How to get the blood flowing
Submitted by: Marc C. Gittelman, M.D.
Sibmitted on: August 26, 2008
Q: I am in my 40s and noticing some changes in my sexuality. It’s so sublte that my wife doesn’t notice, but I want to be firmer during intimacy. I don’t want to take medications. What else can I do to help myself?
A: Many men don’t recognize that the penis is not a muscle, but rather a chamber that receives blood flow. Therefore, the better the blood flow, the better your erection. So the first goal is to improve blood flow naturally — by exercising regularly and loosing weight.
Exercise improves blood flow to the heart. Trimming down also will decrease the extra work the heart has to do.
If you smoke, stop immediately because toxins in cigarettes harm the vessels that supply blood to the genital organs.
Also, check your cholesterol levels. If they’re high, ask your doctor for guidelines on lowering your cholesterol through dietary changes. Cholesterol and lipids can block of the arteries that are vital to the blood flow needed to achieve good erections.
If this cannot be accomplished naturally, you and your physisian may consider taking one of the popular cholesterol-lowering medicines, called statins.
A recent medical study showed in rats and in men, bringing down cholesterol in certain men may rapidly reverse erectile dysfunction.