Erectile Dysfunction
About 5% of men age 40 and older experience erectile dysfunction (ED). This number increases to about 15% after the age of 70. Though common, ED can negatively affect your confidence, self-esteem, and sexual health. At PharmXhealthOne wellness center with convenient locations in Boynton Beach, FL, the team offers advanced treatments to safely minimize side-effects of ED. To schedule an appointment, call the office and speak with a friendly staff member, or book a consultation online today.
What is erectile dysfunction?
Erectile dysfunction (ED), or impotence, is a condition that makes it difficult to get, keep, or maintain an erection long enough to have sex. Almost every man experiences erectile difficulties at one time or another, but ED causes persistent problems over an extended time.
If you’re experiencing ED, don’t wait to seek professional medical help. Thanks to modern medical advances, it’s easy to both diagnose and treat.
What causes erectile dysfunction?
Erectile dysfunction occurs when blood flow to the two chambers of the penis –– the corpora cavernosa –– becomes blocked or restricted. ED can arise due to several underlying issues, including:
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Poor circulation
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Hormonal imbalances
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Obesity
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Lack of physical activity
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Alcohol consumption
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Smoking
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Cycling or horseback riding
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Sleep apnea
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Peyronie’s disease
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High cholesterol
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Hypertension
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Metabolic disease
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Diabetes
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Poor dental health
Some men experience ED due to psychological reasons. For example, stress that occurs in or out of the bedroom can make it difficult for a man to achieve an erection. Additionally, many of the medications used to treat anxiety and depression contribute to ED.
How is erectile dysfunction diagnosed?
To diagnose erectile dysfunction, your doctor at PharmXhealthOne conducts a physical exam, reviews your medical history, and asks about your lifestyle and symptoms. If you have an underlying chronic medical condition, like diabetes or high blood pressure, your provider might also order blood tests, a urinalysis, or diagnostic imaging.
Urine and blood tests can detect hormonal imbalances, diabetes, low testosterone levels, and heart disease. Diagnostic imaging techniques, like ultrasound, can detect poor circulation or other blood flow problems that affect the penis.
How is erectile dysfunction treated?
Among the most popular treatment options for erectile dysfunction are pharmaceuticals. Drugs such as Viagra (Sildenafil), Levitra (Vardenafil), and Cialis (Tadalafil) are popular and boast an 80% success rate. These drugs are classified as phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE-5) – which enable an erection, temporarily, but are not the best for maintaining an erection over time.
Prescriptions are heavily relied upon, having to be taken 15 minutes to 36 hours before sexual activity is initiated – not only reducing the spontaneity of one’s sex life but oftentimes fostering dependence.
This route typically isn’t recommended for men taking nitrate drugs or alpha-blockers, and all medications, including over-the-counter herbs and supplements, should be shared with your doctor to prevent negative interactions. The commonly reported potential side effects of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors include headache, flushing, runny nose, stomach pain, back pain, indigestion, vision changes, and dizziness.
Treatment options for erectile dysfunction don’t have to be so much work.
Alternate Options
At PharmXhealthOne, the team uses a non-surgical, no drug, and non-invasive treatment called Low-intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy(LI-ESWT), also known as shockwave therapy (SWT), or acoustic wave therapy (AWT), to treat erectile dysfunction.
This treatment technique uses high-frequency shockwaves to enhance male sexual performance, function, and overall health. It’s the only non-invasive procedure capable of treating the root cause of ED by increasing blood flow, releasing growth factors to form new blood vessels, and breaking down microplaque in the penis.
What’s more, the treatment is drug-free and surgery-free, boasts a more than 75% success rate, requires no downtime, and presents few side-effects.
How many shockwave therapy treatments will I need?
The number of shockwave therapy treatments needed depends on the severity of your symptoms and your individual goals. Most people benefit from six to 12 treatment sessions spaced several weeks apart. From time-to-time, you might also benefit from a maintenance session to preserve your results.
Better and Faster Results
We typically combine LI-ESWT with peptides, IV vitamin therapy, exosomes therapy and hormone replacement therapy to achieve better and faster results.
To learn more about treatment for erectile dysfunction, schedule an appointment at PharmXhealthOne. Call (561) 778-8121 the office to speak with a friendly staff member, or book a consultation online today.
LI-ESWT
Low-intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy (LI-ESWT) is a novel modality that has been developed for treating erectile dysfunction (ED). Unlike other current treatment options for ED, all of which are palliative in nature, LI-ESWT is unique in that it aims to restore the erectile mechanism in order to enable natural or spontaneous erections. Results from basic science experiments have provided evidence that LI-ESWT induces cellular microtrauma, which in turn stimulates the release of angiogenic factors and the subsequent neovascularization of the treated tissue. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been clinically investigated and applied in several medical fields with various degrees of success. High-intensity shock wave therapy is used for lithotripsy because of its focused mechanical destructive nature, and medium-intensity shock waves have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and are used for treating a wide array of orthopedic conditions, such as non-union fractures, tendonitis, and bursitis. In contrast, LI-ESWT has angiogenetic properties and is therefore used in the management of chronic wounds, peripheral neuropathy, and in cardiac neovascularization. As a result of these characteristics we initiated a series of experiments evaluating the effect of LI-ESWT on the cavernosal tissue of patients with vasculogenic ED. The results of our studies, which also included a double-blind randomized control trial, confirm that LI-ESWT generates a significant clinical improvement of erectile function and a significant improvement in penile hemodynamics without any adverse effects. Although further extensive research is needed, LI-ESWT may create a new standard of care for men with vasculogenic ED.
Source:
Gruenwald I et al, 2013: Shockwave treatment of erectile dysfunction, Tuesday, 21 January 2014
Gruenwald I, Appel B, Kitrey ND, Vardi Y
Neuro-Urology Unit, Rambam Medical Center and Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa 34679, Israel