Men Have Low Awareness of Erectile Dysfunction and Its Effects, Study Shows

A new survey conducted on 1,000 men aged over 40 reveals that just over ten per cent of men in their early 40s are aware that erectile dysfunction strikes regularly in the fourth decade even though evidences suggests that 40% of men aged 40 or over have some form of the condition.

The study, commissioned by Eli Lilly and Company Limited (Lilly UK) as part of a new erectile awareness campaign, also showed that most men are not aware that erections problems could be a warning sign of even serious conditions such as heart diseases and cancer.

This just justified that most men don't worry too much about their health, especially their sexual health, unless they can already see symptoms of long-term medical conditions.

Further, the survey shows that less than one fifth of men have visited their GP in the last 12 months, and that men in their 40s are likely to put off visits to their GP until they consider their symptoms to be long-term or worsening. But these men can be optimistic about finding a solution; 95% of ED cases can now be treated by the health care professional once reported.

The survey was commissioned as part of the new ED disease awareness campaign 40over40, from Lilly UK, which has been designed to educate men on the causes of ED and who it affects, and encourage them to seek help.

Adult Stem Cell Therapy For Erectile Dysfunction

A new experiment on stem cell research shows great promise for the technology on stem cell as a cure for erectile dysfunction on older men. According to a study being conducted by several researchers from the American Urological Association, headed by Dr. Tom Lue, it is possible for a autologous adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) to be used to regenerate erectile function.

In adipose tissue there are stem cells as demonstrated by immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and Western blotting experiments. The adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) reside near small blood vessels. CD34 staining identifies 60% of peri-vascular areas as harboring ADSCs. It occurs in new blood vessels, and is a sign of regeneration. ADSCs can be harvested by liposuction or fat excision. Adipose cells are digested and ADSCs are cultured for further induction, labeling or gene transfection. ADSCs can also be used for in vivo tissue engineering. In vitro induction can result in hepatocytes, beta cells to produce insulin or endothelial cells. In vivo, ADSCs placed in muscle can differentiate into skeletal muscle, placed near blood vessels become smooth muscle and in fat can become fat cells. The differentiate into component cell types and integrate into the tissue. Four weeks after injection of ADSCs following cavernous nerve crush injury in a rat model, there is return of function.

A study showed injection of umbilical cord blood stem cells into men having failed PDE5 inhibitors resulted in improved erectile function. This is only a pilot experiment, but shows great promise.

These results were presented by Dr. Lue at the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association held at Orlando, Florida las May 2008.

Work-related Stress Can Trigger Erectile Dysfunction

A new study has shown that one in every ten men experience erectile dysfunction as a result of work-related stress. The same study also revealed that one in five men suffer a loss of sexual libido. This suggests that 90% of men have shown at least one clinical feature of stress due to work but only 54% know that stress from work may be the cause of their sexual condition.

Stress, either from work or at home, is known as one of the common cause of ED because it is associated with low testosterone levels.

Unfortunately, only 44% of men with this condition won't go to their doctors for consultation. The majority of those who do consult professional help in dealing with this problem only do so after 17 months of their first symptom.

One of the researchers who conducted the study said that work-place stress clearly has a strong impact on the incidence of erectile dysfunction in men. Men should think about the underlying cause of their ED, including how to combat their stress levels; not staying too late at work, a balanced and healthy diet, and regular exercise.

FDA Warns Public Against Chinese Herbal Supplements

The US Food and Drug Administration warns the public about the danger that some of the Chinese-made dietary supplements that provide male sexual enhancement might be harmful to them. Those herbal pills are reportedly to be containing the same chemical components as of those erectile dysfunction drugs that are declared to be unsafe for consumption.

The agency advised consumers to the hazard these supplements have, especially those that are manufactured by a company called Shanghai Chaojimengnan. the company sells products that are said to be effective in curing male impotence such as Super Shangai, Strong Testis, Shangai Ultra, Shangai Ultra X, Lady Shangai and Shangai Regular. These herbal supplements are being packed and distributed by Shanghai Distributor Inc. of Puerto Rico.


Laboratory testings indicated that some of these so-called natural supplements contain sildenafil, the active ingredient of Viagras. Some of them contain a compound with a chemical structure similar to that of sildenafil. These chemicals, after thorough scientific study, have proven to have negative side effects, especially to people who are taking drugs for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease. These chemicals could interact with nitrates in drugs for these conditions, which was proven to may cause serious health risks.

Excessive Cellphone Use and Low Sperm Count

To this day and age, mobility is a very important necessity. Because of a very fast-pace life everyone is trying to live now, being able to do things while on the move has been a number commodity today. That is why telecommunication has also been a big industry at the present. And cellular phones has become one of the most important gadget every people should have. You can say that cellphones have been kinda like food, that they are a must-have item.

However, a recent study conducted in New York suggests that excessive cellphone usage may affect the quality of man's sperm. In the said study involving 361 men who regularly visit infertility clinics, an association between their sperm quality and cellphone use has been found. On the average, the longer men spent on their mobile phones, the lower the sperm count is and the greater their percentage of abnormal sperm.

The initial findings of this study add to questions about the potential health effects of cellular phones and other wireless devices. It has been known that past studied that have been done have linked longer cellphone use to a higher risk of brain tumors.

However, the findings that came up from this study are not conclusive. Further studies that will be done is the future mat either further prove this hypothesis or disprove it completely. As of now, the inference just states that heavy cellphone use is associated with a lower semen quality. But this does not mean that cellphones directly affect men's fertility.

Study Shows ED Affects Self-esteem and Ego

A recent study conducted in London showed that erectile dysfunction does have very drastic effects on men suffering such an ailment, which initially affects their sexual capability up to ultimately damaging their self-esteem and ego. According to the study, a third of men suffering erectile dysfunction who took anti-impotence drugs which did not work gave up sex entirely.


The study was done on some 631 men with an average age of 55 and are all suffering erectile dysfunction. All at some point on their lives had taken pills and medication for condition, 30% of which have now stopped taking the drugs.

When the pills did not work for the first time, 68% of the men reported loss of self-esteem, 32% felt depressed and 24% said they believe that their condition are already untreatable.

But the most surprisingly data gathered from this study is that one-third of the sample population did not return to their doctors to try alternative treatments after the failed attempt. According to the study, "these data confirm that men are still reluctant to seek help for their erectile dysfunction and highlight the importance of first-time success on improving aspects of well-being."