If there's one word that makes almost any man shiver, it's the ever-so disturbing sound of the word "impotence". No man wants to deal with it - but almost every one does in some form at some time in their life.

It was a subject that was usually never discussed. Men would be too embarrased to bring it up (pardon the pun) with their doctor and would often just hope the problem would go away.

Thankfully that has all changed. When Viagra was introduced, everything seemed to change. It was fantastic marketing by Pfizer - men finally realized how common of an issue it was and that there was nothing to be embarrased about. Even better, they now felt they had a solution to their problems.

Approximately 10 to 15 million men in the United States suffer from erectile dysfunction in one form or another. Some people also use the term impotence to describe other problems such as a lack of sex drive or being unable to ejaculate.

The good news is that impotence can be treated no matter what your age is. There are a number of different treatments including counseling, natural supplements and prescription drugs. Getting strong and hard erections is possible at any age so don't stress out if you have ever experienced impotency in any form.

Let's take a second to understand how an erection happens. The penis is made up of a large amount of spongy tissue that has muscle and blood vessels throughout. When you get turned on, nerve signals cause blood to flow from arteries to the spongy tissue in the penis. This blood flow into the tissue is what causes you to get hard.

Impotence causes can be divided into two categories: physical and psychological.

Psychological causes are most common in men 35 or under and can be disturbing enough to cause long-term problems. Some factors include:

Stress

Depression

Difficulties in the relationship

Guilt

Obsession over worrying about impotence

Exhaustion

Physical causes can be:

High blood pressure

High cholesterol

Alcohol or drug abuse

Side effects of prescription drugs

Poor circulation

Illnesses such as diabetes or multiple sclerosis

Some basic suggestions to avoid erectile issues are to eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, avoid smoking, get plenty of sleep and try to minimize stress. All of the above are tied to a healthy lifestyle - as you can see your overall health plays a big factor in every aspect of your life, including your penis.

There are a number of available treatments that range from prescription drugs to all-natural herbal products. If you are at all concerned with the strength of your erections and your sexual performance, visit our section on male enhancement products.