“Veggie Viagra” already available....

Today's post: Thursday, 3-19-2009

Our recent posts that have been pretty serious. Here’s one on having more fun.

(This post does have a serious side too; but good sex is fun. It’s always pleasurable; but sometimes it’s so pleasurable it’s wonderful!)

Earlier this week the AFP online news, from news accounts reported Monday in newspapers, released a story that German researchers tested an impotency treatment for men made using only natural ingredients which they found in many cases worked even better than Viagra.

"In clinical trials, 50 men had much better sex afterwards, more fun in bed and just generally felt better about themselves.” Olaf Schroeder of Berlin's Charite hospital said.

"Their libido was even higher than the control group taking Viagra," he said.

They gave the men these three supplements at the same time: tribulus, maca, and grape juice extract.

The actual German supplement tested won’t be available for some time according to the NewsMax story on this same news.

But that’s irrelevant because not only are each of the components available separately now, there are also other effective ways to do what the 3 components do.

1. Tribulus is readily available as a stand alone supplement. It increases testosterone. It does seem to work; but there are two other things that do that you can add.

a) You can increase your level of free testosterone available in your blood, the kind that actually affects you, by taking the supplement DIM that is derived from broccoli; & you can eat broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, and other cruciferous vegetables directly and often, once or twice a day or more. Eating them raw helps prevent cancers and aggressive cancer of the prostate in particular. Eating them cooked with some extra virgin olive oil increases your intake of mixed carotenoids which has other health benefits. And, eating those vegetables helps you to get and stay trim or at least less fat.

b) Strength training and interval cardio also increase testosterone. Doing them both regularly every week also helps you to get and stay trim or at least less fat plus you are stronger -- and more fit so being very active during sex is far easier.

2. Maca apparently increases dopamine and in some other ways allows your pleasure nerves to conduct better. Maca does have that effect. So when you have sex or do sexually stimulating things it quite literally feels better.

So liking the person you are with or being gently playful and other things that put you in a good mood also can help. Sometimes eagerly anticipating sex and doing so in advance can have this effect as well. Note that this also means that drinking more than two drinks before sex is counterproductive as it tends to have this reverse effect while one, or perhaps two, may actually help cause this effect.

Also, exercise we now know, enhances brain circulation, prevents damage to your brain cells, and grows new ones. So regular exercise, particularly strength training and interval cardio enhance this effect by ensuring your brain nerves receive the pleasure feelings well from your sensory nerves.

3. Grape juice extract has the effect of improving your blood vessels’ health and ability to relax and respond when needed. And, THAT allows better blood flow to your sexual areas -- including the blood flow that causes erections.

But you don’t need to wait for their version of grape juice extract to become available because grape seed extract, bilberry extract, and resveratrol have this effect as well. (And eating blueberries and other berries and cherries may also have this effect.)

But three things do this job even better than those 3 supplements. (I take all 3 of those supplements for their other health benefits by the way.)

a) One of the most effective ways to improve your blood vessels health and ability to relax and respond when needed is regular exercise. It’s been shown to be quite effective. And, if you exercise and improve your blood vessels’ health and ability to relax and respond they also found that if you stop exercising for more than a few days, this effect stops.

b) Taking 6 to 9 grams a day of l-arginine has been found to cause nitric acid release to increase. And, since that tiny amount of internal nitric acid release causes your blood vessels to relax this also has been found to sharply improve your blood vessels’ health and ability to relax and respond. In fact, if you take 7 to 9 grams of l-arginine before bed, you may wake with a morning erection from this effect.

c) If you follow a health supporting lifestyle including eating right, virtually never drinking soft drinks or eating junky foods, doing regular exercise, completely avoiding tobacco smoke, and taking the supplements that lower LDL cholesterol, raise HDL cholesterol, lower triglycerides, and help you avoid high blood sugar, you’ll literally have much clearer and more responsive blood vessels. (See our multiple previous posts on these subjects.)

And, if you have ANY need for better erections, let alone a lot, it’s diagnostic that you have NOT been doing this set of things or doing them all or doing them well enough. And, THAT means, in addition to doing them to improve your sex life, you should do ALL those things because your life may depend on it. Doing them all will not only sharply improve your sex life, it will prevent heart attacks and strokes or make them much milder and happen 10 or 20 or 30 years later than they otherwise would have happened.

