Hardness Factor: How to Achieve Your Best Health and Sexual Fitness at Any Age

The Hardness Factor\ How to Achieve Your Best Health and Sexual Fitness at Any Age \ \ By Steven Lamm \ HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.\ Copyright © 2005 Steven Lamm\ All right reserved.\ ISBN: 0060755512 \ \ \ Chapter One\ What Is the Hardness Factor?\ Degrees of Hardness\ A man may think he's best friends with his penis, but how well does he really know it? Few are aware that there are degrees of penile hardness. Fewer still know what "normal" hardness is. Age, exercise, diet, and stress can affect a man's erectile quality (EQ) -- even men in their early 20s, all full of testosterone, the source of masculinity and hardness, sometimes fail to achieve an erection. More worrisome is that men 40 years of age or older have a 50 percent chance of getting and maintaining an erection. Those numbers rise exponentially as the decades increase. But the good news is that all these hardness factors are within a man's control.\ How Dependable Is Your Penis?\ BILL, age 31 -- Hard as a rock?\ My answering service called early one Monday morning to say that Bill had already called twice, each time with the message that he had to see me first thing that morning. Bill was 31, an in-demand studio guitarist, whose first CD had just been released by a major label. I was a bit surprised that he would be calling since I had just given him a complete medical work-up a month earlier as part of a life insurance policy he was applying for. He was in very good mental health, and I recalled having congratulated this ardent "meat and potatoes" guy on good cholesterol numbers.\ When Bill came in, he appeared nervous and agitated, and somewhat sheepish. He's a handsome, fit guy with a thick mustache flecked with gray that offsets his completely shaved head. I ushered him into my office and he was about to say something when he noticed that my door was not completely shut. He popped out of his chair, closed it firmly, and then sat down again.\ "I've got a problem that's driving me nuts, which is why I need to see you," he said. "It concerns a woman who's important in my life. No, actually that's not really true. It's not about the woman at all. It's about me." He looked down at his feet, obviously embarrassed. "Well, to be more precise, it's about my penis. I need help. Fast. I need one of those six-packs of Viagra."\ "All right, Bill, slow down," I said. "Why do you think you need Viagra?"\ "Karen is flying in next month from Santa Barbara," he said. "And I'm really crazy about her. But if I have another awkward moment like I did the last time and can't maintain my erection and hold my own in bed, I know I'll be deleted from her speed dial. She's not going to give me another chance. I have such anxiety over this that I'm certain I'm not gonna be able to get it up."\ I asked Bill if he was having any problems getting the initial erection. He seemed perplexed by the question. "I can get an erection," he said. "In fact, as soon as I see her, I'm hard as a rock." He paused for a moment. "It's not that I'm having problems there. It's just that my erection seems softer once we get going. It seems to disappear for a while when we're getting hot and heavy, and it's a lot of work to get it back. It's really annoying and, to tell you the truth, it's becoming a big deal for me."\ "First of all," I told Bill, "this is not uncommon, so I don't want you to panic. You'd be surprised how many guys have crises of confidence. You're not alone there, but," I went on, "you have to understand that penises are temperamental and too often we allow ourselves to be judged by them. That naturally puts a lot of pressure on us to perform. One day can be great, the next day a complete horror show. But yours is a problem that I can definitely help you with."\ "You can help guys with limp dicks?" Bill asked.\ "Actually, you don't have a limp dick, Bill," I said. "You just aren't as hard as you want to be. You know, sometimes it's amazing that any of us manage to have erections at all. These are true, mind-body events connected with highly-tuned physiological workings. It's all part of what I call the Hardness Factor.\ "The Hardness Factor is not only about having erections, but about feeling more confident about your erections, more sure of yourself as a sexual person -- the surprise is that it's also about your health. For the past couple of years, I have been slowly developing a program to help enhance erectile hardness. I've conducted clinical studies that have never been done before to assess what works and what doesn't: herbal products, prescription drugs, exercise, you name it. The Six-Week Program I've developed ensures that you can confidently expect to maintain a hard erection during lovemaking."\ I asked Bill if he would like to have something that would give him the confidence that he could perform when Karen arrived. What Bill required was something that would produce dramatic results in a very short time.\ His face brightened, and he appeared somewhat relieved. "Great. You are going to give me the Viagra?"\ "You actually don't need prescription drugs," I told him. "You already get erections. I'm sure that if I ran one of my clinical tests on you, you would score very high for hardness."\ Bill was puzzled. "Are you down on the medications?" he wanted to know. "I thought Viagra was supposed to be great."\ "Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra are great for those men who really need the drugs," I explained. "I can give you whichever medication you need. You just take any of these pills and fifteen minutes later, you will be ready for sex. The fact that we have these drugs is a wonderful thing, and I'm certainly not hesitant in prescribing them. But I reserve them for men who really need to use them in order to get an erection. And luckily, you're not one of them ...\ \ Continues... \ \ \ \ Excerpted from The Hardness Factor by Steven Lamm Copyright © 2005 by Steven Lamm. Excerpted by permission.\ All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.\ Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site. \ \

