What does ED, or Erectile Dysfunction, mean?
Erectile dysfunction, or ED, is a medical condition that means a man can’t keep an erection strong long enough to have sex.
Erections usually happen when a man is sexually aroused and his body sends out chemicals that tell the penis to get more blood. This increased blood flow then fills up the soft muscle tissue in the penis like a sponge, raising blood pressure until the muscles get firm and hard. Most of the time, this hardening lasts until either a lack of sexual arousal or an orgasm sends nerve signals to the body telling it to relax, letting the blood that had been stored out so that normal circulation can be restored.
Men with ED have problems with this process at one or more points. Men can sometimes have trouble getting or keeping an erection, but men with ED have this problem all the time, whether it means they can only get an erection some of the time or not at all.
Why does ED happen?
Since many men don’t want to talk about erectile dysfunction, it can be hard to get a good idea of how common it is. However, different studies suggest that about 30 million men in the U.S. have had ED and that it affects anywhere from a third to more than half of all men worldwide.
There are a number of things that can cause erectile dysfunction. Some of these problems are mental, like having too much stress, depression, anxiety, or low self-esteem. But ED can also happen as a side effect of some drugs, like blood pressure medicine or sedatives, as a result of lifestyle choices like smoking or not getting enough exercise, or as a symptom of a more serious health problem, like diabetes or heart disease. Any number of things that affect your blood vessels, nerves, or hormones could be to blame.
So, it’s important to keep in mind that ED is a serious health problem and do everything you can to get help. You should talk to your doctor and take any necessary medicine, but some foods or diets may also help relieve your symptoms.
How can a change in diet help ED?
Having a better erection has been linked to living a healthier lifestyle. For example, cutting down on smoking and drinking or getting more exercise may help with ED or even get rid of the symptoms altogether.
In the same way, watching what you eat is not a surefire way to get rid of ED, but it can make it easier to live with. Part of this is because it is good for your health in general. If you eat better, you’re less likely to get serious health problems like diabetes or heart disease, which can cause ED. It also helps your body keep the right blood flow, which is needed to keep an erection going.
Studies show that a so-called “Mediterranean diet” may be the best way to live a healthy life and treat erectile dysfunction. People on these kinds of diets eat a lot of fresh fruits, vegetables, and fish and eat less processed foods and other kinds of meat.
Other studies show that flavonoids found in some foods can help with ED. Flavonoids are a natural substance that can be found in tea, wine, grains, fruits, and vegetables, among other plants and foods. There are a lot of health benefits linked to them, which makes them a popular ingredient in many medicines.
There are six main kinds of flavonoids that can be found in foods. Even though all of these are good for your overall health, anthocyanins, flavanones, and flavones are especially good for ED because they keep your body running well, fight off harmful toxins, and reduce inflammation.
Anthocyanins are natural dyes that give blue, purple, or red colors to flowers and berries. Blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, red and purple grapes, and red wine are all good places to find anthocyanins.
Flavanones help lower inflammation and keep your weight and cholesterol intake in check. Many citrus fruits, like grapefruit, lemons, limes, and oranges, are good places to get flavanones.
Lastly, blue and white flowers are colored by flavones, which are found in plants with blue and white flowers. They help reduce inflammation when you eat them. Celery, chamomile, parsley, peppermint, and red peppers are all good sources of flavones. Here, you can read about what soy does.
Other foods may also help with the symptoms of erectile dysfunction, either because they contain other helpful flavonoids or because they are generally good for your physical or mental health, especially when it comes to your vascular, nervous, or endocrine systems.
What do certain foods have to do with ED?
When making changes to your diet to treat ED, think about whether or not the food you choose has flavonoids, what kind of flavonoids it has, and if it has any other health benefits that stand out. Here’s a look at a few common foods and what you can expect from each:
Fruit
Fruits are one of the best places to get flavonoids, and they are also good for your health in general. For example, blackberries have six different kinds of flavonoids, including the ones most linked to better erections. Apples, bananas, blueberries, citrus fruits, and pears are also high in flavonoids. Lycopene, which is found in watermelon, may help improve blood flow and heart health.
If you don’t like fresh fruit, you can also find flavonoids in things like red wine and dark chocolate, which are made from fruit. There are different ways that other fruit products help. Coffee reduces ED because it has a lot of caffeine, which relaxes the muscles in the penis and increases blood flow. Pistachios do almost the same thing because they have arginine. Other nuts also help with ED by lowering bad cholesterol and improving blood flow all over the body.
Vegetables
Folic acid is found in high amounts in leafy greens like spinach and kale. Some studies have linked folic acid to a lower risk of ED. Flavones in red peppers can also help with ED, and the heat in chili peppers can help increase blood flow and lower cholesterol. Like fruits, these vegetables have the added benefit of being full of vitamins and minerals that are good for your health as a whole.
Meat
In general, eating meat, especially red meat like beef, pork, or lamb, can make you less able to get or keep an erection. But some protein may be good for you because it contains arginine, which makes the blood flow faster. If you want to get the best results, you should probably try to stay away from red meat and instead eat chicken, fish, nuts, dairy, or eggs.
Fish
Fish is one of the healthiest meats you can eat, both for your overall health and to help fight ED. Salmon is a good choice because it has a lot of omega-3 fatty acids. These help lower blood pressure and improve heart health, which makes it easier for blood to get to the penis.