So, there is no need to wait for the future release of the German “veggie Viagra.”

You can easily do as well or better right now with this set of things that are already available to you.

For men 55 & up....

Today's post: Thursday, 2-26-2009

Ouch !!

The recent medical news for men 55 & up has a recent bad development I’d like to warn you about if you are a man over 55.

I’m not quite as cynical about undue drug company influence in medical guidelines recommending that drugs be used to fight disease as many writers who favor using effective preventive efforts that do not use drugs.

After all, for many doctors, they’ve learned medicine where the fixes they know are limited to drugs and surgery. And they’ve not been trained at all well to care about side effects messing up the quality of life for their patients. In addition, many drugs actually work well to do their intended job and many of those have few side effects for most people.

But this recent news has me really wondering about undue drug company influence. Finasteride is a drug that acts to turn down the part of testosterone that causes some male baldness and helps to cause BPH, or benign prostate enlargement.

The bad news is that it turns your sex drive down or off and can cause ED, impotence.

I don’t know about you, but if I was bald, I’d live with it, wear a stylish hat like the bald Dallas football coach Tom Landry used to do, or get a wig. I would NOT take a drug like Finasteride that reduces my sex drive. I’d rather turn that UP a bit!

Further, many men over 55 have some ED and reduced sex drives would prefer not to. (Following a heart protecting lifestyle can prevent ED caused by blocked up blood vessels and can help reverse it.) Viagra still sells well for a reason!

So, I was shocked to hear that one or two medical groups actually are recommending that Finasteride be given all men over 55 to help prevent BPH & prostate cancer.

This is nuts to put it bluntly.

Some men get neither without taking Finasteride. Even if it didn’t have such disagreeable side effects, why should they have to pay the drug companies to take Finasteride? Second, as I’ll cover shortly, there are other ways to deal with BPH. But third and most important, while taking Finasteride seems to help TREAT prostate cancer, I’ve never seen any study showing it effective in preventing prostate cancer. Moreover, most men who do get prostate cancer get the slow kind that they do not need to treat. Why should they take Finasteride? Further there ARE other ways to prevent prostate cancer and the kind of aggressive prostate cancer that would be the ONLY justification for having them take Finasteride which has NOT been proven to prevent this kind of cancer.

So, to me, this is irresponsible and badly misguided with the only certain benefits going to the bank accounts of the drug companies who provide Finasteride. Hmm. This does NOT look at all good for the ethics or good judgement of the doctors involved.

A. The knowledge of what can be done without this drug, Finasteride, to prevent or reverse BPH that avoids these side effects is not as strong or well known as the ways to prevent heart disease without drugs which is totally possible and beginning to be better known. (See our post on Tuesday this week, Special news on heart health.... Tuesday, 2-24-2009.)

But there is some information available.:

1. If you follow the lifestyle that protects your heart and keeps your LDL cholesterol low, it seems to help slow BPH. It also reduces your risk of getting any cancer by a third from the way you eat and exercise. If you include NOT smoking, which you should ! for heart protection, it cuts your chances of getting ANY cancer by two thirds!

2. If you eat abundantly every week of cruciferous vegetables, broccoli, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, etc &/or take the supplement DIM which is one of the active ingredients in these vegetables, it slows the conversion of testosterone from the OK form to the form that produces BPH. Eating these vegetables also has abundant other health benefits.

3. If you take 60 mg of the saw palmetto supplement twice each day,

it contains sterols so it will help lower your LDL cholesterol;
it may slow the increase in BPH (I’ve not seen info that this has been tested and verified; but I think it does.); &
it HAS been tested as turning off the disagreeable side effects of BPH on urination to a large degree and will help do that for you.

4. I’ve read that several other supplements can slow BPH even more including nettle root, pygeum, pumpkin seed extract, and bee pollen but I’ve seen less studies on them and have not taken them myself. But we may eventually find a combination of these that will reverse BPH reliably. I have read of some men getting this effect. Best of all, they do NOT turn off your sex drive.

B. But the real kicker is we DO know a good bit about preventing prostate cancer and the aggressive form that would be the only justification for every man over 55 taking Finasteride if they ALL would otherwise get it.

