Optimizing Men’s Sexual Health

Men’s sexual health is one of the best ways to measure their overall health. Men should wake with an erection most, if not, all mornings even as they age. However, that is often not the case and there are many factors that can cause the decline in their vitality. Stress, anxiety, and depression are top contenders when talking about erectile dysfunction. Other major factors include poor lifestyle and nutrition. A lifestyle that does not include exercise, whole food nutrition, stress management, healthy relationships, and restorative sleep can all greatly affect a man’s sexual health. A man’s erections, and the ability to perform, are essential to his happiness and self-worth. Many men continue to struggle in this area and are not aware of all of the available modalities beyond the little blue pill.

Men can struggle with both erectile dysfunction and impotence. While erectile dysfunction refers to difficulty achieving and/or keeping an erection, impotence refers to a host of other sexual health issues, such as low sex drive, and problems ejaculating and achieving orgasm. 

Once a man has started experiencing symptoms of ED, he should consult his primary care physician to begin the process of finding the root cause. This should include a deep dive into his blood work that includes comprehensive labs on his sex hormones, thyroid, cholesterol/lipid panels, inflammatory markers, fasting glucose levels, and much more. An extensive blood panel is a map to one’s health and this is always a great place to start.

While seeing an allopathic doctor, keep in mind that most look at lab ranges as being in the “normal” range, while a functional medical doctor looks at “optimal” ranges. This is very important to note and should be considered when getting your blood work taken. A man may fall into the “normal” testosterone range, yet still is experiencing ED, low sex drive, and low energy. An “optimal” range would be where he falls and doesn’t experience those symptoms.

Taking a little pill to obtain an erection is not the long-term solution. The solution begins by looking at one’s overall health. Has your waistline grown? Have you become more sedentary? Are you unhappy? Do you experience performance anxiety? Do you have “man boobs”? Are you a diabetic? Do you have hypertension? All of these are tell-tale signs of metabolic and endothelial dysfunction. Endothelial dysfunction is when the thin lining in your blood vessels becomes damaged, leading to cardiac events, such as strokes and heart attacks.

The Top 5 Men’s Sexual Health Modalities

  1. Viagra/Cialis- The most readily available and prescribed pharmaceutical prescribed by allopathic doctors. These pills work on the vascular system, so just the mechanics of obtaining and keeping an erection without any emotions, like desire, attached. This is a quick fix and does not touch on the root cause of the problem.

  2. TRT- Testosterone Replacement Therapy- T-pellets are very small pellets (about the size of rice) that are inserted subcutaneously in an area with fatty tissue, such as the buttocks, by a medical doctor. They are made from soy and wild yam, which replicate the hormone our body makes. Once inserted, the pellets will release this hormone for up to 4-6 months depending on the person’s output. Generally speaking, daily exercise will utilize more testosterone at a faster pace. Testosterone pellets help with body fat loss, sound sleep, increased lean muscle mass, thicker hair, and increased stamina and mood.

  3. Peptide Therapy- More and more functional medical doctors are turning to peptide therapy to help optimize people in many ways. There are multiple peptides available in the marketplace but there is one that specifically targets libido. Peptide 141, or Bremelanotide, works through the nervous system, bypassing the vascular system completely, and enhancing one’s libido to feel an elevated sense of desire. Peptide 141 activates your dopamine hormones and enhances your sex drive and performance. This FDA-approved peptide can be safely used 2-3 times per week and works quite quickly, taking just minutes until you feel steamy.

  4. Acoustic Wave Therapy- Shock therapy, or acoustic wave therapy, treats the cause rather than the symptoms of mild to moderate erectile dysfunction. ED is a vascular issue that restricts blood flow to the penis, blocking the body from obtaining an erection. Acoustic wave therapy works to stimulate blood vessel growth in the penis which, over time, will increase blood flow for healthy erections. This is not a one-and-done and requires a commitment of at least 6 painless treatments.

  5. Platelet Rich Plasma- PRP is a type of stem cell therapy that has been used for many issues and is now in the space for helping erectile dysfunction by stimulating one’s cells to produce more healthy cells in the erectile tissues. This modality may increase not just blood flow, but the length and girth of the penis as well. The P-shot involves your doctor pulling blood from you and taking the platelet-rich plasma and re-injecting it into your penis. Of course, your penis is numbed and you will not feel anything beyond a pinch.   

 

Top Lifestyle Hacks for Men’s Sexual Health

Nutrition, exercise, stress management:
We cannot talk about spending a lot of money on the above-mentioned therapies without
giving a huge nod to nutrition, exercise, and stress management.

  1. Nutrition: When we talk about blood flow restriction, we must mention nitric oxide. Our bodies make nitric oxide, a molecule that is necessary for vasodilation, which refers to the relaxation of the inner muscles of the blood vessels causing them to expand and increase circulation. When nitric oxide levels are low, erectile dysfunction can begin. Eating foods high in nitrates, which convert to nitric oxide in the body, can easily be found and included in one’s healthy diet.

  2. Best foods to eat to support healthy nitric oxide levels:
    Dark leafy greens
    Beets
    Meat, poultry, fish, pasture-raised eggs (check out my animal-based recipes)

  3. Exercise: Weight training 3-4 days per week will help your body burn fat, build lean muscle mass and increase testosterone production. You’ll also feel better about yourself, especially naked, increase your self-esteem and sleep better. If you’re curious about sports nutrition, check out my two-part podcast series deep-diving into fitness nutrition.

  4. Stress Management: Chronic stress negatively impacts our overall health physically, mentally, and emotionally. Learning how to manage your daily stress is key to optimizing your health. Here are some ideas to reduce stress:

    1. Daily fresh air walks

    2. Journaling upon waking or just before going to sleep

    3. Avoiding high sugar-laden, processed foods

    4. Meditating

    5. Calming movement- yoga, pilates, stretching

    6. Creating a soothing bedtime routine, such as avoiding screens, not eating within 3 hours of bedtime, and taking a hot shower.

 

Top 3 things to avoid for improved men’s sexual health:

  1. Do not use antiseptic mouthwash because it kills the bacteria in our mouth that we need to convert nitrates into nitric oxide. Your mouth is another microbiome.

  2. Reduce toxins, such as plastic water bottles, which have an estrogenic effect on men. Think gynecomastia, or “man-boobs”, weight gain, and lackluster erections.

  3. Stop eating processed foods and drinking excessive alcohol. 

There is no magic pill for a healthy lifestyle. All things must be considered. Changing lifestyle habits is hard and a health coach can help you get started on your journey to achieve your goals of living an optimal life, including healthy, daily erections.

For more information on men’s sexual health, check out this podcast.

This blog is not to be used as medical advice or for making any lifestyle changes to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others. Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.