#penis problems

by Clementine & Madman

A lot is going on in a man's life once he hits his glorious thirties. His career is hitting its stride, he’s likely made some big relationship decisions, he may have kids, and he may have traveled the world and done big things on a community level. However, one thing he may not have counted on encountering in his thirties is erectile dysfunction. This penis problem, thought to only happen to older men, is actually quite common in younger men as well. Let's talk about erectile dysfunction, why it happens, and how to treat it.

What Is Erectile Dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction, also known as ED, is a condition in which a man either cannot get an erection or cannot maintain one long enough to sustain intercourse to completion. Men can experience mild, occasional, or complete ED at any age. According to a study published in a respected industry journal, about 1 in 4 men under 40 years old was found to have some form of erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction is also a penis problem where the risk increases with age.

Causes of Erectile Dysfunction

There is a range of causes of erectile dysfunction. In younger men, nearly all of them are treatable or preventable. They fall under 2 categories: physical and psychological.

Physical Causes

When talking about younger men, the physical causes of erectile dysfunction are frequently tied to lifestyle and general health.

Health factors include:

- Heart disease

- Obesity

- Type 2 diabetes

- High cholesterol

- Low testosterone

- High blood pressure

- Atherosclerosis

Lifestyle factors include:

- Smoking

- Alcoholism

- Sedentary lifestyle

Psychological Causes

Erectile dysfunction can also be caused by psychological or emotional issues. Intimate or romantic relationships can also have a big impact on a man’s penis. Here are a few of the emotional/psychological issues that can cause ED:

- Depression

- Anxiety

- Stress

- Relationship discord

- Cheating

- Performance anxiety

Treatment Options for Erectile Dysfunction

No matter the cause, ED is a very treatable penis problem with the help of a good doctor and some lifestyle modifications. The first thing a man needs to do is quite simple: tell his doctor about his erectile dysfunction.

Expect to discuss additional things such as:

- Sexual history in general

- Current sexual status and activity level

- Relationship status and issues

- Questions about mental and physical health

A man must be brutally honest so that his doctor can accurately treat his ED. A man should expect a physical exam as well. A referral to a urologist alsomay be part of the process.

Erectile Dysfunction Treatment: Prescription Medications

Let’s get the best-known treatment out of the way; however, these are usually just temporarily treating the symptom, not the underlying issue.

Prescription medications, like Viagra, work by encouraging blood flow to the penis when it’s sexually stimulated. These medications must be prescribed, are usually quite expensive, and might not be covered by insurance.

Erectile Dysfunction Treatment: Lifestyle Modifications

Lifestyle changes are one of the best ways to treat and prevent erectile dysfunction in younger and older men alike. The following recommendations can help reverse ED and prevent it:

- Maintain a healthy weight

- Exercise for at least 30 minutes each day and break a sweat

- Quit smoking

- Eat a healthy, colorful diet

- Limit alcohol consumption to 1 to 2 drinks per day

- Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep each day

- Find a way to manage stress, such as meditation or yoga

Erectile Dysfunction Treatment: Devices and Injections

In some of the more serious cases of ED, a doctor may recommend a different course of treatment, which can include things like:

- Testosterone replacement therapy

- Injection therapy

- Penis implants

Erectile Dysfunction Treatment: Supplements

If a man is uncomfortable taking medication for erectile dysfunction, he has other more natural options. He may want to take herbal supplements like L-arginine and yohimbe. Be sure to talk to a doctor first, though, to ensure that they don’t have contraindications with any medications that they already might be taking.

Unless you’ve been hiding in a doomsday bunker, you have definitely heard about the Keto Diet. And chances are…you are probably sick of hearing about it unless you are an enthusiast. But something you may not know is that there are a few penis problems that have shown up as a result of this fat-friendly lifestyle. Experienced by both men and women, “Keto Crotch” is the latest potential side effect of Halle Berry's favorite diet. Besides being wonderfully alliterative, Keto Crotch is, for men, a condition wherein their junk smells like, well, junk, and there may be a bit of unusual dryness in that special of all special areas – the taint, or perineum as the fancy folks say. So, let’s talk about this smelly penis issue and how to deal with it. After all, now that you're getting that super-hot body, why would you not want the amorous benefits that come with it that a smelly penis will definitely halt?

What is the Keto Diet?

If you are currently drawing breath, you have heard of the Keto Diet. The Ketogenic Diet, as it is technically known, is a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carb diet where a person gets about 80 percent of their calories from fat, with as little as 5 percent coming from carbohydrates. So, think lots of avocadoes and salmon and no (or very little) bread or pasta. This low level of carbohydrate intake pushes the body into ketosis, wherein the body burns fat stores for energy. People lose weight pretty fast at first, and the lifestyle seems fairly easy to maintain once you get over the hump. Simple enough, right?

Why is the Keto Diet causing you to have a smelly penis?

The Keto Diet puts the body into ketosis, which creates ketones. Ketones are organic compounds made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. One ketone, in particular, is acetone, which smells a lot like nail polish remover (because it is). They throw off the body’s pH and can cause things to get a little extra funky for a while. This buildup of ketones in the body can lead to things like keto breath and keto body odor, and now a unique new kind of penis problem to deal with, Keto Crotch.

How to calm Keto Crotch

The good news is, after a few months, the body adapts to the new Keto sheriff in town. However, having a smelly penis for 2 or 3 months is about 4 months too many, right? And let’s not forget that weirdly dry situation happening on your perineum.