As we describe above, following a heart health protecting lifestyle including eating right, regular exercise and both NOT smoking and avoiding second hand smoke like the plague prevents two thirds of ALL kinds of cancer.

Second, there have been reports that taking 30 mg a day of lycopene, 3 mg a day of boron, 30 mg a day of zinc, and a turmeric or its active ingredient curcumin supplement once a day helps prevent all cancers and prostate cancer in particular. Further, doing this and eating both fresh tomatoes -- and cooked tomatoes served together with extra virgin olive to make the lycopene and other carotenoids bioavailable, tends to lower your PSA reading, may reduce BPH, and is likely to also help prevent all cancers and prostate cancer in particular.

Plus if you do all that, you can still cut your chances of getting the truly dangerous and aggressive kind of prostate cancer by another full HALF by eating raw broccoli or cauliflower at least once every week.

(The research that found this effect and the similar research that found that many of the compounds in broccoli that prevent cancer are destroyed by cooking, did NOT include a study to see if you could get more protection by eating one of these two raw cruciferous vegetables five to seven days a week. But my bet is that if this study had been done, it would have found just that.)

In summary, you can cut your risk of all cancers, prostate cancer, and the truly dangerous and aggressive kind of prostate cancer by something like 90 to 98 %. Plus you do NOT need to ruin your remaining sex life to do so by taking Finasteride! Taking Finasteride does NOT have that kind of proven track record in PREVENTING prostate cancer and the truly dangerous and aggressive kind of prostate cancer

This brings new meaning to the anti-drug motto, “Just say no!”

Ways to overcome drug caused impotence....

Today's post: Tuesday, 9-2-2008

(Note: Some of the information in this post is explicitly sexual. If that isn’t to your taste, feel free to pass on this post.)

Many drugs tend to cause impotence. Of these, the drugs to reduce high blood pressure can be the worst ones. They not only can produce impotence or partial impotence, they can make you feel sick enough to not feel in the mood for sex very much. Headaches, fatigue, & dizziness don’t tend to help you feel well, confident, & sexy.

One way to get out of using the drugs for high blood pressure is to lower it with nondrug methods that work.

We are about to publish an eBook on exactly that topic, lowering high blood pressure with effective nondrug methods.

We’ll announce it here when it is ready.

Meanwhile, I got an article today from Total Health Breakthroughs on how to fully or partly reduce impotence caused by drugs even if you quit taking them.

I list that article here and then added some comments after it.

"This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise's Total Health Breakthroughs, offering alternative solutions for mind, body and soul. For a complimentary subscription,
visit http://www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com"

“Tuesday, September 2, 2008

The Truth About Drugs and Your Sexual Performance

By Mark Rosenberg, MD

Are prescription… drugs hurting your sex life?

You might not realize it, but many prescription drugs put a damper on your libido or can cause erectile dysfunction. Of course your doctor is not at fault. But in his effort to keeping you healthy he might be indirectly killing your sex life!

It is important to understand that you should never stop any medication that your doctor prescribes. If these drugs are acting like a cold shower on your sex life, I have a few alternatives that might help you.

First, let's take a look at the prescriptions that have the worst affect on your libido.

Many prescription drugs affect your circulation. This is especially true of the blood pressure medications Norvasc, Vasotec, and Lopressor. The ability to achieve and maintain an erection depends on blood flow to the penis. It's no surprise that when you chemically alter your circulation, it can cause problems. All of these drugs can lead to erectile dysfunction.

Other prescriptions affect your brain chemistry. This is especially true of the antidepressant drugs, Zoloft, Prozac, and Buspar. These drugs can be a real problem when it comes to your sex life.

If you find yourself in a situation where your health depends on one of these prescriptions, don't give your love life up as lost. Instead, consider trying a libido-enhancing herbal remedy. They are much safer than Viagra and they can be very effective.

Get Your Sex Life Back on Track

For men, there are many good supplements that can help to correct sexual problems at the source. These supplements usually either improve your circulation or help to bring your testosterone levels into a proper balance.

