For men ages 50 to 59 in the US, the incidence of erectile dysfunction, or ED, is roughly one in five, and some degree of erectile difficulty is reported by half of men ages 40 to 70 years. More than 30 million men are affected by ED in the US. In 2005, pharmaceutical costs for ED were estimated to be roughly $2.5 billion, not including the significant number of men who do not seek treatment. If they did, the cost would reach more than 15 billion annually. One in four patients seeking medical help for new-onset ED was younger than 40 years old, and ED increases with age. Minorities, such as Hispanics and Black American men, are twice as likely to seek care for ED as outpatients.

The major causes of ED are:

• 40% Inadequate blood supply; peripheral and arterial vascular disease
• 30% Diabetes
• 15% Medication (Hypertension, Anti-Depressants, etc.)
• 6% Pelvic surgery/radiation/trauma (e.g., prostate cancer with radical prostatectomy)
• 5% Neurogenic (brain or peripheral nerves injury such as stroke)
• 3% Endocrine (low Testosterone, which declines with age)

Other considerations:

• Situational performance anxiety (e.g., fear of failure)
• Psychological Distress (e.g., depression) or major life stress (e.g., death of a partner)
• Smoking and excessive

It is important for men with ED to see their primary care physician so that the problem can be evaluated and the correct treatment prescribed. For example, many blood pressure medications can cause ED and by simply changing to a different medication the problem may resolve. Better control of blood sugars in diabetics may slow the progression of ED. Inadequate blood supply in the blood vessels of the pelvis may be corrected by stents through a small groin incision, which was unavailable 10 years ago.

How might Hemi-Sync help?

For those with stress and performance anxiety, these Metamusic® titles enhance the atmosphere and can help one achieve a productive state of relaxation—

• Gaia (Richard Roberts, the musical story of Kokopelli, the Native American God of Abundance and Fertility, whose flute and guitar will melt your heart),
• Dreamland (Melodious flute by Laura Nash and Michael Moon), and
• The Shaman’s Heart (Shamanic Drumming and Rattles by Byron Metcalf,

If you have seen your doctor and followed his/her suggestions, stopped smoking, reduced your alcohol intake, changed blood pressure medicines, improved your diabetes control, is there anything else you can do that is simple and easy? Of course, Hemi-Sync!

The Massage Therapy Collection consists of four CDs that not only induce relaxation for massage, but can enhance the environment for romance as well.

• Dreamseed has the wonderfully low vibrational sounds of the didgeridoo that will literally relax you to the bone.
• Gaia is already mentioned above.
• The enchanting flute of Himalayan Soul will lead you on your journey to oneness together.
• You will feel stress and anxiety wash away in the ethereal sounds of Inner Journey.

There are numerous other Metamusic CDs and downloads I’d recommend. You can hear music samples in TMI's online catalog.

Depression and anxiety can have profound effects, resulting in low sex drive and ED. There are numerous exercises to help in dealing with depression and anxieties, which are often intertwined with substance abuse. In Emerging from Depression and Anxiety, Carolyn Ball, MA, LPC, guides listeners to transform thoughts and behavior from negative rumination to positive affirmations. It is difficult to make this shift alone, and the verbal guidance helps make that change in thinking. For anxiety, she uses verbal guidance and breathing exercises to achieve a more calm, placid state. The breathing guidance is very useful with panic attacks. “Let-Go” in the H-Plus® series helps to avoid perseverating and ruminating over negative thoughts (“everybody blames me,” “I’m worthless”), and to let them go, countering self-destructive behavior. In addition to counseling, Breaking Free from Addictions assists those addressing the challenges of addiction. It helps to address the physical cravings associated with addiction by replacing previous self-destructive patterns with positive affirmations.

Imagine your life partner or spouse has just had a stroke. It may have affected their speech, it may have affected their motor function, and all of these things will affect their sexual function. Stroke therapies, recovery and rehab have advanced tremendously. We now have “clot buster drugs” that can sometimes reduce or completely reverse stroke symptoms. For those with residual problems, I highly recommend the Support for Stroke Recovery album (4 CD’s). I have used it with a number of stroke patients, both in the early and late stages of stroke recovery. I have seen many of these patients make gains, sometimes small and at times greater. Brain Support and Maintenance from the H-Plus series uses positive affirmations to improve brain function. One may direct affirmations for improvement for their ED in addition to other goals.

And, personally? I always use Hemi-Sync when I want to improve my own health and well-being on the physical, mental, and spiritual levels.

The healing is in the feeling!

Learn healing techniques using Expanded-Field Reiki, Hemi-Sync®,
Spatial Angle Modulation™ (SAM) and Biofield Imaging.
This program is open to medical professionals, caregivers, and interested others.
Earn Reiki I, II and Reiki Master certifications, plus up to 40 hours of CEUs/CMEs (Category 2)

Enroll in the 5-Day/6-Night Energy Medicine course.

For more information about the programs and products mentioned in this article visit our programs section or the store.

Note: Hemi-Sync® is a registered trademark of Interstate Industries Inc., dba Hemi-Sync®.