It’s believed that 50% of all men aged between 40 and 70 experience erectile dysfunction (ED) at some stage. But while you may get ED, it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to suffer from it. There are many different things you can do to if you are suffering from ED and we’ve covered three of the best ones below.
Recommended reading: WHAT IMPACT DO DAILY EXERCISE AND NUTRITIONAL MEALS HAVE ON YOUR HEALTH?
How to tackle ED with exercise: walking vs. pelvic exercise
Exercise has many different health benefits, both physical and mental. Two such examples are that exercise increases both the production and release of serotonin, along with helping to reduce your blood pressure. ED is a condition that has both physical and psychological causes, and exercise is a way of easing the condition – with walking and pelvic exercise both good ways of doing this.
A Harvard study looked at the benefits of walking on reducing ED. It found that walking for 30 minutes a day reduced the chances of you getting ED by 41%. A test from the UK’s University of the West of England assessed the effects of pelvic exercises on erectile dysfunction. Its study concluded that 40% of test subjects were able to regain their ability to achieve and sustain an erection after carrying out pelvic exercises.
When pitting walking versus pelvic exercise, it’s fair to say that the former is a good way of preventing you from suffering ED, while the latter is a proven method for treating your erectile dysfunction – it’s prevention versus cure.
How to tackle ED with your diet: cocoa vs. pistachios
Problems with your blood are one of the main physical causes of ED. To get and then keep an erection you need a clear flow of blood to your penis, otherwise there will be nothing to make it hard. There are many foods you can take to help tackle blood issues, with cocoa and pistachio nuts being two of the best examples.
Cocoa helps to increase the flow of blood to your penis. This is because it contains flavonoids, plant metabolites that have been reported to reduce hypertension and help manage high blood pressure. Pistachios also raise the levels of blood flowing to your penis, but through a different agent – arginine. Arginine improves your body’s antioxidant defenses, which helps boost its nitric oxide production and aids blood flow.
When comparing coca and pistachios, it’s fair to say that both of these foods help address ED for the same reason – they both improve the flow of blood to your penis, making it easier for you to get and maintain an erection. In which case, you could benefit from adding both to your diet.
How to tackle ED with medicine: Viagra Connect vs. Viagra
Since it’s release in 1998, Viagra has become the most well-known (and probably the most popular) medicinal treatment for ED – about 70% of men get a positive response from Viagra and there were 2 million prescriptions written for the medication in the US in 2016 alone.
In 2018, Viagra Connect was launched as a non-prescription medicine for ED sufferers, but does it tackle ED as effectively as regular Viagra? Comparing Viagra Connect versus Viagra, there are two main differences. Firstly, you can buy Viagra Connect over the counter; secondly, Viagra Connect comes in 50mg doses, unlike Viagra which can be bought in doses of 25mg, 50mg, or 100mg.
As Viagra Connect offers the exact same medical benefits as Viagra, choosing which of the two medications to help tackle your ED depends on the severity of your condition – if your ED is of an average-level severity then the former is probably better (as it doesn’t require a prescription); if your erectile dysfunction is of a high-level severity, then you’ll need to speak to a doctor who is more likely to prescribe Viagara.
Millions of people suffer from ED all over the world. While considering tackling it with exercise, diet, or medication are three of the many things you should do when you have ED, there’s just one you shouldn’t do – ignore it.
