Lots of symptoms and signs can warn you that you may be at risk of suffering from heart disease, but did you know erectile dysfunction is one of them? Learn more about the connection between cardiovascular issues and erectile dysfunction — and what treatment options you may have.
Understanding How Erections Form
To understand how erectile dysfunction may be a sign of heart disease, it’s first necessary to know how an erection forms.
Erections don’t just depend on the correct functioning of the genitals. Instead, the process relies on a complex set of interactions between your hormones, brain, blood vessels, and muscles throughout the body.
The moment there’s a mental or physical stimulus, the process begins. When you’re aroused, your brain uses your blood vessels and nerves to send signals to the rest of your body. These signals stimulate blood to flow to the penis, letting the erectile chamber expand.
Testosterone levels also play a role since it functions as a vasodilator, opening up your blood vessels.
If there’s any kind of issue in any of these steps, it can result in erection problems. That also includes if your heart isn’t strong enough to pump blood or if there’s plaque buildup in your blood vessels. If either of those things happens, your erectile chamber won’t expand.
Some of the most common signs of erectile dysfunction include:
Being able to get an erection but not maintain it long enough for intercourse.
Only sometimes being able to get an erection before intercourse.
Requiring a lot of stimulation to get or maintain an erection.
Complete inability to get an erection.
It can be normal to have trouble every once in a while, getting an erection, but if it starts occurring regularly, you should visit your doctor to understand what the problem is.
Heart Disease and Erectile Dysfunction: Shared Risk Factors
Heart disease and erectile dysfunction share common risk factors, which is why, many times, one of these issues can point to another.
Shared risk factors of these conditions include:
Age
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Non-active lifestyle
Smoking
High cholesterol
Obesity
Stress
If you have a family history of heart disease or erectile dysfunction, you are also more likely to develop the problem yourself because there are genetic factors at play.
Is Erectile Dysfunction a Heart Disease Warning Sign?
Erectile dysfunction isn’t always a sign of heart disease, but it often is. This is because of the heart’s function in the process of forming an erection.
If the arteries in the body are affected by atherosclerosis, which is when plaque builds and doesn’t allow as much blood to flow, this can lead to problems with blood flow to the penis. Atherosclerosis also increases your chances of having a heart attack.
Because the arteries in the penis are so narrow, erectile dysfunction can be the first sign of plaque buildup.
Another potential connection between erectile dysfunction and heart disease is endothelial dysfunction. This condition is when the blood vessels constrict instead of dilating, and it’s a type of non-obstructive coronary artery disease. Your arteries narrow even though there’s nothing blocking them.
Treating Erectile Dysfunction
If you struggle with erectile dysfunction, your healthcare provider might suggest a number of treatment options depending on the underlying cause of the problem.
If the problem is related to cardiovascular issues, including atherosclerosis, treatments can include lifestyle changes. This can mean becoming more active by adding cardiovascular exercises like walking, swimming, and jogging to your life. Always speak with your doctor before beginning any kind of exercise routine.
Quitting smoking is another step you can take, as is adjusting your diet. You should limit your intake of saturated fats so that you can start lowering your cholesterol levels.
You’ll want to avoid alcohol as well. Alcohol interferes with the messengers in the brain that tell the penis to fill with blood while also reducing the production of testosterone levels. Alcohol is also bad for your heart since it causes high blood pressure, putting more stress on the organ.
Some oral medications that increase blood flow to the penis aren’t a good choice if you also have some types of heart disease, so it’s important to ensure that your doctor identifies what’s causing the erectile dysfunction before prescribing medications.
An option that shows promising results is regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine options like stem cell therapy provide the chance to treat the underlying cause of erectile dysfunction.
Stem cell therapy relies on stem cells, which have the ability to transform into many other kinds of cells, encouraging the growth of healthier blood vessels so that the penis can receive better blood flow.
One of the most important benefits stem cell therapies offers is that it doesn’t require an invasive procedure.
Another regenerative medicine treatment option is platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy. PRP therapy uses a sample of your blood that contains concentrated platelet levels and is full of growth factors.
