Earlier, a drug called Yohimbine was hailed as an aphrodisiac and a cure for impotence. This medication is derived from the bark of an African tree. Natives claimed that boiling the bark and drinking the extract increased sexual desire in both men and women.

Western scientists who studied the effects of Yohimbine initially reported an 80 percent success rate in impotent men who took this herbal product. More recent tests, however, have questioned these findings and say that Yohimbine's effects are simply psychological.

But unlike other placebos, the drug can produce adverse reactions if the recommended dose of three tablets a day is followed. These include high blood pressure, increased pulse rate, nervousness, and anxiety.

"The extreme embarrassment of impotent men makes patients quite vulnerable to magazine, television, and direct mail advertising schemes for a variety of dubious products claiming to restore normal sexual function. Many of these products are 'nutritional supplements' and may contain ingredients such as ginseng, vitamins, zinc, selenium, animal testicles, placental fragments, hormones, nutmeg, spices, oats and other vegetable extracts. Even 'Catalyst Activated Water' has been promoted as an impotence treatment," revealed Dr. Stephen W. Leslie, assistant clinical professor of surgery at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Impotence: Current Diagnosis and Treatment.

"The FDA asked about 2OO companies to send evidence in the form of scientific studies that their particular aphrodisiac works. No one complied with that order and not a single report was received by the FDA. The reason why some aphrodisiacs appear to work is because impotence may sometimes be a psychological problem. If it's all in the mind, anything you take will make you feel different," explained Dr. Edward John Keogh, medical director of the Reproductive Research Institute at Queen Elizabeth II Medical Center in Nedlands, Western Australia.

Knowing this, is there hope for impotent men? In the past, victims could only grin and bear it. Today, impotence is almost always treatable provided the underlying cause is detected.

"There is probably no way for you to tell what's wrong without a complete diagnostic evaluation under the supervision of an experienced specialist. Impotence may only be a symptom of a potentially serious underlying health problem. Ignoring the problem will not make it disappear," Leslie said.

If the problem is psychological, a visit to a psychiatrist, psychologist, or sex therapist is in order. With the right counseling, emotional problems may be threshed out and dealt with in a manner that will lessen if not totally eliminate the problem.

"Sex therapy can help with low sexual desire, erection problems not caused by physical disorders, premature ejaculation, difficulty in reaching orgasm and pain during sexual activity. Therapy can also help in adjusting to a medical or surgical treatment for impotence or to cope with the impact of a chronic illness on sexual ability. Treatment is generally short-term often requiring just 10 to 20 weekly sessions," Leslie said.

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