Dr. P.V. Grover

The physical side to love in any relationship is very important. Just like the need to have food and water, intimacy is also a primal requirement in life. Most human beings have a need for intimacy for a healthy sexual life, which determines their overall wellbeing. If there are physical or psychological problems with a person’s sexuality, it can hamper their self-confidence and thus degrade the quality of their life. In such cases a medical professional such as a urologist, gynecologist or sexologist who are qualified doctors need to be consulted.

The hocus pocus medicine-

In the modern world, aggressive marketing and pseudo-science have teamed up to make healthy people insecure about their sexuality to make a quick buck. This results in harm to an individual’s body, mind and general well-being. Sometimes people may take genuine drugs for enhancement themselves which may end up having adverse effects on the body. Some of the bogus treatments as well as the dangers of self-medication are mentioned here.

Treatments which are bogus by nature-

While there are some genuine medications as well as sexual prosthetics available form genuine sources, a large section of the devices available are bogus and don’t come from genuine sources. Some of these are:-

1. Penile Enlargement Devices: This is possibly the largest industry based on medical hoax and pseudo medical therapy in the world. There are a range of medical products which claim to enlarge penis size. None of the products available actually do anything but play on the fears of the customer that they are small. Some examples of these are:-

   • Penis Enlargement Pills: Claims to make the penis larger by encouraging blood flow into the penis. However, the only things that can be achieved by this means at best are longer and harder erections although it does nothing about the size of the penis. It may even have adverse effects on your heart and lungs if you have an undiagnosed condition and self-medicate. They may even be placebo pills or in a worst case scenario contain chemicals toxic to your body.

   • Penis Extenders: These are one of the most dangerous of devices touted as a miracle in penis enlargement. These devices contain two clamp like structures which are held in place by rods which are extendable in length. They claim to work by keeping the penis stretched and then slowly increasing the tension to increase the size gradually over time. However, this may only end up damaging your organ permanently and even cause erectile dysfunction by rupturing tissue.

   • Vacuum Pumps: More in the realm of sex toys, some have been touted to increase penis size in the long run. These devices are placed on base of the penis with a rubber mounting and a glass or plastic case on top. The air is drained out mechanically and the lower air pressure within draws blood into the penis. This engorges the penis and causes a hard and large erection which may often be misconstrued as an enlargement. Prolonged use of this can damage the blood vessels within the organ causing them to rupture and leading to erectile dysfunction.

   • Enlargement Creams and Oils: This is another scam which claims to enlarge the penis with the help of special creams that claim to have natural “ingredients”. At best they can induce an erection by stimulating blood flow but can also cause irritations and allergies. It may lead to serious skin disorders due to an adverse reaction as well.

2. Vaginal Tightening Gels: This is another category of product which claims to perform permanent changes when used over time. Vaginal tightening gels may work for a short period by engorging the blood vessels inside the vagina. However, these don’t work in the long run and may, in fact, end up causing infections, or gynecological disorders caused by reactions to the ingredients.

3. Herbal Supplements: Another category which has caught on all over the world and is very dangerous are the medications that are touted to come from alternative forms of medicine. Some examples are Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, Unani and others. However, these may not contain the actual ingredients they mention and may cause harm to your body by putting in toxic substances. These medicines are primarily touted to increase staying power, penis enlargement, improving female libido and a host of other things.

What is an Aphrodisiac?

In recent times, use of aphrodisiacs has become the rage. Aphrodisiacs are substances that are said to increase sexual desires when consumed. It functions by increasing the sex drive, your performance in bed and increasing your sexual energy. Some people take it to save their marriages and others just take it prior to sex every time to show an increase in their sexual prowess.

Is it really safe to use it?

Sometimes, people are so carried away by the effects they have on them, that they simply seem to ignore or bypass its probable ugly side.

While the aphrodisiacs may function by increasing the blood flow to the genital areas, it can also call a severe drop in blood pressure that is very harmful. It can also include side effects such as nausea, dizziness, stroke, increased risk of cancer, enlargement of the prostate, loss of consciousness and even severe headaches.

People do not consider the safety of these drugs and consume the same without knowing its effects. Some aphrodisiacs are shown to cause damage to the liver and in more severe cases, can cause liver cirrhosis.

Uses and Dangers of Using Sex Enhancing Instruments-

Instruments such as penis pumps, penis extensors and exercises such as Jelquing exercises are used to increase the size of the penis by physical methods. These techniques can be used to temporarily cure impotence. These techniques can be very dangerous, and it may cause vascular damages to the penis. The Jelquing exercise if done without lubrication can cause severe damage due to friction.

Why resort to Ayurveda?

The Ayurvedic alternative to this can be comparatively safer as the chances of concurring side effects are much less. Things such as garlic, avocadoes and chillies are known to act as aphrodisiacs. Also honey can help up your libido.

These methods cannot directly cause harm to you and are known to have a lot of beneficial effects.

Treatments which cause damage due to self-medication-

While the treatments mentioned above are mostly bogus ones, there are genuine treatments recommended by qualified doctors as well. Problems tend to occur when a person tries to self-diagnose and self-medicate without proper consultation. Some of the examples of this are:-

1. Sildenafil Citrate: This composition is more commonly known as Viagra and other names and was initially intended for usage among heart patients. However, it had an unintended effect on the blood flow to the penis and thus became very popular for treating erectile dysfunction. However if you self-medicate it may actually damage your blood vessels and end up damaging your heart and other vital organs.

2. Ayurvedic Supplements: Genuine Ayurveda supplements can help someone correct sexual problems in their life but self-medicating without knowing which ingredients are correct for them may have an adverse reaction on other parts of the body.

The promise of an easy and quick fix through aggressive marketing may sound very good. However, you should remember that if something sounds too good to be true in most cases it is. What you need to do is to consult a qualified medical practitioner, whether be it in modern medicine or Ayurveda who can give you the best treatment for your problem. Remember, in most cases, the sexual problems are created with the help of media, marketing and false advertising such as in the case of penile enlargement (which plays on the fears that a man is small). This can then allow someone to buy into a hoax as they think they may have a problem when in actuality, they don’t.

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