Erectile Dysfunction

 

Asian sculpture of sexual intimacy

Even this lusty culture had its fair share of erectile dysfunction

The Medical Approach

According to the Johns Hopkins School of and the National Institutes of Health, 18 million American men suffer from erectile dysfunction. Further, more than half of men with diabetes or hypertension experience it.

When men come to us with this issue, we help them recognize that seeking help is a bold and confident first step toward rectifying the situation. We discuss the pattern of occurrence and look for medical problems or causes.  After examining the patient, we take inventory of Viagra or similar drugs used or explored.  We perform appropriate testing and seek to understand all medical and lifestyle issues. Finally, we treat underlying medical issues, change medication or prescribe medications. With these steps, over 90% of erectile dysfunction cases are recgtified!

The Psychological Approach

Because so many go so long without seeking treatment for erectile dysfunction, by the time the physical issues are taken care of, emotional repercussions linger.

Behavioral therapy helps individuals and couples understand how to get back on track after erectile dysfunction has been treated medically. Those who live in San Diego and surrounding counties come to our very private offices for an initial session where we determine goals for therapy.

Through discussion alone and/or with a partner, we settle on a course of homework exercises like “sensate focus,” the development of scenarios, reading assignments and communication strategies. With these steps taken, couples and individuals usually find they feel more freedom to express themselves sexually, often for the first time in their lives! The erectile dysfunction gave them an opportunity to be more sexually expressive and loving than they had even before the problem began.