A PRP injection stimulates blood flow and the growth of new and healthier blood vessels.
Getting Help for Erectile Dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction can impact your whole life, affecting your self-esteem and even warning you that there may be other health issues to consider. Turning to your healthcare provider is the best thing you can do to understand what the underlying cause of the problem is and whether it points to issues like cardiovascular disease.
For many men, dealing with erectile dysfunction, with or without heart disease issues, means making lifestyle changes and considering treatment options like regenerative medicine.
Because choices like PRP therapy and stem cell therapy provide the chance to get to the root problem without putting you at risk of side effects, as medication does, it could be the right choice for men who are struggling with both erectile dysfunction and heart problems.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that an average of 795,000 people each year in the United States suffer a stroke. The majority of these are new strokes. Knowing whether you have a high risk of suffering a stroke is important, but so is knowing what you can do to lower your risk.
One important step you can take for stroke prevention is exercise. Learn more about what causes strokes and why exercise can be such an important prevention tool.
Understanding Strokes: What They Are and What Causes Them
You can think of a stroke as the equivalent of a heart attack on your brain. It is a life-threatening condition that occurs when a part of your brain doesn’t receive an adequate amount of blood. Strokes usually occur from experiencing bleeding in the brain or a blocked artery.
There are two main types of strokes: ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. Ischemic strokes happen when cells don’t get enough blood and therefore don’t get enough oxygen. An ischemic stroke occurs if something blocks blood vessels in the brain. Blood clots can lead to ischemic strokes.
Hemorrhagic strokes lead to bleeding in or around your brain. It can occur if a blood vessel in your brain breaks open and causes bleeding that puts pressure on your brain tissue. It can also happen if you experience bleeding in the space between the brain and its outer covering.
The symptoms of a stroke vary depending on which areas of the brain it affects. You can experience one or more symptoms like:
Difficulty speaking
Blurred or double vision
One-sided weakness
Paralysis
Loss of muscle control on one side of the face
Loss of coordination
Dizziness
Vomiting
Nausea
Slurred speaking
Partial or total loss of one of the senses
Memory loss
Seizures
Headaches
The cause of the stroke can depend on the stroke type. Ischemic strokes usually occur because of blood clots, while hemorrhagic strokes happen as a result of high blood pressure, brain cancers, brain aneurysms, and more.
Some factors can put you more at risk of suffering a stroke. These are:
Obesity
Smoking
Poor diet
Physical inactivity
Diabetes
Strokes have the potential to occur at any age, but the risk rises as you grow older. If there’s a history of strokes in your family, you’re also more likely to suffer from one yourself. Drinking too much alcohol is another way to increase your chances of a stroke.
How Exercise Helps to Prevent Strokes
Exercise plays a role in reducing several stroke risk factors, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and even stress. For primary stroke prevention, high blood pressure is the most important risk factor. Physical activity helps control blood pressure because it improves vascular function.
Type 2 diabetes increases the chances of having a stroke because excessive blood glucose levels over time increase fatty deposits. These deposits narrow or block blood vessels, cutting off blood to the brain. Exercise helps improve glycemic control, so it can be an important way of managing your type 2 diabetes.
Exercise also helps promote lower cholesterol levels. Having high cholesterol levels causes plaque buildup in your arteries, including those that send blood to your brain.
For older people or those with certain medical conditions, turning to light exercise may be beneficial. Some options include gardening, taking walks, and even doing housework. The key is to avoid being inactive for long periods.
For adults who can manage moderate exercise, it’s important to engage in at least 2 ½ hours of exercise per week. You can choose activities like cycling, brisk walking, swimming, or anything else that gets your heart rate up.
Other Lifestyle Changes for Stroke Prevention
Besides adding more physical exercise to your life, you can also turn to other strategies to help prevent a stroke. For one thing, if you smoke, you should quit. Smoking significantly damages blood vessels, triggering plaque formation and even causing blood vessel breakdown. Smoking increases your blood pressure, too.
