Male impotence - physical or psychological? - column

Nutrition Health Review, Wntr, 1989 by Edwin Flatto

Male Impotence -- Physical or Psychological?

Q: Is impotence inevitable as men age? If so, what aids are available?

A: It should be axiomatic that our Creator endowed every man with the potential ability to perform the sex act for as long as he lives. It is only because man is his own worst enemy that he has deprived himself of his natural heritage. By his own unnatural living habits, not only has man deprived himself of a lifetime of sexual fulfillment but his health and happiness in other areas have suffered as well. There is no disease or death that was ever caused by "old age." There is always a breakdown or degeneration of one or more vital organs of the body. It is man's unnatural living habits that cause toxic buildup, delayed elimination, and thus degeneration or breakdown. There is no organ in man's body that was not given a potential useful and functioning life of over 100 years. The French scientist Alexis Carrel demonstrated that a heart can be kept alive and functioning indefinitely if the toxins are removed from the blood that feeds it. I believe the same applies to the human sex organs. If man ate the foods nature equipped him to eat, exercised his body the way nature intended, and eliminated all the toxic habits that have become part of our "civilization," man could be super potent at any age!

Until relatively recent times, it was believed that 90% of all male impotency was of psychogenic origin. For over fifty years this theory was generally accepted as embodying the truth. Recently, however, new research, using penile Dopplers, determined that there are pathologic or physiologic bases for impotence in over 50% of all cases tested.

The high-fat, low-fiber typical American diet, while often stimulating the desire for sex, tends to decrease the ability to perform by clogging the penile arteries. Nicotine, morphine, and cocaine are all anaphrodiacs or sexual depressants. Sexual potency as well as sperm formation can also be inhibited by some drugs. Alcohol, nicotine, (both substances are drugs, though generally not considered as such,) barbituates, antihistamines, antidepressives, beta-blockers, anti-hypertensives, cannabis (marijuana), vasoconstrictives, and some drugs prescribed for diabetes and stomach ulcers have all been reported as causing erectile dysfunction (ED) as a side effect. (If you are taking any of the above drugs and experiencing impotence, you should inform your doctor so that perhaps he can switch you to another drug that doesn't produce that effect.)

Ionizing radiation (radioactivity and x-ray), prolonged exposure to defective microwave ovens and radar, and prolonged contact with toxic substances by industrial workers all can impair normal sperm formation and potency. Obesity is known to decrease potency, so that should help you stick to a diet program!

One of the major causes of insufficient blood reaching the corpora cavernosa in the male organ (and thereby bringing about an erection) is arteriosclerosis, which is a systemic condition. Anyone eating a diet consisting of eggs, meat, cheeses, fish, poultry, milk, butter, and other foods high in fat and low in fiber is a candidate for arteriosclerosis. Fifty percent of all Americans will die of coronary artery disease unless they change their dietary habits! That is a medical fact. Anyone eating the typical American diet has clogged arteries to a varying extent and that is the principal cause of heart disease, arteriosclerosis, and partial or complete impotence due to pathologic causes. The more blood flowing to the penile arteries, the stronger and firmer the erection.

Q: Can a virginal female have trichomoniasis? My daughter has the condition and swears she has had no sexual contact.

A: Trichomonas vaginalis, or the "trich" as it is usually referred to, has different forms; in its spore-like form, it can exist outside of the body and therefore can be contracted nonsexually. It may be contracted from contaminated locker room benches or toilet seats or following vaginal surgery.