Aging Arteries Can Cause Erectile Dysfunction and Arterial Disease

Learn how aging arteries have caused a man to experience weaker erections, as well as headaches after sexual performance.

Case #: 388

Concern：

A few years ago, I had a problem that one of your guides helped me to solve. Now, I'm having another problem that I'm hoping you can help with. My erection is not as strong as it was before. Sometimes, when I'm having an intense orgasm, my heart beats very fast, and I get a throbbing headache that I can feel in the back of my neck. The problem seems to be related to blood flow – as my heart starts to beat harder while the back of my neck starts to throb and hurt. As my heartbeat returns to normal, the headache goes away.

I do not smoke or drink. I am a healthy, 57-year-old man who has been married for 34 years. My wife and I enjoy a healthy sex life. What is causing my headaches? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Discussion：

Although a weak erection isn't the only concern that you bring up, it may actually give us some hints about what is going on with your body. A weak erection can be a signal of other problems in the body, which might explain your throbbing headaches.

You are most likely experiencing erectile dysfunction, but it's important to understand what causes the condition and what it tells us about the male body. E.D. is typically caused by the narrowing and aging of arteries, which occur because of fatty deposits that block the flow of blood to the penis. Similar to how plaque build up can be a factor in heart disease, the build up of these fatty deposits can also be a factor in weakened erections caused by erectile dysfunction.

What Makes E.D. a Pain in the Neck?

If you are experiencing erectile dysfunction caused by the narrowing of the arteries, it could also be a sign that some of the other arteries in your body are beginning to narrow. Roughly 7 out of every 10 cases of E.D. are caused by narrow arteries, so there is a very good chance that this is what you are experiencing.

Thankfully, there is a silver lining to your conditions, as they can be early warning signs of heart disease and other health-related issues. Narrowing arteries can take place just about anywhere, including the pathway to the brain. A large international study found that men with this condition are 10 percent more likely to have a stroke and twice as likely to have a heart attack. Considering that some of these conditions are considered silent killers, E.D. can serve as an early warning signal to prevent these deadly conditions.

How The Aging Process Affects Our Sex Lives

Even if you are a healthy man, aging can affect the body in ways that make it difficult to maintain your current lifestyle. Erectile dysfunction can be a sign of Andropause, the male equivalent of Menopause, which occurs when the production of testosterone slows down.

Whether you are healthy or not, aging arteries can cause blood clots and impeded blood flow. Thankfully, these problems can tell a story about what is happening with your body, leading to solutions that can help improve your situation. In fact, there are some herbal remedies that help stimulate not only the production of testosterone, but also the production of hormones necessary for healing and aiding aging arteries. You can never do too much to take care of your body and stave off disease!