Your body has a self-healing mechanism that kicks in whenever you’re injured or sick. This natural defense mechanism is known as the ‘fight or flight response’ and it serves to protect you from the possible harm that could arise from disease or physical injury. For example, when you’re hit with a baseball or stabbed with a knife, your body will respond by producing more white blood cells and larger red blood cells. This is also the case when you have a severe allergy or are infected with an infection such as malaria or AIDS.
Unfortunately, this powerful ‘fight or flight response’ can also cause problems. When this occurs in conjunction with a spinal cord injury, it’s known as ‘spinal shock.’ In other words, the patient becomes paralyzed from the waist down as a result of this dangerous condition. If you or a loved one are suffering from this condition, the answer may be found in the drug Viagra, which is frequently prescribed for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.
Use Of Viagra For Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal cord injuries are a terrible blow to any person’s overall health and well-being. The injuries are usually the result of a car accident or a fall from a height and can cause severe damage to the nervous system. Patients with these kinds of injuries often lose feeling in their arms and legs and can become paralyzed from the waist down. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms usually appear within minutes of the injury and can include “severe pain, tingling, numbness, weakness, and paralysis.”
The good news is that patients with spinal cord injuries often regain feeling in their arms and legs as time goes on and the brain adjusts to the new physical circumstances. This means that there is hope for recovery if the patient follows the right path. The bad news is that it can be a very difficult and challenging path, one that is full of emotional and mental ups and downs. That’s why medical professionals frequently suggest that patients with these kinds of injuries seek counseling or psychiatric help.
Since 1950, when the drug Viagra was first prescribed for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, scientists have known that it can help prevent injury to the spinal cord. A study conducted at Washington University in St. Louis revealed that men who took Viagra daily for three months experienced an 83% reduction in injury to the spinal cord as a result of a car accident. It wasn’t just the drug that helped these men, it was the fact that they were more aware of their surroundings and changed their behavior in order to prevent further injury. These positive effects were not seen in men who took a placebo or dummy pill.
How Does Viagra Work?
In all vertebrates, including humans, the nitric oxide (NO) molecule is known to have powerful vasodilator properties. When injected into the bloodstream, NO causes smooth muscles in the blood vessel walls to relax, which leads to dilation or expansion of the blood vessels. In other words, the nitric oxide molecule causes blood vessels to widen.
It has been well documented that men with erectile dysfunction have abnormally narrow blood vessels in the penile tissue, which prevents proper blood flow and leads to potential erectile dysfunction problems. Because Viagra is a medication that increases blood flow throughout the body, it could theoretically treat erectile dysfunction and prevent potential spinal cord injuries. If you’re wondering how and why this potential exists, here is the answer.
When a man is sexually aroused, a chemical signal is sent from his brain to his penis, which causes the muscles in the corpus cavernosum to relax and let blood into the penis. The more blood that flows into the penis, the harder and longer it will stay erect. As a result, the more easily a man can have sex, the less likelihood there is of sustaining a spinal cord injury.
Erectile dysfunction and spinal cord injury are two very different conditions, yet they seem to have a lot in common. In both cases, the sufferer has a damaged nervous system and experiences problems with sexual function and sensation. In some cases, the damage to the spinal cord may be total and the patient will be paralyzed from the waist down. In other cases, the damage may be more limited and the patient will experience a complete lack of feeling or sensation in his arms or legs. Sometimes the damage is so severe that the patient has to use a wheelchair to get around.
In all cases, the primary goal is to improve the quality of life of the patient by treating the underlying cause. If you’re wondering how to help your spouse who is suffering from erectile dysfunction, here are some ideas that might be useful.
Consider Talking To The Physician
If you or your spouse is already seeing a doctor, have a look at the prescription he has provided. Chances are, it could be preventing or treating some sort of disease or disorder which is causing the dysfunction, be it physical or mental in nature. If you believe that the physician’s prescribed medication is not helping your spouse, why not try a different approach?
It is a proven fact that stress can cause erectile dysfunction in men. If you are worried that your spouse is not doing well because he is depressed or experiencing a lot of stress, bring it up with the physician. The doctor may be able to suggest some forms of treatment for this condition, such as counseling or medication. In many instances, depression and anxiety can be the underlying cause of a man’s erectile dysfunction. If this is the case, it may be necessary to go back and have a different conversation with the doctor about what is causing the problem and how to fix it. Sometimes a doctor may suggest that you try a different medication or therapy for your spouse’s condition, depending on what is causing it.
Try Something Different
What if there is another thing you and your spouse can do to help improve his quality of life? What if you each made a commitment to take care of your spouse and fulfill his needs? What if you both decided to focus on what is best for your spouse instead of yourselves? What if you decided that it is not necessary to have sex to feel good about yourself? What if you made a commitment to avoid fights and negativity?
Erectile dysfunction and spinal cord injuries are very real conditions and they affect a lot of people, both male and female. If your spouse is one of these people, it is possible that he is suffering without even knowing it. You can help by learning more about this dangerous condition and how to prevent it.