Embark on a journey to demystify one of men's most personal and private concerns: erectile dysfunction (ED). We'll guide you through the often unspoken trials and tribulations that accompany this condition, and promise that by the end of our discussion, you'll be equipped with not only a comprehensive understanding but also practical solutions to take charge of your sexual health. Peel back the layers of ED's psychological impact, and discover the importance of communication in unraveling the complex interplay between physical and psychological factors. This episode doesn't just stop at the surface; it delves into the critical signals that ED may be sending about your overall health.
As we navigate the seas of treatment options, you'll gain insight into the effectiveness of various therapies, from vacuum pumps to cutting-edge medications and lifestyle modifications. There's no one-size-fits-all solution here; instead, we illuminate personalized paths to overcoming ED, tailored to each unique situation. Moreover, we'll touch upon the innovative Contino urethral insert, a game-changer for men grappling with stress urinary incontinence, and how it's redefining the approach to managing such conditions. Join us for an episode that not only redefines men's health care but also inspires a proactive stance on personal well-being.
Embark on a journey to demystify one of men's most personal and private concerns: erectile dysfunction (ED). We'll guide you through the often unspoken trials and tribulations that accompany this condition, and promise that by the end of our discussion, you'll be equipped with not only a comprehensive understanding but also practical solutions to take charge of your sexual health. Peel back the layers of ED's psychological impact, and discover the importance of communication in unraveling the complex interplay between physical and psychological factors. This episode doesn't just stop at the surface; it delves into the critical signals that ED may be sending about your overall health.
As we navigate the seas of treatment options, you'll gain insight into the effectiveness of various therapies, from vacuum pumps to cutting-edge medications and lifestyle modifications. There's no one-size-fits-all solution here; instead, we illuminate personalized paths to overcoming ED, tailored to each unique situation. Moreover, we'll touch upon the innovative Contino urethral insert, a game-changer for men grappling with stress urinary incontinence, and how it's redefining the approach to managing such conditions. Join us for an episode that not only redefines men's health care but also inspires a proactive stance on personal well-being.
Speaker 1:
If you enjoy the show. There's one simple way you can show your support Just hit the follow button on the app you're using to listen to the show. Right now, I'm working so hard to take everything on the show to the next level, and your follow means a lot to me. It's the only free thing I'll ever ask of you and it truly makes a big difference. Thank you sincerely for your support. I truly appreciate it.
Speaker 1:
This podcast is brought to you by Life360 Innovations, the creators of the Contino urethral insert, a non-surgical, health Canada licensed medical device for men with stress urinary incontinence. Contino is easy to use and blocks the flow of urine without the need for adult diapers or pads. More than just a medical device, the Contino Care Program connects you with experienced medical professionals and creates a personalized treatment plan that provides ongoing support so you can get back to life. Go to mycontinocom to see if Contino is right for you and book your free continence assessment. Is right for you and book your free continence assessment. Get bladder leakage control with Contino and get back to living. Remember, go to mycontinocom. That's M-Y-C-O-N-T-I-N-Ocom, mycontinocom.
Speaker 1:
Welcome to another episode of my Little Health Podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in. We've dropped about 32 episodes so far and thanks so much for your downloads and for your follow. That is just so awesome. If you can follow me, you can listen on iTunes, google Play, spotify, apple wherever you listen to your favorite podcast. Hopefully you've listened to the preamble to this, which is just basically around the truth about marriage and from a sexual perspective, from a sexual frequency perspective, but if you haven't, I might suggest you go back and listen to that one first, unless you're just totally interested in this straight up information.
