Among the many diseases that strike men, one is very special because it strikes not only the body but the soul. Although there are many other much more dangerous diseases, some of them even lethal, erectile dysfunction is a delicate matter because it affects the intimate life of a man.

Erectile dysfunction includes multiple sexual disorders, but most often it is considered to be the persistent inability to have an erection or to maintain it for a sufficient amount of time. Erectile dysfunction is often called impotence though this is not precise, because impotence includes other symptoms, like the absence of sexual desire or ejaculation difficulties.

Erectile dysfunction may include a total and permanent lack of erection, or be a temporary state only. The reasons for erectile dysfunction are many, and therefore there is no universal treatment that helps in all cases. For instance, for older men erectile dysfunction can have physical origins (diseases, injury, etc.) in addition to psychological ones.

The good news is that at any age, erectile dysfunction is treatable, and very often it is possible to achieve complete recovery of ones sexual powers. It is also encouraging that more men, who have had erectile dysfunction at some time in their lives, admit the presence of the problem and take a proactive approach to discovering the causes and treating them.

And it is also good news that there are many ways to treat erectile dysfunction, including psychotherapy, drugs, vacuum devices and surgery.

On the other hand, even the best treatment cannot substitute for prevention. There are known factors that increase the risk of erectile dysfunction - tobacco, alcohol, stress, lack of sleep and exercise, anxiety and depression, omission of periodic prophylactic checkups, etc. So even if you trust that modern medical science can help you with erectile dysfunction, do your best to prevent it now, rather than treat it later.