Foods for a Healthy Blood Flow

It’s no secret that maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help keep up your sexual performance. Exercise helps. But so does eating a variety of healthy foods.

Dial down the fatty, artery-clogging food and fill up on the stuff that’s good for you: fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains.

More specifically, Best Life has come up with a roster of foods that help boost a healthy blood flow – one of the keys for sexual function.

* Pomegranate juice: The Journal of Urology finds it cut the risk of erectile dysfunction in rabbits.

* Shrimp salad: The zinc in the shrimp and the folate in leafy greens can boost sperm levels.

* Oatmeal: Helps release testosterone into the blood supply, which can increase your sex drive and orgasm strength.

* Citrus fruits: Vitamin C keeps sperm from clumping, and men who have at least 2,000 milligrams a day improve their sperm counts and motility.

Lower Your Stress to Improve Sexual Function

Treating your erectile dysfunction, and doing it effectively, requires a comprehensive strategy. Making lifestyle changes may not be enough – on its own – to bring success.

But the healthier you are, the more successful your treatment will be.

Being healthy means reducing stress.

Stress is natural, but it can cause your body lots of problems. To deal with it, you have to identify what triggers it and find ways to direct it and reduce it.

A good first step is finding an effecting way to relax and making it a regular part of your routine. Take some down time. Even if it’s just a few moments, it can make a difference.

Take a look at your goals and expectations. Are they unrealistic? This could be causing you stress that could be avoided.

Talk about your problems with a friend; having a heart-to-heart can help you adjust your perspective.

Keep an upbeat attitude, and believe in yourself. Accept that you cannot control everything that happens. Be assertive, not aggressive.

To manage more difficult forms of stress, it may help to look for professional assistance.  Boston Medical Group are experts in the diagnosis and treatment of men’s sexual health.

Lower Testosterone Levels Seen in Unhealthy Men

Lower testosterone levels are common in aging men, but why are some men far more affected by these signs of aging than others?  A 2006 study tested 2,100 men over the age of 45 and found  correlations between several health conditions and low testosterone levels in aging men.

Low testosterone levels were seen:

• 2.4 times  more often in obese men
• 2.1 times more often in men with diabetes
• 1.8 times more often in men with high blood pressure

Ongoing research has not yet found a causal relationship between low testosterone and poor overall health, however, direct correlations have been noted between healthy males and higher testosterone levels.

Testosterone is what helps the body’s tissues take up more blood sugar in response to insulin and can explain why men with diabetes experience far lower testosterone levels. Nearly half of men with diabetes have low testosterone levels but scientists can’t figure out if low testosterone causes diabetes or vice versa.

The study explains, “fat cells metabolize testosterone to estrogen, lowering testosterone levels. Also, obesity reduces levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), a protein that carries testosterone in the blood. Less SHBG means less testosterone.”  This explains the connection between obesity and low testosterone levels in aging men.

The correlations found between low testosterone and health conditions are tightly woven. If you are obese, testosterone supplements may also help reduce weight gain affiliated with hormone levels.

Understanding Sexual Dysfunction and Parkinson’s Disease

Although those who suffer from Parkinson’s disease are prone to sexual dysfunction, many authorities believe poor sexual health is not always a side effect of the disease.

While cases of Parkinson’s Disease severely affect the central nervous system and therefore affect the ability to obtain an erection, studies are finding that biological causes are not always the most accurate.

Parkinson’s Disease negatively affects the nervous system and therefore affects a man’s ability to obtain or retain an erection, can jeopardize blood flow to the penis, and causes rigidity and pain also experienced during sexual encounters.  Depression is also a side effect seen in patients with Parkinson’s Disease,but may be  caused more by the fear and anxiety of being diagnosed with the disease.

Because many patients experience depression after a  diagnosis, doctors will usually suggest an anti-depressant to help manage the depression.  In most cases, however, anti-depressants can be a primary cause of sexual dysfunction.

This is why it’s important to speak with your doctor about appropriate or alternative options for your sexual health concerns, if diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease or Clinical Depression..

Problems with erectile dysfunction?  You may want to contact Boston Medical Group to explore treatment.

Sexual Dysfunction in Obese Men Reverseable?

Dr. Ramsey M. Dallal, from Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, Philadelphia, and colleagues may have found the key to regaining sexual function in obese men.

While there are serious health complications in men undergoing surgical weight loss procedures, Dallal  nonetheless offers evidence supporting the conclusion that sexual function loss in obese men can be reversed after having gastric bypass surgery.

Of the 97 obese men experiencing sexual dysfunction due to obesity, 100% of them saw improved function following gastric bypass surgery.

After losing an average of two-thirds of their excess weight, men experienced improved sexual function in direct correlation with amount of weight lost. Dallal and colleagues “estimate that a man who is morbidly obese has the same degree of sexual dysfunction as a non-obese man about 20 years older.”