Speaker 1:
I'm about to give you this straight up health information around erectile dysfunction. You know, it's a very difficult problem for men and it can impact a relationship, and it can also be a problem for women as well, because when a woman is in a relationship with a man, erectile dysfunction can lead to low sexual desire. It can lead to embarrassment and shame and sexless marriage as well. So what is erectile dysfunction? Erectile dysfunction is the inability to attain and or maintain an erection adequate for penetrative sex. Let me say that again maintain an erection adequate for penetrative sex. Let me say that again. Erectile dysfunction is the inability to attain and or maintain an erection adequate for penetrative sex. Every now and again, people have difficulty having an erection. You know, from time to time it's not a cause for concern because it can be related to fatigue and stress and other issues as well.
Speaker 1:
But if erectile dysfunction is an ongoing issue for you, it can cause embarrassment, stress, it can impact your self-esteem and it can also, as I mentioned, contribute to relationship or marital problems. Contribute to relationship or marital problems. And the other thing is is that erectile dysfunction can be a sign. It can be the canary in the coal mine. It can actually be a sign of an underlying health condition and is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease or heart disease.
Speaker 1:
So it's important that you talk to your doctor about erectile dysfunction. Don't be embarrassed, don't be ashamed. It is something that your doctor should know something about. It's a very common problem. Even if you're embarrassed, it's important that you make that appointment and talk to your doctor about it, and it's also fine to talk to your partner about it. Talk to your spouse, talk to your wife, talk to your lover that this is an issue and sometimes treating that underlying condition is enough to reverse the erectile dysfunction.
Speaker 1:
In other cases you might need a vacuum pump or medication, or even weight loss can help significantly as well, and I have my all in nutrition plan and I'm happy to email that to you. Just email me nursetalk at hotmailcom and just say nutrition plan, call it the all-in diet, and that's because you got to go all in. If you want to go all in, go all in on the diet If you want to have erections adequate for penetrative sex, because when you are overweight, you know, sex is about blood flow, especially when erections are about blood flow. And so when you're overweight and the blood flow especially, and erections are about blood flow, and so when you're overweight and the blood isn't flowing as well, it can impact your, your penis, and so it's good to take that weight off. Exercise as well is really important. You know the symptoms of erectile dysfunction could be persistent difficulty getting an erection, trouble keeping an erection and reduced sexual desire. So, as I said, you have to speak to your doctor about it, because you could have something like diabetes, heart disease or another health condition that might be linked to erectile dysfunction, and so that's very important.
Speaker 1:
Male sexual arousal is a complex process. It involves your brain, hormones, nerves, emotions, muscles, blood vessels. It can result from a problem with any of these. So you understand just how complex this is and it's important to get to the bottom of it. It can also have stress.
Speaker 1:
Psychological issues, mental health concerns can actually cause or worsen erectile dysfunction, and sometimes it can be a combination of physical and psychological issues that leads to your erectile dysfunction. Maybe you have a minor physical condition that slows your sexual response and that might cause some anxiety about maintaining your erection. For example and that's the important piece about erectile dysfunction, it's not just the inability to get an erection. Sometimes you might get an erection, but you can't keep the erection, and so we define that as erectile dysfunction, and then you can have this vicious cycle if you have this physical condition that slows your sexual response and leads to anxiety, and then the anxiety can worsen, or it can actually worsen the erectile dysfunction and it just one thing leads to another. But oftentimes erectile dysfunction is caused by something physical, and so it can be atherosclerosis, for example, or high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and the blood pressure that you should have should be 120 over 80 or below. That's what you should aim for. Okay, it's important that your blood pressure is controlled. You can also have diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome.
Speaker 1:
A lot of the neurological disorders have associated erectile dysfunction with them, like Parkinson's disease because erectile dysfunction is related to nerves and nerve damage. Ms, certain prescription medications, smoking, alcoholism and other forms of substance abuse can also be the cause for erectile dysfunction. Sleep disorders, prostate cancer, enlarged prostate, bph surgeries or other injuries that affect the pelvic area or the spinal cord, and also low T, low testosterone, can lead to erectile dysfunction as well. That's why guys should have a baseline testosterone level done at age 40. The brain plays a significant role in triggering that series of events that causes an erection and it starts with that sexual excitement. But a lot of things can interfere with sexual feelings and can cause or worsen erectile dysfunction, like depression, anxiety, other mental health conditions like bipolar disorder, alcoholism abuse, stress, relationship problems because of stress, poor communication, resentment, those kinds of things. They can all lead to erectile dysfunction or make your erectile dysfunction that much worse.
