I had erectile dysfunction in my early 20s. I fixed it.

Now, together with my old doc and leading experts, I am building a holistic program for every man’s erection.

More than 10 years ago, my body developed erectile dysfunction. It slowly became noticeable to me that my erection was becoming weaker and weaker over the course of just a few months. The first time I visited a doctor because of it, I recall the feeling of intense shame and embarrassment over my problem. I was only 21, after all, and I (mistakenly) believed EDs couldn’t happen to young men. I could barely talk or explain what was bothering me, and to make matters worse the doctor didn’t take my issue seriously either. He glanced at my penis and casually remarked, “Everything looks fine.”

Time passed and things worsened. Several specialists who I visited simply examined me and then threw Viagra and Cialis my way as a catch-all solution to my dysfunction. After months of anxiety, doctors finally determined a physical cause: “veno-occlusive dysfunction” (or “venous leak”). Basically my veins didn’t contract enough to hold the blood in my penis when I was aroused. And anyone who knows how an erection works, you know that this is bad. The erection gets stronger when blood inflow is greater than blood outflow. But if the veins don’t contract enough, the increased blood outflow is causing dysfunction.

A two-year odyssey began. During the course of that time, I saw over 20 different urologists, psychotherapists, practitioners. And I went through all available “traditional” treatments on the market:

• At first, doctors always offered me PDE-5-inhibitors (mainly Cialis) as an oral treatment. It didn’t really help. Cialis and Viagra facilitate opening the arteries when sexually stimulated. My issue was my veinal contraction. So the increased inflow just caused higher outflow. I also felt the side effects (back pain, hot flashes). And even if it would have worked, I was uncomfortable with the idea of being dependent on pills for the next 60 years. PDE-5-inhibitors like Viagra or Cialis are basically a crutch. You take them, you have an effect. It’s not a therapy (with lasting effect). Remember: I was in my early 20s.
• Psychotherapy: was at a couple of sessions. My therapist concluded that I was getting understandably anxious about this issue but that I was holding up okay otherwise.
• Surgery: In my endless Google and forum searches, I found a hospital that offered to atrophy the specific veins that didn’t contract with a specific glue. They claimed to be specialized in “venous leaks”. I did the procedure twice. After the first time, it helped for a couple of weeks. Then, the problem returned. My body wasn’t used to keep blood inside so it built a new vein and the issue was back. I tried the procedure a second time, but the surgeons stopped the surgery in the middle of it. They couldn’t get through. Many veins were still glued. Many people in forums described the same issue.
• SKAT therapy: this was one of the most traumatizing experiences of my life. I had to inject a medication called Alprostadil into my penis (ugh!!!). Imagine sitting around for hours not being able to do it. The (infuriatingly horrible) doctor promised that it would “reboot” of my system. It was truly horrific. After injecting, I had a boner for hours and hours. And afterward, things were just as bad as before. Ultimately, this last doctor told me I might need an implant at some point (and of course offered that he would be the right one to implant it). And that’s when I started to really take control. I started to research medical databases and collect all the research around strengthening erections.

Ultimately, this last doctor told me I might need an implant at some point (and of course suggested that he be the one to implant it). And that’s when I decided I needed to take control of my own health and happiness. I started to research medical databases and collect all the research around strengthening erections.

Together with a few amazing doctors (including Prof Sommer of UKE in Hamburg and Prof. Dr. Wolf Beecken — my cofounder today), I developed a regimen that included:

• Targeted exercises: this was actually the first component that I identified myself. After hours of internet research, I found several studies that indicated that a man can improve his penile blood outflow through a strong pelvic floor. So I bought a DVD (yes, they were state of the art back then) and started doing 15 minutes of exercise every night. Didn’t matter when I came back. If I was tipsy. If it was late. I did it religiously. In addition, I did some cardio to improve the blood circulation where it matters and bring nutrients to the penis and flush the blood chambers to make sure they stay as healthy as possible (science says 10k steps walking might already be enough).
• Daily erections: This was one of the early effective messages from a great doctor (who is today my co-founder) to me: “Make sure you have one firm erection per day — no matter what. If you take care of it, you bring all the necessary blood to your penis which will prevent fibrosis of the lean muscle cells in your penis. If necessary, use a vacuum pump. This like a bike: if you don’t ride it and just ignore it in your backyard, it will become old and rusty quickly.”
• Mindfulness: One of my doctors suggested that my worrying and obsessing over this issue might be causing greater stress to my central nervous system, which makes it even harder to have erections. And intimate health (and the erection) is such a complicated fragile system that the central nervous system is key to a healthy erection. When stressed or constantly worried, it’s normal to have fewer erections (even spontaneous ones) which then leads to less blood in, some studies suggest. I started testing relaxation techniques (and meditate until today to strengthen my mind and keep my body healthy).
• Nutrition: Numerous studies prove: what you eat has a major impact on your erection. And: what’s good for your cardiovascular health (and heart) is good for your erection as well (both, heart and penis depend heavily on good blood chemistry with antioxidants, amino acids, and vitamins to keep the cells clean and flexible). I made sure I ate more fruits, lean meats, and whole-grain products. This is something I still do still today, as well as avoiding soda, and eating dark chocolate rather than sugary light ones.
• Lifestyle habits: This is very different for everyone. What stuck with me: being positive and overall optimistic in life has a massive impact on our health and intimate health (as it supports the immune system and the body). I was always relatively positive, but I started to see my issue as one episode in life rather than a reflection of me personally. I made sure to drink less alcohol (I still love non-alcoholic beer) and sleep at least 7 hours per day (both of which boost testosterone). For other people, it might be other stuff they should quit supporting their bodies and minds: smoking, drugs, unhealthy life choices.
• Supplements: As far as we know, there is only one effective supplement combination that went through multiple clinical studies: Pycnogenol + L-Arginine. Today, I know that this combination supports the body to improve the nitric oxide in the blood which helps to improve and maintain a healthy composition of smooth muscles (that are responsible for blood inflow). L-Arginine alone is being decomposed too quickly. Pycnogenol seems to prevent this process. The way I (as a non-doctor) understand it is that it optimizes the blood composition and kind of works like if you take a protein after gym — but for the penis. That’s why it seems to be more effective with all of the other holistic measures. If you get blood through the penis (through exercises, erections etc.), it makes sense to optimize the nutrients and blood composition as well.
• 5mg of Cialis every night: In addition to all these changes, I took 5mg of Cialis every night to bring more blood, more nutrients into my penis at night.

I followed this regimen rigorously for six months. And after two years of the decline in my intimate health, I realized that just after a few weeks, things were getting incrementally better. After six months, I once again had a healthy erection. And without any pharmaceutical support, I am still healthy over 10 years later.

Of course, I had access to top-of-class knowledge. I read scientific articles in medical databases and talked to excellent doctors. Our healthcare system in Germany is at least excellent in the sense that we can go see specialists without paying exorbitant amounts, which I know isn’t the case in many countries.

Furthermore, I had emotional support. My dad was able to talk me through the entire journey. That’s a massive privilege. Professional and personal support seems to be what many people are lacking.

Since I am working on this issue, numerous friends (and even female friends asking for their partners) have shared their own concerns and asked questions that would normally never be spoken aloud. If someone knows that I can relate, I believe they feel more comfortable opening up about issues.

I hope that my personal experience combined with the expertise of my old doctor and now-co-founder Dr. Wolf and all the amazing advisors around us can change how men are able to take care of their intimate health as we are building Regimen, the first truly holistic health company for men. We are starting with an effective holistic regimen for healthier and better erections for every man and will scale to more intimate health issues in the future.

Let’s change the way we all take care of our intimate health. Let’s stop being ashamed. Join us on our journey and follow me on Medium, Linkedin or Twitter.