Andrew Siegel MD 6/13/15
(New Jerseyans might recognize the lighthouse at Barnegat Bay)
Male Body Insecurity
In “Searching for Sex,” in The Sunday Review of the January 24, 2015 NY Times, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz studied Google online searches and observed: “The degree of a man’s worry about his genitals is profound.” He concluded: “We are so busy judging our own bodies that there is little energy left over to judge other people’s, and maybe if we worried less about sex, we’d have more of it.”
Men Google more questions about their penises than any other body part. For every 100 questions about their genitals, there are 67 for the heart, 57 for the eyes and 40 for the head. One of the most commonly searched subjects is how to make one’s penis bigger, which seems to be primarily a male concern, because for every search women make regarding penis size, men make 170 searches. Of the top 10 questions about “my penis,” nine involve size, the first and second being “how to make my penis bigger” and “how to make my penis longer,” respectively. Interestingly, women have nearly as many concerns about their vaginas as men do about their penises. They want to know how to shave it, tighten it and how to improve its taste and scent.
Sexual Enhancement Products
Not a day goes by where I am not bombarded with spam messages in my email inbox advertising drugs that claim to increase penis size. Additionally, not an office session happens in my urology practice when I don’t have at least several patients ask me about these products or bring in a print ad to ask my opinion.
The Internet is overrun with male “sexual enhancement” products that claim not to improve one’s sexual function but to increase the size of one’s penis. They capitalize on male body insecurity, which has created a huge market for these products, with hordes of men willing to pay top dollar for claims that are misleading and underhanded and products that are often mislabeled, contaminated and falsely advertised. The New York Attorney General recently accused four major retailers (GNC, Target, Walgreens and Walmart) of selling fraudulent and potentially dangerous herbal supplements and demanded that the products be removed. Unfortunately, such supplements are exempt from the stringent regulatory oversight applied to prescription drugs, which require reviews of a product’s safety and effectiveness before it goes to market. Do not waste your money!
What The FDA Has To Say
Although the FDA does not have the jurisdiction and regulatory powers over “natural” and “herbal” supplements that they have over prescription medications, they have still managed to restrain unscrupulous companies. According to physicians and federal experts, these products with claims that they can enlarge one’s penis are not only deceptive, but also potentially dangerous. The FDA has issued numerous public warning notifications in an effort to curb the sale of these often-tainted products and supplements. They have notified consumers that many of the products contain sildenafil, a.k.a. Viagra. The unknowing consumption of sildenafil can pose major health risks including precipitous drops in blood pressure in men on nitrate medications, which are commonly used for cardiac conditions.
You Can’t Make It Bigger, But You Can Make It Better
Okay gentleman, let’s do a reality check. Mother nature determined that you were to have a penis with its size determined by the genetic blueprint you inherited from your parents. You can’t make your penis bigger any more than you can make yourself taller…it is what it is. Nature is nature, but don’t forget about nurture. We do have some say in the way it functions, just as we have some say in what kind of physical shape our bodies are in and how they function.
How To Make It Better:
- Use It Or Lose It. Your penis needs to be utilized the way nature intended. Erections keep your penile smooth muscles and tissues richly oxygenated, elastic and functioning well. Sexual intercourse on a regular basis protects against ED.
- Maintain A Healthy Lifestyle. A healthy diet, a trim weight, keeping fit through balanced exercise (cardio, resistance, core, stretching), avoiding tobacco, avoiding excessive alcohol and managing stress are the keys to a healthy lifestyle.
- Exercises Specifically Geared For Sexual Function. The penis contains smooth muscle, which can only be “exercised” through achieving erections. However, the pelvic floor muscles (PFM) that engage at the time of sexual activity are skeletal muscles; the ischiocavernosus PFM is the “erector” muscle and the bulbocavernosus PFM is the “ejaculator” muscle. Participating in a male Kegel exercise program such as the Private Gym will increase the strength, tone, and endurance of the PFMs, enhancing erectile and ejaculatory function and capacity.
Wishing you the best of health,
A new blog is posted every week. To receive the blogs in the in box of your email go to the following link and click on “email subscription”: www.HealthDoc13.WordPress.com
Author of Male Pelvic Fitness: Optimizing Sexual and Urinary Health: available in e-book (Kindle, iBooks, Nook, Kobo) and paperback: http://www.MalePelvicFitness.com
Co-founder of Private Gym: http://www.PrivateGym.com
The Private Gym is a comprehensive, interactive, follow-along exercise program that provides the resources to properly strengthen the muscles that are vital to sexual and urinary health. The program builds upon the foundational work of Dr. Arnold Kegel, who popularized exercises for women to increase pelvic strength and tone. This FDA registered program is effective, safe and easy-to-use. The “Basic Training” program strengthens the pelvic floor muscles with a series of progressive “Kegel” exercises and the “Complete Program” provides maximum opportunity for gains through its patented resistance equipment.
Tags: Andrew Siegel MD, Arnold Kegel MD, FDA, male pelvic fitness, male sexual enhancement products, pelvic floor exercises, pelvic floor muscle training, penis, penis size, Private Gym
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