Speaker 1:
The Sunday Night Health Show podcast is brought to you by Couples Co Because you know what they say life's too short for bad sex. Couples Co is committed to everyone having better relationships and sex through intimacy, play and pleasure. So head on over to the website CouplesCocom. That's CouplesCocom, because you know what they say life's too short for bad sex. And as you get older erections might take a bit longer to develop, it may not be as firm and you might need to touch yourself a little bit more, more direct touch to your penis, to get and keep an erection. So that can be helpful and that is something that you may need as you get older.
Speaker 1:
You know there's certain things, certain medical conditions like diabetes or heart conditions that can lead to erectile dysfunction and these are risk factors for you. So that's why it's so important that your cholesterol you have it checked and your blood pressure and your blood sugar really important and also abdominal girth and your weight very important to have those numbers and to be in good physical condition and eat a very nutritious diet. If you'd like a copy of my all in nutrition plan nursetalkathotmailcom I'm happy to send that to you free of charge and it has a shopping list, it has meal suggestions and it has all sorts of information about the healthy foods that you should be eating so that your blood sugar can be controlled and your cholesterol can be lowered and your blood pressure when you take the weight off, your blood pressure drops as well. Very important to know your blood pressure. The other thing is keep in mind what medications you're on antidepressants, antihistamines, medications to treat high blood pressure can lead to erectile dysfunction as well.
Speaker 1:
Patients to treat high blood pressure can lead to erectile dysfunction as well, and you know, of course it's good to. You know, get therapy if you need it and manage your anxiety. Or, you know, try and deal with your depression, because those can also lead to erectile dysfunction, and really limit your alcohol use. You know, try and very, very moderate intake of alcohol because that can lead to ED as well. And you know ED can lead to lower self-esteem, shame, embarrassment, an unsatisfactory sex life, stress, relationship problems and also the inability to start a family or get your partner pregnant. So it's important that you, if you are having erectile dysfunction, understand that there's no shame.
Speaker 1:
It's a medical condition, likely related to another medical condition as well. So you'll want to work with your doctor to manage your diabetes, heart disease or other chronic health conditions that you might have. Make sure you go to your doctor for regular checkups and medical screening tests. Stop smoking, limit or avoid alcohol altogether and exercise regularly. Try and manage your stress. We all have stress and it's how you respond to the stress, not how you react to it. Try not to react to it. A lot of people lose their cool, and that can also tighten your blood vessels and therefore the blood isn't going to be flowing. And there's no shame in getting help for anxiety, depression or other mental health conditions.
Speaker 1:
But you know I see a lot of patients in my clinical practice and they've tried some of the PDE5 inhibitor medications like the ones you've seen at every Super Bowl game Viagra, levitra, cialis, staxan and you know they've tried them, but they didn't understand how they worked, and so it's important that you try them five to six times before you determine whether they will be able to work for you. Many men can't tolerate the side effects, and some of them are significant side effects like nasal congestion, pounding headache, increased heart rate, and so they'll come to me because they either tried it and it didn't work, and I tell them that you know they have to try the medication five or six times. They have to be sexually aroused in order for Viagra or Levitra or Cialis to work as well. It works best in a testosterone rich environment, and so those are some important factors before or if you've been prescribed one of the PDE5 inhibitors like Viagra, cialis, levitra or Staxan. So those are important to remember and a lot of guys don't realize that. They're quite surprised by that. And also, you know, depending on the dose, it sort of, you know, depends on their physical condition as well. And so a lot of guys come to me and they've got a large gut and they're overweight, their BMIs are above 25, well above 25. They don't exercise, they lead a sedentary lifestyle, and so that's when I suggest my all-in nutrition plan and I'm happy to email it to you, nursetalkathotmailcom.
