COMMON MISUNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT VIAGRA/ CIALIS/ LEVITRA
- It cures erectile dysfunction
- That it is an aphrodisiac i.e. it will increase sexual desire and make you feel horny or randy.
- It causes immediate penile erections directly rather it enhances the normal sexual response and works with sexual stimulation
- Some people even believe it offers protection against sexually transmitted diseases and even HIV. In fact some healthcare professionals are worried it could cause more "risk" taking behavour. Read more.
- Likewise, some believe it is a male form of birth control pill
- It works as an aphrodisiac for women
THE VIAGRA MYTH
Associate Clinical Professor of Harvard Medical School and practicing Boston urologist, Abraham Morgentaler, has treated many many men with sexual problems. His experience with Viagra and its impact led him to write The Viagra Myth: The Surprising Impact On Love And Relationships.
As someone who treats men with Viagra nearly every day, I can testify to the remarkable effects of this medication.
However, as he says.
Viagra quickly tapped into a set of wishful fantasies that mirrored our culture's hunger for certainty and the quick fix. Supported by stories that described elderly men restored to such sexual vitality by Viagra that they abandoned their wives in favor of younger women, a conventional wisdom arose that Viagra was a fountain of youth, a sure cure, the real deal. Baby boomers could now look forward to fabulous sex well into their nineties. Men shared Viagra stories with each other at cocktail parties or around the office water cooler.
"All I can say is 'Wow!'" says one man, and other men listening in wonder how their lives might be different if they also took the magic blue pill.
From this a Viagra Myth began to emerge.
The Viagra Myth has less to do with the effectiveness of the medication than with our cultural propensity to look for the easy fix. This myth suggests that a pill that improves blood flow to the penis can solve personal relationship issues, no matter how complex.
His book goes onto explore the disconnect between the reality of male sexuality and the Viagra Myth as he explains.
Magical Viagra. A wonder drug. Or so we have come to believe. But does the reality live up to the myth? Is it really that good? Can it truly solve erection problems? What about relationship issues? What does Viagra do for a man who has lost his sexual desire or for a man who is simply nervous about having sex with a new partner? What's the real story. [10]
Being a man and male sexuality is far more sophisticated and complex than simply gaining an erection.
As writer and freelance investigative reporter, Trish Wilson, reflects.
As the old saying goes, be careful for what you wish. You may get it. By narrowly defining manhood - virility, potency, sexuality - as the ability of a man's penis to remain erect for a given period of time, with the final result being an explosive orgasm, male sexuality has been reduced to nothing more than the isolated functioning of one body part. [11]
VIAGRA HYPE
5 years after its launch 54,678 stories had been written by news organisations about Viagra. [12] At that point an internet search returned 1.98 million hits [13] today it is 57.7 million. [14]
What is interesting is that only half of the men prescribed Viagra refill their prescriptions. [15] For some the drug does not work, others refill via online sources and for others as Mike Sweeney, Pfizer's own senior medical director of urology, says "Giving somebody a good erection doesn't necessarily give somebody good sex. [16]