Grains
As of right now, there isn’t a lot of solid evidence about whether grains in your diet are good or bad for erectile dysfunction. But the arginine in oatmeal has been shown to improve heart health, and early research suggests that eating healthy whole grains as part of a balanced Mediterranean diet may help people with ED.
What drugs can be used to treat ED?
Diet alone isn’t always enough to treat erectile dysfunction. It depends on how bad the problem is and if there are any underlying health problems. Here are eight drugs you might want to think about:
Sildenafil (Viagra)
Sildenafil is the main drug in Viagra, which is one of the most commonly used medicines to treat ED. It works by making the blood vessels in the penis relax, which increases blood flow and makes it easier to get an erection and keep it. Most of the time, the effects last for several hours and take about 30 minutes to an hour to start.
Tadalafil (Cialis)
Tadalafil is the main ingredient in both Cialis and Tadacip by Cipla, which is a cheaper version of Cialis. It works by making more of a chemical that is released when a person is sexually aroused. This makes more blood flow to the penis. Effects start in about 30 minutes and can last up to 36 hours. However, it’s important to remember that tadalafil on its own won’t cause an erection; it will only make it stronger. If you are also taking nitrates, you shouldn’t take tadalafil because it could cause your blood pressure to drop too low.
Vardenafil (Levitra)
Levitra is made from a substance called Vardenafil. It is also a PDE-5 inhibitor like sildenafil. It helps with ED by relaxing the muscles around the penis to increase blood flow. It starts to work 30 minutes after you take it, and it usually lasts between 4 and 6 hours. Studies show that it works best for men with diabetes or who are over the age of 65.
Kamagra Oral Jelly
Sildenafil is the same active component in both Viagra and Kamagra Oral Jelly. It works by relaxing the blood vessels and increasing the flow of blood to the penis, which makes it easier to get and keep an erection. But instead of taking a pill, Kamagra Oral Jelly can be easily swallowed by squeezing it into your mouth or onto a spoon. It takes between 20 and 60 minutes to start working, and it lasts between 4 and 6 hours. When taking this medicine, don’t eat big meals or drink alcohol.
Priligy
Dapoxetine is the part of Priligy that does the work. It’s an SSRI that helps a man control when he ejaculates, so he can last longer during sex and stop himself from ejaculating too early. Since the effects will wear off if you don’t take Priligy every day, you should take it twice a day. Some of the rare side effects are mild nausea, dizziness, and headaches.
Vidalista
Vidalista, like other common ED drugs, has the active ingredient tadalafil, which increases blood flow to the penis when the body is sexually stimulated. It comes in regular tablets and tablets that you put under your tongue or chew up to start working faster. Vidalista also comes in a wide range of doses, including some that are stronger and meant to treat more severe ED.
Aurogra
Aurogra is an alternative to Viagra that is less expensive. It has the same active ingredient, sildenafil, which works by increasing blood flow to the penis to improve erections. Since it is similar to Viagra, it works pretty much the same way. After a thirty-minute to one-hour waiting period, the effects last for several hours.
Fildena
Fildena is another cheaper alternative to more expensive medications like Viagra that use sildenafil to increase blood flow to the penis. It comes in chewable capsules and soft gel capsules, and the dose you take depends on how bad your ED is. Some of the side effects of Viagra are common, like headaches or nausea, but sometimes it can cause more serious problems, like chest pain, seizures, or trouble breathing, that need medical help right away.
When do you need to see a doctor?
As was already said, erectile dysfunction is a serious medical problem that may be caused by other problems. Make sure to see a doctor if your ED lasts or gets worse, or if you have any other health problems.
Before taking any drugs for ED, you should also talk to your doctor. They can tell you better which doses or medicines will work best for you and won’t interfere with any other treatments or conditions you’re already getting.
If you have problems or side effects with a drug your doctor has given you, you should tell them right away so they can help you figure out what to do next.
What is the Crossroads Pharmacy?
Since it opened in 2006, Crossroads Pharmacy has made it easy to get a wide range of products quickly and reliably. We have more than 500 brand-name and generic medications in stock, and many more can be sent to your home or picked up at the pharmacy. This includes drugs to treat common conditions like high blood pressure and problems with getting or keeping an erection, as well as products to help you live a healthier life, such as by losing weight or giving up smoking.
No matter what you need, we try to give every customer in-store and online the best customer service possible. We also work with local and national health care institutions to make sure that everyone in the community has the health and wellness management options they deserve.
Crossroads Pharmacy is proud to continue serving you because it has more than 100 unique visitors a day, a number of qualified pharmacists who can answer your health questions, and a website that is always being updated with reliable information.
Summary
Many men have some kind of erectile dysfunction (ED) at some point in their lives. This can be caused by a number of things, such as mental health, lifestyle choices, or health problems that are already there.
One way to ease the effects of ED is to change the way you eat. Studies show that a healthy diet can make ED less severe or even get rid of it completely. This can be a great addition to medicine or a replacement for common ED drugs if you can’t or don’t want to take them. Foods with a lot of flavonoids, like many fruits and vegetables, have been linked to better erections, as have foods that are good for the heart or improve blood flow.
But eating well isn’t always enough on its own. If you have ED, you should make an appointment with your doctor. They can tell you which ED drugs might work best and help you figure out if you have any other health problems that could be causing your ED. Don’t make any changes to what you eat or how you treat yourself without first talking to your doctor.
Dr. Marian Davis is the author.