After recovering from gastric bypass surgery, men show signs of improved sexual health in line with the average male in their age bracket.

Dallal recognizes sexual function as a reversible condition and also plans to explore the female connection between obesity and sexual health.

Do I Have Erectile Dysfunction?

It was once thought that erectile dysfunction was purely a psychological problem in the realm of men’s sexual health.  However, as technology advances, experts are finding scientific evidence that suggests erectile dysfunction is also biologically-based.

It is not uncommon for men to ejaculate sooner than they or their partner would like, although if the problem persists and begins to increase in frequency, it is possible that erectile dysfunction is occurring.

What to look for:

• Premature ejaculation occurs in a majority of your sexual encounters
• It causes stress or unusual concern
• Your sex-life was fine and now it is not
• You ejaculate before or shortly after intercourse begins
• You have difficulty maintaining an erection

Psychological causes include but are not limited to:

• Being in a  situation where you are hurrying
• Feelings of guilt that drive the need to rush during intercourse

While erectile dysfunction is sometimes caused by psychological distress, studies show that there are a number of biological components.

• Low hormone levels
• Abnormal levels of neurotransmitters
• Inflammation of the prostate or urethra
• Thyroid issues
• Nervous system problem caused by trauma or surgery.
• Narcotic withdrawal  and certain Anti-Anxiety medications.

For more information on how to treat erectile dysfunction visit the Boston Medical Group website.

Insecure About Sexual Performance? You’re Not Alone.

Independent market research company OnePoll recently questioned 2,000 men between the ages of 16 and 65 about their place in society.  Half of the respondents claimed to be unsatisfied with their position in society and their personal sexual performance.

Former GP and trustee of the Sexual Dysfunction Association, Dr John Tomlinson, said that an ‘enormous’ number of 18- to 40-year-olds were concerned about sexual problems.  He continued to suggest that advertisements including well-toned, physically flawless celebrities elicit a negative self-image in men.

Only 11% of 40-year-old men said their confidence is higher now than when they were younger.  One in three of those men said when they go out to meet women they consume alcohol to boost their confidence.

One in four respondents claimed inadequacy in the bedroom because of TV shows like “Sex and The City” where ideal men are those with immense stamina and a perfect build.

“Men are more likely than women to have fragile self-esteem, as they judge their status in society through success in a single sphere, such as their career, the size of their pay packet or the model of their car,” said British Psychologist, David Sharpley. Also, because men in general do not spend a lot of time in introspection or communicating their concerns, they often let health issues go untreated.

Sudden Memory Loss A Possible Side-Effect of ED Drugs

Revisions to Erectile Dysfunction drug labels have recently been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to include sudden memory loss as a side effect in users. Label changes are made necessary when multiple users have reported the same symptoms after taking the drug.

The condition, “transient global amnesia,” is temporary memory loss commonly seen in neurological conditions caused by head injury or epilepsy.

The International Journal of Impotence Research recently published a story of a 46-year-old man who was “brought to the emergency room because he had couldn’t remember any events since waking up in the morning or the night before, including sexual intercourse after taking a popular erectile dysfunction drug. His memory gradually improved and tests for cardiovascular and brain problems came back normal.” The German neurologists who wrote the story said there had been 35 reports of amnesia in ED drug users between 1998 and 2001.

Some other side effects of Erectile Dysfunction drugs include: drop in blood pressure or loss of vision and hearing capacity.

For more information on the FDA label changes, visit this site

Obesity Linked to Erectile Dysfunction

In a recent study of over 2,000 Italian men of various ages, scientists have found a concerning correlation between weight and men’s sexual health.

According to an article on the study, “41.5% [of men] were normal weight, 42.4% were overweight, 12.1% were obese, and 4% were severely obese. The mean age was 52.”  The study found that obesity and related health issues such as hypertension and low testosterone levels were far more common in those with Erectile Dysfunction regardless of age.

The study recognized a positive correlation between weight and testosterone levels.

In this case, Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is an indicator of physical — rather than mental — health problems.  Whereas stress, depression and fear can cause stress-related ED, obesity is now thought to be a common physical cause of the dysfunction.  To learn more about erectile dysfunction, why not schedule a consultation at a Boston Medical Group clinic by calling 877-212-9161.

Sexual Dysfunction Mystery Solved … By Rats?

United States researchers have found nerves in the spinal cords of rats that trigger the ability to ejaculate. Scientists believe it may be one step forward on the path to find new treatments for sexual dysfunctions.

In the study, done at the University of Cincinnati, these nerves were isolated and taken out of the rats.  The male rats were then placed in cages with female rats and although they seemed to be mating; never ejaculated. The study showed that these nerves relay message for reproduction in the rat’s brain.

When the receptors for these messages were removed, the rats could not ejaculate.  No other changes in behavior were seen in any of these rats.

It is said that with this scientific finding, men who have become paralyzed and thus have premature ejaculation issues could potentially see own problems solved.