Recent epidemiological evidence suggests that 50% of men over the age of 40 suffer from minimal, moderate, or complete erectile dysfunction. No wonder Viagra is a blockbuster! Is this condition an inevitable part of aging? Obviously not – the other half doesn’t have a problem. Why isn’t anyone talking about causes? What’s the problem?

Like it or not, erection is controlled by the subconscious mind. So, for that matter, is sex drive. Sex drive and erections are not choices. The conscious mind can, and must, repress subconscious urges. The subconscious, however, responds to repression by intensifying sex drive and erections. Most people choose to find a way to enjoy obeying their subconscious mind.

To me, this means that erectile dysfunction is a problem with the subconscious nervous system. Something is wrong with the sensors that detect the presence of interested women, or the wiring that connects the sensors with the brain and the brain with the body, or something is wrong with the nerve circuits that process the information. In my opinion, the problem is most likely to be with the wiring and processing. Why is there such a high prevalence of failure of this wiring and nerve circuitry with age?

Thiamine deficiency is a reasonable hypothesis

Thiamine deficiency is safely and easily ruled out. It can’t, however, be ruled out by taking ordinary vitamins. Ruling out thiamine deficiency requires trying fat-soluble thiamine. Two forms of fat soluble thiamine are readily available. These are known as TTFD and Benfotiamine. Fat soluble thiamine was popularized in Japan several decades ago, yet remains underutilized there and obscure here in the U.S.

I developed a renewed interest in thiamine about 6 months ago when I had the insight that thiamine, vitamin C, niacin, and vitamin D are special nutrients because they are associated with the four human pandemic vitamin deficiency diseases beriberi, scurvy, pellagra, and rickets respectively. Read more here.

The thiamine that is commonly found in multivitamins and in the pharmacy requires special transport proteins a first time to get into the bloodstream and a second time to get into cells. Fat-soluble thiamines do not require these special proteins. Again, until you try fat-soluble thiamines, you can’t rule out the possibility that your problems having sex are partially caused by thiamine deficiency. Read more here.

If you’re having problems having sex, there is much to gain and almost nothing to lose by finding and trying fat-soluble thiamine. If you’re already taking Viagra, keep on taking it. Vitamins and drugs are rarely counter-indicated. In fact, they often work better together. The objective is to use all available means and to find the combination of drugs and vitamins that best meets your individual needs. Extra vitamins work better in combination than alone, so I recommend taking at least 2000 mg/day of vitamin C, 250 mg of time-release niacin two or three times/week, and a daily multivitamin too. Don’t give up on your sex life. It is not an inevitable problem of aging.