MAY 2013 ISSUE www.ocalaice.com
Personal matters No matter how long one has been married or in a relationship, you experience many of life’s joys and challenges in the journey together. You share in the excitement and nervousness of becoming parents for the first time, as well as the happiness and comfort in simpler moments such as an evening walk holding hands or a loving glance exchanged across the dinner table. Spending quality time together and being attentive takes work in today’s world, where hypertasking and smartphones are commonplace. With my commitment to ICE, I also struggle with that balance. I find that the key to keeping a relationship solid and a love strong are evergreen: communication, trust, honesty, and making time for each other. These are the facets of a relationship that can make or break this partnership, which is why tackling misunderstood issues such as erectile dysfunction in an open and honest way is extremely important. For men and women, honest communication makes you vulnerable, but you’ll find that being vulnerable can also feel quite liberating. The value this openness has on a relationship and your overall health is incomparable to any dinner reservation or tangible gift you can present to your better halves. Besides, when you bottle up your emotions, this added stress negatively affects your heart-health and, simply put, can only make intimacy more challenging. I encourage you to open up and love with your whole heart. Overcome the fear that is “now” and know that on the other side of that tough conversation lies a stronger, healthier heart and relationship. Yours,
Asad U. Qamar, MD FACC, FCCP, FSGC, FACP, FSCAI Cardiologist
The hard truth – Erectile Dysfunction Erectile dysfunction is a very intimate and often intimidating condition. Because of its personal nature, it is often left untreated and misunderstood, causing great emotional distress. This makes it even more important to understand that erectile dysfunction does not necessarily happen because of age and that it is most likely the result of a heart-health issue, not a psychological one. As many as 30 million men in the United States are affected by ED with 64 percent of those men over the age of 60, according to the National Institutes of Health. But while incidences increase with age, it is not an inevitable part of aging, rather a signal that your
vascular health needs some serious attention. Vascular disease is a broad term for any disease that affects the circulatory system. The circulatory system is made up of arteries and veins that spread from the heart through the body to the tips of our extremities. The heart pumps blood away from itself through the body by way
of our arteries and our veins are responsible for returning the blood back to our heart. It might also help to know that the main artery that branches off into the pelvis is called the internal iliac artery, which extends into the penis as the internal pudendal artery. If any artery in the vascular system is compromised, the pudendal artery may not receive the
necessary blood flow required for creating and sustaining an erection. For example, men with coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels are at an increased risk for erectile dysfunction. Rest assured. Erectile dysfunction can be treated at any age. Treatment options vary from exercise and a healthy diet, smoking cessation and medication, to surgical procedures. But the first and often-dreaded step is to have a serious and open conversation with a doctor who can help identify the root of erectile dysfunction and provide comfort and clarity while helping to solve it.