Holistic healing

Holistic Health: Dr Anu Arasu on erectile dysfunction

Anu tackles that embarrassing problem your man may be reluctant to discuss…

Anu tackles that embarrassing problem your man may be reluctant to discuss…
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is common and isn’t easy to talk about, so it’s understandable that many men wish to fix the problem themselves with natural remedies. But a word of caution: ED can be an early sign of a disease of the arteries, which is why the risk factors for heart attacks and strokes (alcohol,smoking, obesity, cocaine) are the same for erectile dysfunction. If your man is having morning erections or achieving adequate erections while masturbating it’s more likely that stress is the cause. My advice is to have blood pressure,cholesterol and fasting glucose checked, and a review of all medication.

Pop a pill

Always ask your doctor first but he can try taking a vitamin supplement to ensure he has enough folic acid, vitamin C and vitamin E. Also, a double blind randomised control found that erectile function improved in men who had low levels of nitric oxide and took a daily dose of 5g of L-arginine, the nutrient found in meat, dairy, poultry and fish.

Saw palmetto is commonly used to help relieve symptoms of an enlarged prostate (and there are many trials showing good benefit), and may also be of benefit in erectile dysfunction. A study in which patients took 320 g of saw palmetto extract for eight weeks found that symptoms of sexual dysfunction were significantly improved.

Ginkgo has been used in traditional Chinese medicine and shown in a few studies to help.Finally DHEA can be of benefit if you have low testosterone levels, and zinc may also be beneficial.

Article by

Dr Anu Arasu

Medical Writer and Practising GP

Dr Anu Arasu practises functional medicine and bio-identical hormone replacement at The Hale Clinic. She combines evidence based medicine, complementary practices, advanced diagnostic testing and nutritional therapy.

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Article by

Dr Anu Arasu

Medical Writer and Practising GP

Discover more