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?

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

In some cases, psychological factors rather than physical incapability plays a vital role in causing Erectile Dysfunction (ED). Child abuse or any instance of sexual trauma is considered as one of the root causes of Erectile Dysfunction. Other than this, there are numerous factors like a person s emotional health and well-being can also be a direct reason behind Erectile Dysfunction.

The psychological causes of Erectile Dysfunction are

Pressure: Constant exposure to stress due to work load, difficulties in married life, parenting issues, financial issues can be a major reason behind erectile dysfunction.
Guilt: The pressure of satisfying a new sexual partner may become so overpowering that it may result in poor sexual performance. This may lay seeds of guilt in a person and hamper his emotional health.
Anxiety: If a person erectile droop at any instance, fear may creep in that it can occur again. This situation opens door for  performance anxiety  and may cause erectile dysfunction in the long run.
State of Depression: Even a person who performs normally during sexual intercourse can suffer from erectile dysfunction if he is in depression. Depression poorly hinders a person s emotional health and cause a series of psychological as well as physical problems. The drugs taken during depression may even facilitate erectile dysfunction.
Loss of interest in sex: Reasons behind this can be growing age, disputes with partner, any kind of stress or certain medications.
Loss of Self-confidence: Failure in previous attempts for sexual intercourse, feeling of insufficiency in sex life may lead to loss of self-confidence. This can be one of the deciding factors behind erectile dysfunction.
Remedy 

Occurrence of erectile droop once or twice is quite common among men. There is nothing to be worried about. But if this problem persists, one shall consult a sexologist. Few tips to prevent and cure erectile dysfunction are as follows: 

One needs to open up and discuss such issues with his partner as well as his physician. If the cause of erectile dysfunction is poor emotional health, then he can undergo some therapy. Some stress releasing exercises or meditation can help you gain control over your mind.
One can take some pills like Viagra and prevail over psychological impediments. It helps to boost up one s confidence while performing any sexual act.
Try to remain fit and fine. Exercise daily to shed any extra weight. Avoid drinking and smoking and take a healthy diet. Take adequate sleep (about 7 hours in night) and get your blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked regularly.
All the above tips help in maintaining your physical as well as psychological health. Follow them and get cured of erectile dysfunction.

Erectile Dysfunction - Psychological Causes + Remedies

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?

Erectile dysfunction is also known as impotence in men. When you lose the ability to retain an erection during sex, then you might be suffering from erectile dysfunction. There are many different reasons why you might suffer from it, like stress, fatigue, relationship issues, consumption of alcohol or performance anxiety. You will find many different pharmaceutical or surgical methods to cure erectile dysfunction, but here is a list of various different types of natural treatments which you might undertake:

Walk: walk for at least 2 miles every day. Walking not helps you to stay healthy, but also helps reverse the situation of impotence which you might be suffering from. It also helps obese men retain their erection while having sex. Walking also helps you maintain a trimmed waistline which helps you fight erectile dysfunction. It helps you to maintain a healthy weight which reduces the risk of suffering from erectile dysfunction.
Exercise: exercise seems to be the key answer to many such disorders. Even erectile dysfunction can be cured or treated with exercise. Pelvic or kegel exercises will help you promote urinary continence as well as sexual well-being. Exercise helps you to strengthen your bulbocavernosus muscles which are responsible in engaging the penis with blood while erect. It also helps in ejaculation and clearing the urethra after urination.
Acupuncture: acupuncture is a very popular form of treatment. Treating erectile dysfunction with acupuncture is one of the easiest treatments. This is because in most case erectile dysfunction occurs due to a psychological cause, and acupuncture helps to release this as it can relieve you of stress and anxiety.
Intake of herbal viagra: red ginseng is known as herbal viagra, as it possesses the ability to help treat erectile dysfunction. However, red ginseng needs to grow for 5 years before it can be used as a natural supplement of viagra. A 2008 review has found red ginseng to treat erectile dysfunction effectively.
Watermelon juice: watermelons contain an amino acid called citrulline which helps in improving the blood flow to the penis. Watermelon is also called" nature's viagra" as it helps achieve an erection and retaining it.
Erectile dysfunction sometimes tends to be extremely embarrassing. You might not want to discuss it with anyone, whether it is a friend or a doctor. So, if you try out these natural treatments, neither will you have to feel embarrassed nor will you regret trying them out. You can be rest assured that these will definitely help your condition.

Natural Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction

A number of factors, such as physical ailments, stress, anxiety and even relationship problems can cause sexual problems. Relationship concerns where intimacy and the culmination of the various phases of sexual activity from stimulation to excitement and peak, cannot be possible in a satisfactory manner. So what are the routine sexual problems recognised and treated as per ayurveda? read on to know more.

1. Erectile dysfunction: this condition is also known as impotence and it usually occurs when male patients cannot muster up and retain an erection for long enough to enjoy sexual intercourse. This problem can be fixed with various herbs and condiments including sanda oil massage on the testicles and nearby areas in order to increase the blood flow. Also, one can have ginger, honey, drumsticks, milk and other such ingredients for better achievement and retention of an erection for a prolonged period of time during sexual intercourse.

Sanda oil is not available in its pure form and simple branding of this name is not useful. Sanda is a wild reptile, which was boiled in ancient times and fats taken out to make sanda oil. This is not possible now a days. Instead various'tilas' (penis massage oils) prepared by valuable herbs and vegetable oils such as sesame oil should be used. Tila using mall (purified arsenic) and egg are also effective. Preparation and use should be as per instructions in classic ayurveda. Tila is selected as per history, present condition and duration of specific problem

Otc or advertisement products are general products, which do not benefit all. Post application directions are also important otherwise there may be adverse effect of tila application

2. Premature ejaculation: premature ejaculation is a condition when the male patient may face ejaculation as soon as the intercourse begins, or upon insertion. This happens in an unplanned way and is a sudden occurrence that usually puts a damper on the sexual mood and activity. In ayurveda, there are various herbs including ashwagandha and a variety of oil massages that can help in treating this problem.

3. Sexual weakness: sexual weakness is a condition when the female or male patient may not have the energy to go through with sexual intercourse and may even complain of pain during intercourse. This problem is especially common among women, and may be caused due to fatigue, stress or even low pelvic strength following childbirth or miscarriage. The best way to treat this issue is with the help of proper counselling and therapy that will help in introducing yogic poses that can strengthen the pelvic area so as to have better sexual strength.

4. Infertility: this problem may be found in both men and women. Ashwagandha, vasant kusumakar ras, shilajit and labub kabir are some of the herbs and concoctions that can help in increasing virility and the chances of conception by creating better sperm quality and quantity, as well as more effective ovulation.

Most of the sexual problems in ayurveda are recognised as factors that arise from stress and anxiety. These are recognised as temporary issues that can be fixed with the help of a proper routine of eating, resting and exercising, as well as a healthy diet where the patient stays away from smoking, excessive drinking as well as drug abuse. Before taking any herbal medicines, one will have to consult the doctor and find out about side effects for patients suffering from chronic ailments like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and others.

Solving Routine Sexual Problems Through Ayurveda

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