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Erectile Disfunction (ED) is usually thought to be caused by old age, nerve damage, medications, vascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis, diabetes, hormone imbalances, and neurological problems like strokes, MS, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. However, some research has shown that we need to look beyond disease, medications, and age to completely suss out the causes of ED. This research has shown that there are environmental risk factors associated with ED.
A risk factor is “a variable associated with an increased risk of disease or infection,” and is not necessarily the cause of a problem, but is somehow associated with it. Environmental risk factors are things one might be exposed to in their journey through life that might have a relationship to disease or infection. In the past, it was not known whether environmental risk factors played a part in causing erectile disfunction. There had been very little research on the matter. Luckily, in the past decade, some light has been shed on the subject and people are becoming smart in their diagnoses and treatments.
Oliva, Giami, and Multigner conducted a study to test if there might be environmental risk factors for erectile disfunction. They studied 199 different patients in Argentina, looking into what chemical or physical agents might play a part in their ED.
They found that the risk factor for diabetes was 11%, 34% for hypertension, 16% for heart disease, and 22% from prescription medications. Then, the patients were broken into four different groups and tested.
The agents that seemed to increase their risk of ED were pesticides, as did chemical solvents. Many of these patients had a high level of pesticides in the area they live in. One of the explanations for this is the hormones contained in these substances, or the way they affect the body hormonally.
For instance, many organochlorine pesticides have a form of synthetic estrogen in them. Estrogen is known to decrease libido in men and cause erectile disfunction. This is especially true for manufacturing or factory workers who came into contact with diethylstilbestrol or diaminostilbene.
Pesticides that are organophosphorus or carbamates are known to cause a range of problems in the central nervous system. Solvents can also cause nerve issues. Complications in the nervous system are a leading known cause of erectile disfunction.
The Mayo Clinic lists other risk factors that may contribute to ED:
- Diabetes, heart problems, and other medical conditions
- Using tobacco, which can destabilize your blood pressure and cause chronic health problems over time that lead to ED
- Weight problems, especially obesity
- Prostate surgery, radiation, and other treatment for cancer
- Antidepressants, antihistamines, statins, and pain medications
- Stress, anxiety, and depression
- Drinking
- Bicycling, which can cause temporary ED because of the way it affects nerves and bloodflow
If you work with pesticides, cleaning agents, or any other chemical solvents—or live or work in an environment that somehow exposes you to them—you might have an increased risk of ED. All of these things are often bad for human health anyhow, so it is best to avoid them, even if you have managed to find cheap viagra or generic viagra and it is working for you.
Try to reduce the number of risk factors you have. This could mean running instead of biking for exercise, losing weight, quitting smoking, or even switching to organic pesticide in your garden.
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