before sex, it may bend downwards or sideways by more than 15 degree, so the vaginal entry becomes impossible or is painful for the partner.
3. Scars: tissue may form on other parts of the body, as well including the hand and feet. In fact, it has been said that men who have scarring in the hand, which affect the fingers are more likely to contract the disease as well.
One may see extensive scarring in hands in a disease called dupuytren's contracture. 

Treatment
1. Wait &amp; watch: it is worth noting the acute phase with pain is treated by wait and watch, controlling contributory factors like diabetes, low testosterone and psychogenic factors. Antioxidants are useful. Large number of cases are relieved of the pain in 1 to 1.5 years.
2. Intralesional injection: if the bend is significant enough to interfere in sexual functioning, it can be treated by injecting medicines in the plaque. The medicine, xiaflex is currently not available in india and other medicines given are not very effective.
3. Surgery: this is a last option when peyronie's disease has not gone on it's own and medicines are not helping either. The two most common procedures performed are removing the plaque and putting a tissue graft in its place and also removing the tissue opposite the plaque to counter the bending effect. The results are fairly good.

Going for a penile implant is the last option, which is a permanent solution and is commonly done in india. And, the success rate for penile implant is also very high.

Peyronie's Disease: About Bent Penis

Zinc and erectile dysfunction

Zinc is a naturally occurring metallic element. Certain types of vegetable, meats and seafood are rich in zinc.

Erectile dysfunction is a man's inability to achieve a penetrable erection. It is one of the most common sexual problems faced by men of all ages. Zinc helps the body to produce testosterone and thus the levels of zinc in a person's body may affect erectile dysfunction.

A host of factors ranging from nutritional deficiency to clinical depression can lead to the condition. In recent years, deficiency of zinc has been found to be the cause of ed. Apart from producing testosterone, zinc is used for metabolism purposes, DNA and protein production and cell division.

Most studies related to male infertility show a clear concise relationship between zinc and ed. During a study some young men were given a diet which included very little amounts of zinc and thus they developed a zinc deficiency. When testosterone levels were measured after 20 weeks of low-zinc diet it was found that the level of the hormone had drastically reduced. The study also found that in elderly men, with an increase in the uptake of zinc, testosterone levels nearly doubled.

Research on animals established the fact that relationship rats who were given 5 milligrams of zinc supplement a day, were found to be sexually active to a greater extent. It concluded that zinc had an impact in the arousal and maintaining of an erection in men.

Zinc deficiency can also reduce the sense of smell in person. A sense of smell is vital to libido, especially more in young men. Thus, it can cause a person to lose the ability to detect certain chemicals that stimulate arousal.

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Related Tip: Knowing Erectile Dysfunction. PART 2: Management and Treatment

Zinc and Erectile Dysfunction - How is it related?

Erectile dysfunction is a disorder where the person affected is unable to maintain or achieve an erection during sexual intercourse. As diabetes is a disorder that affects blood supply to organs, so the ability to achieve or maintain erections are impaired, as erections are dependent on proper blood supply to the penis. Fortunately, there are treatments for these symptoms and they are:

1. Injection therapy and oral medications

Some medications are directly injected to the penis in order to facilitate erection, while certain other oral drugs are administered to treat symptoms of erectile dysfunction which have a higher success rate in treating people who are diabetic than those who are not.

2. Regular exercise and a healthy diet

Exercising on a regular basis combined with a healthy diet can reduce the symptoms of both diabetes as well as erectile dysfunction.

3. Reviewing medications

Some medications used to treat blood pressure and depression can often cause erectile dysfunction. So, the medications should be reviewed by a doctor and, if necessary, should be changed.

4. Usage of vacuum constriction devices

These devices are used to create a pump in the penis which facilitate the ability to maintain an erection and engage in sexual intercourse. It is reported to work in 80% of the cases.

5. Penile implants

It is a surgical procedure where a penis implant is used to treat this disorder.

6. Intraurethral therapy

In this treatment, the medicine is placed in the urethra of the penis in the form of suppository by an applicator. These medicines improve blood flow and thus facilitate a normal erection.

How To Deal With Erectile Dysfunction If You Are A Diabetic?

Impact of Weight Loss on Erectile Dysfunction

When a man fails to develop or maintain an erection, he is said to be suffering from 'Erectile dysfunction'. Intake of certain drugs, neurogenic disorders, aging, surgery, smoking, obesity, diseases like diabetes and kidney failure are among the primary causes of this condition.

What impact does excessive body weight have on erection?

Obesity is one of the most important causes of erectile dysfunction. It obstructs proper flow of blood to the penis. Also, research associates obesity with reduced levels of testosterone and lesser sex drive, in turn, causing problems related to erection. Therefore, reducing weight becomes very important in order to improve this condition.

How are weight loss and erectile dysfunction related?

Studies show that within a span of two months, losing 5-10% of the body weight helps a man to improve erectile function. Weight loss not only improves the health of the man significantly but also an improvement in the sex life is observed as a result of this. Men with this condition usually depend on pills like Viagra or Cialis to get erections. But once they start losing weight by doing proper physical exercises and maintain a proper diet, they do not feel the need to rely on them anymore.