You should take a close look at your diet. Eating a diet that causes higher cholesterol levels can contribute to the development of plaque. Plaque narrows arteries and makes blood clots more likely.
Stick to lean proteins, unsaturated fats, fruits, and vegetables, and avoid sugary foods and saturated fats. You should also add fiber-rich foods to your diet. It is also important to cut down on the amount of alcohol you drink. Alcohol increases your blood pressure, making blood clots more likely to happen. Blood clots can cut off your blood supply and lead to strokes.
Another important step you can take if you want to prevent a stroke is to incorporate stress management techniques into your day. Stress makes the heart work harder, which increases blood pressure.
At the same time, sugar and fat levels in the blood also increase when you experience stress. They impact arterial health as well. All these factors may lead to the development of clots. Finding ways of managing stress goes a long way toward addressing these issues.
You can opt for doing deep breathing exercises, as well as focusing on mindfulness strategies to help you stay in the present. Some people benefit from meditation or yoga, while others do better if they take time to exercise. Taking up relaxing hobbies is another excellent option.
Regenerative Medicine: Can It Help with Strokes?
Working to prevent strokes is important, and your strategies for doing so can be as simple as adjusting your diet and adding exercise to your daily routine. If you’ve already experienced a stroke, however, you can also use these strategies to prevent future ones. Lowering your blood pressure, managing your diabetes, and lowering stress levels can all help.
If a previous stroke has left you with symptoms that affect your life, a treatment option that shows promise is stem cell therapy. Stem cell therapy encourages your body to heal using its natural processes, allowing you the chance to regain some of your brain’s lost function. Ask your doctor about regenerative medicine options like stem cell therapy.
Hopefully, you will never experience a stroke or a heart attack, but it is important to know the differences between these two potentially fatal medical emergencies. The most important similarity may be that if you or someone you know is showing the symptoms of a stroke or a heart attack, time is crucial. Getting immediate medical help increases the chance of survival and recovery.
Heart Attacks Explained
Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S. Heart disease can lead to a heart attack, also known as a myocardial infarction.
The term “heart attack” refers to damage of the heart muscle, usually caused by a lack of blood flow. If a blood clot forms in one of the arteries that supply blood to the heart, it can block blood flow and deprive the heart of the nutrients it needs to function.
As the heart weakens from lack of nourishment, chest pain and other symptoms may occur. Warning signs of a heart attack include:
Fatigue
A sense of impending doom
Nausea
Sweating
Pain radiating down the left arm
Shortness of breath
Feeling lightheaded
Pain or numbness in the upper body
Stomach pain
Changes in heartbeat
A bluish tint to the hands, feet, or lips
Pain in the jaw or between the shoulder blades
Men and women tend to experience a different set of symptoms; however, warning signs can be different for every person. In some cases, there is no warning at all. This is referred to as a “silent heart attack.”
Stroke Explained
Like heart attacks, strokes are usually caused by a blood clot that blocks blood flow in the arteries. In this case, the blockage affects the brain. Deprived of nourishment, a section of the brain dies, resulting in a stroke.
There are three types of strokes. Ischemic stroke is caused by a blood clot, and it is the most common type. Bleeding in the brain, usually from injury or aneurysm, may cause a hemorrhagic stroke. A transient ischemic attack is caused when an artery that feeds the brain is restricted but not blocked.
Warning signs of stroke are typically less painful and more subtle than warning signs of a heart attack. They may include:
Dizziness
Speech difficulties
Arm or leg weakness
Confusion
Vision loss
Facial drooping
Tingling or numbness in extremities
Sudden incontinence
The chances of surviving and recovering from a stroke depend on what part and how much of the brain was affected. Immediate medical help increases the chance for recovery.
Stroke and heart attack are both age-related health problems. Longer life spans mean the conditions have become more common. Unfortunately, many patients still end up with some type of long-term disability.
The Future of Regenerative Medicine
There is hope that regenerative medicine, also known as stem cell therapy, may offer an option to help repair the damage caused by a stroke or heart attack. As medicine continues to advance, the damages of these serious conditions may become less permanent. Patients are exploring the beneficial opportunities that stem cells hold. If you would like to learn more contact a care coordinator today!
