Page 7 - IAV Digital Magazine #532

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
P e n i s R i n g I s T h e F i r s t E v e r We a r a b l e “ E r e c t i o n Tracker” That CanDetect If You’reat Riskof Diseases
Vanessa Chalmers, Digital Health Reporter
A RING worn around the penis could help men figure out what’s causing their erectile dysfunc- tion, and could even signal a deadly disease.
It’s the first ever modern wearable “erection tracker” that gives clues into a man’s health.
Erections - or lack of them - can indi- cate a number of physical and mental health problems.
More often than not men who suf- fer with erectile dysfunction strug- gle to work out why, further caus-
ing emotional or relationship stress.
But while it’s easy to assume erec- tions are a signal of libido or bed- room perform- ance, they in fact reveal a lot more about men’s health, especially as they get older.
The Adam Sensor, made
by Adam Health, is attached to the base of the penis with a band and worn overnight. It is comfortable to wear under paja- mas and is almost unnoticeable, the creators say.
It counts how many erections a man has during his sleep.
Night time erec-
tions indicate the erection mecha- nism is in check - even if it does not work once they are between the sheets.
Healthy men have an average of three to five erec- tions per night, lasting up to three hours in total, the NHS says.
It’s not clear entirely why this happens, but some experts say this is the body’s way to keep the erection mecha- nism healthy, by keeping blood pumping into the erectile tissue.
The NHS says: “Whatever their cause, most doc- tors agree that night-time erec- tions are a sign
that everything is in working order.” The Adam Sensor can help reveal whyamanis struggling with ED - which has dozens of causes. If data show he is still getting night time erections, despite struggling to “get it up” in the bedroom, it suggests the causes are psy- chological, such as anxiety or stress.
But should there be a lack of night time erections, it may suggest something biologi- cally wrong.
International Andrology London is the only clinic you can currently get an Adam Sensor, given to those who are concerned about ED.
Director Christos Vasilakos, who is also founder of Adam Health, told The Sun: “If night time erections are impacted, the most common reason is ageing. “It might also be nerve damage if you are diabetic, caused by low
testosterone or signal cardiovas- cular problems.” Mr Vasilakos said the gadget is a useful diagnostic tool and used in clinic to help direct men to the right route of treatment.
It can help them know if their treat- ment - such as pills to help them with erections - are actually work- ing.
“If you are taking something like Viagra, you might be able to per- form, but you won’t know if the problem is getting worse”, Mr Vasilakos said.
“Or you might be using lifestyle interventions, like losing weight, controlling dia- betes or exercis- ing, and want to check the natural erections are improving, and you’re not just seeing the effect of Viagra.”
For now, the Adam Sensor is only available to men who have
come for special- ist erectile dys- function investiga- tions with a doc- tor.
But it’s hoped the device will be available to buy for home use by mid 2022.
Mr Vasilakos said: “People count their steps, moni- tor the glucose, their sleep or fit- ness - it might be part of the quanti- tative health men are interested in.
“For the healthy population, you might want to monitor how things are going down there. As we age, things deteriorate.
“You might not feel as good as you felt before and want to try some lifestyle interventions and check they are working.
“Or you might not have problems that prevent you from performing, but want to make you do the right things to prevent deterioration.”
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