Archive for January, 2012

The problem of bad habits seems to get covered more and more often in recent years as doctors find new evidence for the link between an unhealthy lifestyle and development of different health conditions. It’s even hard to find a health problem these days that doesn’t stem from having particular bad habits or being negligent of own health condition. So it’s not a big surprise to learn that erectile dysfunction can actually be caused by one’s addiction to not so very healthy activities and substances. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common causes for erectile dysfunction making part of the “bad lifestyle” group: Drinking

Alcohol abuse is a very common habit and cause for many health conditions. While a little alcohol isn’t much of a problem as it can have a stimulative effect, including sexual activity, drinking too much on a regular basis can seriously impact your cardiovascular and nervous systems. These particular parts of the body are very important for maintaining proper sexual abilities since blood circulation and nerve signal transmission are essential for forming a stable erection. So if you’re heavy on drinking don’t get surprised if some day you won’t be able to get an erection without levitra.

Smoking

Nicotine addiction represents a serious health risk and you have probably heard a lot about how bad smoking is for your health. Starting with cardiovascular problems to such serious conditions as lung cancer, smoking is known as one of the leading factors leading to premature death all over the world. From the erectile dysfunction perspective smoking is known to seriously deteriorate blood vessels and lead to such conditions as hypertension, which one of the leading causes for male impotence. So think twice before lighting up your next cigarette.

Drug addiction

Recreational drugs are commonly used as stimulants or relaxants for spicing up sexual experience. And while the actual sensations during intimacy can be altered and intensified the aftermath of such experiments is usually very negative, especially if you become addicted to a particular substance. Even if speaking about such a common and seemingly harmless drug as marijuana it has been observed that regular use of this herb can lower a person’s libido and deteriorate blood vessels, which can lead to erectile dysfunction.

Bad diet

Bad diet can also be considered as a bad habit since the food that we eat can be very addictive in its nature and deliver as much negative impact as any other bad lifestyle choice. Eating too much food rich with saturated fats and spice, and excluding foods that are rich with vitamins and minerals necessary for good health condition can lead to many complications, obesity being one of the most common. Coupled with lack of regular physical activity bad diet can rapidly lead to the development of such health conditions as diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension, high cholesterol and others, which are very common factors for erectile dysfunction development. That’s why being smart about what you eat is very important if you do not want to rely on drugs like levitra when trying to get an erection.

Athletes sometimes get confused by the word steroid. Not all steroids are performance enhancers, but this does not mean they have no effect on the body or performance. In fact, many athletes do use steroids that are not anabolic – that don’t help you get bigger, stronger, or faster.

Steroids are organic chemical compounds, natural or synthetic, that are fat soluble. They have specific jobs to do in the human body. They have a 17-carbon 4-ring system.

So what does any of that mean? It means that there are a lot of types of steroids. Corticosteroids, anabolic steroids, glycosides – even sex hormones like testosterone are steroids.

Anabolic versus Corticosteroid

The steroids talked about on the news and in doping scandals are anabolic steroids – manmade hormones that are meant to function similarly to testosterone, promoting the growth of muscles and increasing athletic performance. It is important to note that anabolic steroids themselves are not bad, like any medicine, it is just how you use them that matters. They are very important for treating various conditions. Anabolic steroid abuse may pose serious threats to your health:

• Liver function
• Damaged or modified reproductive system
• Heart and circulation damage
• “Roid rage”, a serious psychological effect
• And more

Corticosteroids, on the other hand, have nothing to do with muscle growth. They are used widely throughout the body, mostly for regulating immune responses. Corticosteroid like Prednisone control allergic reaction and help treat autoimmune disorders, such as Asthma, Crohn’s Disease, and Lupus. They may also be needed to reduce inflammation and control protein catabolism blood electrolyte levels.

Athletes Use Corticosteroid, But Not for Performance Enhancement

Sports and athletics can really do a number on your muscles, joints, and other parts of your musculoskeletal system. At times, there is severe inflammation and some basic functions stop working correctly. Prednisone is perfect for athletes at these times, and doctors often recommend it. It will bring down the inflammation quicker than anything and allow you to regain comfort and movement.

Athletes also lose performance when they are suffering from allergies. Pollen especially can be detrimental to outdoor sports, so athletes sometimes are administered a corticosteroid when allowed by athletics drugs regulations.

Are corticosteroids barred from sports?

