All Patients Tested in Advance<\/h3>\n
In the study led by Dr. Kapur, all patients were tested for blood levels of sex hormones, their score on the International Index for Erectile Function, and levels of nocturnal penile tumescence for three nights prior to the beginning of treatment with acupuncture and\/or sildenafil.<\/p>\n
While Dr. Kapur\u2019s study found that acupuncture held promise for psychogenic erection difficulties, other studies have come up with conflicting results, which makes it difficult to declare definitively that acupuncture is an effective treatment for ED and, if so, under what circumstances.<\/p>\n
Does It Work for You?<\/h3>\n
For patients with erection problems, the somewhat contradictory findings of studies are of little significance if, in fact, they find that acupuncture works for them. In an article at Sharecare.com, internist Michael Roizen, M.D., acknowledges that studies about the use of acupuncture as a treatment for ED have produced conflicting conclusions, but he says if acupuncture works for you, \u201cthat\u2019s the only research you really need.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Roizen cautions, however, that men seeking help from acupuncture should exercise caution because this ancient medical procedure isn\u2019t regulated in the United States as comprehensively as western medicine. He urges patients to make sure the acupuncturist they consult \u201chas both a state license and national certification.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hard to Fake Acupuncture<\/h3>\n
Part of the difficulty in evaluating the effectiveness of acupuncture for any given purpose is the very nature of the procedure itself. In double-blind, controlled studies that test medications, one group of test subjects gets the medication being tested and the other gets a placebo that is virtually identical in appearance. Neither group knows whether it\u2019s getting the placebo or the real thing.<\/p>\n
Of this difficulty, Harvey B. Simon, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, observes, \u201cIt\u2019s easy to make an inert pill look and taste like an active medication, but it\u2019s hard to perform fake acupuncture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Simon says that most of the trials of acupuncture that are considered valid by medical professionals have compared authentic acupuncture procedures to sham treatments in which the needles are inserted into the wrong points.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A team of Taiwanese medical professionals, including some well-versed in traditional Chinese medicine and others who study integrative medicine, undertook a review of the scientific literature documenting studies on the use of acupuncture to treat ED.<\/p>\n In a 2014 issue of \u201cAcupuncture in Medicine,\u201d these researchers published their findings, concluding that \u201cacupuncture appears to have promise for treating male sexual dysfunction, but in view of the small number of studies and their variable quality, doubts remain about its effectiveness.\u201d They urge further study.<\/p>\n In an earlier review of studies on acupuncture\u2019s use in treating ED, the Korean researchers conducting the review concluded the \u201cevidence is insufficient to suggest that acupuncture is an effective intervention for treating ED.\u201d Those findings were published in the August 2009 issue of \u201cBJU International.\u201d<\/p>\n In the absence of definitive findings to support the efficacy of acupuncture as a viable treatment for impotence, men with erection problems can seek out psychological counseling to help relieve psychogenic erectile dysfunction. \u00a0And men with ED that is physiological in origin can find relief with one of the widely used impotence medications that have been shown in clinical studies to be generally safe and effective in most healthy male adults.<\/p>\n As previously mentioned, these impotence medications belong to a family of drugs known as PDE5 inhibitors, which include Cialis, Levitra, Staxyn, Stendra, and Viagra. Although these individual drugs vary somewhat in chemical structure, they all work very much the same. They get their name from their ability to temporarily block the effects of an enzyme that interferes with strong blood flow to the penis.<\/p>\n While none of the so-called PDE5 inhibitors offers a permanent cure for impotence, they do provide temporary relief of ED symptoms in the vast majority of men who have tried them.<\/p>\n Many men with ED decide against seeking help for their condition because they find it difficult or even impossible to discuss their impotence with a medical professional face to face.<\/p>\n eDrugstore.com<\/a>, a reliable online supplier of FDA-approved medications, including the impotence drugs, offers its prospective customers online consultations with one of its contract physicians. The customer fills out a comprehensive medical history along with a list of current symptoms, which eDrugstore.com<\/a> submits to one of its licensed doctors for review. If the physician feels the customer can benefit from the drug that is being requested, he or she will write the necessary prescription. This service is provided free of charge.<\/p>\n Part of the Secure Medical family of online drugstores, eDrugstore.com<\/a> sources all of the medications it sells from U.S. licensed pharmacies. eDrugstore.com<\/a> is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/acupuncture-large-300x199.jpg\")
<\/a>Taiwanese Review Cited<\/h3>\n
Alternative Treatments<\/h3>\n
No Permanent Cure<\/h3>\n
Buy from eDrugstore<\/h3>\n