Porn-induced ED: Empirical Evidence

Submitted by Gary Wilson on Fri, 02/01/2013 - 12:36
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What I say to "skeptics"limp switch

First, the head of the Italian Society of Andrology and Sexual Medicine (SIAMS) has warned that porn-induced ED exists. SIAMS, the largest urology organization in Italy, is the one and ONLY group of medical doctors to address this emerging phenomenon. More important, their president reports that the clinic he's a part of cures the disorder by having guys stop porn use for 2-3 months. We were writing articles on porn-induced ED - based on the self-reports of hundreds of guys on the Internet - before SIAMS statements went public.

Second, naysayers suggest that we need "peer-reviewed studies" to confirm the existence of porn-related ED before we can make any claims. However, it's painfully obvious that no researcher can conduct a study where one group of young healthy men use Internet porn for 10 years, and a comparable control group does not, with erectile function assessed through masturbation to sensation only (no porn). In other words, it may be that the only experiment possible is well under way - with thousands of results now reported.

THE EXPERIMENT - "UNEXPLAINED CHRONIC ED IN YOUNG MEN AND ALTERATION OF A SINGLE VARIABLE"

This ongoing experiment examining porn-induced ED is valid, reproducible, and empirical.

The Subjects:

  1. Thousands of otherwise healthy young men (early 20s at the moment...), with only one variable in common: Years of masturbation to Internet porn.
  2. The subjects differ in backgrounds, ethnicity, diets, exercise regimens, religious beliefs, moral beliefs, country of origin, education, economic status, on & on.
  3. These young men cannot achieve an erection without porn use, and gradually, some can no longer achieve an erection with porn use.
  4. Many have seen multiple health-care practitioners and all have tried a number of approaches to cure their copulatory ED with no results.
  5. Most state that they cannot believe that porn use could have caused ED. Some are very skeptical prior to starting their experiment of giving up masturbation to porn.
  6. The cause of their ED was not performance anxiety as they failed to achieve full erections while attempting to masturbate without porn (How do I know if my ED is porn-related? (TEST)

The regimen:

  1. All eliminate porn use.
  2. Most (but not all) eliminate, or drastically reduce, the frequency of orgasms.

The results:

Nearly every subject reports a similar constellation of physical and psychological symptoms when they stop porn use/masturbation, and a similar time-frame for the appearance of symptoms such as agitation, cravings, complete loss of libido, and gradual recovery. 2-6 months (or longer) may be needed to regain erectile function. This suggests a very specific set of physical brain changes, and not a psychological "issue." The usual pattern of recovery is as follows:

  1. Subjects experience varying withdrawal symptoms that parallel drug/alcohol withdrawal, such as cravings, anxiety, lethargy, depression, brain fog, sleeping abnormalities, restlessness, agitation, aches, pains, etc.
  2. Within 1-2 weeks, most subjects experience what is called "the flatline": low libido, perceived changes in genital sensation or size.
  3. The flatline slowly abates and libido gradually increases, morning erections and spontaneous erections often show up, attraction to real partners increases, etc.
  4. If the men stick to the regimen, nearly all regain erectile health.
  5. Lengths of full recovery vary from a few weeks to several months months. Most are in the 2-6 months range for chronic, longstanding ED.

Summary:

Young healthy men, with unexplained ED and only one variable in common (Internet porn use), attempt multiple regimens and treatments with no success. The subjects remove the one variable they have in common and almost all experience the same results - remission of their medical condition.

That's an experiment with unequivocal results. This is empirical evidence, and probably the best empirical evidence available under the circumstances.

Bottom line:

I have yet to see one naysayer address the ACTUAL FACTS as described. In debating the existence of porn-induced ED, doubters go no further than this point:

  • Some guys who watch Internet porn develop ED - so - "correlation does not equal causation."

They refuse to venture into the rest of the facts, such as:

  1. All subjects had been using porn for years with no problems getting erections to porn.
  2. Few report any moral or religious misgivings, or guilt, surrounding their porn use.
  3. Subjects experienced a gradual decline is sexual function - often over the course of years.
  4. Many subjects had seen medical professionals, and had tried various therapies or regimens - with no success.
  5. When they abstained, nearly all subjects experienced similar psychological and physical symptoms - which mimic withdrawal from an addiction.
  6. The clincher: All had only one variable in common. When that single variable was removed (masturbation to porn) - nearly all regained erectile health.  (If they did not regain erectile health and libido, the cause of their ED was likely not porn use.)
  7. Men who regain erectile health and then return to regular porn use, experience a return of ED - once again settling the issue of causation.

Others writing about porn-induced ED

Comments

Submitted by DavidMI on Tue, 01/29/2013 - 13:52.

The phonies trying to look sophisticated by saying, "It's not a real study" don't even understand science to begin with. They're not arguing in good faith, they're just trying to maintain the pro-porn status quo and look smart. As soon as I hear the words, "peer review", I tune out because I know the people saying it don't understand it. (Peer review in theory is perfect: all studies are subject to eternal disproving and scrutiny. Peer review in the pop science community ranges from weak to outright bunk for too many reasons to cite here.)

I predict that, ultimately, as the great work of Gary and others continues to spread through grassroots communication, I'm sure that our good friends in the mainstream media will be forced to come up with some trick - some "peer reviewed scientific" study from the Harvard Medical School or what-have-you - which will "prove" that porn is good and healthy (they'll use misdirection to pacify porn critics and say something like, "Porn of variety ABC is bad, but studies show that all other porn helps spark sex lives and prevent prostate cancer.")

When these bogus "scientific studies" start getting airplay, the gullible, fearful useful idiots now mocking YBOP and NoFap will just always point to that. "Here is REAL science!" (As a parallel, last year there was a hugely-publicized HMS study revealing how "deadly" red meat was. The study was totally bogus, but it has the veneer of "real science", and most don't bother investigating beyond that.)

But what is happening right now with NoFap is indeed a REAL experiment. And, of course, the most important experiment that the average male can do is the n=1 experiment on himself.

Submitted by admin on Wed, 01/30/2013 - 11:02.

And, of course, the most important experiment that the average male can do is the n=1 experiment on himself.

This what we say over and over again. What is the possible harm in eliminating porn for 90 or 180 days...or?

This is not a new post. It's just the tail end of the ED & Porn start here article: START HERE: Porn-Induced Sexual Dysfunction

I got so tired of the empty "Pseudoscience" rhetoric surrounding porn-induced ED, that I thought I would give this section its own page.

Submitted by Red.Right.Return on Wed, 01/30/2013 - 08:41.

Any guys out there who feel bewildered and wary should read this article when they're feeling down. It inculcates a sense of assurance which is what we all need....repetition, repetition to remind us all that PMOing will just continue to be a setback....even though relapses are common.