Unlike anabolic steroids, some sporting governments allow corticosteroids since they are an important medical option to have on the table for serious and common diseases. However, some governments do not. Here is a quick list:

• NCAA – allowed
• Olympics – banned
• High School – Check with your state, but usually allowed
• NFL – allowed

The Olympics tends to be tougher than most organizations in the world. If you are a professional bicyclist, you may also encounter more restrictive doping and drug laws. Some athletes may be excused because of medical conditions, so be sure to have a statement from your doctor and proof you need the medication if you wish to appeal the laws.

Prednisone is a restricted medication in the United States and requires a prescription.

Do corticosteroids have risks for athletes?

All medications have risks. Athletes should be aware that corticosteroid use at high doses over an extended period of time can lead to complications:

• Cataracts
• Decreased wound healing
• Increased risk of infection
• Masking infection
• Osteoporosis

British researchers were testing a drug intended for use in controlling pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and were somewhat surprised when the male participants reported improved sexual performance. Yet, when they came to analyze the results, the scientists realized the effect they were intending for the major artery through the chest was actually occurring in the penis. A redrawn clinical trial confirmed the results and, as the idiom says, the rest was history. As an aside, the work to develop an effective treatment for PAH continued and a different version of the viagra is now sold as Revatio and dilates the pulmonary artery, reducing blood pressure and avoiding the risk of angina. A further use has also been developed in the treatment of altitude sickness where it is not possible for the person affected to be brought down the mountain quickly enough.

viagra format variations

Because cultures can differ on the best way to deliver medication, Pfizer has been working on producing Viagra in a number of different formats. The basic chemistry stays the same, but trying to sell it as a pill is never going to be a success in overseas markets. So, for example, you can buy it as a capsule, a soluble pill and powder, a melt-in-the-mouth tablet, a liquid you can drink on its own or added to something to improve the taste, a patch to stick on your skin, a gel to rub on to the penis, and so on. The only difference is in the speed with which the chemicals get into the bloodstream. As a pill, it takes time to dissolve. A liquid becomes active more quickly.

When someone tells you about his erectile dysfunction problems it’s nothing out of common or surprising these days. What was a taboo only a decade ago is a normal topic for discussion with your medic because there is a way to treat the condition. With the advent of numerous erectile dysfunction medications it all comes to taking a single pill before sexual activity and the drug will do all the work. It has become so common that millions of men all over the world are using these drugs on a regular basis and feel very comfortable about it. But what makes these drugs so effective in the first place and how do they help overcoming male impotence?

The mechanism of action behind such common erectile dysfunction drugs as levitra is rather simple and it’s really surprising why didn’t anyone come up with such a solution earlier. No, it doesn’t do any miracles or change your body. It simply increases the amount of blood flowing into the penis upon sexual excitement and seals it there until ejaculation. This simple mechanism is very effective in the majority of erectile dysfunction cases because it addresses the actual problem that leads to male impotence.

There are many different conditions that cause erectile dysfunction, including smoking, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cancer, heart diseases, high cholesterol and many others. All these conditions affect different parts of the body in a different way and cause different complications. Yet there’s a particular effect that all these health problems have in common – they deteriorate blood vessels affecting the normal circulation of blood through different parts of the body. When this happens in the penile area there’s less blood flowing into the penis when an erection is formed, which results in flaccid erections that don’t stay for very long. So the most evident way of overcoming the problem is actually increasing the blood flow when it’s necessary. And that’s exactly what Levitra does when it’s taken.

Yet, you have to understand a few things about using erectile dysfunction drugs. First of all, they are not magic pills that will make all your problems go away in an instant. ED drugs represent only a temporary solution to the problem and you will have to take them every time you want to get good erections. If you want permanent results – try treating the condition at cause instead. Taking the fact that it’s often very hard and even impossible to treat certain health conditions that may cause erectile dysfunction it’s easier to carry on taking ED meds.

Another aspect of erectile dysfunction medications is that they are often confused with aphrodisiacs. None of the ED pills approved by the FDA affect the user’s sex drive. They only improve the quality of erections. So if the problem is primarily in getting sexually aroused don’t expect any effects from ED pills because they won’t work. And if you’re expecting an automatic erection right after taking the pill – you’re in for a real disappointment. Drugs like levitra should be used as intended, preferably with a doctor’s prescription. So it’s in your own interest to consult with a professional if you really want the drug to help.

