Diabetes Can Ruin A Perfectly Good love life

Any man can experience erectile dysfunction (ED) ongoing trouble getting or keeping an erection that’s firm enough for intercourse. But, men with diabetes are especially at risk. In fact, between 35 percent and 50 percent of them have ED. They also develop the condition about 10 to 15 years earlier than those without diabetes.

The good news is that ED is treatable. So, if it’s cause for concern, talk with your doctor.

There are chambers filled with spongy tissue, smooth muscle, veins and arteries. Nerves help control whether blood flows in or out of these chambers. An erection occurs when the spongy tissue fills with blood, making it expand and harden.Diabetes can interfere with sex in at least two ways:

Nerve damage: Which can stop signals that help trigger an erection.

Blood vessel injury: Also caused by diabetes may slow blood flow to the penis.

But, you can help lower the risk of ED and other diabetes complications. Here’s how:

If you smoke try to stop: Like diabetes, tobacco smoke also injures blood vessels.

Be proactive in keeping your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels under control.

Start up an exercise program, but make sure to talk with your doctor before increasing your physical activity big time.

Get to and then maintain a healthy weight. Excess weight makes it harder to control diabetes. It also increases the risk of high blood pressure, which can damage blood vessels.

If you think you might have ED, your doctor or a urologist can diagnose it. If you are not already diabetic or have heart disease, ask about your risks of having these diseases, too. There may be links between all three conditions.Prescription medicines in pill form are among the many treatments for ED. Discuss options with your doctor. Sildenafil, vardenafil or tadalafil, for example, can help men have an erection when taken an hour before sexual activity.

These days there are a number of herbal supplements on the market similar to Viagra, Levitra, or Cialis that promise the same results for less cost. You can Search for them online.One last thing to consider is that men with heart conditions should talk with a doctor before using an ED drug. Taking ED medicines with heart medicines like nitrates could cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure.

Get In The Mood For Valentine’s Day

If you want to take Glenn Miller’s advice for Valentine’s Day and get In The Mood for some romance, there are some delectable delights that may help put some fire in the old furnace. Imagine a home cooked dinner with candles and some R-rated foods to help kick up the temperature.

In an article from CNN, Researchers say there is growing evidence that some foods enhance sexual function. Historically some foods have a reputation for being aphrodisiacs. One many have heard of is oysters, along with alcohol, almonds and avocados. Some medical studies suggest they may increase passion and sperm quality and decrease sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction (ED).

And if you are getting behind in the battle of the bulge including these mood enhancing foods into a healthy, balanced diet is a great way to help you get back to your sexy self. Research shows if you lose only 10% of your body weight you can improve the quality of your sex life. When you bring the negative images of yourself and your body in the boudoir it affects sexual well being also.

Here are some of the foods that have been touted in aphrodisiac history and tales of romance. Modern science bears out some of the claims also.

Alcohol in moderate quantities can help you relax and lower inhibitions, which can be a good thing, if you’re not driving at the time. Another plus is it raises good cholesterol, and reduces the chance of blood clots. If you don’t drink try a deeply colored 100% fruit juice like pomegranate or Concord grape juice. It has been found that the antioxidants in these juices can improve sperm quality and aid fertility.

For a long time now Almonds have been rumored to increase passion, act as a sexual stimulant, and aid with fertility. Like asparagus, almonds are nutrient dense and rich in several trace minerals that are important for sexual health and reproduction, such as zinc, selenium, and vitamin E.

Avocados make the list also according to the Mayo Clinic Health Library. This makes sense because they are good for your heart and your arteries. The Aztecs called them testicles, because of their physical shape. Science on the other hand says that they are rich in unsaturated fats and low in saturated fat, so they are good for your heart and arteries. Actually men with underlying heart disease are twice as likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction.

Oysters, ah yes, good old oysters. They have been thought to have aphrodisiac properties as long as I can remember, but very few studies have been conducted on them. In days gone by they were considered an aphrodisiac because of their shape, and since desire begins in the mind, the psychological effect was valid.

Medically the thing that makes these slippery sliders so potent is that they are full of zinc. Zinc controls progesterone levels, which have a positive effect on the libido. Zinc deficiency can cause impotence in men, so any food rich in zinc is considered an aphrodisiac in that respect, and oysters happen to be loaded with the mineral. Other seafood like wild salmon and herring contain omega3 fatty acids, which are essential for a healthy heart.

Strawberries red color helps get the libido moving based on a recent study men find women sexier if they're wearing red. Strawberries are also an excellent source of folic acid, a B vitamin that helps ward off birth defects in women and, may be tied to high sperm counts in men. This Valentine's Day, try making dark chocolate-dipped strawberries. And did you know that chocolate is loaded with libido enhancing methylzanthines.

Any member of Citrus fruit family is rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, and folic acid, all of which are essential for men's reproductive health. Rather than a steak linger over a romantic salad that includes citrus, like pink grapefruit or mandarin oranges, or maybe use a dressing made with lemon and lime.

