Another antioxidant, Pycnogenol (pronounced pick-nah-geh-nol) is a patented formulation of nutrient-packed bioflavonoids extracted from the bark of French pine trees. It offers protection to the endothelial cells which line the heart and blood vessels from free radical damage. Flavonoids—vitamin-like compounds naturally found in fruits (especially citrus), vegetables, seeds, nuts, grains, soybeans, cocoa, tea, and wine—help thwart a host of health ravagers, including viruses, cancer, toxic substances, and heart disease.
Water-soluble, Pycnogenol is readily absorbed in the body and performs a particularly remarkable function by prolonging the quantity of vitamin C in the body. Recent research at the University of California saturated. But at the higher dose, less vitamin C was absorbed from the intestines and more was eliminated in the urine. Also, the urine contained oxalate and urate, two breakdown products of vitamin C that contribute to the formation of kidney stones. at Berkeley has shown that Pycnogenol can have a positive effect on nitric oxide regulation as well. It’s nitric oxide that is so critical for the dilation of penile blood vessels at the time of erection.
In addition to aiding the body in neutralizing free radicals, Pycnogenol also decreases blood pressure by inhibiting the formation of angiotensin, a substance in the blood that constricts vessels. Animal studies with Pycnogenol in Hungary have reported a pronounced decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressures. And new research is beginning to show that it may assist in lowering blood pressure without ED-producing side effects common to many antihypertensive drugs.
To receive maximum benefits, I strongly recommend Pycnogenol as part of your preventive antioxidant program. For my patients, I prescribe a two-phase schedule: the first part is the saturation phase, the second is the maintenance phase. To begin, the saturation dose schedule is followed for ten days. During that time, Pycnogenol is taken twice daily with meals. The most effective dosage is 1.5 milligrams per pound of body weight daily. For example, a person weighing 140 pounds would take 210 milligrams every day. Then, during the maintenance stage, the dosage is halved. This is the amount necessary to ensure continued maximum effectiveness. The new amount is also taken twice a day with meals.
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For women in long-term relationships, ED brings numerous problems, as well as opportunities. As Dr. Broad points out, “If physical attractiveness and sexuality have been the main glue of the relationship, then the narcissistically vulnerable woman may instantly doubt her worth as a human being. Fear of abandonment, staved off while the relationship was predictable and viable, may suddenly surface when the partner develops ED.”
This perspective was voiced by Amanda, a forty-eight-year-old woman who worried that her husband, Jeff, would blame his ED on her and leave. “He’ll find a younger woman, I know he will,” she told me. “We were such a great-looking couple—everybody said so. But now, after three children and twenty years of marriage I look different. He won’t respond to me anymore. I know he’s halfway out the door.”
Another outlook was stated by Joan, a very wealthy woman whose marriage to Victor was one of convenience. “I know he had a girlfriend before his ED kicked in. Frankly, it never bothered me. Sex isn’t a big part of our marriage. I expect him to accompany me when I need him —but then he’s on his own. Now he wants to spend all his time with me, which isn’t a part of our deal. We have what I think of as a business arrangement—not an emotional one.”
Both these women are intent on focusing solely on their own perspectives. Because they won’t—or can’t—consider the causes of their husbands’ ED, much less the emotional underpinnings of their marriages, they’re unable to figure out what to do. As Dr. Broad states, “For these women, ED is not a sign that their partners—or their relationship—is in crisis. Rather, they experience the ED as an injury to their self-esteem. The major failure of their partners is that they can’t function in a way that enhances their own self-esteem.”
What happens, then, when a solution to ED is readily at hand?
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Taking all these factors into account, let’s look at how another man more successfully handles a situation similar to William’s.
Jeff, 44, works for the state government in a middle-management position. He has a certain number of hassles to deal with every day on the job. He runs his department with efficiency, but budget cutbacks have left him short-staffed, and everyone is feeling crunched by the amount of work they must do.
