4 Ways To Support A Breast Cancer Survivor

They need support, so that they don’t fall victim to depression, a common risk incurred by family members caring for a cancer patient. Where can you turn? What exactly should you expect to experience as your partner navigates her fight with cancer?

And when will you be able to think about yourself and your needs again? These are some ways of getting support for yourself :

1. Support Groups

Check with your local church, library, and hospital for support groups for families of cancer patients.

These groups have a diversity of members of all ages, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

 Some groups also have members who have experienced all types of cancer diagnoses.

However, groups exist specifically for breast cancer partner support—especially in cities with a high population.

Talking with others who know what you’re going through may teach you new coping skills.

 Group members can also tell you what to expect during the course of your loved one’s cancer treatment.

2. Digital Support

Y-ME is a partner match program that supports partners of breast cancer patients by offering a peer counselor who had the same experience you’re having.

The counselor will understand how overwhelming shouldering your partner’s needs can be, and will help you navigate your emotions.

Once your partner is on the mend, you can volunteer your services as a peer counselor.

3. At Home

Although you may not want to burden your partner with talk of your own feelings and emotions, communication can help you comfort each other.

Your partner may be worried about possibly losing her breast and not being attractive to you.

 She may feel guilty about not being able to contribute to household duties, or that she’s neglecting the children.

Discuss what systems you’ve put into place to reduce her burden of day-to-day activities, and improve the quality of family time.

4. Asking for Help

Depending on the age of children, you can assign them some extra household chores.

Just be sure not to overwhelm them with duties, and allow them to continue to participate in activities outside the house.

Schedule outings for the entire family to enjoy if your partner feels up to it.

If she isn’t strong enough, board or card games with the whole family will allow the children to feel that even though their mother is ill, good family times can still happen.

Enlist extended family members or friends to help with the children, whether it’s driving them to school or giving them some time away from the house and their mother’s illness.

Remember to take time away for yourself. Ask for someone to stay with your partner and recharge and relax with an activity that’s just for you.

You have a difficult job ahead, but don’t feel the need to do it alone.

 Reaching out to others for help will keep you strong for your partner and allow her to concentrate on beating breast cancer.

Diet To Improve And Cure Sexual Impotence

Although your diet may have no direct effect on the development or occurrence of sexual impotence, in some situations the condition may be caused by other health conditions that are aggravated by unhealthy eating habits.

The main focus should therefore be to eliminate any unhealthy foods from your diet like junk foods, oily and excessively fatty foods.

An accurate diagnosis of the underlying causes of impotence will also better help with the formulation of an appropriate diet plan.

 There are certain foods that promote certain bodily functions and if the problem is caused by any disorder that can be controlled with diet changes you will need to modify your diet accordingly.

In addition to dietary changes based on nutritional advice and your doctor’s suggestions you can also try out some specific foods that are believed to help treat the condition.

 Do keep in mind that most of these claims are unresearched and they have little to no scientific credibility.

Certain foods like honey, Coconut, Watermelon and garlic are beneficial in the treatment of sex problems.

 Garlic has remarkable aphrodisiac properties that are said to be safe and natural.

Garlic reduces sexual exhaustion and increases the libido.

 Two to three cloves of raw garlic chewed daily can help treat sexual impotence as well.

White onions can strengthen the reproductive system and increase the libido, whereas carrots dipped in honey can improve stamina when consumed daily for a month.

Experts believe that including asparagus in your diet can also treat sexual impotence.

Boil the roots of asparagus in milk and drink this concoction twice daily. This also prevents premature ejaculation.

Dates have long since been considered a strengthening food.

 Mix dried dates with nuts like almonds and pistachios in equal quantities and consume a handful daily to improve sexual stamina.

In addition to oily and fatty foods try to cut down on your intake of processed foods that are high in sugar and white flour.

How To Cure And Improve Sexual Impotence

Sexual impotence is also referred to as erectile dysfunction and affects more than 10 million men in the world today. Impotence refers to the inability to produce and maintain an erection in order to perform sexually.

 Sexual impotence is a surprisingly common problem and most men have experienced this condition at least once in their life.

 While nearly eight percent of men between the ages of 20 to 39 have reported cases of erectile dysfunction, nearly sixty percent of men over 70 suffer from sexual impotence.

Cases can range in severity and incidence depending on the underlying causes of the condition.

 Unfortunately, impotence is surrounded by social stigma and many men choose to suffer in silence rather than consult with a specialist or doctor to treat the situation.

Impotence can be classified into three different types:

Primary Impotence:

 Implying chronic erectile dysfunction from the beginning of any type of sexual activity.

