IT is a problem most patients would shy away from discussing with their doctors or even relations, but it is gradually emerging as a public health problem. In fact an estimated 10 to 30 million are said to be suffering from it. According to studies over 50 per cent of that number aged between 40 to 70 have experienced this condition.
It is called Erectile dysfunction, that is the inability to sustain a satisfactory erection. To many alternative medicine practitioners, it is simply impotence.
Whatever name it is called, practitioners are in agreement that the elimination of the risk factors such as stress, smoking , alcohol and the combination of some plants such as ginger, ginseng, onions, honey, juice of pumpkin leaf (ugu) mixed with milk, unripe plantain, local spices, pumpkin seeds would not only restore erection but also boost libido.
According to Joint Chief Medical Director of Eko Hospital, Dr. Sunny Kuku, conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease, chronic alcoholism, multiple sclerosis and cardiovascular disease account for around 70 per cent of cases of Erectile dysfunction.
"In some cases, the condition is caused by damage to the nerves and arteries near the penis which can occur during surgery, particularly for prostate and bladder cancer. Physical injury to the penis, spinal cord, prostate, bladder or pelvis can also be a factor," he says
According to him, Erectile dysfunction could also result from the side effect of some common medications especially drugs used for diabetes, blood pressure.
Essentiaally, the risk factors for Erectile dysfunction according to experts include excessive drinking, smoking and overweight.
In fact researchers say overweight men, chain smokers particularly men with high blood pressure and diabetic patients have an increased risk of developing impotence..
However, repeated scientific investigations have shown that excessive consumption of refined and processed foods such as soft drinks, white sugar, white flour and foods with preservatives and colourings, could strip the body of the mineral, zinc, a deficiency of this important mineral in the human body, they said could result to a poor development of the reproductive organs and sexual weakness, atrophy of the testes, prostate problems, infertility and impotency.
Dr. Godwin Ihesie , an Alternative Health practitioner with Elizabeth Kafaru Herbal Home Ijaiye-Ogba, Lagos, says, "high consumption of fatty foods, fried foods, red meat, pasteurised milk - these are known to cause high level of cholesterol which may lead to the formation of plaques that will clog the blood vessels and impede the free flow of blood to the male organ and this may result in sexual weakness or impotency."
He explains;"Excessive intake of alcohol weakens the male genital organ and also reduces the blood levels of male hormones. All kind of stimulants - these include coffee, strong tea, strong alcoholic beverages, cigarette- these are said to initially whip - up the nervy for sexual activities and will later drain the organ of its energy,"
But Kuku says physical inactivity and obesity had a lot to do with impotence.
" Men who ran for at least three hours per week or engaged in a similar amount of exercise were 30 per cent less likely to have erectile dysfunction than men who barely exercise.
Similarly, non-obese men were 30 per cent less likely to develop these problems than obese men," Kuku says
To him eating a healthy diet, as well as taking regular exercise, and keeping stress levels to a minimum will help prevent the damage to the blood vessels occurring in the first place.
He insists that exercise and weight loss can improve the sexual performance of obese men suffering from impotence.
Experts, however, believe that psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, guilt, depression, low self-esteem, and fear of sexual failure cause up to 20 per cent of cases.
A fertility expert and publisher Reproductive Health, a quarterly magazine on male and female fertility, Professor Oladapo Ashiru, says treatment should include a combination of testosterone replacement therapy, psychotherapy, herbs, diet and exercise.
The first line of treatment according to Dr. Chinyere Ogbonna of Ugo Health Care Services, FESTAC Town, Lagos is diet. Diet, she says, plays an important role in reducing the risk of impotence.
" I recommend eating lots of healthy, organic vegetables and adding fish to the diet for my patients," she says
"Besides herbal therapies, I recommend proper exercise and deep breathing daily, to make sure the circulation is moving. Hydrotherapy can also be effective for this, and it is essential to eat a strong diet that avoids foods rich in saturated fats, refined sugars, and processed foods in general, and emphasises high-fibre foods such as grains and legumes, fresh lightly cooked vegetables, and a variety of fruits in season. Following this diet and the other recommendations will often lead to improvement within a few weeks," she adds
To Dr. Osmond Onyeka, a homeopath and member National Council of Physician of Natural Medicine (NCPNM), a mixture of one cup of fresh grape juice with one teaspoon of fresh onion juice and one teaspoon of honey taking daily, one hour before going to bed, for 45 days will help increase sexual energy and sperm count.
According to Ihesie, treating impotency through the natural means may involve five basic steps: nutritional therapy, detoxification therapy (blood cleansing), hydrotherapy, herbal therapy using aphrodisiacs and rejuvenating tonic herbs), and psycholotherapy.
For a guide, most nutritionists recommend 50 to 60 per cent of fresh fruits and vegetables such as asparagus, banana, cucumber, carrot, garlic, onions, ginger. Some spices are very important because of their aphrodisiac properties: 20 to 30 per cent carbohydrates which should include all the grains (rice, wheat, maize, guinea corn), honey, tubers (yams, cassava), fish, crabs, lobsters; 15 to 20 per cent protein, sea foods, white meat, poultry, eggs, soybeans, legumes, nuts and seeds such as celery seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and up to five per cent fats and oils.
"Apart from the balanced diet, some naturally prepared supplements have been found to be very helpful in restoring potency, like a combination of Vitamins A, E and B - complex. Wheat germ oils when these are taken regularly they help to restore sexual weakness. Chelated zinc is also very helpful to men with loss of sexual abilities," says Ihesie.
For transition to a better eating habit, he advises people with impotency to gradually drop all junk foods such as white flour and carbonated drinks, white industrial sugar.
All these food items, when consumed in excess according to Ihesie form acid and mucus (mucoprotein).
" The excessive mucus formed in the body by the foods congests the blood vessels causing weakness of the sexually organ," he adds
