Christian Marriage – Sex Technique and sexual fulfillment

Some Causes of Impotence

Some Causes of Impotence
In determining the causes of impotence there are many factors your doctor must consider. Here are some of them.

Alcohol. The intake of alcohol sometimes provokes some sexual desire, but it takes away much of the ability to perform or enjoy sexual union. Because alcohol always acts as a depressant on the neurological system, it can inhibit a person’s sexual functioning as much as it does his coordination or speech. The person who has lost control of his drinking (an alcoholic) almost never has normal sexual ability. Fifty percent of all practicing alcoholics are impotent. The male alcoholic retains a normal sexual desire but is apt to complain bitterly about his loss of ability to function sexually. This often drives him to seek even more escape through alcohol.

Fatijjue. Simple fatigue is the most common cause of decreased sex drive in the normal man. Episodes of failing to achieve erection because of fatigue may trigger the condition of impotence. Many men come home from work with so much emotional or physical fatigue, they simply do not have enough energy available for a good sexual relationship. A relaxed attitude of waiting till one is rested and an acceptance of lessened sexual energy when one reaches middle age will avoid much of this difficulty. A wife can help by often initiating arrangements to retire at an early hour and by discouraging activities that keep her husband from getting enough rest.

Obesity. Researchers have found that when obese men (weighing an average of 250 pounds) went on a strict eight-week weight-reduction diet, their level of testosterone, the male hormone, rose significantly and in almost every case reached normal levels. Before losing weight, these men had had female hormone levels twice as high as those found in men of normal weight. The main source of excess estrogen in males is a chemical change occurring in a substance found in fat cells. This estrogen is believed to suppress the testicular production of testosterone needed for a male’s sexual functioning. In addition to hormonal problems, obesity also drains strength, affects the physical union and contact of body parts, and sometimes lowers the individual’s self-image and confidence.

Smoking and tobacco products. Recent studies comparing male smokers and nonsmokers have shown that testosterone levels in the blood were significantly lower in the smoking group but that they rose to almost normal levels after seven days’ abstinence from smoking. Test results make it clear that heavy cigarette smoking decreases testosterone levels in otherwise healthy men. Dr. Alton Ochsner of Tulane University School of Medicine has said, “After very long clinical experience, I am convinced that smoking is one of the most frequent causes of impotence today, particularly among young people.” Smoking is also a major cause of lung cancer and heart disease and responsible for strokes and poor circulation, decreasing vigor and blood flow to the penile area.

Drugs. Prescription drugs such as blood-pressure pills and certain other medications, especially those that produce a dryness of the mouth, can cause impotence in a man previously active sexually. Your doctor will be able to identify these for you, but here is a partial list:

Amphetamines                                  Monoamine oxidase inhibitors
Atropine                                               (Parnate, Marplan, Nardil)
Banthine                                               Narcotics
Barbiturates                                        Progesterone
Cortisone                                              Propantheline bromide
Estrogen                                               (Pro-Banthine)
Guanethidine (Esimil)                     Psychotropic agents, including
Imipramine (Tofranil,                     tricyclics
Presamine, Janimine,                      Reserpine
Imavate, SK-Pramine)                    Sedatives of all types
Methyldopa (Aldomet)                  Tranquilizers

Note that the illegal narcotics and stimulants of today’s drug culture are offenders. One would like to tell young couples that as they seek thrills in one area of life, they may be robbing them-selves of some of the really great thrills available in a positive, growing sexual relationship in marriage.

Depression. It is important for the doctor to determine whether the depression has brought on the impotence, or whether the condition of impotence has brought on the depression. A person who is clinically depressed has a low appetite for food, sleep, pleasures, sex, and for life itself. Most of this person’s energy is directed toward survival in the face of continuing despair, and it is understandable when there is no appetite for things normally enjoyed. Appropriate counseling and medication are indicated and usually produce positive results.

Sometimes a man will suffer depression because of something that has happened in his life. It could be the death of a friend, or the loss of a job, or any other disturbing happening. The depression may well trigger sexual inability but this should be only a temporary situation. Sexual desire is sometimes absent for months after such serious illnesses as a heart attack or a stroke, because of the depression brought on by the illness.

Other negative feelings. Any negative feelings, such as anger or jealousy, which break a man’s concentration in lovemaking and drain off sexual energy can bring on impotence. Putting biblical principles into action will avoid much of this. If clashes in the marriage are handled in a constructive manner when they arise, unspoken hostility will not carry over into the sexual relationship. If a couple feel free to make love when they go to bed, this is a good indication that concealed anger has been dealt with.

Dismay over decreased vigor. The man over fifty must accept normal changes in his sexual capabilities. If he tries to hold himself to his twenty-one-year-old performance, he will at times fail and may experience acute anxiety. If he adapts gracefully to minor physiological changes, he can enjoy sex for many years to come. He should remember that what he has “lost” in youthful vigor, he has gained in capacity to express his love in a mature, more meaningful, and more skillful manner.

Any unusual stress. Any stress in a man’s life can express itself through impotency. After all, the very word impotence suggests weakness, feebleness, helplessness, inability, and lack of power, strength, vigor, and capacity. When these feelings attack because of stress, it is perhaps natural that they find the sexual function a vulnerable target. It will be helpful to remember that one cannot will an erection. A tense man trying to force an erection of his penis will be unable to do so. Relaxation and concentration on pleasurable sensations, without any feeling of forcing one’s body to perform, will be the best and the only approach at such times.

Seeing sex as sin. Sometimes in a man’s early upbringing he has encountered the erroneous belief that sex is sin, and later in life, after he is married, this may lead to unexpressed guilt, even fear of touching his wife. His normal sexual reaction, then, is short-circuited, and his conscious-mind censor refuses to let erection happen; instead, it represses the trigger mechanism. When he is asleep, of course, he will have nocturnal emissions, and sometimes in the morning, like most healthy men, he will have erections. His impotence is psychogenic, but it can be resolved with godly professional help and a right understanding of God’s Word.

Poor learning experiences. Sometimes early in marriage men fumble and struggle in trying to insert the penis and in the process lose their erection. This may set up a sensitivity that produces impotence. The male feels foolish; his self-esteem is damaged. And besides that, he loses his concentration on sensation when he has to stop to try to find the place for the penis to go. This is why the wife should always assist in inserting the penis, even when there is no problem with impotence. She is the one who knows best where it belongs.

This entry was posted on Пятница, Сентябрь 11th, 2009 at 1:27 дп and is filed under For the Impotent Husband. You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Tags: Alcohol, causes of impotence, depression, narcotics, Obesity, sex as sin, stimulants

Posted in For the Impotent Husband

2 Responses to “Some Causes of Impotence”