Some parts of your body are inherently sensitive. So, it is understandable if the idea of using something called "low-intensity shockwave therapy (LISWT)" to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) makes you squirm. However, research has shown that this method is emerging as a potential treatment for ED, targeting the root cause of vascular issues that impede blood flow to the penis. It is pertinent to note that although this therapy is promising, it is not yet FDA-approved and remains experimental.

Here's How LISWT Works

Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment that uses sound waves to help heal damaged tissues. In the case of ED, this therapy stimulates and strengthens blood vessels in the penis, improving blood flow and supporting erections. Initially developed to treat kidney stones and chronic wounds, LISWT’s use in ED is relatively new but has shown positive results in treating vascular ED.

This treatment is effective ...

• For individuals with mild to moderate vascular ED.
• For patients who respond well to ED medications like sildenafil (Viagra)
• It is not suitable for ED caused by nerve damage or psychological factors.

Around 75% of patients report satisfactory improvements. This procedure involves multiple 15-minute sessions over a month and results last one to two years, and the treatment is pain-free for most patients. However, this treatment is costly, averaging over $3,000, and is often not covered by insurance due to its experimental status. At-home devices are not effective, as they typically use radial wave therapy, which lacks the energy needed to address ED.

What Is Erectile Dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction, also named impotency or impotence, is a penile disorder that affects an individual’s ability to get or hold an erection during sexual intercourse. During intimate moments, one's feelings share a pivotal role in getting and keeping an erection firm.

For this, one may feel confident, relaxed and aroused. While problems with erection are normal sometimes, they can occur due to causes such as psychological conditions, prescription drugs, and underlying health conditions. Excessive smoking or drinking can also trigger the condition.

Symptoms of Erectile Dysfunction (ED)

Occasional Erections: Difficulty achieving an erection consistently before sexual intercourse.

Erection Maintenance Issues: Ability to achieve an erection but difficulty maintaining it during intercourse.

Complete Inability: Inability to achieve an erection at all.

Dependence on Stimulation: Constant need for external stimulation to maintain an erection.

Reduced Libido: Decreased sexual desire experienced by some individuals with ED.

Can ED Be Prevented?

Yes, ED is preventable. Adopting a healthy lifestyle can help to prevent erectile dysfunction. Additionally, changes such as quitting smoking, limiting alcohol intake, engaging in cardiovascular exercises (jogging, running, swimming or bicycling), consuming a low saturated fat diet (fruits, whole grains and vegetables), maintaining a healthy weight and getting quality sleep can be immensely beneficial in the prevention journey.

Heart diseases affect women and men differently. This fact has been explored and understood by many different studies. A recent study published in Nature Cardiovascular Research shows that men have to work twice as hard to beat heart diseases than women. While previously, researchers have found that women are at a higher risk of dying from a heart disease. For instance, a study published in the Journal of Health Economics and Outcomes Research, pointed out that a lot of it is due to doctors not taking gender and sex differences into account.

The new study however, points that women may not need to exercise as much as men to gain significant protection against coronary heart disease. Why is there such a big difference in beating the odds for men and women?

How Is Heart Health Different for Men and Women?

The research comes from an observational study of over 85,000 UK adults tracked for about seven years using fitness tracker data. The research clearly shows that men and women need different amounts of exercise to keep their hearts safe. Women seem to get more "bang for their buck" when they exercise:

For Preventing Heart Disease:

Women who did about four hours of moderate exercise each week (think brisk walking) lowered their risk of getting heart disease by about 30%. Men on the other hand needed almost double that time—around eight hours a week—to get the same 30% protection!

If You Already Have Heart Disease:

The difference is even bigger here. Women who had previous heart problems saw their risk of death drop by three times compared to women who didn't exercise. In men with similar heart histories needed much more weekly exercise to get a similar life-saving benefit.

In general, active women had a 5% greater reduction in heart disease risk than active men. This shows that being active is great for everyone, but women might have a slight natural advantage.

What is Moderate Exercise?

It's important to know what kind of exercise we're talking about. Moderate exercise is any activity that gets your heart pumping but doesn't make you feel totally wiped out. Examples include a brisk walk, gardening, or a fast bike ride. Vigorous exercise is when you push your body harder, causing a bigger jump in your heart rate. Think running, swimming laps, or hiking up a steep hill.

The study confirms that any amount of activity is better than none for your heart. Researchers found a clear connection: the more you move, the lower your risk of heart disease and death.

Do Hormones Affect Your Heart Health?

Why do women get such a great benefit with less effort? The study authors point to two main reasons tied to the body's natural makeup:

Hormones

Women have higher levels of the hormone estrogen. Estrogen is thought to help the body burn fat more effectively during exercise. This could be one reason why women see better heart benefits.

Muscle Types

Men tend to have more "fast-twitch" muscles, which are great for quick, powerful movements (like sprinting). Women usually have more "slow-twitch" muscles, which are better for endurance and working efficiently for longer periods. This more "efficient" muscle type might make workouts more beneficial for heart health in women.

Should Doctors Tailor Treatment According To Gender?

It's also crucial to know that heart disease affects men and women differently. Doctors point out that women often develop heart problems later in life and, sadly, are sometimes less likely to get the standard tests and care for heart issues that men receive.

The findings suggest that public health advice should be personalized and recognize that men and women have different needs.

The most important takeaway is this: Talk to your doctor before you start any new fitness plan. Your perfect exercise routine depends on your current health, fitness level, and any existing medical issues. There is no one-size-fits-all plan!

Lottie Ryan, Irish television and radio presenter with RTE opened up about her perimenopause experience and how she felt 'out of control' before she realized that changes in her body was going through were hormonal.