Recently promoted, Jeff has to listen to his staffs complaints about the poor working conditions, and he finds this one of the most difficult parts of his job. His work day starts early but he usually tries to leave by five o’clock. Once a week he plays soccer with a neighborhood team, and at least twice a week he and a co-worker shed their business suits and jog out of the office during lunchtime.
Jeff has been married to Sara for 15 years. They have two children, Susie, 4, and Jeff, Jr., 10. Recent months have been filled with stressful events: the death of Sara’s father; the serious illness of another grandparent; Jeffs recent promotion, which hasn’t worked out as well as they had hoped; and tight finances, partly because Sara’s employer reduced her hours at work.
Jeff has never had any erection problems until recently. One Friday night, he found himself unable to become erect, despite the fact he was very aroused. But he didn’t panic. “I knew it was the beer I’d been drinking,” he says, smiling as he recalls the incident.
Because he knew the cause of his difficulty, Jeff did not experience performance anxiety. And he didn’t feel threatened as a man, but just took it in stride. His self-awareness was crucial in his response to the situation.
Jeff told his wife he thought the culprit was the six-pack and she agreed. Sara didn’t attribute any deep meaning to the problem, probably because she felt secure in her relationship with her husband.
And Jeff didn’t withdraw from his wife. Instead, he cuddled with her for a while, before they each drifted off to sleep.
Left’s suppose that a week later, the same problem recurs, but this time, alcohol isn’t in the picture. Jeffs response to the problem is crucial. He doesn’t immediately assume the worst. In his mind, he goes over recent changes in his life. He did just start taking a prescription drug. Feeling that ifs something of a long shot, he calls his physician. After consulting a reference book, the doctor somewhat apologetically confirms that impotence can be a side effect of the medication. Reducing the dosage solves the problem.
Even without such a simple explanation, Jeffs attitude remains a crucial element in how successful he is in solving his problem. In general, Jeff has a positive attitude towards sex, despite “zero” formal sex education. “I never took a class in high school or college where the physiology of erection was explained or even discussed.” Now, having read a lot on his own, he feels more knowledgeable.
Jeffs attitude towards lovemaking and his marriage is positive. “I have a certain philosophy about making love,” says this soft-spoken man. “When you don’t make love, you’ve lost the time, and it can’t ever be regained. So it’s nice to enjoy it often.” Unlike William, who takes his stresses and pressures to bed with him, Jeff is careful to leave the rest of the world behind when he wants to make love. “I shut off the office when I close the bedroom door,” he says. That’s such good advice, we might all do well to use it as a motto.
Jeffs and William’s stories are good examples of sexual success and failure. The moral of both is that the way to sexual success is to understand the factors behind erection problems and to deal with them in a logical, constructive way.
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Doctors at the University of Iowa College of Medicine have achieved a high rate of success in reversing vasectomies—a procedure that until now wasn’t often successful. The doctors have achieved an 85 percent success rate in rejoining the duct that carries sperm from each testicle to the urethra (vas deferens). The new method for reversal uses a laser to seal the rejoined ends of the duct. It also reduces the length and risk of the operation, and over half of the patients undergoing the new reversal surgery have gone on to father children.
New Technique For Easier Vasectomies
A new, no-scalpel operation developed in China may prove to be faster and less painful than a standard vasectomy. Experts say the new technique is just as effective as the old procedure and is much faster, taking only 5 to 10 minutes compared with a conventional vasectomy which takes 15 to 20 minutes. The new technique also usually does not require the use of stitches because it employs a tiny puncture instead of an incision.
Reports from doctors who have used the new technique indicate that their patients experience less bleeding and pain, both during and after the operation, compared with men who undergo standard vasectomies.
New Methods To Fight Male Infertility
Two new methods of identifying and combating male infertility provide encouraging news to men who have been unable to father children.
