It is said that it can take ten years and three health care professionals before the diagnosis of male menopause is made. Impotence can be one of the symptoms of menopause, but can also be caused by other factors: some related to the patient's age and not necessarily as menopausal. Yet, some of these factors present for male menopause as well! You can see why diagnosis is tricky, and perhaps why it is only recently that the concept of male menopause is becoming accepted in Western medicine.

Impotence can be blamed on diseases like diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), or heart disorders. It can be brought on by depression, anxiety, or fear. Sometimes medications may be the culprit, among them sleeping pills, antidepressants and medication to lower blood pressure. Other modes of addressing the problem of impotence are vacuum pumps, penile suppositories, surgery, and hormone (testosterone) replacement therapy.

The Chinese have used herbs to treat disease for thousands of years. Western medicine has become aware of these valuable herbs only recently, but is finding them efficacious and valuable healing and treatment tools.

GINKO comes from an ancient tree species in China. It is also used to enhance memory and mental abilities. It is very beneficial to blood circulation and can improve penis erectile function.

GINSENG enhances vitality and improves overall well-being. Some say that these effects are usually enough to improve sexual performance. Others say that ginseng relaxes artery walls resulting in increased blood flow all over the body.

YOHIMBE has gained USFDA approval to treat erectile dysfunction. It works by increasing blood flow to the penis. It may also have an effect on brain chemistry. Yohimbe is the bark of a tree that was used in Africa as an aphrodisiac and a treatment for impotence in Europe. Yohimbe became an approved medicine at about the time of Viagra, and might have been in a sense eclipsed by the prescription drug. Yohimbe is still an herb that is sold over the counter in health food stores, health departments in grocery stores, and elsewhere. Medical advice should be sought, however, if the patient is taking antidepressants or medication for high blood pressure, to see if Yohimbe can be taken with them. Yohimbe should also never be taken with St John's Wort

HORNY GOAT WEED, whose proper name is epimedium, is also called "Yang Tonic." It has benefited by its catchy Chinese name. It is popularly used in China for sexual enhancement, both in men's sexual dysfunction, and in women's as well. It increases sperm production and testosterone levels in men. The Chinese chew it and cook with it as well.

In China, people are used to eating certain herbs and vegetables in a medicinal fashion. There are several vegetables that are easily found and prepared that can be beneficial for men with impotence.

Cruciferous vegetables are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Get them as fresh as you can and steam them; that will be the way to get the best out of them. Those veggies to include in your diet are broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower. Bon Appetit!