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Erectile dysfunction is more common than one thinks, particularly among older men. Erection is defined as the inability to attain and maintain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse at least 25% of the time. It is estimated half of all men between 40 and 70 years old will have it to some degree. It is regularly called “impotence”, where a man cannot achieve or maintain an erection during sexual performance. Symptoms can also include reduced sexual desire or libido. ED is not the same problem as poor sperm count and quality, though they may be related.
Your doctor is likely to diagnose erectile dysfunction if it lasts more than a few weeks or months. Causes are varied, and include hormonal imbalance, fatigue, stress, performance anxiety and alcohol consumption. Standard treatments include pharmaceutical medications, vacuum pumps, implants, and surgery, but many men prefer natural options as most conventional treatments have side effects, some serious.
Hormones are some of the common causes for low libido and/or erectile dysfunction.
Testosterone is sometimes misleading referred to as male hormone. It is misleading because females also produce and need testosterone. It clearly is important for men as it impacts on sex drive and sperm production.
Low testosterone do not always mean low sex drive. Some men maintain sexual desire at relatively low testosterone levels. For other men, libido may lag even with normal testosterone levels. It remains the case that low testosterone is one of the main causes of low libido, however. If testosterone is lowered far enough, virtually all men will experience some decline in sex drive.
Although it’s called the female hormone, a man’s body also makes oestrogen. A healthy balance of oestrogen and testosterone is important for sexual growth and development. When these hormones become imbalanced, your sexual development and function may be affected.
Increased oestrogen levels can affect the balance of hormones that are needed to help get an erection and stay erect. This is especially true if you also have low testosterone.
Thyroid problems can create a hormonal imbalance, causing men to have trouble getting or keeping an erection. According to the International Society for Sexual Medicine, hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) and hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid) may each cause erectile dysfunction because they cause symptoms including fatigue, low mood, and low sex drive. These symptoms of both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism may make it difficult to feel aroused and/or achieve and maintain an erection.
Hyperthyroidism in men is also often paired with premature ejaculation, and hypothyroidism with delayed ejaculation.
This inflammation of the prostate gland can be either acute (usually caused by a bacterial infection) or chronic (usually not caused by an infectious agent). Symptoms include pain during urination, more frequent urination, and possibly a discharge from the penis or fever. Severe prostatitis can cause erectile dysfunction directly. In milder forms, the condition can produce painful ejaculation, which can certainly interfere with sexual pleasure and may lead to erectile dysfunction.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH, a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland. This condition results in multiple symptoms such as frequent need to urinate, increasing urination at night, weak urine stream, dripping and difficulty in emptying the bladder.
BPH can affect sex drive, lower sexual satisfaction and cause ED.
Erectile dysfunction — the inability to get or maintain an erection firm enough for sex — is common in men who have diabetes, especially those with type 2 diabetes. It can stem from damage to nerves and blood vessels caused by poor long-term blood sugar control.
If you find yourself experiencing symptoms or issues outlines above, it may therefore be useful to check out some hormones. We offer hormone tests for low libido and erectile dysfunction. Call us and we can help further.
Premature ejaculation means ejaculating too quickly, and is one of the most common male sexual problems. It can be a cause of real distress for both men and their partners. It has been a major factor in marriage break ups. A UK survey which polled several thousand British males, found that around 10% often or sometimes experienced premature ejaculation.
A precise definition is difficult to establish: What some couples consider a satisfactory length of intercourse is inadequate for others. A US report presented to the 2006 Congress of the European Society for Sexual Medicine stated men with premature ejaculation lasted 1.8 minutes on average, while “normal” men lasted 7.3 minutes on average. Another study, looking at 500 couples from 5 different countries, found men lasted 5.5 minutes on average.
Since perceptions of premature ejaculation vary widely, doctors usually try to pin down how long the patient can last. The common advice is that if you can’t last for 5 minutes, you should consider the possibility of getting some treatment. As a working definition, if either your partner or you feel orgasm is happening much too soon, there is probably some degree of premature ejaculation.
Common conventional medical treatment available in the NHS, falls into 3 classes: advice and training to change behaviour, psychotherapy, and medication (usually some form of anti-depressants).