During the 1st Century Arugula has been touted as an arousal aid. These days research uncovered that trace minerals and antioxidants in the dark, leafy greens are keys for our sexual health because they help block absorption of some of the environmental contaminants thought to negatively impacting our libido.

Figs look funny, but they have a long history of being a fertility booster, and an excellent aphrodisiac. They are loaded with fiber, which is important for heart health. In addition high-fiber foods help fill you up, not out, so it's easier to achieve that sexy bottom line or belt size.

Worried About ED? Go Easy On The Frosties.

Some recent survey data from Australia shed some interesting observations on the effects of alcohol on Erectile Dysfunction. What was interesting was the findings that if you drink alcohol it increases the rate of ED in men. Actually light or moderate use of alcohol may increase sexual performance. Heavy drinkers however had high rates of ED.

The rates of erectile dysfunction were about 30% lower among men who drank within NHMRC guidelines, (which is no more than four standard drinks per day over a five day period) and even among binge drinkers as compared to ex-drinkers. So if you have ED, it’s not necessary to give up or cut back usage of alcohol if you are a casual drinker. If you are not a drinker at all it also isn’t necessary to start because for some it is not a good choice at all.

If you are among the group who likes to have a cocktail or an occasional frosty, it’s all good. Other studies have also shown that a little alcohol is good for your heart and may help to lower the risk of erectile dysfunction.

From other data gathered in this study on cigarette smoking, smokers and former smokers were shown to have significantly higher odds of ED than people who never smoked.

If you have other factors like diabetes, that doesn’t get you off the hook for eating a healthy diet, losing weight and exercising though. But if you are into a weight loss program, here is an idea that we all might be able to put into practice.

With Super Bowl Sunday just around the corner, do you know about one of the best alcoholic drinks for those on a diet? Bacardi Rum and Diet Coke has only 10 calories. If a lite-beer is 90 calories the Bacardi and Diet Coke saves you 80 calories per drink. The next time you want to party or go out on the town you don't have to wreck your diet in the process.

ED And Diabetics Not A Recreational Issue

There have been a number of articles recently concerning Erectile Dysfunction being connected to Diabetes and Heart Health and the information is worth summarizing and passing along.

Findings from two studies of men with diabetes add to the evidence that erectile dysfunction can be a powerful early warning sign for serious heart disease. There's a physical connection between male sexual failure and heart disease, involving the effect of diabetes on the nervous system and the blood vessels, said Dr. E. Scott Monrad, director of the Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.

Another article advised telling your Doctor about it, but make sure that they don’t ignore the importance of recognizing this connection with your heart. According to Dr. Geoffrey Hackett from Good Hope Hospital in Birmingham (UK), patients show up at a doctor and bravely share their suffering with erectile dysfunction, hoping for a cure, and the doctor misses the fact that ED can be a serious warning sign for heart disease.

Many times there may be a couple of years before there are recognizable heart disease symptoms. This could lead to being more aggressive about lifestyle change, in diet and exercise, plus looking at risk factors like high blood pressure and cholesterol, to lower the risk of a heart attack, or stroke, but unfortunately it is often missed.

Some experts feels that ED is still mainly considered a "recreational or lifestyle issue" rather than a true medical event with serious health connections and implications. Dr. Hackett in the UK finds it amazing that the government has pledged to lower the death rate associated with heart disease and stroke, but has not implemented an ED screening process, especially in diabetic patients, whose ED plus diabetes can signal an imminent heart event.

So maybe we as patients need to bring it up. Something like, "hey doc, I’m having some trouble in the erection department and while we are checking on that, can you see how the old pump is working?" That should start things off.

Learn more about ED from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

As you age ED is more common than you think.

If you are over 40, one thing you may not think about much is ED. The reality is that 40% of men over age 40 experience some ED. The most likely cause is aging associated with diseases like elevated total cholesterol (and LDL), diabetes, heart disease and as a side effect of certain medications. Even though occasional ED is normal, it can cause severe anxiety.

Sexual health and function are important to quality of life. Disorders such as erectile dysfunction (ED) and female sexual dysfunction are becoming increasingly more important due to the aging Baby Boomer population.

Because of all the media attention, men and women of all ages are seeking guidance in an effort to improve their relationships and experience satisfying sexual lives. Sexual dysfunction is often associated with disorders such as diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, neurologic disorders, and depression. In some patients, sexual dysfunction may be a symptom of these disorders.

Additionally, ED is often an adverse effect of many medications.Successful treatment of sexual dysfunction has been demonstrated to improve sexual intimacy and satisfaction, improve sexual aspects of quality of life, improve overall quality of life, and relieve symptoms of depression.

It was in the news recently that researchers found that drugs like Levitra and Viagra, may help carry cancer-fighting drugs through the brain to treat malignant tumors.

Levitra and Viagra, known generically as sildenafil, are in a class of drugs known as PDE5 inhibitors. They were originally tested as heart drugs because they increase blood flow in small vessels.

So whether you are male or female, make sure when something goes wrong health-wise, no matter how personal, that you seek help and not suffer unnecessarily.