Total Health Breakthroughs: Free Natural Health Newsletter and Alternative Health Articles

In This Issue:

The Truth About Drugs and Your Sexual Performance

By Mark Rosenberg, MD

Are prescriptions drugs hurting your sex life?

You might not realize it, but many prescription drugs put a damper on your libido or can cause erectile dysfunction. Of course your doctor is not at fault. But in his effort to keeping you healthy he might be indirectly killing your sex life!

It is important to understand that you should never stop any medication that your doctor prescribes. If these drugs are acting like a cold shower on your sex life, I have a few alternatives that might help you.

First, let’s take a look at the prescriptions that have the worst affect on your libido.

Many prescription drugs affect your circulation. This is especially true of the blood pressure medications Norvasc, Vasotec, and Lopressor. The ability to achieve and maintain an erection depends on blood flow to the penis. It’s no surprise that when you chemically alter your circulation, it can cause problems. All of these drugs can lead to erectile dysfunction.

Other prescriptions affect your brain chemistry. This is especially true of the antidepressant drugs, Zoloft, Prozac, and Buspar. These drugs can be a real problem when it comes to your sex life.

If you find yourself in a situation where your health depends on one of these prescriptions, don’t give your love life up as lost. Instead, consider trying a libido-enhancing herbal remedy. They are much safer than Viagra and they can be very effective.

Get Your Sex Life Back on Track

For men, there are many good supplements that can help to correct sexual problems at the source. These supplements usually either improve your circulation or help to bring your testosterone levels into a proper balance.

Yohimbine: This African herb has a long history of treating sexual dysfunction. It comes from the bark of an evergreen tree. The bark contains an alkaloid that helps to increase blood flow to the penis. In one study, 71% of men taking yohimbine for eight weeks reported better sexual function.¹ For good results, try taking 150 mg of yohimbine each day.

DIM (diindolylmethane): This plant indole, a compound found in all cruciferous vegetables provides the correct nutrients for eliminating the active estrogen from your body. With this estrogen buster, your body will convert active estrogen into the “good” estrogen metabolites. Your body then easily removes them. This lower estrogen allows testosterone to have a more powerful sex-enhancing effect.

L-dopa: Utilizing the compound called levadop (L-dopa), your body will easily convert this nutrient into dopamine which will help inhibit the production of prolactin from the pituitary gland. This will help increase your testosterone levels and improve sexual activity.

L-Arginine: Your penile blood flow is constantly under control by hormones, nerves, and neurotransmitters. And the major bio-chemicals that regulate arterial smooth muscle relaxation and dilation are nitric oxide (NO) and cyclic GMP (guanosine monophosphate).

Research shows that one of the most effective ways to boost blood flow is by increasing the blood’s natural nitrous oxide.² Oral administration of high-dose L-arginine can significantly improve sexual function in men. L-Arginine will also stop the breakdown of cGMP, allowing the muscles in your penis to relax.

One More Thing That Can Help

In addition to supplements, I highly recommend beginning a Kegel regimen if you don’t practice one already. Kegel exercises work the pelvic floor muscles and can be very effective at restoring erectile function. Just flex the muscles you would use to cut off the flow of urine. Hold them tense for five to ten seconds and then relax. Try doing three sets of ten each day and see if you don’t notice a difference.

Stay well.

References

1. Vogt H, et al. Int J Impot Res. 1997; 9: 151-61.
2. Chen J, et al. FJU Intern. 1999:83:269-273.

[Ed. Note: Mark Rosenberg, M.D. is director of the "Institute for Anti-Aging" in South Florida. He is a highly sought-after speaker for lectures on topics such as integrative cancer therapy and anti-aging medicine. Dr. Rosenberg is avidly involved in supplement research and is nutritional consultant for Vitalmax Vitamins. To learn more, click here.]

Healthy Living:

Are You Religious or Spiritual?

Matthew Anderson, D.Min.

“I am not religious but I am spiritual!” This is a rather popular statement today. I hear it from students, clients, friends and family members and for years, I used to say it myself. In truth, it actually makes no sense.

Spirituality could be defined as the esoteric core of religion. OK, too vague for your taste? How about this: Spirituality is the essential energy and experience that connects us to God and/or the Divine. Spirituality moves us and makes us open to life and brings compassion and transformation. Simply said, it connects us to Spirit.

Religion, on the other hand, to those who say they are not religious, is rigid, lifeless, irrelevant, and full of nonsensical rules, rituals and people who cannot think or feel for themselves. Religion, from this point of view, has no function other than control and manipulation — and should be discarded and avoided.