Here are a few ways to free the funk while waiting it out:

- Drink lots of water – this flushes waste out of the body more frequently, giving it less time to ferment on your insides

- Eat a lot of veggies and some fibrous fruits. These naturally freshen things up and also provide fiber to push waste out of the system. These are also alkaline foods that balance the pH of your skin, which helps reduce odor

- Shower daily, more often if you have sex or workout

- Take a prebiotic daily or eat kimchi or sauerkraut

- Take a quality probiotic every day

Here are a few ways to soften up that taint:

- Only use a gentle cleanser and warm water when washing

- Use coconut oil on the area for a natural softener that soaks in relatively quickly

According to the Cleveland Clinic, 52 percent of men experience erectile dysfunction (ED) at some point in their lives. A frequently talked about penis problem, erectile dysfunction has many different faces. Causes, treatment, and experience are unique to each man. ED delves deeper into a man’s physical, emotional, and mental health in more ways than many men believe, and often times, doesn’t originate in the penis itself. Men need to know all the facts about erectile dysfunction so they can do their best to prevent it, or at a minimum, know how to manage the condition for a healthy, active sex life.

Erectile Dysfunction Defined

Erectile dysfunction is more than an “every once in a while” problem. Men with ED cannot create or maintain an erection at least 25 percent of the time when they try to. Erectile dysfunction is a penis problem that is chronic, meaning that it can be managed, but not entirely cured. While men of any age can have ED, men over 40 do have a higher instance and risk for experiencing erectile dysfunction, and that risk only increases with time.

Erectile dysfunction also isn’t experienced in the same way by all men. Some men can get an erection but cannot keep it long enough to achieve release, whether from self-stimulation or intimacy with a partner. Other men cannot get hard at all. Still, other men can get an erection sometimes, just not reliably. Hardness can also vary. All said and done, erectile dysfunction presents in many ways, and as a result, can be treated in many ways.

What Causes Erectile Dysfunction?

Many things can cause erectile dysfunction. Causes can be physical, psychological, or pharmaceutical. The most common reason, however, is that erectile dysfunction is a symptom of a man’s initial or root disease. This includes conditions such as:

- Diabetes

- Obesity

- Cancer

- High cholesterol

- High blood pressure

- Stroke

- Heart disease

- Multiple sclerosis

Diagnosing and Treating Erectile Dysfunction

A doctor will use one or more the following tests to diagnose erectile dysfunction:

- Physical Exam – The doctor or urologist will check the reproductive region for signs of damage such as bruising, lumps, excessive scar tissue, or a dramatic curve in the penis.

- Urine Test – This test looks for ED-associated illnesses like diabetes and cancer.

- Blood Test – A blood test will be used to look for things like low testosterone, diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions.

- Ultrasound – A specialist facilitates this test. He or she will wave a wand-like ultrasound device over the blood vessels that supply blood to the penis. This test is sometimes heightened by the injection of medication to produce an erection.

- Psychological Exam – A physician, psychologist, therapist, or psychiatrist will perform a 1- to 2-hour examination to look for anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues.

Once correctly diagnosed, a treatment plan will be created depending on the root cause or causes of erectile dysfunction. Sometimes simple lifestyle changes like losing weight or getting more exercise can reverse ED. Medications to treat root causes can also be used. Finally, some men opt for erection-producing pills like Viagra, or the P-spot or penile implants.

An issue in bed – that’s one of the first things that comes to mind when a guy think of penis problems (and with good reason – that is a big penis problem). But the range of penis health issues extends far beyond concerns about erections or ejaculation. One of the penis problems guys especially want to sweep under the rug is that of urinary incontinence. It can be embarrassing, but it pays to know something about this issue in case it becomes a factor in one’s own life.

Urinary incontinence

Urinary incontinence refers to a situation in which a person (male or female) urinates involuntarily. Although technically one lone instance of involuntarily urinating is considered incontinence, most of the time when it is discussed it is in a chronic form, in which it is an ongoing or continuing issue to dealt with. Among men, urinary incontinence is more common at the ends of the age spectrum – among young boys or older men. However, it is interesting to note that as many as 15% of men between 15 and 64 experience some form of chronic incontinence.

Urinary incontinence is generally classified in one of three categories:

- Stress. When a man has stress incontinence, this generally means that urine leaks out because of stress being placed on the bladder. It is more likely to happen when the bladder is full or near full, but can happen even when there is not a significant amount of urine in the bladder. An example of stress incontinence would be a man lifting a heavy object in such a way that some urine leaks out. (It may be only a small amount or it may be much more.) Another common occurrence of stress incontinence may occur when a man is coughing heavily.

- Urge. Urge incontinence is different and is perhaps occurs more frequently than stress incontinence. As the name implies, if a man experiences urge incontinence, he is fully aware that he has reached a time when he needs to urinate but cannot reach a bathroom before the urine starts flowing. Sometimes the time between becoming aware of the need to urinate and the      time that the urination begins can be fairly short. When most people think of incontinence, they focus on urge incontinence.

- Overflow. Think of this as simply having too full a bladder – the organ has reached its capacity and has to release urine in order to accommodate more liquid. Overflow urine is often associated with situations in which a great deal of liquid (often alcoholic) is imbibed at once.

Why does it occur?

Incontinence can happen for numerous reasons, including simply drinking too much. But some common causes include:

- Urinary tract infection. In some instances, an infection may impact a man’s ability to control his urine flow.

- Weak muscles. The muscles which are in charge of shutting on and off the flow of urine may not be strong enough to properly do their job.

- Nerve issues. Some illnesses, especially diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, create nerve damage situations which prevent the nerves and muscles from coordinating properly, allowing for unwanted urination.

- Alcohol consumption. Drinking too heavily during can cause overflow incontinence, but it may also help to weaken muscles or damage nerves.

- Stress. As with so many things in life, high stress situations can create incontinence problems, especially if the stress is chronic and maintained for lengthy periods of time.

Men who experience incontinence should check with a doctor to determine the probable cause and determine a course of action to address the situation.