Lipitor And Impotence: Sexual Health Alert!

By Athlyn Green
www.healthy-cholesterol-guide.com

Lipitor and impotence share an unfortunate link. Some patients taking this medication have found they had to contend with distressing and unanticipated effects.

When factoring in possible problems such as impotence lipitor may not seem like a good drug choice. Your doctor may feel, however, that along with a cholesterol-lowering diet and exercise, use of this drug is indicated.

Lipitor tablets contain atorvastatin, which is a statin. Atorvastatin decreases the production of harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and aids in its removal from the blood.

Statins lower the risk of heart attack and stroke by reducing excess cholesterol that might be deposited in the major blood vessels of the heart or in blood vessels leading to the brain.

Medicines affect people in different ways. Unfortunately, for some patients, lipitor and impotence have gone hand-in-hand.

Certain individuals have experienced erectile dysfunction within weeks of starting their medication. In determining the cause of their impotence lipitor has been identified as the culprit.

Lipitor and impotence have been investigated and it has been discovered that a strong relationship exists between statin drugs and erectile dysfunction. It is believed low serum testosterone levels, brought on by cholesterol depletion, may cause decreased libido.

Researchers think this condition is under-reported because of embarrassment on the part of patients. When someone is grappling with impotence lipitor may indeed be at fault—but this is still a sensitive subject for most people.

If you are worried about lipitor and impotence that could result from taking this drug, it is important to discuss these concerns with your doctor. If you have experienced any loss of sensation or other sexual difficulties, these should be investigated promptly.

Fortunately, other options are available and statin drugs do not have to be a last recourse. Many people have reduced their cholesterol levels safely and effectively taking natural substances that are not only beneficial for the body but that do not compromise sexual functioning.

Research has uncovered certain plant compounds that support the body, aiding it to naturally regulate cholesterol levels. If, in pinning down the cause of your impotence lipitor is the known agent, you can reverse the process while safeguarding your cardiovascular health.

What Can Natural Substances Offer?

Policosanol is extracted from sugar cane and beeswax. Testing has shown that it surpasses statin medication. It is used for hypercholesterolemia (an abnormal amount of cholesterol in the cells and plasma of the blood), hyperlipidemia (excess lipids in the blood), and for atherosclerosis (fatty deposits inside arterial walls). Inositol is beneficial for conditions associated with disorders of fat transport and for high cholesterol levels.

Beta-sitosterol is used for coronary heart disease and, in an opposite scenario to lipitor and impotence, this natural substance actually enhances sexual function! Vitamin E oil can prevent oxidative damage to cell membranes, the degeneration of veins, and atherosclerosis.

Supplements combine a specific blend of ingredients that make an important difference to blood cholesterol levels. Worrying about impotence lipitor use has triggered can become a thing of the past with modern approaches to cholesterol management.

You can reduce your cholesterol levels without the use of lipitor and impotence does not have to be experienced. Before starting or undertaking any program to adjust cholesterol imbalances, always obtain expert direction.

The Link Between Impotence and Sleep Apnea

By Rudy Watkins
www.apneaguide.com

Many people suffer from sleep apnea, which is a condition in which a person stops breathing for ten seconds or more several times a night. Sleep apnea can cause many short term side effects such as morning headaches, tiredness throughout the day, irritability, and inability to concentrate. There are also many very serious long term side effects such as heart attacks and strokes. This is because the heart must work much harder when the body isn’t getting enough oxygen. Sleep apnea also carries a not-so-talked-about side-effect: erectile dysfunction in men.

According to a study done by Dr. John P. Mulhall at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, 24 out of 30 men suffering from obstructive sleep apnea also suffered from erectile dysfunction. While many men are still reluctant to talk about impotence there is no denying that obstructive sleep apnea is likely to cause ED.

