May 10, 2008

Good Health = Super Sex

You can’t expect to have topnotch sexual function if you have poor overall health. Hypertension, cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled diabetes, and other disorders involving impaired circulation are commonly linked with sexual dysfunction. That’s because optimal blood flow is required to produce erections in men and clitoral engorgement in women. Other conditions that can affect interest in sex and the ability to act on that interest include anxiety, depression, hormonal imbalances, chronic pain, and neurological problems. Once these health issues are tackled, desire and function often return.

Many of the medications used to treat these diseases make things even worse for your sex life. For example, psychotropic drugs are notorious for causing significant sexual dysfunction. Studies suggest that up to 60 percent of the men and women taking Prozac and related SSRI antidepressants have difficulty achieving orgasm. Also problematic are some blood pressure–lowering drugs, and this is especially true for beta blockers but includes stimulants, narcotics, antihistamines, sleeping pills, and peptic ulcer and heart medications.

Harvard researchers have found that men who eat a good diet, exercise regularly, and maintain their optimal weight are able to delay age-associated erectile dysfunction by 10 years or so. Among the bad habits that contribute to sexual problems are drinking too much alcohol, overeating (obesity), and smoking. As you can see, anything you can do to improve your overall health will also improve your sexual function. Men who are having sexual difficulties should give supplemental testosterone a try. Testosterone production tapers off throughout adulthood. This decline is linked not only with sexual problems but also with increased risk of obesity, loss of muscle and bone mass, heart disease, diabetes, and even death. Supplemental testosterone is an amazing libido lifter. (High levels of this hormone explain why young men think about sex so often.) If lack of interest is your problem, I can almost guarantee it will work. But sexual desire isn’t the main problem for most men—it’s erectile dysfunction (ED). And testosterone can also improve function. If testosterone doesn’t work, you can move on to alternatives such as Viagra, Cilas and other ED drugs.