Erectile dysfunction is the repeated inability to get or keep an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse. ED becomes more common as you get older. But male sexual dysfunction is not a natural part of ageing.
Various factors can cause ED such as psychological factors, physical factors, medications and other external conditions. Damage to nerves, arteries, smooth muscles, and fibrous tissues are often the most common of the disease.
Diseases that cause ED are :
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Cholesterol deposits in the blood vessels
- Nephritis
- Liver disease
Medications that can cause erectile dysfunction are: blood pressure drugs, antihistamines, antidepressants, tranquilizers, appetite suppressants, and cimetidine.
Hormones are substances that are produced by the body to control bodily functions. Imbalance in these hormonal levels can also cause ED.
Medical and sexual histories help define the degree and nature of ED. A medical history can disclose diseases that lead to ED, while a simple recounting of sexual activity might distinguish among problems with sexual desire, erection, ejaculation, or orgasm.
Several laboratory tests can help diagnose ED. Tests for systemic diseases include blood counts, urinalysis, lipid profile, and measurements of creatinine and liver enzymes. Measuring the amount of free testosterone in the blood can yield information about problems with the endocrine system and is indicated especially in patients with decreased sexual desire.
Monitoring erections that occur during sleep (nocturnal penile tumescence) can help rule out certain psychological causes of ED. Healthy men have involuntary erections during sleep. If nocturnal erections do not occur, then ED is likely to have a physical rather than psychological cause.
- Cutting back on any drugs with harmful side effects is considred. For example, drugs for high blood pressure work in different ways. Some can be causing ED in your system.
- Psychotherapy and behavior modifications in selected patients are considered next if indicated, followed by oral or locally injected drugs, vacuum devices, and surgically implanted devices. In rare cases, surgery involving veins or arteries may be considered.
- Drugs for treating ED can be taken orally, injected directly into the penis, or inserted into the urethra at the tip of the penis. In March 1998, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Viagra, the first pill to treat ED. Viagra taken an hour before sexual activity, these drugs work by enhancing the effects of nitric oxide, a chemical that relaxes smooth muscles in the penis during sexual stimulation and allows increased blood flow.
Surgery usually has one of three goals:
- To implant a device that can cause the penis to become erect
- To reconstruct arteries to increase flow of blood to the penis
- To block off veins that allow blood to leak from the penile tissues
Stem cells are administered freshly isolated in order to induce smooth muscle regeneration, neural regeneration, and restoration of endothelial function. Stem cell based therapies may be both enduring and efficacious, and may eventually lead to a cure for ED. Given the right environment, MSCs differentiate into diverse cell types and thus be able to replace damaged or dysfunctional tissues of the penis. MSCs can express endothelial and smooth muscle phenotype, suggesting the possibility that this stem cell population may be effective in replacing or rejuvenating the dysfunctional tissues within the penis.
Causes & Symptoms
Diabetes is a chronic (lifelong) disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas to control blood sugar. Diabetes can be caused by too little insulin, resistance to insulin or both.
People with diabetes have high blood sugar. This is because:
- Their pancreas does not make enough insulin
- Their muscle, fat and liver cells do not respond to insulin normally
- Both of the above
Stem Cell Facts Diabetes
The most promising treatment of diabetes involves replacement of the beta cells of the pancreas by stem cells derived from humans and cultured to differentiate into insulin positive cells.
There are three major types of diabetes:
- Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in childhood. Many patients are diagnosed when they are older than age 20. In this disease, the body makes little or no insulin. Daily injections of insulin are needed. The exact cause is unknown. Genetics, viruses and autoimmune problems may play a role.
- Type 2 diabetes is far more common than type 1 and most diabetics have it. It makes up most of diabetes cases. It usually occurs in adulthood, but young people are increasingly being diagnosed with this disease. The pancreas does not make enough insulin to keep blood glucose levels normal, often because the body does not respond well to insulin. Many people with type 2 diabetes do not know they have it, although it is a serious condition. Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common due to increasing obesity and failure to exercise.
- Gestational diabetes is high blood glucose that develops at any time during pregnancy in a woman who does not have diabetes. Women who have gestational diabetes are at high risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life.