There is no definitive answer as to why sleep apnea tends to cause impotence. One theory suggests that since sleep apnea patients rarely reach and maintain REM sleep, which is when men naturally have erections, this problem carries on into their waking hours. Another theories purports that it has more to do with being overweight than sleep apnea. Studies have shown that being overweight has a direct correlation with ED. Some also believe that men with sleep apnea tend to have lower testosterone levels which is to blame for the accompanying ED. While there is no absolute answer, many believe that ED is indeed a symptom of sleep apnea.

If you suspect that you may have sleep apnea you should see your doctor immediately. As previously mentioned, sleep apnea carries with it some significant health risks, especially if no treatment is sought. Luckily there are several treatment options such as surgery or the use of a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine which can help reduce or eliminate sleep apnea episodes.

Myths and Facts on Impotence

By Kent Pinkerton www.e-impotence.com

Are you experiencing problems getting an erection? Do you have issues regarding intimacy with your partner? If this is the case, then you can be experiencing penile erectile dysfunction or impotence. Contrary to popular belief, impotence is not a disease. It is a condition caused by certain physical disorders like diabetes and low blood pressure. It can also be caused by stress and trauma. There is still much to understand about this condition. To help you get a clearer picture of what impotence does to a man, here are some myths and facts on impotence.

Myth: Encountering erectile dysfunction is inevitable as I age.

Not necessarily. Though the level of sexual stimulation in men changes as they age, it does not mean that they are considered medically impotent. Older men may need a longer time in order to become aroused or they may need more physical stimulation. They also have a higher risk of getting health problems like hypertension and diabetes which can contribute to causing erectile dysfunction.

Fact: Smoking causes impotence.

Unfortunately, this is no myth. Medical research has proven that smoking does cause impotence by decreasing the blood flow into the penis. Nicotine, the chemical that makes smoking addictive, restricts the flood of blood into the penis by blocking key arteries. Aside from blocking the arteries, nicotine also impairs the valve mechanisms that store blood within the penis.

Myth: If prescription drugs can not help me with impotence, then everything is lost.

Not necessarily true. There are other methods that are available now that can help in treating impotence. These methods are safe and effective but should be recommended and/or administered by certified doctors. One popular method for treating impotence these days is impotence injections.

Myth: Young men do not experience impotence.

This is completely false. In fact, it is said that one out of 10 men over the age of 21 are bound to encounter erectile dysfunction. The causes of these cases are more likely due to the mental health of the patient rather than his physical well-being.

Myth: My partner will leave me once I become impotent.

Though erectile dysfunctions may have a negative effect on couples, there are many treatments available now to address this problem. Reports have shown that couples who have undergone these treatments have experienced a great improvement in the quality of their relationship.

Types of Impotence

Impotence can be of several types :

Arteriogenic
Where the arteries supplying blood to the penis do not bring in enough blood to cause an erection. This can occur because of a narrowing of the arteries such as occurs in the elderly, diabetics and those with high blood pressure or because of injury to the genital region which causes a block in the artery to the penis. The last is very common in the young. The injury can be major and sudden as after a vehicular accident causing a fracture of the pelvis or pubic bones, or low grade and gradual. This is very common in bicycle and other riders and occurs because sustained friction in that region causes a clot-like substance (thrombus) to develop in the artery. This clot gradually grows and ultimately blocks the artery completely.

Arteriogenic impotence resulting from injuries is very common but often unsuspected because of ignorance of the causative conditions. Many such patients are to be found in orthopedic and urology wards. The impotence is often discovered much later, after the more obvious wounds and fractures have healed. Ironically, it is most often discovered by the patient himself and not by the doctor.

Venogenic
Where the veins of the penis leak blood and prevent the development of a rigid erection. In a normal man during full erection the veins close down almost completely and practically no blood flows out from the penis. This allows blood to accumulate in the sinuses of the penis, thus raising pressure and allowing for the development of rigidity or hardness.

Venogenic impotence is extremely common. It is said to account for as much as 30-70 percent of all impotence. Some men have venogenic impotence from birth (primary). Such men have never had a rigid erection all their lives. Others develop venogenic impotence suddenly after years of normal sexuality (secondary).

