10 natural ways to help with ED.
Viagra is great, but it isn't fool-proof.
Hey babe,
Let’s talk ED.
Erectile difficulties (ED) are incredibly common, and yet we don’t really talk about them very much in any real way. Studies have consistently shown that one in three men experience ED, and 10% of cisgender men in their 20s and 30s will experience ED. As they get older, this number rises to over 50%.
If you’re having issues with erections, it could be a health-related problem. To rule this out, it's important to have that checked out with your doctor first before moving forward.
This is where things get hairy. The main option that is handed out like candy is Viagra, but pills aren’t always the answer—and there are other options. We’re not anti-Viagra (or any ED drugs), but if pharmaceuticals aren’t your jam, you might want to consider alternatives.
Plus, Viagra and other erectile drugs (known as PDE5 inhibitors) work by switching off messaging to the brain and body to release dilated blood vessels, keeping erections up. But this doesn’t help with underlying causes - the brain bit of the problem. And if the issue is low testosterone, ED medications won’t do their job.
Psychological facts play a role in many cases because much of the time, erection issues are related to something happening in your head. The physical and psychological are connected. Human bodies and brains (and thus, erections) are very complex.
If you’re looking for more holistic ways to help work through erectile difficulties, here are 10 non-“natural” options for treating ED (and increasing testosterone levels).
1. Eat Foods That Can Help Increase Your Nitric Oxide
Nitric oxide is essential in the erection process because it keeps arteries dilated. In order to increase levels, you’ll want to eat veggies that are high in the stuff such as kale.
2. Create Mind-Body Connections With Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a fantastic way to help build the mind-body connection needed to maintain and sustain erections. There is a LOT of research that shows that practicing mindfulness can help decrease stress and anxiety levels, which can aid in sexual function.
3. Give Some Essential Oils a Try
Involving your sense of smell can help you become more present in your body and feel more relaxed. Relaxing smells work by traveling through your nose and making their way to the limbic system - which is essential to normal sexual functioning. You can give all kinds of different scents a try to see what works for you. Some of the most popular are lavender and vanilla.
4. Commit to a Sleep Schedule
If you want to have stronger erections, you need to get to bed at the same time each night and try to get seven or eight hours of sleep. The quality of sleep also affects testosterone levels. This hormone is produced while resting, so if you don’t sleep as much, you will have lower T levels.
5. Cut Down on Alcohol
Alcohol is erection kryptonite and slows down the messaging system between the brain and body, making it more difficult to cultivate the crucial brain-body link needed to form a hard-on. Hence the colloquial phrase: whiskey dick.
6. Reduce Your Stress Levels
Obviously, this is easier said than done. But too much stress does not make a hard penis. When you are in a state of fight, flight, or freeze, erections are not possible. You need to be in a “rest and digest” state in order to have an erection. Humans didn’t evolve to be sexually active during a time of fight or flight (a.k.a. stress or anxiety). We have the same basic design as we did when we were hunting and gathering. When we relax, parasympathetic nerves are stimulated, nitric oxide is released (that big ol’ dilator for blood flow we mentioned above), and erections take place.
7. Consider Giving Guided Meditation, or Hypnosis, a Try
Now, this might sound a little strange, but guided meditation and hypnosis have actually been found to be useful when treating ED. With ED, hypnosis can help a client explore blocked areas contributing to their sexual problems in order to help them let go of those issues.
8. Go to Therapy
Speaking of letting things go, therapy can be a huge help with sexual function issues. A psychosexual therapist is trained as a specialist to help you work through these problems and gain more control of your erections. Therapy can help with nervous system regulation and anxiety reduction, which can be major contributing factors in erection issues. Less stress, more hard-ons.
9. Get Some Exercise
Keeping your heart healthy is essential for getting and maintaining erections. ED can often be an early warning sign of heart disease.
10. Check on Your Other Medications With Your Doctor
Possibly most crucial of all: Go and see your doctor to make sure there aren’t any underlying medical conditions at play. But more than that, you want to check with your doctor to see if any of the medications you’re currently taking may be impacting your erections. Having this information can be essential in forming an action plan.
This week’s mantras:
Having sexual function problems does not make me broken.
I am worthy of pleasure.
I will seek help before turning away from intimacy.
I will love myself.
I love you. Have a great week!
XOXO Auntie Gigi
This newsletter originally appeared on TheBody.
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~Good ReadsSsSssSsSs~
Did you know that winter can have an impact on your libido? Yep! It really can. I spoke to Metro this week to give the skinny on the ways the colder months can change our desire (and our relationships with our partners). Read more. - METRO
If you’ve ever wondered how to ask for consent in a sexy and realistic way, I gave all my best tips to AskMen this week. Because, let’s face it, we do need real examples of how to ask for consent because being awkward is not the best. Read more. - ASKMEN
Have you heard the term “queerbating”? Queerbaiting is used to describe the actions of a writer, director, or producer, or those in entertainment marketing, who give a character or storyline traits that appear to be promising of queer interactions, with no "payoff." Want to learn more about this and why this term needs to be thrown out with the trash? Read more. - MASHABLE
What is this "chemistry," and which "chemistries" are attracted to each other? A group of anthropologists claims that people can be divided into four personality types, each associated with producing specific biochemical substances and hormones. Read more. - SEXOLOGY SUPERVISORS
That’s it for me this week, pals. I love you. Every day is another opportunity to get to know your sexual self better. And I love that journey for you. Way to go!
