Page 55 - Issue 48_press_efile

EXPERTS LOUNGE
Speak up to reduce stigma around
By Dr. Zena Onsongo
hile interacting with my audience during health
Weducation or training sessions, we often learn of
new games and reminisce of old games played while
children. This is meant to break the monotony of
learning, especially in adult learning.
During one of the sessions on prostate cancer, as I was demonstrating
the effects of the gland enlargement, which would dictate the symptoms
that include a weak urine jet, I came to learn of a game that almost every feelings and sexual excitement as an effect of the
male participant admits to having participated in.
The famous pissing contest, literally. This is the origin of the phrase
to mean a competition to determine superiority, leadership or
predominance.
While this might always be discussed as an adolescent game, the
competitive nature of the male species surely goes on into adulthood. It
is for this reason that my subject today is one that is always mentioned
in low tones.
My patients would come in for erectile dysfunction but go-round on
many other symptoms and only mention it as you finalize to usher them
out of the room.
“I have been having a cough that bothers me at night for the last
week. It’s not really there but sometimes it bothers me.”
Only when you wish them quick recovery do they add
“… by the way, there’s something I needed to mention, it’s not really
a bad thing (…..twelve other stories then)…should I be concerned?
I’ve been having sessions of difficulty in getting an erection.” You
need to read this with a Kenyan accent.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the inability to get or keep an erection firm Dr. Zena Onsongo is a medical doctor, Chief
enough to have sexual intercourse. It is common for this to be occasional
especially during times of stress. It can manifest in three ways;
• Trouble getting an erection,
• Trouble keeping an erection,
• Reduced sexual desire.
As expressed by my patients, the first time it happens it is a near-death
experience when one imagines they have lost their predominance, their
superiority….oh the pissing contest. This reduces one’s self-confidence,
causes stress (vicious cycle) and affect relationships in the long term.
The causes vary from stress to underlying chronic
diseases hence our hope that we can get more men
to speak up to reduce stigma around the topic. Any
disturbance in the components of male arousal will
definitely cause erectile dysfunction. This includes
effects on the brain, hormones, emotions, nerves,
muscles and blood vessels.
Psychological causes are often matters that affect
brain. Depression, anxiety or other mental health
conditions, stress, poor communication can all cause
or worsen erectile dysfunction.
Physical causes, on the other hand, are the
conditions that affect the flow of blood within the
vessels and the quality of the blood vessels. These
include conditions like heart diseases, clogged blood
vessels (atherosclerosis), diabetes, high cholesterol,
high blood pressure, obesity, alcoholism, tobacco
use, and sleep disorders.
Majority of the men who end up with a heart attack
or a stroke, have probably been having issues with
erectile dysfunction and not addressed. So next time
before we buy a pill of Viagra, let us consider dealing
with the underlying cause to avoid future heart or
brain events.
I will finish by also stating that majority of the young
males with erectile dysfunction have stress as a
cause so there is hope in us addressing this.
In the next article, we will demystify the causes and
discuss the remedy.
Executive Officer, Sante-Reva Healthcare. She
is a specialist in corporate wellness and stress
management.
Email:drzena@santereva.com
53| SACCO Star Magazine