Films have long made the link between smoking and sexuality. James Dean, the dangerous bad boy, sat astride his motorcycle with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Sean Connery lighting up at the poker table, eyeing up his latest femme fatale. Massimo Garotti sparking a post-coital cigarette, with a beautiful woman wrapped around him. It’s a trope that’s entrenched in the public consciousness.
But how sexy is a cigarette when you find out what it can do to your health, and to the health of your sexual organs?
The effects of smoking on your lungs and your heart are well publicised – but the non-life threatening problems they pose can have a serious effect on your health and happiness, too.
Because smoking damages your blood vessels, it can be a direct cause of erectile dysfunction. As if this wasn’t enough, studies have shown that smoking can have an affect on the SHBG count in your blood (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin) which binds to testosterone. [1]
Do you ever find yourself missing out on socialising your friends, because while they’re enjoying themselves indoors you’re out in the smoking area, lighting up?
However glamourous smoking may seem, and however many spare moments it may fill – every cigarette you have does damage to your body. And that damage is not just the far off threat of long-term health problems; it can create everyday problems like erectile dysfunction.
The good news is that from the moment you quit smoking, the positive effects on your body are almost immediate.
If you’re concerned about erectile dysfunction, your testosterone levels or your general health – speak to a men’s health specialist. Book an appointment with the WellMan Clinic, today.
[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11352783