We tailor-make a mix of fully natural Chinese herbs to treat low libido, premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction and impotence issues. Most patients are asked to have an erectile dysfunction test carried out prior to treatment.
We do a first consultation lasting 30 to 40 minutes, in which we do non-invasive and pain-free Chinese medical diagnostic procedures, in order to understand your particular condition and circumstances thoroughly.
Our specialist prescribes a unique herbal formula, usually consisting of around 20 kinds of herbs, from which you will make drinks and consume 24 days of medication, twice daily, over a period of 4 weeks and a day of “rest” each week.
A month after the first consultation, you will have finished the first round of herbal remedy. We do a second consultation, lasting 30 minutes, carrying out another diagnostic procedure to see how well you’ve responded to the treatment. Another prescription will be written.
This monthly cycle will repeat 3 times to finish the first course of treatment. Over 80% of our patients see significant improvements. Some move onto phase 2 of the programme (another course of treatment for 3 months) to consolidate their results.
The fees come to about £530 a month inclusive.
Once a month. Most patients come for 3 months.
A traditional Chinese medical consultation involves the following steps.
The practitioner may scrutinise your complexion, eyes, tongue, and movements to gain insight into how your organs are functioning. The tongue is a particularly important source of information, and its colour, body, coating, and moisture will all be taken into account.
The practitioner assesses the patient’s energy and general condition by taking into account your body heat, odour, skin sensitivity, and uses other senses to gain an insight into the your condition.
To gain a full picture, the practitioner will ask detailed questions about your complaint and your medical history. They will want to find out whether your problems vary at all according to the time of year and your diet, feelings or emotions.
This can provide a highly sensitive and detailed picture of your general health. The practitioner will take a number of different ‘pulses’ using three fingers put on the wrist of each hand of the patient. This enables him to gain further information about the quality and functioning of the five major organs. The practitioner will take account of your general health and strength, as well as all of your symptoms, whether they seem to you to be connected or not. This will be the basis for deciding on the best treatment.
Monthly consultations are required to gauge your progress. The prescriptions will be devised accordingly — for treating a changing condition, a fixed single herb or formula is unlikely to be effective over time.
Patients want to know how long they need to see us for. We say after 3 months of treatment, we will review progress, retesting hormones or sperm and check subjective experience, such as sexual interest and performance. If they are at normal levels, we discharge the patients.
If they are better but still need further improvement, patients may need second course of treatment at the same or less intensity.
Typically, men see us for 3 to 6 months.
The point is that the way we treat patients means they should not rely on our treatment for too long. Their improved health and function should stay with them if they look after their health.
We have just launched a second opinion service where you can send us your hormone test results, sperm test results and other results. Consultations will be done on the phone and it will not be a face-to-face medical consultation.
Since we work with IUI, IVF, ICSI, egg and sperm freezing specialists, we can explore a full range of options with you prior to your committing to a course of actions that may be best for you. There is no charge for this service.
We offer this service in good faith based on our clinical experience and our work with partner agencies such as IVF specialists. We do not accept any liability and we will urge you to triangulate opinions given with your own doctors before you decide what may be best for your circumstance.
Call us any time on 0207 096 0283 or fill out our enquiry form.
We would like to see the following test results (less than 2 months old):
If you have not done them yet, we can arrange them for you. Results come out in 1–3 days.
A booking fee of £100 (refunded when you attend) will be processed at booking.
Late cancellation fee £50
We appreciate that you might not be well or have urgent matters to attend. As a result you may have to postpone the appointment. We would like to have at least 24 hours' advance notice. A late cancellation fee of £50 is payable if advance notice is not given.
Yes. No medical system is foolproof and medical practitioners, however good, are not omnipotent. As great as our success rates are, they are not 100%. There are times patients do not respond to our treatments despite our best efforts.
Delayed improvements are possible when patients rest a little. However, even with rest, patients may still not respond well. Fortunately, these cases are in the minority. We minimise the number of these cases by trying to understand our patients’ conditions as much as possible before taking them on. We minimise time and financial commitments from patients by insisting they have hormone or sperm test results prior to treatment, and to get retested after 3 months — following our evidence-based approach.
At TCM Healthcare, we will always have your best interests in mind and we will do our best.
