They studied 90 patients that displayed acute signs of peripheral neuropathy and the added problem of erectile dysfunction, needing intensive therapy. Current drug treatments for erectile dysfunction include Viagra and Cialis.

Patients that volunteered for the research had an average age of 54 years, 10% under 40 years and 2% were over 70. No interconnection with the IIEF-5 (International Index of Erectile Function) summary was found in the older test subjects, by way of making them more susceptible, if anything the younger participants had lower IIEF-5 scores.

Breakdown of other medical backgrounds was; 30% cardiovascular disease, 16% neurogenic conditions, 16% diabetes, 7% mental health and 11% no risk factors. Those presenting with worse cases of peripheral neuropathy also had very low IIEF-5 results.

Neurophysiological investigations supported evidence that 69% had neurological pathology and 8% of these had myelopathy, which affects the spinal cord. Over a third had polyneuropathy, with small percentages were exhibiting small fibre and pudendal neuropathy, which causes problems in the pelvic area.

Dr Valles-Antuna believes that this is a unique study, that covers the full spectrum of peripheral nerve fibre conditions in a non-selected group presenting with erectile dysfunction.

Using the information gathered from the sufferers, combined with neurophysiological tests has shown that peripheral neuropathy is prevalent amongst men with impotence.

With reference to this information, it is advised that medical practitioners’ should perform neurophysiological examinations on erectile dysfunction patients and establish that the pelvic area has been screened effectively.

Article Source: http://www.uk-med.co.uk/Health/Neuropathic-Pain-Connection-With-Erectile-Dysfunction

THE FACTS

Can the right sonata soothe the pain of a medical operation?

A growing number of doctors have been using music in clinical settings, believing that it might have analgesic effects on patients — or at least take their minds off an otherwise painful procedure.

Scientists only now are seeking to determine whether the notion is more romance than reality.

In the most recent study, published in December in The Journal of Pain, 153 people were subjected to increasingly painful shocks on their hands as they listened to music. All the while, they were encouraged to engage in the songs and to identify certain notes and tones. By measuring pupil dilation and brain activity, scientists at the University of Utah found that as the subjects became focused on the melodies, they experienced more and more relief from the pain. The biggest effect was seen on the participants who were initially most anxious.

A Swedish study published in 2009 reported similarly encouraging findings: Children who were given “music therapy” after minor surgery required smaller amounts of morphine than those who were not.

But a meta-analysis of data on more than 3,600 patients in 51 studies, published in the Cochrane Database, found that the magnitude of the effect was not very large, so the potential usefulness in clinical practice — for now, at least — was “unclear.”

THE BOTTOM LINE

Listening to music during or after a medical procedure may relieve pain, but more research is needed to determine whether the effect is significant.

Article source: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/02/really-the-claim-listening-to-music-can-relieve-pain/