I had planned for another discussion but the influx of text messages to me on erectile dysfunction and prostate enlargement made me change my mind. I must confess that it is getting me seriously worried and sad. It is like it has become a pandemic!
This week, I will revisit erectile dysfunction and prostate enlargement despite the fact that i have talked about them extensively before. I will also touch some other things.
To start with, let us talk about erectile dysfunction. It is often a symptom, not a condition. If it is not due to stress or emotional reasons, then it is an early warning of a more serious illness. Some known risk factors are: high blood sugar (Diabetes), high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, using drugs or drinking too much alcohol and obesity. Certain diseases, injury or surgery in the pelvic area can also harm nerves around the penis.
Cancer treatments near the pelvis can affect the penis’ functionality. Surgery and radiation for cancers in the lower abdomen or pelvis can cause it. Treating prostate, colon-rectal or bladder cancer often leave men with ED. Drugs used to treat other health problems can negatively impact erections. Emotional problems can cause or worsen ED.
Let me digress a little. I will like to share with you how Viagra was discovered. Despite the drug’s popularity today, the researchers who discovered it were not even looking for it. Sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra was originally developed to treat cardiovascular problems. It was meant to dilate the heart’s blood vessels by blocking a particular protein called PDE-5. In animal tests, it seemed to work moderately well. Researchers could find evidence that it was impeding PDE-5 and the animals were not having any obvious negative side effects. So, it was brought into a phase one clinical trial in the early 1990s, to test whether humans can tolerate a new compound.
All seemed to be going well except for one weird thing the men enrolled in the study did when nurses went to check on them, “they found a lot of the men were lying on their stomachs.”
John LaMattina, who was the head of research and development at Pfizer while this research was ongoing said on a 2016 episode of the STAT Signal Podcast that ”a very observant nurse reported this, saying “the men were embarrassed because they were getting erections.” It appeared that the blood vessels dilating were not in the heart but rather, the penis.
The sildenafil was working but in the wrong part of the body. And with that, the so-called “potency pill” was born.
I am not saying you should go for Viagra, I only want to let you know that like Dr C. Pfeiffer once said that “for every drug that benefits a patient, there is a natural substance that has the same effect, you can also have Viagra alternatives in nature.
I strongly recommend alligator pepper. It contains Phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor which is what Viagra and other drugs known to increase erection are based on. You can use alligator pepper for this purpose or to dilate blood vessels in the body.
It is very spicy. Some people may find it too pepperish when chewed. Instead of chewing them, remove the seeds from the pods, grind them into power. You can be using the powder to make tea. However, all the causes of erectile dysfunction that I enumerated must be looked into.
Prostate enlargement or benign prostatic hyperplasia is a condition in men in which the prostate gland is enlarged but not cancerous. Men with the following factors are more likely to develop benign prostatic hyperplasia: age 40 years and above, family history of benign prostatic hyperplasia, medical conditions such as obesity, heart and circulatory disease and type 2 diabetes, lack of physical exercise and erectile dysfunction.
I spoke with Mr David Agunbiade, the CEO, Dr Roots Natural Medicine Ltd. He is popularly known as “Dr. Roots”. If you have seen one of his videos before, you will love his distinguishing style of starting, he would say “ hi everyone, I am Dr roots and I greet all the elders”
He gave me some herbal remedies for prostate enlargement. Let us take a look at them:
Sida Acuta (Ewe isekotu)
Alstonia Boonei (Ewe Ahun)
Corn Silk (irukere Agbado)
Boil all these with fermented pap water (Omi Ogi/Omidun). Drink a teacup twice a daily.
2: Get fresh leaves of Byrsocarpus coccineus (ewe orikoteni / amuje wewe). Boil very well with omi ogi/Omidun and take a teacup twice daily till you see improvements.
3: Get fresh leaves of Heliotropium Indicum (ewe ogbe ri akuko/ agogo igun). Extract the juice and drink a teacup once daily for a week.
Recently, someone shared something with me. She said she was at the hospital and her doctor refused to give her any medication for her high blood pressure. The doctor simply said “go and lose weight”. Knowing the cause(s) of your ailments and getting rid of them will help treat the problem.
When people consult me, I usually ask them what they have done medically about their ailments. Most of the times, I hear things like “ I prefer herbs because they do not have side effects”. I always laugh at this because herbs do have side effects too. I once told you how I took Zobo excessively for 3 months and it changed my menstrual cyle from 28 days to 21 days! My cycle went back to normal when I stopped taking it in large quantity.
This same Zobo can cause uterine contractions. Although, some pregnant women took it during pregnancy but nothing happened, some women were not lucky. I have seen someone who landed in the hospital after taking bitter leaf water! Do not abuse the use of herbs. They must be taken in moderation.
A woman once consulted me for her infertility issues and as usual, I asked if she had seen a doctor. I was extremely shocked when she said she had not done so. My love for nature does not stop me from embracing medical science.
Regular medical check ups helps nip diseases in the bud. You have been told that police is your friend, please add your doctor to your friend’s list. Sometimes last year, I saw a video of a woman battling for her life at the hospital. She had egunsi soup for the first time and her body reacted. I will like to say that even if the food has the stamp of the world health organisation (WHO) as the best food in the world but you are allergic to it, please, avoid it completely.
Back to where I started from, if you are a male, 40 and above and you have not started checking your prostate, now is the time to start.
Some of these cases of erectile dysfunction may be due to emotional stress, there is no way the breadwinner in a family will not be emotionally unstable with the way the economy is. However, your erectile dysfunction may not be emotionally induced, it may be a symptom of a more serious health condition. See your doctor.
