April 2009 Archives

The pendulum swings. In the old days, if you showed up at a doctor complaining of erectile dysfunction, likely as not they'd recommend you seek therapy for your Oedipal complex. There wasn't a treatment for the physical, so they had no choice but to look to the psychological.

These days, when popping a pill appears to cure *everybody* of erectile dysfunction, the assumption is that it's all physiology. If you have trouble with an erection, the root cause must be something wrong with your plumbing. Treatment for the physical works, so there's no reason to consider anything psychological.

In some cases, it's almost certainly true that it's mainly about physiology. Diabetes, high blood pressure, and the medications people take can cause erectile problems. Simply getting older can have a similar effect.

It's important to remember, though, that psychology often plays a part, both in the problem, and how Viagra can help with the solution. Confidence counts, and Viagra lets people relax, giving them the confidence that they will be able to achieve an erection.

Sex and relationshps are complex. The problems that arise are not simple. Viagra doesn't solve everything, it only puts one missing piece of the puzzle back in place. That's an important piece, to be sure, but for a lot of couples, there's more work to be done beyond that.

10. They want to keep a firm hold on power
9. It helps keep them up in the polls
8. Too many "soft money" campaign contributions
7. "Nailin' Palin" DVD is getting real old - real fast
6. Nothing worse than erectoral defeat
5. It's tiring work keeping constituents happy
4. Sometimes it's hard to perform in airport bathroom stalls
3. Funds aren't the only thing they have trouble raising
2. The interns aren't quite as cute as they used to be
1. Sometimes economic stimulus just isn't enough

If you're tired of popping blue pills, there may be some hope on the way. Scientists have developed nanoparticles loaded with nitric oxide. Rub this onto the appropriate area of the body, and it produces amazing results - at least in rats:

In the study, to be published today at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association, Davies and his colleagues loaded the nanoparticles with nitric oxide, a chemical that occurs naturally in the body where it makes blood vessels expand and fill with blood.

They applied the particles to the skin of rats bred to suffer from impotence. They observed a rapid and strong response.

The advantages of such a technique are obvious. Drugs like Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra affect the entire body, and so produce side effects like headache, stuffy nose, etc. A drug you apply directly to the area needing engorgement is likely to work more quickly and produce fewer side effects.

This is obviously very early research, so don't look for it at your local pharmacy, but this is something to watch.

For thousands of years human beings have been in search of an aphrodisiac - a substance that can increase sexual desire and performance. Raw oysters, ground up rhinoceros horns, green M&Ms, etc. have all been touted for their ability to heighten sexual interest.

Modern medicine, of course, has finally delivered on the promise of increased sexual performance with the big three PDE5 inhibitors (VLC). However, these truly magical drugs aren't actually aphrodisiacs. They affect the body, not the mind, and this counters a lot of the expectations and beliefs people had about human sexuality.

VL&C don't increase sexual interest, only ability to get and maintain an erection. Taking one of these drugs won't be enough, for most people, to produce an erection. There needs to be some kind of sexual stimulation and/or interest to produce the result. They are inert on the mind, but highly active on the body.

It's important to note, though, that there is a strong feedback effect. The confidence that comes with the ability to get hard can produce the desire, both in yourself and in a partner, for sex. There is a positive feedback loop here that shouldn't be ignored. But mistaking VL&C for aphrodisiacs can lead to much confusion.