She revealed that she felt she was 'losing control', as reported by the Irish Sun. She said that she initially could not understand why she was feeling so off and blamed the symptoms on stress. However, only after she had a chat with her mother that she realized her issues could be hormonal.

After having a conversation with her mother, she booked a follow-up with a medical professional, who confirmed that her symptoms were due to perimenopause.

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She spoke to Natural Life Magazine, and said, "At first I did not put two and two together, I just thought I was stressed, tired, maybe run down. It was not until I had a conversation with my mum about what she would gone through, then spoke to my childhood best friend, who is a women's health physio, that I started to thin, 'Hand on...this could be hormonal'."

She had recently turned 40, and recalled how her symptoms began to affect every part of her life. She said, "Before I knew what was going on, I felt like I was losing control of my mind, my memory, even my sense of self."

She further added, "One I got answers, it was like a fog lifted. I still have days where I have to manage things, but now I understand why they're happening, and that makes all the difference." She tells that what surprised her was the anxiety she started to feel. She revealed that she thought menopause was "about hot flushes and trouble sleeping". What she did not know was that it could affect your mental health. She says, "That was the biggest shock for me."

Read More: F.D.A. Approves New Non-hormonal Menopause Drug To Reduce Hot Flashes

What Is Perimenopause?

As per a 2019 study published in Journal of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, perimenopause, or the menopausal transition, represents a period of time during which newly arising symptoms can present complex management decisions for providers. It is the period of time during which physiologic changes mark progression toward a woman's final menstrual period (FMP).

The phase begins with the onset of menstrual irregularities and continues until a woman reaches menopause, or one year after amenorrhea has occurred.

As Jean Miller, NP, at Franciscan Physician Network Winfield Health Center explains, "Perimenopause is the transition that occurs between a woman’s reproductive years and menopause, usually starting seven to ten years before the final period. It is important to remember that while this is a natural process, it is also one that varies for each woman, with some noticing little change and other experiencing more significant symptom."

Since the average age of menopause is 51, most women start to notice perimenopause symptoms in their 40s, which is also the case with Ryan.

Gynecologist psychiatrist Dr Nazanin Silver, writes for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that about 4 in 10 women have mood symptoms during perimenopause, which may be similar to PMS. She notes that women may feel irritable, have low energy, feel tearful and moody, or have a hard time concentrating.

She also notes that there are multiple studies that point out the increasing risk of depression during menopausal transition. Women may feel like they are crying a lot, feel hopeless or worthless, numb or lose interest from their liked and normal activities. Anxiety too is one of the symptoms.

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She suggests during this phase, it is important to "see your ob-gyn regularly and discuss how you are feeling". Finding help can help you enter this phase with ease.

Heart diseases are one of the most common issues people face in the world. Despite being the leading cause of death globally, according to the world health organization, many people miss critical signs of it. The best way to ensure a person gets treatment, is that the disease must be diagnosed in its early stages. A new study suggests diagnosing the risk of heart disease early is also possible, with the help of eye scans.

Researchers at McMaster University and the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) have made an incredible discovery. They found that the tiny blood vessels in your eyes could be a powerful way to guess how likely you are to develop heart disease and how fast your body is truly aging on the inside. This is a big deal because right now, checking for these risks involves many complicated tests.

The study, which was published in the journal Science Advances, suggests that soon, doctors might be able to use a simple scan of your retina, which is the back of your eye, as a quick and non-invasive tool. This scan could show them the overall health of your blood circulation and reveal your body’s real biological age. This new method could open up amazing possibilities for catching serious health issues much earlier.

Can You Diagnose Heart Diseases From Eye Scan?

The study was massive, involving over 74,000 people from large international research groups. The scientists analyzed their retinal images, genetic makeup, and blood data.

Their key discovery was striking, people whose blood vessels in the retina were simpler and looked less branched (not as tree-like) were found to be at a higher risk for heart problems. These same people also showed clear signs of faster biological aging, meaning they had more inflammation in their bodies and a potentially shorter life expectancy.

Dr. Marie Pigeyre, one of the main researchers on the study, explains that the eye is unique. It gives doctors a special, clear, and easy way to look at your entire circulatory system—all the veins and arteries that carry blood throughout your body.

Mirroring the Body

Think of the eye's small blood vessels like a mirror. Changes happening in these vessels reflect the same changes happening in the small blood vessels everywhere else in your body. If the vessels in your eye look unhealthy, chances are, the vessels around your heart and brain are also struggling.

Molecular Clues

The team didn't just look at pictures. By combining the retinal scans with genetic information and blood test results, they were able to uncover specific "molecular pathways." These are basically the biological rules or processes that explain exactly how aging causes problems in your blood vessel system.

Can You Cure Genetic Heart Diseases?

The researchers went beyond just finding a link; they used the blood and genetic data to hunt for the root causes of these eye vessel changes. This led them to pinpoint specific proteins that appear to be the main drivers of both aging and disease.

They identified two major proteins: MMP12 and IgG–Fc receptor IIb. Both of these are strongly linked to inflammation and the deterioration of blood vessels as we age.

Dr. Pigeyre is excited because these specific proteins could become targets for new drugs. Medicines designed to control or slow down these proteins could help reduce the impact of vascular aging, lower the risk of heart disease, and ultimately help people live longer and healthier lives.

Right now, to check for serious age-related diseases like heart disease, stroke, and memory problems (dementia), doctors have to perform many different tests. The big hope is that a quick, simple retinal scan could one day become an easy-to-access tool to immediately check a person's risk for heart problems and determine their biological age.