2008 Woodie Awards
Science Q & A
Q. Do male enhancement supplements work?
Rachael Federico
Issue date: 1/17/08 Section: Sci/Tech
A. It's hard not to notice some of the ridiculous spam messages that make it to my inbox. In fact, for the sake of the argument, here's the one I received this morning: "No more worries, men! Medical professionals have endorsed the HerbalMaxx system to help men just like you achieve increased SIZE, LENGTH and WIDTH of their Manhood." It's one of the less vulgar messages I've received, lately. Ultimately, someone should tell the spammers that my "manhood" would need a lot more enhancing than anything they could do for me.
In any case, get a good chuckle from the ads and then delete them. While popping a pill to increase your "manhood" sounds astounding, there is no published research/clinical evidence that the drugs are effective (or safe). In fact, these herbal supplement pills are not regulated by the FDA, so you never know what you'll be getting. Furthermore, since these supplements are not regulated, the manufacturers are probably not reliably disclosing the potential side-effects of their products. For those taking any other drugs or supplements, there is no way to know whether there is a likelihood of experiencing an adverse reaction. And, buyers cannot expect to have the package inserts detailing any potential issues from the product because the manufacturers are not required to include that information in non-prescription supplements.
A clinical professor of surgery at the University of Cincinnati posted the following, on his website, "some supplements contain yohimbine, an alkaloid obtained from the bark of a West African tree, which increases blood flow. The effect, however, is not isolated to the genitals. It happens throughout the entire body, which can cause serious stress to the heart in men with heart or vascular conditions. Other supplements contain hormones like testosterone that can contribute to other health complications, such as enlargement of the prostate gland or an increased incidence of prostate cancer." These are just a few examples of dangerous unintended effects. Priaprism is an erection that will not go away on its own. Might seem nice, at first, but two hours later, it's pretty painful. Generally, men need surgery to literally drain the problem.
In any case, get a good chuckle from the ads and then delete them. While popping a pill to increase your "manhood" sounds astounding, there is no published research/clinical evidence that the drugs are effective (or safe). In fact, these herbal supplement pills are not regulated by the FDA, so you never know what you'll be getting. Furthermore, since these supplements are not regulated, the manufacturers are probably not reliably disclosing the potential side-effects of their products. For those taking any other drugs or supplements, there is no way to know whether there is a likelihood of experiencing an adverse reaction. And, buyers cannot expect to have the package inserts detailing any potential issues from the product because the manufacturers are not required to include that information in non-prescription supplements.
A clinical professor of surgery at the University of Cincinnati posted the following, on his website, "some supplements contain yohimbine, an alkaloid obtained from the bark of a West African tree, which increases blood flow. The effect, however, is not isolated to the genitals. It happens throughout the entire body, which can cause serious stress to the heart in men with heart or vascular conditions. Other supplements contain hormones like testosterone that can contribute to other health complications, such as enlargement of the prostate gland or an increased incidence of prostate cancer." These are just a few examples of dangerous unintended effects. Priaprism is an erection that will not go away on its own. Might seem nice, at first, but two hours later, it's pretty painful. Generally, men need surgery to literally drain the problem.
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