Neurogenic
The nerve supply to the penis is very delicate and complicated. A proper conduction of impulses along these is basic for the initiation and maintenance of an erection. It is these nerves that activate the arteries and the veins and alter the dynamics of blood flow within them.

Many things can go wrong with the nerve supply to the penis. Injuries to the back, especially if they involve the vertebral column and the spinal cord can cause impotence. So also can injury to other nerves supplying the penis such as occurs after pelvic or perineal trauma. A wide variety of operations performed for other conditions can cause incidental injury to the nerves of the penis and cause impotence. These include operations on the rectum, prostate, urethra, spine, retroperitoneum, urinary bladder etc..

Of course, disorders of the nervous system such as multiple sclerosis, myelitis, tumour etc. are wont to cause impotence if they involve the nerve supply to the penis.

Another disease affecting the nerves to the penis is diabetes mellitus. Impotence is extremely common among diabetics. In fact, as many as 50 per cent of all diabetics are impotent. Impotence in diabetics is almost always organic in origin. Appropriate therapy for diabetes can never restore erectile function because the basic diabetic process can never be reversed. Only the blood sugar levels and the complications of diabetes can be controlled. Modern andrology, however, can offer a cure to nearly all patients with diabetes-related impotence. This is another fact that is, unfortunately, not known to most people.

Many drugs also cause neurogenic impotence by affecting the neurotransmitters at the nerve endings. Notable among these are anti-hypertensives and psychotropics although the list is very large. Often, it is not known that the medicine (which is prescribed for some unrelated disease, such as duodenal ulcer) is the culprit.

Endocrinologic (or hormonal)
This occurs when there is an imbalance or insufficiency of sex hormones in the blood stream. It accounts for about 5 to 10 per cent of all organic impotence. Generally, hormonal changes affect the libido (or sex drive) rather than the quality of the erection. A variety of disease conditions can cause these changes.

Mixed
Sometimes, more than one factor can be operative in the same patient. Such patients generally have systemic disease. Notable examples are diabetes, kidney failure and liver failure.

Another group where mixed factors operate is where long standing impotence has led to secondary psychiatric disorders such as depression etc.. Here, the basic causative factor is organic but being unrecognised and untreated (or maltreated) it eventually takes its toll on the mind, often because the patient thinks or has been led to believe that the condition is incurable and that it's all in this mind.

Psychogenic
When there is no organic factor and the problem lies purely in the mind, it is labeled a case of psychogenic impotence. But before such hasty and convenient labeling it is necessary to prove by andrological investigation that no organic or bodily cause exists.

Only then can treatment proceed in a scientific and systematic manner.

Impotence Treatments

Impotence Treatments
By Kent Pinkerton www.e-impotence.com

Impotence falls into two broad categories, impotence caused by a physical condition and that caused by a psychological condition. Sometimes impotence due to a physical condition may be worsened by a psychological component. The treatment of impotence should always include treatment of the underlying cause as well.

Impotence may be treated with counseling, drugs, surgery, mechanical aids, or some combination of these. Psychological impotence lends itself best to counseling, though anyone with impotence can benefit from counseling on coping mechanisms and available treatment options. As far as drugs go, some drugs may cause impotence and replacing or removing them from an individual’s treatment plan may take care of the problem. If testosterone deficiency is the cause, replacement therapy can be started. Some drugs such as Viagra and Cialis, can be taken by mouth and act by relaxing smooth muscle in blood vessels, allowing them to carry more blood to the penis. Other drugs that also relax smooth muscle in blood vessels can be injected into the side of the penis with a tiny needle, or inserted into the tip of the male urethra in pellet form using a special applicator.

Surgical treatment options for impotence include different types of penile implants, surgery to slow down the flow of blood out of the penis, and surgery to improve the flow of blood into the penis. In some people, the use of a vacuum device or a penile splint may help the penis stay upright.

There are several lifestyle changes that may both treat impotence and prevent it. These include quitting smoking, losing weight, being physically active, treating high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and reducing stress. Besides improving sex drive and the ability to enjoy sexual intercourse, such changes can also help improve other underlying medical conditions.