Also, most researchers share the view that weight loss achieved through lifestyle modifications helps in relieving you from erectile dysfunction in addition to enhancing your mental health and self-confidence. These lifestyle alterations generally include consumption of a healthier diet and increasing the amount of physical activity performed during the day and show better results than drugs and surgery used for losing weight.

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Can Erectile Dysfunction be Treated through Weight Loss?

With age it becomes difficult for many men to achieve an erection and maintain it. This is known as Erectile Dysfunction. This is not necessarily related to a lowered libido. In many cases, a man may desire sex but not be able to have an erection rigid enough for intercourse. Men with a history of obesity, hypertension, diabetes and smoking are at a higher risk of suffering from erectile dysfunction as they get older. However, this condition can be treated. 

Ayurvedic Medicine for Erectile Dysfunction:

Gold Bhasma: Gold Bhasma also known as Swarna Bhasma is prepared from pure gold. Nowadays, the use of technology has mitigated many tedious steps, which one had to undergo during ancient time to prepare it. It is highly effective and is used for the treatment of infertility, sexual weakness, tuberculosis, cancer, asthma and many other fatal diseases.

Silver Bhasma: Silver Bhasma is also know as Rajat Bhasma or Raupya Bhasma is a calcified Ayurvedic medicine used not just for treating erectile dysfunction, but also for a number of diseases such as, jaundice, frequent urination, enlargment of spleen, etc.
Both Gold Silver Bhasma are mixed with other Ayurvedic medicines for effective treatment of erectile dysfunction.

Other Treatments for Erectile Dysfunction:
Erectile dysfunction can be treated in a number of ways. Some of these are:

Viagra: Viagra is usually the first form of treatment for erectile dysfunction. Viagra is a type of drug also known as phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. These drugs increase the blood flow into the penis and thus enable an erection. Levitra and cialis are other forms of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. However, Viagra is a temporary treatment and has a side effect that it is a habbit forming drug.
Penile Injection: If a man cannot take oral medication, a penile injection is the best form of treatment. Here, medication is directed into the side of the penis. This dilates the arteries and allows blood to flow in. thus it instantly initiates an erection.

Intraurethral Suppositories: This involves placing a soluble medicated pellet into the urethra. This increases the blood flow into the penis and will create an erection in 10-15 minutes. This form of medication is rarely used.

Vacuum Pump: A vacuum pump is another common form of treatment for this condition. It consists of a plastic cylinder that is placed over the penis and a pump that removes the air within the cylinder thus forcing blood to flow into the penis. An elastic ring is then slid onto the base of the penis to hold the erection. The ring must be removed after a maximum of 30 minutes.
Surgical Implants: There are two types of surgical implants that can be beneficial to men who have not benefitted from medication. The first is an inflatable pump that can manually pump fluid into cylinders within the penis. The second is a malleable prosthesis.

Lifestyle Changes: Obesity, hypertension, high blood pressure, excessive alcohol, smoking and a sedentary lifestyle can also be the reason a man cannot hold an erection. Addressing these factors by making conscious lifestyle changes can improve a man's ability to initiate and maintain an erection. These changes include a healthy diet, regular exercise, lowered consumption of alcohol and losing excessive weight. Living a healthy lifestyle is the only way to lower the risk of suffering from erectile dysfunction in the later years.

5 Best Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction - Effective Methods

Sexual problems might mean you have a broken heart, literally. The most common sexual problem in men is erectile dysfunction (ED). Erectile dysfunction affects >30% of men between 40 and 70 years of age. There are several different causes of ED, including depression, low testosterone, neurological problems, and some medications, such as beta blocker but the most common cause is a problem with the blood vessels called atherosclerosis.
Erectile dysfunction is frequently a sign of atherosclerosis, that can be the first clue to heart disease in men. It usually comes 3 to 5 years before a heart attack, so after ED is diagnosed, there is time to treat atherosclerosis and prevent a heart attack.
Sexual Activity and Cardiovascular Disease
Decreased sexual activity and function are common in patients with CVD and are often interrelated to anxiety and depression. In fact research has proved that there is a strong link between erectile dysfunction and heart disease. Studies have shown that if a man has ED, he has a greater risk of having heart disease. For instance, in one study, 57% of men who had bypass surgery and 64% of men hospitalized for a heart attack had had ED.
Several having ED can predict that a man will probably have heart disease symptoms within five years. In fact, having ED is as much a risk factor for heart disease as a history of smoking or a family history of coronary artery disease.
The Stockholm Heart Epidemiology Programme (SHEEP) study of post-MI patients (50% women) found that those who were sedentary had a higher risk of MI with sexual activity (relative risk 4.4) than did those who were physically active (relative risk 0.7).
How is the Heart and ED Related?
Deposition of cholesterol in the arteries causing atherosclerosis is taken as the most important reason for ED as the plaque formation reduces the blood flow in the penis, thereby affecting the erection process. However the latest studies show that ED is also due to the dysfunction of the inner lining of the blood vessels (endothelium) and smooth muscle. This causes inadequate blood supply to the heart and the penis which also aids in arthrosclerosis. Hence ED and heart disease are found to be inter related.
What to do?
If you are suffering from ED or heart disease , it is best to discuss your concerns with a specialist - for the heart a cardiologist and for the ED a urologist.

How Erectile Dysfunction and Cardiac Problems are Related

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