Erectile dysfunction (difficulty achieving and/or maintaining an erection) may impact negatively on a man's quality of life and his sense of self-esteem. Even more importantly it may be the first signifier of a serious disease. For many men erectile dysfunction is the first indication of a blood vessel problem that will end up with a serious complication within three years, either a heart attack or a stroke.

Whilst the new generation of erectile dysfunction drugs have proved very successful and have also, incidentally brought the subject much more into the open, they are not without problems. They may have unacceptable side-effects, diminish in effectiveness and fail to treat many men successfully. More importantly, they are directed only at the biao (manifestation) and fail to address the ben (root) of this disorder.

Acupuncture can play an major role in helping erectile dysfunction, whether it belongs to the 80% which has a physical cause or the 20% which is emotional in origin. In this presentation, I will give a western medicine overview of erectile dysfunction and explain both the physiology and pathology of the erection process according to Chinese medicine. We will of course also look at the differentiation of patterns, acupuncture points, needling methods, lifestyle changes and – most importantly - physical exercises that can be used to treat this problem.