At the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, a new sperm antibody diagnostic kit is being developed. The kit will enable doctors to identify antibody-related infertility. According to medical experts, abnormal antibodies produced in the male that attack his own sperm can cause sterility. Antibodies in the female which attack all sperm can also cause sterility.
Doctors at the Iowa College of Medicine are currently using “laparascopic” surgery to remove a varicose enlargement of the veins of the spermatic cord. A varicocele is the most common cause of male infertility. With the new surgical technique, patients have recovered in three days instead of ten to fourteen days.
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(1) Exercise
Exercise is extremely important for a diabetic person. It helps to improve your circulation, control blood sugar, control your weight, strengthen the heart, and reduce cholesterol. The best type of exercises included: Walking, jogging, swimming, or bicycling. Three times per week with 20-30 minute sessions are best. Do not do heavy exercises like weight lifting.
(2) Reduce Stress
Increased stress can cause additional problems for diabetics. Therefore, you should take steps to relax, remain calm, and reduce the amount of stress in your life.
(3) Dental Care
Some diabetic people are very susceptible to infection. Therefore, leading dentists like Roger Levin D.D.S. recommends that you pay particular attention to the care of your mouth. You should brush and floss frequently, and have regular checkups.
(4) Your Feet
A diabetic must pay close attention to their feet. A diabetic’s feet can become easily damaged and infected. This can often lead to amputation. Here is how to protect those feet:
(A) If you are overweight, then reduce your weight to take pressure off of your
(B) Wash your feet well every day.
(C) Keep your feet warm on cold days — A nice foot bath can help.
(D) Inspect your feet for bruises, cuts, swelling, and other damage — everyday.
(E) Wear comfortable — well fitting shoes.
(5) Magnesium for Type-ll diabetics
The mineral magnesium seems to help Type-ll diabetic sufferers. This can help by lowering high blood pressure. One of the best ways to get extra magnesium (and fiber) is by eating fresh green vegetables and salads. You should never take a magnesium pill supplement except under the advice of a doctor.
(6) Peas
A medical study in Denmark showed that the kind of fiber found in peas could help diabetics. This fiber helped by smoothing out the sharp rise in blood sugar after a meal.
(7) Your Lifestyle
A person with diabetics must pay close attention to diet, exercise, weight control, stress, and injuries. This can greatly reduce the many complications that can develop in a diabetic person. By taking all these factors into account, making gradual changes, and listening to your doctor you could greatly reduce diabetic complications.
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Here are 5 ways you can get rid of headache pain fast, naturally, without drugs:
1) Give your eyes a rest. Eyestrain headaches can be prevented by avoiding the circumstances that cause the condition. Reading in dim light, staring at a computer screen, using corrective lenses that are not right for you, or not using lenses when you need them, are among the leading causes of eyestrain. Under such circumstances, the muscles around the eyes contract in an attempt to help you “see” better. The contraction instigates headaches and triggers muscles in the face and scalp to contract as well—all making for a pretty powerful eyestrain headache.
You can prevent eyestrain headaches when you are reading or working at a computer terminal by taking periodic breaks and re-focusing your eyes on some distant object. If you feel eyestrain coming on, remove your glasses or contacts (if you wear them) and dim the lights. Then, keeping your eyes open, cup the palms of your hands over your eyes to create total darkness. Stare into this darkness for about 30 seconds. Then, close your eyes and lower your hands. Slowly open your eyes.
2) Give your muscles a rest. If your work requires that you maintain a fixed position—sitting or standing—for long periods of time and/or if you have poor posture, your muscles, including those in the head, face and neck, are likely to tighten up and in effect “freeze”. This can in turn trigger or aggravate the misery of tension headaches.
To prevent muscle freeze, you should try to vary your position as much as possible. You should also take five-minute breaks at a minimum of every two hours. This will help you release both the physical and psychological tension that could lead to a headache. If you are standing for a long period of time, try to pace a little, tilt your pelvis forward and back, and rotate your shoulders. People who are in a sitting position for long periods of time should occasionally straighten and stretch their spines. Good posture can also help to further reduce the strain of maintaining one position for hours at a time—especially when sitting. You should sit with your shoulders square and your back straight against the back of your chair. Also keep your feet flat on the floor and your knees at hip level.