According to the CDC, nearly one in three U.S. adults is living with hypertension, but just about half of them are controlling it effectively. Also known as high blood pressure, hypertension can be dangerous. It increases the force against the artery walls, and over time can lead to damage of the brain, heart, and kidneys.
Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to control your blood pressure. The first is understanding what’s considered normal versus high blood pressure.
For systolic blood pressure (the upper number), the categories are as follows:
Normal: <120
Elevated: 120-129
Hypertension stage 1: 130-139
Hypertension stage 2: 140 or higher
Hypertensive crisis: higher than 180
For diastolic blood pressure (the lower number), the categories are:
Normal: less than 80
Elevated: less than 80 (and 120-129 systolic blood pressure)
Hypertension stage 1: 80-89
Hypertension stage 2: 90 or higher
Hypertensive crisis: higher than 120
You can set up an appointment with your doctor’s office to have your blood pressure taken, but sometimes this service is available at pharmacies or even through home kits. Once you know where you stand, you can begin addressing your blood pressure through the following tips:
Reduce Sodium Intake
Salt raises blood pressure in many people, and it can hide in sources you wouldn’t suspect. Frozen foods, canned food, and even some beverages can be high in sodium. Ideally, you should be taking in less than 2,300 milligrams of salt each day, or 1,500 milligrams or less if you’re over the age of 50.
Incorporate Fruits & Vegetables into Your Diet
Fruits and vegetables are inherently nutritious due to their lack of sodium, cholesterol, trans fat, and saturated fat—all of which can contribute to high blood pressure. As an added bonus, they’re typically low in calories, which can help you maintain a healthy weight, and they’re also loaded with key vitamins and minerals.
Get Moving
Exercise can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight, which contributes to healthy blood pressure. Adults should get at least a half-hour of moderate-intensity exercise each day, such as brisk walking. Children and teens should get an hour. While the risks of high blood pressure can be alarming, there are plenty of ways to get yours under control. Knowing your numbers and having ongoing conversations with your doctor can help you manage your blood pressure proactively.
After a decade of research, the safety and efficacy of intravenous infusion of bone-marrow-derived stem cells for therapeutic treatment in individuals with heart failure have been well established; however, until Bartolucci et al’s phase 1 / 2 randomized controlled trial of intravenous infusion umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) on heart disease, no clinical studies have examined the safety and efficacy of similar intravenous infusion of UC-MSCs in patients with chronic systolic heart failure (HFrEF).
Specifically, therapeutic treatment of heart failure with stem cells harvested from bone marrow has demonstrated improved cardiac function and regeneration of damaged heart tissue resulting in moderate clinical benefits in survival, left ventricular function, and improved quality of life in patients with HFrEF.
While MSCs isolated from adult bone marrow have demonstrated benefits, the invasive harvesting procedure and differentiation potential related to donor age and comorbidity associated with BM-MSC present several disadvantages when evaluating for clinical application.
On the other hand, when compared to BM-MSCs, umbilical cord-derived MSCs, or UC-MSCs, are easily attainable, demonstrate less cellular aging, and are not obstructed by potential ethical concerns.
With preclinical research demonstrating UC-MSC supporting enhanced vascular regeneration and cardiomyocyte protection, Bartolucci et al’s study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravenous infusion of UC-derived stem cells for therapeutic treatment in individuals with heart failure.
This RIMECARD trial was the first randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of intravenous infusion of allogeneic UC-MSCs in patients with chronic HFrEF. Although there has been limited experience on intravenous administration of MSCs in patients with cardiovascular diseases, it has been well established that MSC-based therapies are considered safe for therapeutic use in this application; further review of prospective clinical trials also did not detect a risk of infusion toxicity, organ system complications, infection, death, or malignancy in treated patients.
