I always knew that old adage about men and their egos going hand-in-hand, but it wasn’t until I became a doctor that I truly understood what it meant. Sure, some of my male patients were probably boasting about how big their penises were or how many women they fucked, but most of them just wanted to be understood. They wanted to be listened to and they wanted help. If a man came into my office complaining of erectile dysfunction, I would usually give him a prescription for Viagra or Cialis. In the event that he was already taking medications for his heart or blood pressure, I would ask him to tell me about any side effects he was experiencing.
Then, one day, I was approached by a man who said that he took my advice and that his life had changed for the better. Beforehand, he had been using Viagra every three weeks and had noticed no improvement in his sexual function whatsoever. What’s more, he’d started experiencing headaches, stomachaches, and sleep apnea. One of my patients, Dr. Oz. He had asked me for help, and I had prescribed a different medication for him: abilify. After two weeks on the medication, he called me and said that his symptoms had diminished by about 90% and he had noticed an increase in his sex drive. In addition, he said that his wife had noticed the difference too. This was a turning point for me because I could finally put a patient on a medication that I had helped prescribe.
These are just two of the stories that I’ve heard since I started my practice over 15 years ago. A lot has changed in the medical field since then, but one thing that has remained consistent is that men seek help for sexual problems. A lot of my patients are struggling with poor sexual function and some of them are even blaming their lack of sex drive on their health conditions. To that end, I’ve started using a different approach and I want to share it with you so that you can help your patients achieve greater sexual well-being. It’s all about helping men understand that there is more to having a successful sex life than just achieving an erection. You have to restore their confidence, and with that, they will not only be able to enjoy their sex life; they will also help you achieve better results together.
Why Aren’t Men Helping Themselves?
When I began my practice, Viagra and Cialis were the only drugs that people got prescriptions for. Since then, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of patients seeking treatment for erectile dysfunction and there are now several different classes of medications available to help with this condition. Some men become insensitive to the effects of these drugs over time and they stop responding to them, while others experience bad side effects that bother them too much to continue using them. Despite all the progress that has been made in the field, there is still a significant portion of the population that doesn’t seek help for this issue and, as a result, continues to suffer.
So, why aren’t men helping themselves? For one thing, they don’t feel like they can confide in their doctor about their problems. They think that their doctor doesn’t understand and, for that matter, they’re probably right. As a physician, it’s always challenging to listen to people describe their problems, provide advice, and then try to follow it myself. To make matters worse, if a man does decide to talk to me about his erectile dysfunction, I have to refer him to a urologist or a sexual medicine specialist for an evaluation. If he doesn’t want to go down that route, he’ll simply accept that my prescription is the best I can do for him.
There is also the issue of education. A lot of men think that sex therapy is a new term that they’ve never heard of and they don’t immediately picture it when I mention it to them. To tell you the truth, many of my patients had to go through some serious Freudian analysis just to be able to talk to me about their sexual issues and, even then, sometimes they would still hesitate to bring it up. I always encourage them to talk to their doctor about it first, but sometimes that isn’t enough.
How Can Physicians Help?
Over the years, I’ve developed a number of strategies that can help men with their sexual problems. For some, I prescribe medication while, for others, I try to help them change their behavior. The first thing that I do is try to normalize their problems. A lot of men with erectile dysfunction think that there is something wrong with them and they expect that their doctor is going to tell them that they are inadequate or defective. Instead, I want to provide them with the tools to understand what is happening to them and I want them to see that there is nothing wrong with their bodies or their sexual function.
Another important thing to do is to try to remove as many of the physical limitations that they are experiencing. If a man is physically or emotionally restricted in some way, it can seriously impact his libido. For instance, if he is unable to have an erection because of some medical condition, he may become despondent and unmotivated. In some cases, these limitations can even cause him to feel insecure about his masculinity.
It is essential that men feel comfortable enough to open up about their problems, which is why it’s so important to have a responsive and understanding physician. In some instances, men will actually feel better after they’ve discussed their issues with a professional and, in the event that therapy is necessary, it can provide them with the support that they need. Men are often embarrassed about their sexual problems and feel that they should be able to be able to perform automatically, without thinking about it. However, automatic thinking can actually be a major factor in the dysfunction of their sexual response. In most cases, it can be helpful to switch that thinking pattern and put one that is more in line with what is actually going on in their bodies. It may require a bit of self-reflection on their part, but, in the end, it will all be worth it.
The Importance of Affirmative Action
Not all men with erectile dysfunction have the same problems and, as a result, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to treatment. For some men, ED can be an isolated issue, while, for others, it can be one part of a much more complex problem. It’s all about finding the root of the issue and then working on fixing it. To put things in perspective, if a man does come in to my office seeking help, I want to make sure that he gets the care that he needs and that his problem is addressed, no matter what the underlying cause.
Sometimes, men with sexual problems will try to play down their symptoms and say that they are experiencing some physical or emotional problems that are causing the issue. In some cases, this may be true and it is important to find out the underlying cause. In other instances, however, it may be that the problem is more of an emotional one. In that case, it is still important to treat the root cause, regardless of the presentation.
The Importance of Self-Reflection
A lot of men with sexual problems don’t even think about their issues in the same way that other men do. Often, they will not even see themselves as having an ED problem until their doctor brings it up and then it will just seem like another part of their general medical problems. In most cases, it is important to recognize that there is a pattern to how they are thinking and acting and it is often because of this that their ED is presenting in such a way that is unusual for them. It can be very therapeutic to sit down with a professional and discuss how they are feeling and what is motivating them.
In some instances, a man with sexual problems will blame themselves for their issues and think that, since they are not getting the results that they want, it must be because they are doing something wrong. In other cases, they may feel that there is something wrong with the medications that they are taking or that they just need to try something new. The truth is that there may be several contributing factors and it is important to pinpoint the exact cause so that it can be addressed. In either case, it is essential to try to see things from your patient’s point-of-view because it can often be difficult to understand what is motivating them and what is behind their actions. Self-reflection can be very helpful in this regard.