3) Try hot and cold treatments. While some people have discovered that applying cold helps to ease their headache pain, others prefer heat. You should try both treatments and find out which one works better for you.
To give your headache a cold treatment, wrap ice cubes in plastic and then in a damp towel. Apply the wrapped ice directly on the area that is generating the pain. You can also try applying cold to the back of your neck, the base of the skull and the top of your head. Cold may also be applied by using a damp washcloth which has been in a freezer for at least 10 minutes, or a frozen gel pack which you can find at most drug stores and some supermarkets.
Heat can be applied with a hot-water bottle, a heating pad, or with a hot, wet towel draped across the back of the neck. Another method of applying heat is to sit under a hot shower, with your arms resting on your bent knees, and your forehead resting on your arms. The hot water beating down on the back of your neck and shoulders should help ease your headache pain.
4) Learn to breathe deeply. You stand a good chance or can avoiding a tension headache if you learn to breathe slowly and deeply whenever you begin to feel stress. Most experts recommend breathing through the nose because it carries oxygen more directly to the brain. You should take a deep breath, filling your lungs completely as you inhale to a slow count of four. Hold the breath through a slow count of four, and then exhale to a slow count of four. If you do it properly, you should feel your stomach puff out slightly.
5) Perhaps the best natural way to prevent headache pain is to exercise.
Regular physical activity helps keep your blood circulating through your body, delivering more oxygen and removing metabolic waste more efficiently.
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Diets that are high in fiber usually consist of foods such as pasta and cereals, whole-grain bread, beans and dried peas, fresh and dried fruits, and fresh vegetables, all of which contain plenty of fiber and complex carbohydrates. Such high-fiber foods are good for weight loss because they are more filling and contain fewer calories per gram than high-fat foods. As long as this diet contains a wide variety of low-calorie foods, it can be a safe and effective way to lose weight.
The only disadvantage of a high-fiber diet is that it may cause some initial indigestion and gas. These problems normally disappear in a relatively short time. They can also be effectively avoided in most cases by adding fiber to the diet gradually, and by not consuming an excessive amount of fiber.
Low-Fat Diet Tips
Here are some tips from the American Heart Association to help simplify a low-fat eating plan:
1) Limit your intake of lean meat, seafood and poultry (with no visible fat trimmed or drained) to no more than ounces a day.
2) Substitute meatless main dishes as entrees, or combine with small portions of meat.
3) Use no more than 5 to 8 teaspoons of fat and oils a day for cooking, baking, spreads and salads.
4) Cut back on egg-yolk consumption to three or four per week. (Egg whites are all right).
5) Eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
6) Eat at least six servings of cereals and grains a day.
7) Use skim or 1% milk and other low-fat dairy products.
Limit your consumption of organ meats, such as kidney, liver, heart, and gizzards.
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Herbal Salt Substitutes
One good way to cut down or eliminate your intake of salt is to take advantage of several herbal combinations which can be placed in shakers and used as salt substitutes. Here are two basic herbal salt substitutes:
1) The most basic herbal salt substitute consists of garlic powder, basil, oregano and powdered lemon rind. Place 2 teaspoons of garlic powder and one teaspoon each of basil, oregano, and powdered lemon rind in a blender and mix thoroughly. Keep the mixture in a glass container with the addition of rice to ensure that it doesn’t cake.
2) For a more spicy salt substitute, place 1 teaspoon each of cloves, pepper, and crushed coriander seed, 2 teaspoons of paprika, and 1 tablespoon of rosemary in a blender and mix well. Keep the mixture in an airtight container.
Should You Use Real Sugar Or A Sweetener Substitute?