The results of the RIMECARD trial demonstrated that delivery of UC-MSCs seems safe for use in the HFrEF population with observable improvements in LVEF in patients receiving intravenous UC-MSC treatments. Researchers have proposed many potential reasons for the clinical benefits of the application of UC-MSCs among patients with heart failure including reduction in myocardial cell apoptosis, less myocardial inflammation and myocardial fibrosis, the formation of new cardiac-related blood vessels, and increased cell differentiation.
One notable observation of this study was the notable cardiomyogenic differentiation potential between UC-MSCs and BM-MSCs. It appeared that BM-MSCs presented a more favorable profile of transcription factors related to cardiac differentiation; however, findings demonstrating poor retention rates after intramyocardial injections of BM-MSCs render them potentially insufficient for what is required to be deemed clinically beneficial.
By comparison, the paracrine factors observed demonstrate a significant advantage of UC-MSCs over BM-MSCs with the most prominent difference being the expression of hepatocyte growth factor in UC-MSCs from all tested donors (BM-MSCs showed low to undetectable levels).
While further analysis and outcomes were considered limited based on small patient sample groups, IV infusion of UC-MSCs was found to be feasible and safe among patients with HFrEF, inducing no humoral immune response among test subjects. While findings suggest significant improvements in left ventricular function, functional status, and quality of life, the impact of UC-MCSs in patients with heart failure would be further supported through larger clinical trials.
Whether you’re living with heart disease, actively trying to prevent it, or just seeking ways to boost your overall wellness, there are many habits you can adopt to improve your cardiovascular health. Oftentimes, however, an extensive lifestyle overhaul can feel daunting. While completely revamping your diet or embarking on a new fitness journey can indeed be overwhelming, there are smaller steps you can take that can still have a big impact on heart health.
By implementing these small changes one by one, you may find that the path to a healthier lifestyle is well within reach.
Get Lifting
Lifting small hand weights can help build muscle, which contributes to overall health. Once your weights get too light, move up to a heavier set.
Choose nuts as a healthy snack.
Nuts are filling but rich in nutrients. Next time you’re hungry between meals, reach for peanuts, almonds, or walnuts for your heart health. You can also incorporate them into salads.
Add one fruit or veggie a day.
Instead of focusing on what you should eliminate from your diet, think instead about the healthy choices you can add-in. Aim for an additional serving of vegetables or fruit each day until you’re having them with most meals. You’ll likely make fewer unhealthy choices as a natural result.
Walk for 10 minutes.
A quick walk is a simple, manageable goal you can get started on right away. As you build up endurance, increase the time by five-minute intervals until you’re walking 30 minutes per day, most days of the week.
Cut out caloric beverages.
Beverages other than water often have extra calories, sugars, and other additives which can impact your health and lead to weight gain. When possible, choose water to keep your diet in check. If you’re craving flavor, add a slice of lemon.
Have a good breakfast.
Start with a nutritional meal and you may find yourself more inclined to make healthy choices for the rest of the day. Aim to include a good source of protein, such as eggs or yogurt, so you’re full and less likely to snack before lunch.
Swap out red meat for seafood.
While you may choose to have red meat in moderation, seafood is a far better nutritional choice. Try to incorporate fish into your meals once per week to boost brain and heart health.
Try deep breathing.
High blood pressure is a major heart health concern. Deep breathing may help to keep you calm in stressful situations, which could contribute to lower blood pressure.
Wash your hands frequently.
Infections such as seasonal flu and other viruses can take their toll on heart health. Minimize your risk of infection by washing your hands frequently, and especially before eating or touching your face.
Practice gratitude.
Positive emotions such as gratitude have been linked to better overall wellness and longevity. To evoke more feelings of appreciation and fulfillment, start and end each day by reflecting on what it is you have to be grateful for.
For more helpful health awareness blogs, please visit stemedix.com/blog.
This website and its contents are not intended to treat, cure, diagnose, or prevent any disease. Stemedix, Inc. shall not be held liable for the medical claims made by patient testimonials or videos. They are not to be viewed as a guarantee for each individual. The efficacy for some products presented have not been confirmed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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