Viagra as a treatment for Erectile Dysfunction (ED)

Erectile dysfunction or impotence, before the advent of modern therapies, was rarely treated; or when treated, through psychoanalysis. A better understanding of the condition has led to the implication of organic conditions, like nerve damages, vascular diseases and hormonal imbalances, as the major causes of ED, a marked change from the previous causes which were believed to be psychogenic in origin. This has resulted in a shift in the primary responsibility for treating ED patients from psychiatrists to urologists.

Recently, a second and more authoritative shift has taken place: the introduction of Viagra tablets. With a simple prescription, it is now possible, according to family and general practitioners and internists in the western world, to treat most cases of erectile dysfunction.

Although an understanding of the processes involved in erection of the penis would allow for the treatment of the organic causes of erectile dysfunction in many ways, Viagra tablets have become a definitive cure for every degree of the condition. Such is the popularity of Viagra tablets that the blue pills are now the treatment of choice in about 95 percent of erectile dysfunction cases. This raises some questions about the efficiency and safety of other ED treatments.

On the positive side though, Viagra tablets have changed the way men and their doctors confront impotence and brought the condition out of society's closet.

It is pertinent for one to have some knowledge about the anatomy of the penis in order to understand the causes of ED. Of course, in loose terms, the functions of the penis are for the excretion of liquid waste from the body and to allow for sexual penetration and help introduce sperm into the vaginal canal, when rigid.

Rigidity of the penis occurs when the cerebral cortex and limbic system send conscious or unconscious neurological signals to the hypothalamus, which are then relayed down the sympathetic and parasympathetic neurons of the penis via the spinal cord.

Neurotransmitters – that relax the smooth muscle cells lining the corporal bodies and the arteries supplying blood to the penis – are then released by the nerve endings.

The relaxation of the arterial walls allows for more blood to enter the exit and the penis becomes erect. It is important to note that the mechanism of erection in man is regulated by the brain's inhibitory control.

For the erection pathway to begin, a sexual stimulus is needed, which could be visual, tactile, auditory, gustatory or olfactory.
Normally, the entire sequence of events – from stimulation to erection – takes place in seconds.

Any interference of this nerve pathway – in the form of head and spinal cord injuries, stroke, Parkinson's disease, and diseases with systemic effects such as multiple sclerosis and diabetes – can lead to ED.

Another cause of ED is ageing, which is often accompanied by a consistent decrease in nerve endings in the penis and blood flow.

An order for Viagra tablets as a treatment for ED is done with the aim that Sildenafil Citrate, the active ingredient in Viagra, would help facilitate the dilation of the blood vessels in order for the blood to be circulated into the penis.

Sildenafil citrate enables the flow of blood into the penis through the inhibition of the cGMP specific phosphodiesterase type 5, an enzyme that degrades cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). The prevention of the cGMP from building up in levels in the penis would make the build up of blood in the corpus cavernosum of the penis not to be possible.

The internet is a non-traditional source of obtaining the drugs for those who want to buy Viagra tablets online.