“Erectile dysfunction, who me? Never”! I’ve heard those words echoed over and over again when I teach a nutrition and wellness class and have men present. Of course, the subject I’m discussing is a diet high in saturated fat, red meat and processed food.
As a society we raise our children to be mindful of rules, laws, and manners . Further, Mothers teach their daughters about periods, Fathers teach their sons about being “a Man”. We take for granted that sex education, sex and all that goes along with it will be learned in a health class. Parents never really want to discuss sex with their children. It’s a very very touchy subject. Children too are uncomfortable having their parents sit them down to talk about sex or birth control or abstinence and more. As we age, our mothers and adult female relatives go one step further and shortchange their daughters and young female relatives by not sharing advice on menopause and its consequences. Fathers and uncles also fail to share their experience with erectile dysfunction with their sons and nephews. Yes, the inability to maintain or get an erection. This occurs in about 60% of males age 60 and above. Yet, men never share this story with their sons. Unfortunately, erectile dysfunction affects both the husband and wife and must be taken seriously.
In order for a man to have an erection he must have good blood flow to the penis. Many factors from depression, prescription medications, smoking and more can cause erectile dysfunction. However, the more common cause is something you may overlook. The diet men thrive on and celebrate daily is the very thing that will destroy their very manhood. Hamburgers, t-bone steaks, beer, pizza, chips, French fries, pork chops, Spam,corned beef, Vienna sausage, Brautsworth sausage and any high fat food is a more common cause of ED than prescription medications or depression. In fact, it is most certain that all men who indulge in a diet high in saturated fat will have problems having and maintaining an erection even as early as their late 30’s and early 40’s. I’m not talking sterility, for a man can still have an orgasm but, he won’t be able to have much of an erection.In 1997, on my K-57 talk radio show on Guam, urologist Dr. Jerry Richter, asked me if he could be a guest on my show to discuss an epidemic on Guam. He wouldn’t tell me what it was and said he would discuss it when he met with me. With my interest peaked, I anxiously awaited his arrival and in the break room he told me he wanted to talk about a link between a diet in luncheon meat( know by a more common name on Guam )and the inability for a man to get or maintain an erection or ED. He said that he was a urologist for the Veteran’s Center on Guam and that all the men he was seeing suffered from ED. He mentioned that of all the places he worked in the world, the numbers he saw were epidemic. Of course, he didn’t have any studies to prove this, just his observation and a hunch. However, it’s enough to cause one to sit up and listen.
Chamorro men are quite macho and would never admit an ED problem to anyone. Being a urologist Dr. Richter had to know. The interesting thing about that morning on my radio show is that my phones didn’t ring once. No one called to dispute it or to agree with it. Someone always calls one way or another, so I knew I had struck a sensitive chord.Men, change your diet now. You will suffer from ED and heart disease and may even have a stroke or heart attack if you keep eating the rich fatty diet. Furthermore, you will most likely develop diabetes. Diabetes is the disease that destroys small blood vessels. Diabetic males will develop ED. Eventually the nerve endings to the penis and blood flow are diminished. Female students and some male relatives in their 60’s and older have confided in me that they or their significant other suffers from ED. Once a man has ED, depression may set in and many times it becomes joked about but never really admitted as caused by diet and lifestyle. If ED is referred to, it’s mentioned as being a a part of aging.
Can ED be reversed? You’ll have to see a urologist. If you’re one of the young men whom I’ve given this lecture to and answered back that you’ll just take Viagra, heed warning. Viagra and similar ED medications can only be taken by healthy men. If you have heart disease or are taking blood thinners you cannot take Viagra. Further, I know of diabetic males who have told me that Viagra a does not work for them.
So the next time you barbeque… and want to “chasa” remember what I wrote about ED…
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