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Men are so darn lucky. Not only do you get to pee standing up, go shirtless whenever the mood hits, and only have to shave your face, but you also have a secret power below your belt. Or at least your penis has a secret power.
Your penis can predict a future heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, or blood clot.
The reason is simple. A healthy erection correlates with a healthy heart and vascular system. Conversely, erectile dysfunction can often be the first sign of heart problems. (Yes, I am attempting to put a silver lining on erectile dysfunction, but everyone learns better in their happy place…)
Let’s start with the mechanics. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the inability to attain or maintain an erection for satisfactory sexual activity. One in every ten men will experience erectile dysfunction at some point in their life. But since many cases go unreported, that number is probably higher. Only 58% of ED sufferers consult their doctor about sexual problems.
Erectile dysfunction can sometimes be hard to treat because it has multiple causes. Those causes can range from psychological — stress, depression, and anxiety — to physiological — hormones, side effects from medicine, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and other underlying medical conditions.
One of the most common causes of erectile dysfunction is arteriosclerosis — the hardening of the arteries due to weight gain, lack of exercise, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cigarette smoking. Another common cause of ED is the smooth muscles surrounding the veins become weak and malfunction. One study found that men with ED were 38% more likely to have high blood pressure than those without ED.
If you take any prescription medication, such as antidepressants or blood pressure medications, you are probably aware of the ED side effects. But there are many everyday items lurking in medicine cabinets and polluting our world that can also put a damper on date night.
Antihistamines
Many men miss a common OTC boner killer when allergy season hits — antihistamines.
When you have an allergic reaction, histamine is released. Those histamines cause inflammation and smooth muscle cell contraction. Antihistamines such as Benadryl, Claritin, and Zyrtec block the histamines that cause allergic reactions.
Unfortunately, those same histamines are essential to a healthy erection. Histamines relax the smooth muscles and allow the penis to engorge in blood. Antihistamines work the opposite — they can prevent the penis from expanding and absorbing blood.
So if any allergy sufferers ever have a hot date in a meadow of ragweed, you might have to hold off on the sexy time.
Decongestants
While vasoconstrictors such as Sudafed® might reduce the swelling of the blood vessels in your nose, they will also reduce the swelling in your pants.
Most decongestants contain pseudoephedrine which constricts the penile vessels and prevents the penis from engorging with blood.
Of course, when you are spewing snot, you are probably not feeling too sexy anyway. Just don’t worry if you struggle to maintain an erection while taking cold medicine. It will eventually pass once you stop the medicine.
Covid
Since more than half of the population has got Covid, this now sadly falls into the “common” category.
COVID-19 was initially framed as a virus affecting the respiratory system, but it also damages blood vessels. And since the health of blood vessels is a significant factor in maintaining an erection, men with past Covid infections are getting erectile dysfunction at an alarming rate. A recent study found that men with previous COVID-19 infections were three times more likely to be diagnosed with erectile dysfunction.
In a smaller study from The World Journal of Men’s Health, researchers found coronavirus particles in penis tissue samples six to eight months after infection. Two of these men became impotent following their COVID-19 infection. (Note: they had not experienced impotence pre-infection.)
Researchers believe COVID-19 patients may experience erectile dysfunction due to damaged blood vessels that can no longer provide an adequate blood supply to the rest of the body…including the penis. The condition — endothelial dysfunction — happens when the walls of blood vessels stiffen and prevent the expanding and contracting needed to allow blood flow.
Of course, men who fear the dreaded Rona boner killer have an easy solution to reduce their odds of contracting COVID-19 — get vaccinated.
Bottled Water, Grocery Receipts, Lottery Tickets
What do bottled water, grocery receipts, and lottery tickets have in common? Bisphenol-A (BPA) — an industrial chemical in certain plastics and resins. The latest research on BPAs will make you never want to touch another grocery receipt.
In one study, workers exposed to high levels of BPAs were four to seven times more likely to experience reduced sexual desire, erectile dysfunction, and ejaculatory dysfunction.
Of course, the BPA levels in this study were much higher than normal exposure, but BPAs accumulate over time. A recent study using a randomized sample of men experiencing sexual dysfunction found that higher than normal levels of BPAs were found in all 353 participants.
Painkillers — Asprin, Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen
Most men know that prescription painkillers (opioids) can cause erectile dysfunction, but OTC painkillers can also lower the party tent.
One study found that men who regularly took painkillers such as aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen were 38% more likely to report problems maintaining an erection.
The researchers think these painkillers cause problems because they block the hormones needed to maintain an erection.
However, the researchers acknowledge a chicken vs. egg problem with these findings. For example, you are more likely to take aspirin regularly if you have heart problems and heart problems are correlated with erection problems. (Incidentally, recent findings have found daily aspirin use may cause more problems than benefits. Most doctors are no longer advising regular aspirin use for patients over 70, even with heart conditions.)
Netflix and Too Much Chilling
I won’t date a couch potato. No, that is not fat shaming. It has nothing to do with appearance. It has to do with lifestyle. If you spend the majority of your time sitting on the couch, then your sex drive will never get off the couch either. And let’s face it. Mismatched sex drives are a huge relationship killer.
The research will back up my anecdotal experience. A recent study found that exercise worked better than Viagra for men with ED. And unlike that little blue pill, exercise comes with very different side effects - endurance and the ability to contort your chiseled bodies into kama sutra-level positions.
Even worse, if you are watching Netflix with a laptop on your lap, then you might as well throw a funeral for your future children. Heat is really bad for your balls. Heat is so bad for your baby-makers that research is being done into male birth control devices that use heat to prevent pregnancy.
Heat not only kills your swimmers but also lowers testosterone. And lowered testosterone correlates with lower sex drive. So, if you must binge-watch that Netflix series, keep the laptops away from the family jewels.
Men in Ancient Rome and Greece believed erectile dysfunction could be cured by eating a goat’s genitalia. In the thirteenth century, Albertus Magnus in De Animalbus recommended that men eat a wolf’s penis before sexy time. By the eighteenth century, physicians believed a deficiency of “animal spirits” caused impotence.
Today, we know animal spirits won’t turn you into a beast in bed, but sex researchers have ruined the lives of too many horny rodents for men to ignore everyday erection killers.
Disclaimer: The above is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Please seek medical advice for erectile dysfunction or other health problems.
Carlyn Beccia is an award-winning author and illustrator of 13 books. If you enjoyed this article, please share this publication with friends. Wednesday’s article is always free. Sunday’s article is available only for paid subscribers.
The number who suffer is definitely higher. I experienced it mildly didn't think anything of it, but definitely frustrating. I blamed it on alcohol too (I like the term whiskey dick), but count me in the vanity club also. Gummies definitely ramp me up and enhance pleasure.
Another surprise helpful supplement was nitric oxide (a vasodilator in weight training supplements first used in heart medications). Which a healthy lifestyle definitely helps as well. I had a Pilates instructor say, "did you ever notice fit people have a higher sex drive?" I never got a chance to test her theory but I'll take her word for it.
But for me what reliably solved the problem was ED medication which is now available mail order (Hims). That is until legislators ban that, cause I'm sure they're after men's reproductive health next....yeah right
A man I see now and again has blamed too much porn and what he calls "whisky dick" for his occasional ED.
(too much alcohol before sex and jacking off to hard core porn) He's ok talking about it and although he's proactive in his diet and health, I don't know if he's considered hormones, etc as a root cause. He does say that he's never going to imbide again. As he's now undergoing a milder form of chemo for endocrine cancer, I'm not sure where he is as far as sex goes. I'm planning on asking him at some point in the near future.
Essential information given again, Carlyn. Thanks.