Over the years, doctors and surgeons struggled to find the one magic substance that can be taken orally or rubbed on to the penis without finding anything in the natural world that could improve on the placebo effect. For the record, even in modern clinical trials, the chemically inert placebos are reported effective by an average one-third of participants. The power of the mind to heal the body remains strong. There were even surgeons who found men desperate enough to go through experimental implant operations where various stiffening substances and objects were installed. Needless to say, none of these early attempts produced reliable results.

This left it to the pure scientists to have their shot. Their best effort came through the vacuum tube. The reasoning is absolutely correct. An erection is formed naturally when the penile artery dilates and the heart pumps an excessive amount of blood into the penis. So if the action of the heart is not strong enough to push blood through an artery that refuses to dilate fully, a vacuum must be used to draw the blood through. Remarkably, even though the device itself looks like a joke with its plunger to extract the air, it really does work. A few strokes of the plunger reduces the air pressure and blood comes into the penis. To counteract the withdrawal of the penis from the device simply deflating the erection, a band is placed around the penis to keep the excess of blood inside. It may not produce the hardest of erections, but with a little assistance, it’s usually possible to penetrate.

All this application of science became “lost in the past” when the new PDE5 inhibitor drugs came along. When most men can just take a pill, no one wants to even think about using a clumsy machine. It demolishes spontaneity. Except there are a small number of men who, for a variety of reasons, cannot take Levitra or the other drugs. Not everyone wants to go back to the injections which were reasonably successful. They do produce erections, but they can last quite a long time. So that left the vacuum pump until Dr Nick Ossei-Gerning came on to the scene. He’s pioneering a new operation to insert a stent into the penile artery. For those of you not up on the technology, a stent is a small tube inserted into a blood vessel, usually close to the heart, to relieve an obstruction. It supports the walls of the vessel and allows the blood to flow smoothly through the damaged section. So far, the results of the penile artery implants look good and this creative surgeon will formally present his findings at a conference this October.

So this brings new hope to the men who find themselves unable to take Levitra. Going back to the vacuum pump was never an attractive option so, if this relatively simply operation is proved a success, it will become a relative quick and inexpensive way of treating erectile dysfunction. While no surgical procedure is ever pleasant, this would appear relatively risk free and provide a long-lasting cure for the problem – obviously once inserted, the stent will generally increase the supply of blood into the penis and, when an erection is required, little effort will be required to pump in more.

How Propecia was developed

Humble beginnings

Propecia first hit the market as a drug intended for treatment of enlarged prostate glands in men, back in 1992. It was invented as a result of observations based on sexual development observed in children as they matured. In some boys, a significantly smaller prostate and absence of male pattern baldness was found upon reaching adulthood. Under further examination, hormonal compounds were then discovered that, when isolated, helped with prostate enlargement. It was later noted that patients undergoing treatment also showed improvement in their hair loss. These observations eventually led to the development of the first-ever successful treatment for male pattern baldness.

Propecia FDA approval

Although the FDA approved the drug initially in 1992, it was specifically designated for use in treating enlarged prostates. However, they officially endorsed its use for effectively treating hair loss a few years later, in 1997. Since then, propecia is far and away the most effective prescription drug treatment available for stopping the procession of male pattern baldness, and also hair loss due to other causes. Unfortunately, it is only used for male hair loss, and not for female.

Alternative Prescription Treatments

There are only a handful of other prescription treatment options for male pattern baldness. One of these, while showing signs of effectiveness in other countries, has not been yet approved for safe or effective use in the United States. Other treatment options that have been tried include a cream that is applied directly to the scalp. This was originally intended as treatment for psoriasis of the scalp. It has shown some improvement in cases of very mild hair loss, but has not been officially approved for use in treating baldness by the FDA. Another treatment sometimes prescribed comes in the form of cortisone shots. These are injected on a monthly basis, directly into the scalp. Cortisone pills are also sometimes used, but they are not always effective and can have various harmful side effects. While these treatments also show some signs of effectiveness, many doctors are not comfortable suggesting using cortisone in cases of long-term use.

Propecia vs. Over-the-Counters

Since hair loss affects so many people, and does not have very many choices for effective treatment, a variety of creams, pills, and powders have sprung up in an attempt to entice the buyer. Since none of these products has ever undergone systematic testing either for safety or effectiveness, their success rates is largely anecdotal, and not necessarily reliable. propecia is truly the best option for those seeking effective treatment for their hair loss.