|
When a man's desire for intimacy is lost it often causes
serious problems for both him and his partner. A loss of
libido, particularly for a man that had a relatively
high libido in the past can be devastating to a
relationship. Often, the man's partner can begin
to feel neglected, unloved, or rejected, when the
problem is not that her man doesn't love her any longer,
but more that his need for sexual intimacy has simply
diminished. Barring psychological or other health
problems, loss of libido in an aging male is almost
always due to low free testosterone levels.
Normal aging causes a decline in free testosterone
and low testosterone levels can cause depression. Often,
a man seeking help is prescribed antidepressants for his
depressed condition rather than treated for his low
testosterone levels.
This can easily trap him
in a vicious cycle. His low testosterone levels
cause depression as well as a decrease in libido. If his
depression is treated with antidepressants, his libido
may decrease even more, and he may also experience
medication-related erectile dysfunction, further
increasing his depression and compounding his problems.
Treating his low testosterone may fix both the
depression and libido problems but this is not always
done.
Disruption of hormone levels, particularly when
testosterone levels are low, can result in poor sexual
function and loss of libido. However, while low
testosterone levels can affect erectile performance,
more often erectile dysfunction is a side effect of other health
conditions or treatment for them.
Many men who suffer from erectile dysfunction or loss
of libido turn to the internet in search of a solution.
Often products are tried that do little except relieve
the man from some of his money and increase his
frustration.
Top of page
Claims made
about products that enhance libido or improve sexual
performance are often false or highly exaggerated, and some products may
actually cause adverse effects.
There are some herbs and nutrients that help increase
libido, and while doing so they also improve a man's
prostate and overall health.
While the prostate has much
to do with sexual performance, it is only one member of
a complex chorus. Generally, good health is crucial for
a man’s sexual ability. When health starts to wane, be
it prostate or overall health, deterioration in sexual
performance is not far behind.
Medications for depression, high blood pressure, and
pain relief have a long history of causing sexual
problems, both by reducing libido and causing erectile
dysfunction.
If you are on
antidepressants and you suffer from loss of libido or erectile
dysfunction, consult with your doctor about possibly
switching to a different drug or using some of the herbs,
like saw palmetto, yohimbe, muria puama, tribulus,
or ginseng that are listed in the
Supplements section.
There are many other herbs and nutrients that may also help
increase your libido and your sexual ability. A
full discussion, along with the science behind
them can be found in my book,
Your Prostate, Your
Libido, Your Life.
Top of page
|