There are many risk factors for type 2 diabetes, including:
- Age over 45 years
- A parent, brother or sister with diabetes
- Gestational diabetes or delivering a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
- Heart disease
- High blood cholesterol level
- Obesity
- Not getting enough exercise
- Polycystic ovary disease (in women)
- Previous impaired glucose tolerance
- Some ethnic groups (particularly African Americans, Native Americans, Asians, Pacific Islanders and Hispanic Americans)
Symptoms
Symptoms of type 1 diabetes:
- Fatigue
- Increased thirst
- Increased urination
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Weight loss in spite of increased appetite
Patients with type 1 diabetes usually develop symptoms over a short period of time. The condition is often diagnosed in an emergency setting.
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes:
High blood levels of glucose can cause several problem including:
- Blurred vision
- Fatigue
- Increased appetite
- Increased thirst
- Increased urination
However, because type 2 diabetes progresses slowly, some people with high blood sugar experience no symptoms at all.
Medical Tests
A urine analysis may be used to look for glucose and ketones from the breakdown of fat. However, a urine test alone does not diagnose diabetes.
Several laboratory tests can help diagnose ED. Tests for systemic diseases include blood counts, urinalysis, lipid profile, and measurements of creatinine and liver enzymes. Measuring the amount of free testosterone in the blood can yield information about problems with the endocrine system and is indicated especially in patients with decreased sexual desire.
Monitoring erections that occur during sleep (nocturnal penile tumescence) can help rule out certain psychological causes of ED. Healthy men have involuntary erections during sleep. If nocturnal erections do not occur, then ED is likely to have a physical rather than psychological cause.
Stem Cell Facts Diabetes
The total costs of treating diabetes for example is approaching $100 billion in the United States alone.
Persons with diabetes need to have their hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level checked every 3 - 6 months. The HbA1c is a measure of average blood glucose during the previous 2 - 3 months. It is a very helpful way to determine how well treatment is working.
Conventional Treatment
The immediate goals are to treat diabetic ketoacidosis and high blood glucose levels. As type 1 diabetes can start suddenly and have severe symptoms, people who are newly diagnosed may need to go to the hospital.
The long-term goals of treatment are to:
- Prolong life
- Reduce symptoms
- Prevent diabetes-related complications such as blindness, heart disease, kidney failure and amputation of limbs
Stem Cell Facts
Research shows that cord blood and embryonic stem cells could be used to revitalize a damaged immune system, for treating such immune disorders as Type 1 Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis and other hereditary diseases.
These goals are accomplished through:
- Blood pressure and cholesterol control
- Careful self testing of blood glucose levels
- Education
- Exercise
- Foot care
- Meal planning and weight control
- Medication or insulin use
There is no cure for diabetes. Treatment involves medicines, diet and exercise to control blood sugar and prevent symptoms.
Stem Cell Therapy
Numerous clinical trials are going on all over the world, including India using stem cells from various sources.
We, at ReeCure offer you therapy using stem cells using our proprietary technology.
These stem cells could be of various types viz. Hematopoietic (CD 34+), Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that are processed and isolated using Good Manufacturing (GMP) and Good Lab Practices (GLP) and in accordance with AABB standards.
After years of extensive research and systematic compilation and collation of relevant data (through its research division), ReeLabs is now supremely confident of not only reversing the disease process of the affected patient but also improving the quality of life manifold. Stem cells produced by ReeLabs are completely safe, non-toxic, easy to administer and totally devoid of side effects with an excellent probability of homing and engraftment with parent cell, tissue or organ. The eminent panel of scientists and researchers at ReeLabs work exhaustively to design accurate treatment protocols that have yielded excellent results in most cases.
These stem cells are procured from various sources including bone marrow, cord blood fat etc. as per the requirement of the patient
The application of stem cells in diabetics stems from the numerous trials that have pointed to formation of new islets of langerhan’s in pancreas that in turn produce more insulin and hence bring down blood sugar. This works well in Type 1 Diabetes.
In Type 2 Diabetes the hypothesis is that there is decreased resistance to insulin by the body to the newly formed islets of Langerhan’s after stem cell infusion.
Aim
The long-term goals of treatment are to:
- Prolong life
- Reduce symptoms
- Prevent diabetes-related complications such as blindness, heart disease, kidney failure and amputation of limbs
Blood Glucose levels to be brought under control by oral hypoglycemics.
Criteria for selection
- Patients with uncontrolled Blood Glucose levels.
- Type 1 Diabetes / Type 2 Diabetes.
- Patients with complications due to Diabetes