Yohimbine: This African herb has a long history of treating sexual dysfunction. It comes from the bark of an evergreen tree. The bark contains an alkaloid that helps to increase blood flow to the penis. In one study, 71% of men taking yohimbine for eight weeks reported better sexual function.1 For good results, try taking 150 mg of yohimbine each day.

DIM (diindolylmethane): This plant indole, a compound found in all cruciferous vegetables provides the correct nutrients for eliminating the active estrogen from your body. With this estrogen buster, your body will convert active estrogen into the "good" estrogen metabolites. Your body then easily removes them. This lower estrogen allows testosterone to have a more powerful sex-enhancing effect.

L-dopa: Utilizing the compound called levadop (L-dopa), your body will easily convert this nutrient into dopamine which will help inhibit the production of prolactin from the pituitary gland. This will help increase your testosterone levels and improve sexual activity.

L-Arginine: Your penile blood flow is constantly under control by hormones, nerves, and neurotransmitters. And the major bio-chemicals that regulate arterial smooth muscle relaxation and dilation are nitric oxide (NO) and cyclic GMP (guanosine monophosphate).

Research shows that one of the most effective ways to boost blood flow is by increasing the blood's natural nitrous oxide.2 Oral administration of high-dose L-arginine can significantly improve sexual function in men. L-Arginine will also stop the breakdown of cGMP, allowing the muscles in your penis to relax.

One More Thing That Can Help
In addition to supplements, I highly recommend beginning a Kegel regimen if you don't practice one already. Kegel exercises work the pelvic floor muscles and can be very effective at restoring erectile function. Just flex the muscles you would use to cut off the flow of urine. Hold them tense for five to ten seconds and then relax. Try doing three sets of ten each day and see if you don't notice a difference.

Stay well.

References

Vogt H, et al. Int J Impot Res. 1997; 9: 151-61.
Chen J, et al. FJU Intern. 1999:83:269-273.
[Ed. Note: Mark Rosenberg, M.D. is director of the "Institute for Anti-Aging" in South Florida. He is a highly sought-after speaker for lectures on topics such as integrative cancer therapy and anti-aging medicine. Dr. Rosenberg is avidly involved in supplement research and is nutritional consultant for Vitalmax Vitamins…..]”

X* X* X* X* X*

With the drugs to reduce high blood pressure, replacing them with effective non drug methods to lower high blood pressure turns off the problem. Even if only partly successful it can allow you to take one blood pressure drug instead of two or more or take a lower dose. That can make a big difference also. (We’ll announce it here when our eBook on doing this is ready.)

Second, anything you do, such as NOT smoking or never eating foods with added transfats (partially hydrogenated oils) and doing regular exercise that protects your heart and prevents heart disease also tends to prevent impotence or keep it from getting worse. (The same plaque in your blood vessels that reduces blood flow to your heart reduces it to your sexual parts.)

Third, l-arginine does help with erections from its release of nitric oxide. Some men who take 8,000 mg of it at bedtime report they get “morning erections” the following morning. And, even 3,000 mg just before daily exercise and just before bed also can help and help release growth hormone to build muscle.

The supplement Mucuna Pruriens contains Levadopa in case you want to try that one.
(Increasing dopamine release with this one can also help lift depression since low dopamine levels tend to take the joy out of life.)

(Yohimbe, or yohimbine, works to increase blood flow but has interaction effects that make it unsafe or undesirable to use with some drugs and over the counter drugs. So, I’d suggest not using that one.)

DIM; eating the cruciferous vegetable like broccoli and cabbage, that contain it; regular strength training; and taking the supplement tribulus, increase your level of testosterone which makes you feel sexier. That does help with combating impotence also.


Fourth, about the Kegel exercises. They do work. And you do NOT have to be turned on to do them. The several second hold variety in particular fit this description. You can do them while waiting in line or for stoplights to change. So you can do them with no net time taken out of your day.

But, they work even better if you do them just as you do strength training exercises, instead of holding a long time, you can do Kegels by flexing the muscle as hard as you can for the count of one & do sets of 5 to 100 reps. Even better, that kind done while also getting sexually stimulated are fun and addictive to do. Best of all, if you do them as you begin to get turned on, you can literally see them pump up your erection faster than it would have otherwise occurred without the Kegels. They certainly do work. And done that way, you can literally see and feel it happening.