Secondary Impotence:

The most common form of sexual impotence, where incidents of impotence occur in between normal sexual activity.

Impotence with Age: A gradual decline in the sexual performance and the ability to maintain an erection due to age.

Symptoms of Sexual Impotence

Sexual impotence is marked by the repeated inability to achieve or maintain an erection for sexual intercourse.

 Other impotence symptoms include loss of interest in sex, fatigue, feelings of guilt or anger, and depression.

 Relationships also tend to suffer due to impotence.

Causes of Sexual Impotence

Sexual impotence or erectile dysfunction is caused by a lack of blood supply to the penis.

While this is the primary biological or physical cause for impotence there are several other conditions that can cause impotence.

 In many cases the presence of some other condition may also cause impotence because of its interference with blood circulation. Some common causes for sexual impotence include:

Vascular Disease – Vascular disease is a condition that affects the veins and arteries, causing a thickening of arterial walls.

This causes the blood flow to get restricted and weakened affecting the extremities and also the genitalia.

 This in turn leads to difficulties in maintaining an erection or even achieving one.

Diabetes – Studies show that there is a definite link between diabetes and sexual impotence, though the exact causes are not clearly understood.

Experts believe that diabetes affects the blood flow and causes nerve damage that can lead to impotence.

Alcohol and Smoking

– Excessive drinking and smoking can lead to erectile dysfunction by hampering blood circulation.

Alcohol also interferes with the balance of hormones and the production of the male hormone testosterone that may result in impotence.

Diseases and Illnesses – Diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s and other conditions that affect the nervous system can make achieving and maintaining an erection difficult, by restricting and preventing the correct response signals sent from the brain to the body.

Inactivity – Lack of exercise and a sedentary lifestyle can affect the cardiovascular system and in turn affect sexual functioning.

Psychological – Stress, long work hours, depression, anxiety, guilt, and embarrassment can also cause sexual impotence.

 Apprehension about impotence can cause anxiety and fear of failure that may lead to a repeated inability to perform sexually.

Remedies for Sexual Impotence

The treatment for sexual impotence depends on its underlying cause.

 The first step towards a cure for any sexual disorder is to overcome and ignore the stigma that surrounds the condition and speak to a specialist, doctor, or even a therapist if required.

 A diagnosis is reached only after a number of tests are carried out to identify the underlying cause.

 The treatment of sexual impotence includes oral medications, penile injections, and mechanical aides such as implants and vacuum pumps.

 Products such as pumps work well when impotence is caused by vasculogenic factors.

 Prescription and non-prescription drugs are available to increase sexual libido, balance hormones and improve sexual potency.

Many commercially available medications tend to have more of a psychological effect and experts believe that there is no real value in this type of placebo effect treatment.

 However, there are some drugs such as Viagra that have transformed the way sexual impotence is treated.

While an expensive option, medications such as Viagra are very effective, but patients need to keep their health care providers informed of any other health conditions, because of the risk of side effects or interactions.

Hormone therapy for sexual impotence involves the application of skin patches or the administration of injections containing testosterone.

Based on the belief that impotence is caused due to a decrease in the levels of testosterone in the body, these injections and patches improve libido and reduce instances of erectile dysfunction.

Male hormone replacement therapy is used mainly in older men, but does come with its own set of complications and side effects such as the development of prostate cancer.

When sexual impotence is caused by vascular problems, surgery may be an option.

 Vascular surgery has a high success rate but it is an expensive option that is irreversible.

When no other medical alternatives seem to be working, penile implants may be considered.

 Penile implants are prosthetic devices that are surgically implanted into the penis.

 Penile implants come in two varieties – passive implants that consist of silicon rods inserted into the penis and active implants, which involve the use of inflatable silicon pouches implanted into the penis. These pouches can be manipulated manually to achieve and maintain an erection.

Home remedies for sexual disorders such as impotence include the following:

Regular massages help relieve nervous energy, relax the body and reduce anxiety.

This can help considerably to lower the occurrence of erectile dysfunction during sexual intercourse.

Home remedies for impotence also include cold hip baths where the pelvis and genitals are immersed in a cold bath for ten minutes every morning and evening. This helps invigorate and activate the nerves in the area and reduces impotence.

A daily exercise routine that includes yoga has been proven to be highly beneficial in the treatment of sexual impotence. Certain yoga poses such as halasana, dhanurasana, and sarvangasana are especially effective.

Other home remedies for erectile dysfunction include adding seeds, nuts, fresh fruit and vegetables and grains into your daily diet to improve overall physical and mental health as well as to improve blood circulation.