Speaker 1:
Um and also um offer some conservative measures as well, like the. The Sinclair vacuum pump is another option for treating erectile dysfunction. Um, instead of the medication, there's also intracarbonosal injections, there's also urethral pellets. So there's a number of different options to treat. But I find being in the best physical condition, reducing your waistline, reducing, if you're overweight, you know, losing some weight. That'll bring your blood pressure down, reduce your risk of stroke, reduce your risk of erectile dysfunction, and you know what it works every time.
Speaker 1:
If you adhere to the nutrition plan, it will work, I promise you. Your erections will be better, your blood will flow better, you'll be happier and you'll be healthier, which is even more important to be happy and healthy. Which one is more important, I'm not exactly sure. Anyway, both One leads to the other, but in order to be diagnosed you might need a physical exam. You might need blood tests, urine tests as well, to look for signs of diabetes. The lab tests as well will look for signs of heart disease, low testosterone levels and other conditions, and sometimes you'll have an ultrasound done. It's a test usually performed by a specialist in an office and it involves like a wand-like device or a transducer held over the blood vessels that supply the penis and it creates a video image and your doctor is able to see if you have blood flow problems, because erections are about blood flow and erectile dysfunction is about lack of blood flow. Sometimes they might inject medication into your penis to stimulate the blood flow to try and produce an erection, and a little test that we used to give to patients to see if they were having nocturnal erections in their sleep was just to put a piece of tape, a piece of paper, around the diameter of your penis when you go to sleep and then when you wake up in the morning, if the paper is broken, then you likely had an erection in the middle of the night. You probably will also have to go through a psychological exam, you know, to see if there's other possible causes, other psychological causes of erectile dysfunction.
Speaker 1:
And so I mentioned the medications, and oftentimes that's the first thing that doctors will do they want to give you a prescription. But you know a lot of those medications the sildenafil, viagra, tadalafil, cialis, bardenafil, which is Levitra, and staxan and stendra or staxan. You know those are the medications of choice and they enhance the effects of nitric oxide, which nitric oxide is important because it's a natural chemical that your body produces and it relaxes the muscles in your penis and that allows for the increased blood flow and allows you to get an erection in response to sexual stimulation very important for an erection. But taking these tablets, as I said, it doesn't automatically produce an erection and so sexual stimulation you've got to be sexually aroused is needed first to release the nitric oxide from your penile nerves and the medications amplify that signal and that allows normal penile function. And the medications amplify that signal and that allows normal penile function for some people.
Speaker 1:
And you know these ED medications are not aphrodisiacs, they're not going to cause the excitement and they're not needed in people who get normal erections, and that's very important as well, you know. But they do have side effects and also there's certain precautions that you have to take. For example, you cannot take nitrite drugs, which are commonly prescribed for chest pain like angina. So you can take nitroglycerin, nitroder, nitrostat, isorbidide monoket and isodil and vital. You can't take them if you have heart disease or heart failure or if you have very low blood pressure. Um, so you have to be careful. But your doctor, you know, should have that question, should re or should have that information for you and, um, you might ask him about that as well. They may want to review the medications that you're on.
