Posted January 9, 2011 in Plans

1 in 5 American men will experience erectile dysfunction at some point in their lives, with that number climbing to 50% in diabetics. Unfortunately, most men ask their doctor to write a prescription for Viagra, which has potential side effects such as vision problems, hearing loss, and even strokes.

A healthier fixx is to first look at your current prescription medications for problem drugs and then try a combination of vitamin D, Pycnogenol with L-Arginine, and Acetyl L-Carnitine with Alpha Lipoic Acid. A few or all of these remedies will solve the vast majority of erectile dysfunction without negative side effects.

All of the following treatments can be implemented one at a time or in combination without adverse effects. Men who are looking for fast relief may opt to try all of the solutions at once and then remove them one at a time after the problem is fixxed in order to reduce the amount of supplements taken. It is important to note that vitamin D, Acetyl L-Carnitine, and Alpha Lipoic Acid provide a number health benefits beyond eliminating erectile dysfunction.

Vitamin D
Vitamin D supplementation is an effective, natural option for erectile dysfunction. Unless a person lives close to the equator, it's likely that they have less than optimal levels of vitamin D. Supplementation can help normalize blood pressure, increase the production of NO, and raise testosterone.

Additionally, Vitamin D in adequate amounts can inhibit a protein called Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGF-b), which is responsible for the narrowing of smooth muscle passages. This narrowing in small tissues within the arteries of internal penile muscles can restrict blood flow and impair erections.

Pycnogenol® and L-Arginine
Pycnogenol, the trade name for a water extract of French maritime pine bark, has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in erectile dysfunction when used in combination with the amino acid L-Arginine.

Known to increase NO production, Pycnogenol and L-Arginine were studied during a 3-month trial of 40 men with erectile dysfunction. During the first month, each patient received 1.7 grams of L-Arginine per day in divided doses. They were additionally supplemented with 40mg of Pycnogenol two times per day during the second month, which was then increased to three 40mg Pycnogenol tablets for the third.

After one month of treatment with L-arginine, a statistically non-significant number of 2 patients (5%) experienced a normal erection. Treatment with a combination of L-arginine and Pycnogenol for the following month increased the number of men with restored sexual ability to 80%. After the third month of treatment, 92.5% of the men experienced a normal erection. It was concluded that the oral administration of L-Arginine in combination with Pycnogenol causes a significant improvement in sexual function in men with erectile dysfunction without any side effects [1].

It's worth noting that the type of L-Arginine used in the trial was standard L-Arginine, which is much less potent than another type of Arginine, called Arginine Pyroglutamate. Arginine Pyroglutamate is at least ten times more effective than regular L-Arginine and thus may prove more effective in treating erectile dysfunction.

Acetyl L-Carnitine
In a landmark study by the April 2004 Journal of Urology, the amino acid Acetyl L-Carnitine was compared to testosterone in the treatment of sexual dysfunction, depressed mood, and fatigue associated with male aging [2].

While testosterone did improve functioning, Acetyl L-Carnitine proved to be significantly more active than testosterone in improving nighttime spontaneous erections and International Index of Erectile Function score.

In the study, two types of carnitines were used; Propionyl-L-Carnitine (PLC) plus Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC) at 2 grams apiece (2,000 milligrams). However, 4 grams of Acetyl L-Carnitine will work just as well, and may be a better option as Propionyl-L-Carnitine is difficult to find without a prescription.

Acetyl L-Carnitine has another benefit which is likely significant in the treatment of erectile dysfunction, that being the normalization of the hormone cortisol. A recent study revealed that elevated cortisol levels (a stress hormone) play an inhibitory role in the mechanism of male sexual response and behavior [3].

Alpha Lipoic Acid
In the July 2005 Journal of Urology it was found that oxidative stress is of significant importance in the cardiovascular nature of erectile dysfunction. Put another way, erectile dysfunction due to atherosclerosis is greatly benefited by the use of antioxidants.

Researchers concluded that antioxidant therapy may be a useful prophylactic tool for preventing smooth muscle dysfunction and fibrosis in erectile dysfunction.

Lipoic acid, also known as Alpha Lipoic acid, is a water and fat soluble antioxidant. Lipoic acid has been found to be very successful in the treatment of erectile dysfunction in fructose-fed rats that contracted diabetes and erectile dysfunction prior to Lipoic acid therapy. Lipoic acid therapy increased the production of NO, erectile function, and increased "mounting" compared with controls [4].

Another study on Lipoic acid and erectile dysfunction was further aided by the intake of the fatty acid, Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA) [5]. Apparently, GLA works well enough to have had a patent issued on its use in erectile dysfunction [6].

References
[1] J Sex Marital Ther. 2003 May-Jun;29(3):207-13.
[2] Urology. 2004 Apr;63(4):641-6.
[3] Urol Res. 2003 Dec;31(6):402-6. Epub 2003 Sep 24.
[4] Int J Tissue React. 2005;27(3):145-50.
[5] Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2001 Sep-Oct;17(5):380-6.
[6] United States Patent 6036977 GLA/Patent

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