Some alternative treatments for impotence, include - Korean Red Ginseng
Two double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, involving a total of 135 people, have found evidence that Korean red ginseng may improve erectile function.
L-Arginine
In a double-blind trial, 50 men with problems developing an erection received either 5 g of L-arginine or placebo daily for 6 weeks. More men in the treated group experienced improvement in sexual performance than in the placebo group.
A double-blind crossover study of 32 men found no benefit with 1,500 mg of arginine given daily for 17 days; The much smaller dose and shorter course of treatment may explain the discrepancy between these two trials.
Arginine has also been evaluated in combination with the drug yohimbine (made from the herb yohimbe. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 45 men found that one-time use of this combination therapy an hour or two prior to intercourse improved erectile function, especially in those with only moderate erectile dysfunction scores. Arginine and yohimbine were both taken at a dose of 6 grams.
Note: Do not use the drug yohimbine (or the herb yohimbe) except under qualified supervision, as it presents a number of safety risks.
Carnitine
In a 6-month, double-blind trial of 120 men, average age 66, carnitine (propionyl-l-carnitine 2 g/day plus acetyl-l-carnitine 2 g/day) and testosterone (testosterone undecanoate 160 mg/day) were separately compared to placebo. The results indicated that both carnitine and testosterone improve erectile function; however, while testosterone significantly increases prostate volume, carnitine did not.
Another double-blind, placebo-controlled study found that propionyl-l-carnitine at 2 g/day enhanced the effectiveness of sildenafil (Viagra) in 40 men with diabetes who had previously failed to respond to sildenafil on at least eight occasions.
Carnitine has also shown promise for treating male infertility.
Other Treatments
In a 3-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 20 men with erectile dysfunction received either placebo or a special form of magnet therapy called PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic field therapy). PEMF was administered by means of a small box worn near the genital area and kept in place as continuously as possible over the study period; neither participants nor observers knew whether the device was actually activated or not. The results showed that use of PEMF significantly improved sexual function compared to placebo.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study enrolled 40 men with difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection who also had low measured levels of DHEA. The results showed that DHEA at a dose of 50 mg daily improved sexual performance; however, the authors failed to provide a statistical analysis of the results, making the meaningfulness of this study impossible to determine.
Severe zinc deficiency is known to negatively affect sexual function. Since marginal zinc deficiency is relatively common, it is logical to suppose that supplementation with zinc may be helpful for some men. However, this hypothesis has only been studied in men receiving kidney dialysis. The results were promising.
The herb Butea superba has shown some promise for erectile dysfunction, according to a 3-month randomized, double-blind study performed in Thailand.
One animal study suggests that melatonin might have some potential value in the treatment of impotence.
OPCs (oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes) have also shown some promise for erectile dysfunction, alone or in combination with arginine.
Many other herbs are also reputed to improve sexual function, including ashwagandha, avena sativa, catuaba, damiana, eleutherococcus (so-called Siberian ginseng), maca, Macuna pruriens, muira puama, pygeum, Polypodium vulgare, saw palmetto, schizandra, suma, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, and Tribulus terrestris. However, there is as yet no real evidence that they work. Contrary to some reports, maca does not appear to affect testosterone levels.
Numerous case reports and uncontrolled studies indicate that the herb Ginkgo biloba offers dramatic benefits for male (and female) sexual problems caused by antidepressents. However, as always, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies are necessary to truly establish efficacy. When studies of this type were performed, it became clear that people had been misled about ginkgo’s efficacy by the power of suggestion: ginkgo failed to improve sexual function to any greater extent than placebo.
In a small single-blind study, acupuncture proved superior to fake acupuncture for treatment of erectile dysfunction. However, because the treating practitioners administrating the control treatment were aware that they were providing sham acupuncture, it is quite likely that they unconsciously communicated lack of confidence as they provided it; this is an inherent limitation of single-blind studies.
Long and POTENT life to all, C.C.
Edited by calmcookie, 04 June 2007 - 08:31 PM.
