Sexual dysfunction usually pertains to a condition experienced by a couple or an individual during any phase of a typical sexual activity (desire, arousal, orgasm). When problems of this nature manifest, it can affect the sexual life of the couple or the person. An exhaustive evaluation of the person’s health sexual history and other sexual difficulties are important to help treat male sexual dysfunction.
Some Conventional Treatments for Male Sexual Dysfunction
A lot of causes for male sexual dysfunction are associated with anxiety regarding performance, which in this case, counseling can be helpful. Anxiety may be due to lack of sexual experience or past experience of sexual performance gone awry. This usually results in avoidance to sex or fear in performing sex with a woman. However, evasion often results in more anxiety that can lead to problems like impotence or erectile dysfunction. The latter can be caused by marital or relationship disharmony, which in this case, counseling is recommended.
Modifications in lifestyle including ceasing intake of alcohol or smoking cessation or discontinuing the use of certain drugs can be helpful in treating certain forms of erectile dysfunction. Impotency drugs such as Levitra, Cialis and Viagra can temporarily resolve erectile dysfunction. They provide benefits in about 65% of men who use them. Chronic sickness and a wrong diagnosis are some of the reasons these drugs don’t work on some of the men suffering from ED (erectile dysfunction) or impotency.
A rather new addition to the list of impotency pharmaceutical drugs is intracavernous pharmacotherapy. It is quite effective in temporarily treating 85% of men who use it. However, unlike Levitra, Cialis and Viagra, intracavernous pharmacotherapy needs to be directly injected into the penis to work. Some of the side effects of this drug are pain and priapism (prolonged erection).
Traditional Chinese Medicine’s Perspective to Male Sexual Dysfunction
In the view of Traditional Chinese Medicine, attaining and maintaining an erection is the job of the Liver and Kidney. Kidney jing is responsible for reproduction while Kidney yang controls the process of erection. When the Kidney is weak, it decreases the function of the Kidney jing and Yang causing problems in both fertility and erection.
Male sexual dysfunction can be caused by two (among five) patterns of disharmony. These are:
Heart and Spleen deficiency
Kidney deficiency
Heart and Spleen deficiency
Men with this pathological pattern are often timid and nervous. They tend to be fatigued both mentally and physically. The patient usually has a hard time attaining and maintaining an erection during a sexual activity with a partner although he may find it easier to get an erection when masturbating or when he is asleep. The tongue may be pale or pale on the perimeter. Other symptoms of Heart and Spleen deficiency include nervousness and panic attack during social events, palpitations and insomnia, which are all signs of shen disturbance.
Treatment
Psychotherapy can help. Chinese herbs commonly used for this condition include Quan Da Bu Wan (for cold glans penis, cold feet and hands and cold intolerance) and Gui Pi Wan. The patient may need to eat more protein to resupply Blood besides the herbs and/or therapy.
Kidney deficiency
This type of disharmony is a huge cause of male infertility, low libido and erectile dysfunction. The yin, yang and/or jing of the kidney may be affected. The health of the Kidney is essentially tied to a man’s sexual health and so if your kidneys are strong, your sexual life is healthy as well.
In terms of yin and yang kidney deficiency, the one that afflicts a majority of sufferers is Kidney yang deficiency. Since Kidney yang is where the ‘Fire of desire’ originates, maintaining the health of the kidney yang is important in order to attain an erection. People suffering from this imbalance may have poor sperm motility and count. They may have watery and thin ejaculation and are intolerant to cold. They usually suffer from urinary issues (frequent urination, nocturia, etc.) They are easily fatigued, especially when they are having sex. This problem is often seen in older men.
Treatment
To help reignite Kidney Fire, the herbal formula Fu Gu Ba Wei Wan is recommended especially when the patient experiences cold extremities or cold intolerance. Horny goat weed (Ba Ji Yin Yang Wan) can be used to cure frequent urination and nocturia. For simple cases of Kidney deficiency, You Gui Wan can be taken for six to nine months.
Kidney yin can be damaged by severe stress (lack of sleep, constant shifting of work schedule, overwork, etc.). The Yin can also suffer from frequent drug use, inadequate hydration or certain illnesses. Yin can be affected by constant use of stimulants including cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines. Even the improper utilization of herbal tonics such as deer horn and red ginseng to boost sexual performance can harm Kidney yin.
Diet and lifestyle changes are important to restore Kidney yin to its normal and healthy state of health. Based on the symptoms and signs, herbal formulas such as Zhou Gui Wan or Liu Wei Di Huang Wan can be prescribed by your traditional Chinese medicine doctor. If the patient overheats, has frequent vivid dreams, is restless at night, has night sweats or is often hot, Shi Bai Ba Wei Wan can help. If Kidney yin deficiency is complicated by energy stagnation, the formula Yee Guan Jian Wan can do the trick. Tian Wang Bu Hsin Dan can be suitable for mouth ulcers, hot temper, irritability and dry eyes symptoms as well as for anxiety, palpitations and insomnia. All these tonics can be taken for nine months to a whole year.
Health Source Acupuncture
401 New Rd #211
Linwood, NJ 08221
Phone: (609) 248-6922
www.healthsourceacupuncture.com