However, this point of view has holes in it, big ones. I want to name a few. If I get a good response to this theme, I will write more on the subject.

Think of spirituality as wine. (Wine = spirits). Wine has power to affect us in many ways. I assume you already know them. So wine as a metaphor for spirituality makes good sense.

Herein lies the first problem. All wine needs a bottle (I hope you don’t drink the kind that comes in a box!). Without a bottle, the wine cannot be carried or accessed. A bottle is essential to the use of wine.

Now if wine equals spirituality then what would the bottle represent? Right! Religion. Religion is the structure or the container for spirituality, just as a bottle is the container for wine. One needs the other. If we attempt to explore spirituality without a container then all we have is a mess.

Spirituality always comes with some sort of container/structure. If you have a spiritual experience, you need words and concepts (structures) to communicate it to others. As soon as you do that you have begun to construct a container. A complex and highly structured container for spiritual experience is called………a religion.

What is my point here? Religion (of some sort) is necessary for spirituality. One requires the other, like up and down or left and right. No one has wine without a bottle. Once we accept this reality, we can begin the rather difficult but essential process of finding a religious structure for the spirituality that is meaningful to us.

Jesus used to say that we need “new wine skins for new wine” because new wine will break the old skins. We all could learn from his wisdom on this one. If your spirituality is meaningful to you (and I hope it is) then it is up to you to find an appropriate skin/bottle/religious structure for it. Otherwise, your spirituality will become a useless puddle at your feet.

Am I telling you to become a Christian, a Jew or a Buddhist? No, not at all. I hope you will look to your heart and soul for that answer. I am saying that anyone who truly takes her/his spirituality seriously must find a meaningful container for it. Stop declaring the impossible, “I am not religious but I am spiritual!” and go in search of a healthy, strong and supportive container for your most precious wine.

[Ed. note: Dr. Matthew Anderson is an author (The Prayer Diet), counselor and national columnist/expert on weight loss, motivation, self-management and relationships. To find tough-minded, outside-the-box guidance for taking charge of your life and/or your weight including Eating to Kill, click here.]

Healthy Recipes:

Spicy Organic Beef Chili with Spaghetti Squash

By Laura LaValle, RD, LD

I don’t know if you’ve ever tried chili over pasta, but it’s a favorite in my city of Cincinnati. Replacing pasta with different types of squash has become my favorite way to reduce carbs. The squash tastes great with tomato-based sauces and the nutritional value is so much better. If you don’t want to take 45 minutes to bake squash, zucchini cooks up much more quickly and works well too.

Serves: 8

Healing Nutrient Spotlight

Excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, niacin, zinc
Good source of riboflavin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, selenium, manganese

Ingredients*

1 lb. organic grass-fed beef
1 large spaghetti squash (about 4 to 5 lbs.)
2 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
2 tsp dried cilantro
1 T. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
15 oz. can Eden Foods spicy organic pinto beans
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes with green chilies
1 hot chili pepper (optional)
1/2 tsp. sea salt or to taste

*Select organic ingredients for optimum nutrition.

Preparation

Cut squash in half lengthwise; remove only the seeds. Place squash cut side down in a shallow baking dish with 1/4 cup water. Bake at 350° for 30 to 45 minutes until squash is tender. Use a fork to pull out the strands of squash into a bowl. Add some organic butter or olive oil.

While squash is baking prepare chili. In a large stainless steel pot, sauté onions and garlic at medium low heat in olive oil until translucent. Add spices and beef and sauté for 5 more minutes. Add rest of ingredients and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes until beef is tender and flavors are blended. Serve over spaghetti squash.

Nutrition

280 calories, 20 g protein, 10 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 3 g monounsaturated fat, 1 g polyunsaturated fat, 65 mg cholesterol, 25 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 6g sugar, 1700 IU vitamin A, .1 mg thiamin, .2 mg riboflavin, 4 mg niacin, .7 mg pantothenic acid, .4 mg vitamin B-6, 1 mcg vitamin B-12, 40 mg vitamin C, 25 mcg folate, 1000 mg sodium, 90 mg calcium, 60 mg magnesium, 550 mg potassium, 4 mg iron, 13 mcg selenium, .3 mg manganese, 4 mg zinc, .2 mg copper

[Ed. Note: Laura B. LaValle, RD, LD is presently the director of dietetics nutrition at LaValle Metabolic Institute (formerly part of Living Longer Institute). She offers personal nutritional counseling at LMI for clients who need help with their diet in relation to illness or disease. Laura also provides educational services in the areas of health promotion, wellness, and disease prevention. To learn more, click here.]