This is a message of hope. Impotence is not an inevitable sign of old age ... it is curable.

Impotence, sometimes referred to as erectile dysfunction, is a condition resulting in failure to obtain and-or maintain an erection. Nearly every man has experienced erectile failure sometime in his life but if it occurs more than once out of every five times, there is a problem.

For many years impotence was believed to be due to a psychological problem although it is now known that 75 to 90 percent of impotence is caused by physical problems although most of these men do experience some psychological problems resulting from impotence. Once the physical problem is fixed the psychological problem often goes away. Contrary to the myth, impotence is not an inevitable sign of old age for a healthy male. Impotence may occur when something impairs the process that the body goes through to create an erection. This process involves the brain, nerves and blood vessels of our body which allows blood flow into the penis where it remains temporarily sequestered during an erection. This process may be impaired in a variety of ways resulting in impotence.

Impotence is conspicuous, as there is no way that a man can hide this. The failure to obtain or maintain an erection may be humiliating and frightening; but, this problem can be fixed in nearly every man who experiences it.

Diseases that damage your blood vessels or nerves can hamper the ability to achieve or sustain an erection. As men age their testosterone level gradually falls and this too may contribute to impotence. Other common causes of impotence include alcoholism, atherosclerosis, diabetes, brain or spinal cord injuries, liver or kidney failure, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, stroke and medications. Emotional factors may also contribute to impotence, especially nervousness about intercourse with a new partner. Stress at work or home, relationship problems, depression and self-consciousness may also contribute to erectile dysfunction and, of course, a prior experience of impotence may cause one to be nervous about this possibility, which in turn can cause another experience of impotence.

If you are a man and you have read this far, please dont be embarrassed. If you experience this problem, you may feel alone although it is estimated that nearly 10 million to 20 million men in the United States experience impotence. Tragically, less than 5 percent of those men seek help. This is understandable as most men feel uncomfortable discussing impotence even with their physician. But, remember that your family physician or urologist is entrusted with this type of information daily and they can help you solve this problem.

Some have said that the most important and powerful sexual organ is the one between your ears. Your state of mind, the state of your relationship, and making up your mind that you are going to find a solution will allow you to discover that there is no reason you can't enjoy sexual intimacy for the rest of your life.

World Wide Web ResourcesImpotence Informationwww.healthgate.com/HealthGate/hic/impotence/overviewThis Web site provides a good overview on the topic of impotence, including diagnosis and treatment options available.

National Institute of Healthlycos

11.lycos.cs.cmu.edu/wguide/wire/wire_969149_6098A summary of the NIH Consensus Development Conference on Impotence is provided at this site. Although the conference occurred in 1992, it provides some good, scientific information on the topic.

Dr. Scott Gibbs is a neurosurgeon and editor-in-chief of Mosby's Medical Surfari. You may e-mail questions to him at drgibbs@semissourian.com or write in care of the Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63701.