Erectile dysfunction (ED) is caused by endothelial dysfunction, a narrowing of the lumen of the blood vessels (atherosclerosis), and microvascular disease that disrupt the penile blood flow, creating insufficient blood supply to the penis. Atherosclerosis is part of the aging process, starts early in life and results in decreased blood supply to all tissue, including the penis. Stem cells are the body’s way to repair this damage, but as we age, their numbers and effectiveness decrease.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) not only stimulates the body to produce large numbers of stem cells to repair these damaged tissues, but also induces new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) into all tissue and organs in the body that have insufficient blood supply, including the penis.

Dr. Shai Efrati, director of the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research, in Israel, has shown for the first time that penile angiogenesis and improved erectile function can be induced by HBOT in men suffering from chronic, non-surgical ED as shown by perfusion MRI analysis. Following the completion of the 40 HBOT sessions, erectile function improved by 88 percent, and 80 percent of the patients reported a positive outcome.

Roger Hunter is the cofounder and CEO of Nirvana Hyperbaric Institute, located at 146 Medical Park Rd., in Mooresville. For appointments and more information, call 704-471-4100 or visit www.NirvanaHBO.com. See https://tinyurl.com/ED-HBOT-Research for research detail.