WELL-BEING
Men’s sexual health issues, including impotence and erectile
dysfunction, can be an indicator of additional, and potentially
serious, health issues. Many men find it embarrassing to talk
about it with their doctor, but if there is an underlying health
issue, the sooner it is identified the better. As they say, you
don’t want to die of embarrassment.
MEN’S
SUPPLEMENTS
ARE NOT
ALL EQUAL
Your doctor can provide professional advice and guidance
when it comes to sexual issues, such as a reduced sex drive.
Sometimes the cause can be easily identified, and sometimes
it can be a difficult and time-consuming process.
recalling and/or banning products that are considered to be
unsafe.
There are nearly a thousand products on the market today
that claim to help with men’s sexual issues. So, how does he
decide what’s best for him?
Once you’ve decided to do something about your declining
sex drive, the best place to start may be your doctor, not the
internet.
If your doctor determines that you are healthy enough for
it, they may recommend a drug to address erectile issues.
Doctors tend to write prescriptions, and the drugs most
commonly prescribed for this are sildenafil citrate, sold as
Viagra, or Tadalafil, sold as Cialis. Both are available only by
prescription, and both work similarly to help men achieve
and maintain an erection.
There are drawbacks to these drugs. First of all, they are
chemicals. If you’re not comfortable with the idea of taking
a prescription drug to be able to have sex, this won’t be your
first choice. This type of drug needs to be taken in anticipation
of impending sexual activity. There is no extended benefit, so
once it wears off, you need to take it again to produce results.
You can take a daily dose of Cialis, but that may seem like a
big commitment for men only having sex occasionally.
Some men with heart disease, diabetes, and other preexisting conditions shouldn’t take these medications. Men
taking nitrate drugs (such as nitroglycerin) to ease symptoms
of heart disease can’t use Viagra. Again, your doctor can let
you know if you’re in this category.
There are also many potential side effects associated with
these drugs. Side effects can spoil your sexual experience, and
even be dangerous to your health.
An alternative approach:
Natural Supplements
Let’s take a look at natural supplements for men’s sexual
health. This sounds great: natural ingredients, no prescription
required, and the potential for big results. The problem is,
knowing who to trust in this category. Health Canada and
the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) are constantly
20
Under the FDA’s heading “Tainted Sexual Enhancement
Products”, there is an extensive list of product recalls in their
Public Notifications (www.fda.gov). Here, they have identified
an emerging trend where over-the-counter products, frequently
represented as dietary supplements, contain hidden active
ingredients that could be harmful. Hidden ingredients are
increasingly becoming a problem in products promoted for
sexual enhancement.
The most frequent reason for a recall? “Contains hidden
drug ingredient” and “Contains undeclared drug ingredient”.
In the Government of Canada’s Healthy Canadians website
(www.healthycanadians.gc.ca) there are numerous similar
product recalls. The most common undeclared ingredient:
Sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra.
So is there anything out there that actually works and is s