Preface: Sex Is Important...xviiPart 1The Mental and Physical Aspects of Hardness1What Is the Hardness Factor?3How Dependable Is Your Penis?Sex Is a Measure of a Man's HealthHow Hard Is Your Penis?Beginning The Hardness Factor Program2A Hard Man Is Good to Find-Erections Come from the Heart25Heart Health = Hard and HealthyEliminating the Sexual Confidence GapWhat Is Your Hardness Risk?Hardness 101The Refractory Period-Come Again?Saying Yes to NO3The Hardness Factor Six-Week Program-Better Health, Better Sex, Better Life45Hardness in Both Body and MindHard Is Good; Harder Is BetterMy Hardness PrescriptionSensuous Nutrition: A Connection to HardnessHardness Factor Supplements-Nature's ViagraGetting Fit for SexPart 2The Hardness Factor Six-Week Program Hard Is Good-Harder Is Better4Week One: Building a Foundation65The Start of a Lifetime of HardnessVitamins for the PenisPycnogenol Battles Free RadicalsA Hardness Booster-How L-Arginine WorksThe Hardness Factor Pycnogenol/L-Arginine ProgramWalk Your Way to FitnessThe Hardness Factor Walking ProgramVisualization-a Powerful Preview5Week Two: The Hardness Factor Lifestyle93Who Has Time for a Libido?Halfhearted Sex Results in Half-HardnessLet's Get LustEssence of a Man: TestosteroneTestosterone ChecklistMen and MasturbationHorny Goat Weed Makes You, Well, HornyThe Hardness Factor Horny Goat Weed ProgramMake Time for Tea6Week Three: The Halfway Milestone125Renew Your Hard ResolveHardness Factor Supplements-Omega-3s Are #1The Hardness Factor Omega-3 ProgramAnother Guy Thing-Fear of DoctorsThe Blues Can Be a Medical ConditionTaking Care of Your Prostate7Week Four: Getting Harder151Red Wine Extract for the Heart and HardnessThe Hardness Factor OPC ProgramOver Before It Begins: Premature EjaculationThe Unquickie-Tantric SexRenewing Your Energy SourcesPeyronie's Disease-Life's Curveball8Week Five: You Feel the Change and So Does Your Penis173When It's Harder to Get Hard, Tell Your DoctorHeart Disease ChecklistBoosting HDL Boosts HardnessNiacin Works Very HardThe Hardness Factor Niacin ProgramEating for Enjoyment and HealthUnderstanding Your BMRDownward Motility9Week Six: Hardness-a Way of Life199Better Sex, Better Health, Better LifeOne... Two... Three... ForeplayAntioxidants = AntisoftnessThe Hardness Factor Vitamin C and E ProgramDiabesity: A Natural SoftenerDiabetes ChecklistSexual Fitness: Men Never Had a Jane FondaPart 3Hardness for Life (or at Least Through Friday Night)10The Hardness Factor Four-Day Insurance Policy223Sensual Nutrition: Make Changes in What You EatSupplement Your HardnessSexual Fitness for Hardness11Hardness: A New Barometer of Your Health241Impact of AgingStress Can Keep You DownSleep Apnea Erases ErectionsExcessive Drinking Makes Erections SoftDrugs Prevent Hard ErectionsDiabetes Limits Erections12Harder Problems253Sexual Medicine Is MedicineViagra-the BeginningLevitraCialisWhich Erection Drug to ChooseErectile Dysfunction Therapy13Harder Still263Fear of UglinessMy Hardness WorkoutWhy Weight?NO: Good for the PumpIt's Your Body, How Hard Do You Want It?AppendicesIEating Hard: Creating a Hardness-Friendly Shopping List279IIRecipes for Hardness: Eating Is a Good Thing-so Is Being Hard285IIIThe Hardness Factor Six-Week Program Guide317IVEquipment: Our Shopping List325VVisual Aid329VIBiographies331Index333

\ Joy Behar"Dr. Lamm can take on any subject. And, the harder, the better."\ \ \ \ \ Maxim"There’s no doubt about it: Dr. Lamm knows erections."\ \ \ Maxim“There’s no doubt about it: Dr. Lamm knows erections.”\ \ \ \ \ Publishers WeeklyLamm's premise is that for men, good health and a hard erection are synonymous. Hardness (or rather, lack thereof) is not just an inevitable side effect of aging, internist Lamm claims-it's the result of poor lifestyle decisions and is linked to a number of afflictions, including obesity, high cholesterol, hypertension, depression and heart disease. The author, medical correspondent for ABC's The View and an early researcher of Viagra, points out that prescription medications aren't always the answer. He outlines a six-week program that focuses on diet, exercise and supplements such as Pycnogenol/L-Arginine, a combination of antioxidant and pine-bark extract that reduces the risk of chronic diseases and results in a "rock-hard erection." Lamm peppers his straightforward text with jokes and entertaining anecdotes from patients at his New York City practice. He estimates that 20 million men aged 40 to 70 suffer from erectile dysfunction. While many never seek treatment, perhaps they will pick up this important book, which is filled with several new insights and tips for maintaining sexual and general health. (June 1) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.\ \