It’s true that, except for supplying calories and energy, sugar has no nutritional value. However, it is not true that sugar prompts hyperactivity in children or causes diabetes, heart disease, and acne. And while sugar can contribute to obesity, it is much less a factor than fatty foods in causing a person to be overweight. The problem with using sugar is that many people don’t know “when to say when”. Consumed in small amounts, sugar actually provides some healthful benefits. Sugar can help relieve anxiety and stress, induce relaxation and sleep, act as an antidepressant, help heal wounds, and eliminate bacteria. New studies also suggest that small amounts of table sugar might even be safe for some people with diabetes.
On the negative side, sugar does promote cavities, and can cause sudden increases in insulin and blood glucose (although some vegetables, such as potatoes and carrots rank above sugar in ability to spur a quick rise in blood sugar). As mentioned earlier, sugar can promote weight gain if consumed in excess. It can also replace nutritional value when sugar-laden junk foods are a main part of one’s diet.
Unless a medical condition dictates the use of artificial sweeteners rather than sugar, it’s a matter of individual choice. If you do use sugar, do so moderately, and make sure you don’t replace nutritional value for the sake of a “sweet tooth”.
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Compulsive eating can develop in those non-drinkers who developed their particular food sensitivity as children or young adults. Many young people when they leave home to live with friends are too busy socialising and having fun in their out of work hours to take the time to cook balanced meals with a good variation of foods. Eating on the go becomes the thing and the diet is usually made up of refined takeaway foods and TV dinners which are vitamin and mineral deficient and made up basically of the same things—white sugar and white flour. Chemical flavourings, colourings and preservatives give this monotonous diet its variety. Ambitious young high achievers fall into this food category as well. They’re too busy working to cook balanced meals.
Many of the over-weight compulsive eaters I’ve treated developed their food cravings as a result of over-exposure to a given food as a child (in the manner previously described) or as a young person who left the nest and Mum’s home cooking. These food cravings can manifest in one of two ways. Either as a craving for the food in question or as a craving for sugar. Allergic hypoglycaemia is the term used to describe this latter phenomenon. Hypoglycaemia means a sudden dropping in the levels of glucose in the blood. When this happens, a message is sent to the brain that glucose levels must be restored immediately, and a craving for sugar results. Those people whose allergy withdrawal symptoms trigger hypoglycaemia are driven by an unbelievable compulsion to eat sweets or white flour foods, lots of them and often. Uncontrollable over-weight soon becomes a problem for them, is of great benefit to people with allergic hypoglycaemia.
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A fixed allergy, to a food, chemical, gas, dust, pollen, grass or mould, is one that you are born with and will have till the day you die. It’s something you have inherited a propensity for. Sometimes it can be controlled so that its effects are minimised. This is particularly so in the ease of inhalant allergens, such as dust, grasses and moulds, where vaccines can be administered to desensitise the sufferer to the allergen. In the case of a fixed allergy to a food (for example, strawberries, tomatoes) the best treatment is to avoid the food completely. Fortunately, only 5 per cent of allergic people suffer from a fixed allergy.
Not everybody experiences their allergic reactions in the blood. Some allergic reactions are confined to the intestines and make up any or all of those symptoms listed under ‘Gastro-intestinal’ later in this chapter. Blood tests are of little use to these people as the foods causing the problem are seldom absorbed through the intestinal wall into the blood to register their presence there. However, the mechanism of the gut-mediated allergic reaction is the same as that of the blood-mediated one, except that in this case it is the white blood cells lining the intestinal wall that have become over-sensitive rather than those floating in the blood. Celiac disease (massive gluten sensitivity) and Crohn’s disease are extreme examples of gut-mediated allergies.
The trial and error removal and reintroduction of foods—one at a time—is the only way to test for the offending gut-mediated allergies. However, this can’t be done until the stress levels have been reduced and any existing Candida yeast infections in the intestines have been contained. Stress and Candida yeast infections give rise to the same symptoms as gut-mediated food allergies.
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