Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction

With the continuing advance of medical science, treatment options have widened for all types of ailments. In the case of erectile dysfunction, it has become exceptionally so. The problem is now being discussed openly and many solutions that include erectile dysfunction drugs, and surgery, are available today for sufferers.

One single factor that has revolutionized erectile dysfunction treatment is the arrival of Viagra on the scene. This drug received the approval of FDA in March 1998. Since then it has helped millions across the world to overcome erectile dysfunction problems and lead a satisfactory sex life. The word Viagra has even made it to Oxford English Dictionary.

The group of three PDE-5 inhibitors, which include Viagra and its sister drugs Cialis and Levitra, have been a landmark invention by drug companies in erectile dysfunction treatment. All the three function in basically the same way, that is, by increasing the blood flow into the penis, though there are slight differences in dosage.

Corpus spongiosum and two corpus cavernosa are three bits of expandable tissues across the penis. When a man is stimulated, hormones are released to relax the spongy tissue, and make blood flow into the area. The two corpus cavernosa expand to receive the blood, thus making the penis stiff and long.

Impotence related problems arise when this blood flow to the penis is inhibited due to some reason. Physicians often cure impotence by treating the underlying problems that could be neurological or hormone related. However today’s erectile dysfunction drugs, headed by Viagra, work mainly on the symptom itself and ensure that patients get a satisfactory and sustainable erection.

Besides these better known erectile dysfunction drugs, needle injection therapy is also used to treat erectile dysfunction problems. Drugs like alprostadil, papaverine hydrochloride, or phentolamine used in this treatment. Either of these is injected into the penis through a sharp and narrow needle. As they are directly injected, the results are mostly better than ingesting pills.

Another way of treating erectile dysfunction problems is inserting a small pellet of alprostadil into the penis. The pellet is known as MUSE or Medicated Urethral Suppository for Erection. This could result in some pain, and causes an erection longer than necessary. Another erectile dysfunction treatment is the use of a vacuum pump that fits on the penis and controls the blood flow. This mode of treatment has been in use for pretty long.

Prosthetic implants into the penis is another erectile dysfunction treatment that has been in use even before Viagra and other drugs were popularized. Prosthetic implants can be malleable or inflatable. Malleable ones are a pair of rods. Inflatable ones are two piece or three piece sets, which consist of a fluid filled reservoir in the lower abdomen, a pump and release valve inside the scrotum, and two inflatable cylinders placed inside the penis. All these equipments are surgically inserted to the required places. When necessary, the pump is operated to fill the penis with fluid to make it erect.

Perhaps the best treatment for erectile dysfunction is the use of natural herbal remedies which do not have any negavtive side effects. Millions of men have successfully treated this problem using natural remedies for erectile dysfunction.

Complete solution is possible only when the underlying problem is treated. When erectile dysfunction results by the damage to blood vessels or nerve endings, repairing these can cure impotence permanently. However, certain physical conditions may not be amenable to complete repair. In such cases the patient will have to rely on other erectile dysfunction aids to be able to lead a fuller life.

The erectile dysfunction treatment suitable to an individual has to be decided by his personal physician, based on the individual’s preference, state of health, and medical history.