Speaker 1:
I mentioned some of the others the alprostadil self-injection, that's the intracavinosal injection, and it's a fine needle. You know, I know a lot of guys who actually use this and they inject into the base or side of their penis and you know that can be, uh, very helpful for um, for people as well. I want to talk about Peyronie's disease also, um, but I I'll finish with the erythro suppositories and then sometimes, um, people need testosterone replacement because, you know, the erectile dysfunction may be complicated by low levels of the hormone testosterone and so, but you have to go to somebody who is skilled in prescribing testosterone and treating people with low testosterone. You have to be very careful with that, and I mentioned the penile pumps. That's the Sinclair vacuum pump. It's a hollow tube with a hand powered or battery powered pump and you put the penis in the tube or you put the tube over your penis and then the pump is used to suck out the air inside the tube and this creates a vacuum that pulls blood into your penis. A lot of guys use this, a lot of guys like this device as well. I have it on my website, maureenmcgrathcom, and once you get an erection, you slip a tension ring around the base of your penis to hold the blood in and keep it firm so that you can have intercourse or engage in sex, and then you remove the vacuum device. But well, I probably should have said that you actually put the vacuum device on and then put the ring on and then remove the vacuum device and then you can have sex. But you don't want to keep that ring on for, you know, more than 30 minutes max. You can get bruising of the penis that's a possible side effects and the ejaculation will be restricted by the band that you have. But you know it's the one that I recommend is the Sinclair one, and this is a good choice for a lot of people that want to, but remember that tension ring or that penile ring around the base of your penis should not be left on longer than maximum 30 minutes.
Speaker 1:
Penile implants that's the end of the road. That's for people who, you know, absolutely know nothing else and it's really impacting their quality of life. They have a high degree of satisfaction among those who have tried them and have failed. More conservative therapies, but there's risk of complications, like infection, for example. Exercise is so important. Recent studies have found that exercise, especially moderate to vigorous aerobic activity, can improve erectile dysfunction. And even less strenuous exercise Just walking is such a great exercise, so you want to make sure you include that as part of your treatment plan.
Speaker 1:
And, of course, if it's caused by stress or anxiety, depression, relationship issues, financial problems, you know get the help that you need. And stress or anxiety, depression, relationship issues, financial problems, you know get the help that you need. And you know somebody. There may be somebody that you can speak to, a good friend, a trusted friend, or you might want to talk to your partner about it or what's bothering you A lot of guys keep a lot inside or you may want to visit a psychologist or a counselor.
Speaker 1:
Nonetheless, there are lots of treatments for erectile dysfunction. It's a common concern for a lot of men, especially as men age, and you don't have to live with it and there should be no shame attached to it. But I understand I've heard from guys. You know there is and a lot of guys get erectile dysfunction after prostate cancer surgery. You know they also get urinary incontinence but they're so delighted that they don't no longer have cancer, but then they have these two quality of life issues. They may have these two quality of life issues leakage of urine and erectile dysfunction and they're just like I. Yeah, I knew it was going to happen, but I didn't think it was going to affect me this badly. But there are treatments and just seek out the treatments. Feel free to email me nursetalkathotmailcom and, of course, if you want my all-in nutrition plan, nursetalkathotmailcom and I'll be happy to send that out to you.
Speaker 1:
Thanks so much for tuning in. Stay tuned for the next episode. Make sure you listen to that because it's the other side of the coin the low sexual desire in women. I'm Maureen McGrath. Thanks so much for tuning in. Thanks so much for tuning in. I'm Maureen McGrath and you have been listening to the Sunday Night Health Show podcast. If you want to hear this podcast or any other segment again, feel free to go to iTunes, spotify or Google Play or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. You can always email me, nursetalkathotmailcom, or text the show 604-765-9287. That's 604-765-9287. Or head on over to my website for more information. Maureenmcgrathcom, it's been my pleasure to spend this time with you.
Speaker 1:
This podcast is brought to you by life 360 innovations, the creators of the contino urethral insert, a non-surgical health canada licensed medical device for men with stress urinary incontinence. Contino is easy to use and blocks the flow of urine without the need for adult diapers or pads. More than just a medical device, the Contino Care Program connects you with experienced medical professionals and creates a personalized treatment plan that provides ongoing support so you can get back to life. Go to MyContinocom to see if Contino is right for you and book your free continence assessment. Get bladder leakage control with Contino and get back to living. Remember, go to MyContinocom. That's M-Y-C-O-N-T-I-N-Ocom, mycontinocom.
