How ‘Shockwave’ ED Therapy Hasn’t Hit The Mark Yet?
ED affects about a third of men, and researchers believe that as many as 30 million men in the United States may suffer from ED at some point in their lives. In response, the search for effective therapies has spawned therapies, such as the less-popular and less stigmatising “shockwave” therapy. Although it’s being advertised as an invasive treatment with real promise, experts caution that this approach is not yet ready for wide-scale clinical use.
Understanding Shockwave Therapy
Shockwave therapy, or low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy (LiESWT), uses sound waves to boost blood circulation and regenerate tissues. Though initially made to treat kidney stones and muscle injuries, it has recently gained popularity for its purported power to restore erectile function by regenerating the blood vessels of the penis.
The treatments usually consist of several sessions, during which the patient uses a handheld device to produce shockwaves into the pelvis. The treatment, its proponents suggest, improves erectile function by increasing neovascularisation, and consequently increases blood flow and nerve activity.
The Commercial Appeal
What makes shockwave therapy for ED so attractive is that it’s not invasive, and it does not have any of the pharmacological side effects you get with Viagra or Cialis. Hundreds of clinics opened nationwide, offering the therapy as a short-term, outpatient option for men looking to recover their sexual wellbeing. The sales brochures typically feature great before-and-after pictures of patients getting better sex with almost no effort or concern.
The Skepticism and Concerns
Though increasing in popularity, scientists point to a number of reasons why shockwave therapy has yet to hit mainstream adoption:
1. Lack of Robust Evidence
The most pressing issue with shockwave therapy has to do with the fact that there’s no scientific basis for the treatment. Although some early studies show a promising result, in the vast majority of cases, research is in its infancy, and many of them are seriously flawed on methodological grounds. The majority are low-sample, poorly controlled, and inconsistent across studies. Medical experts are accustomed to using excellent randomised, placebo-controlled trials to prove the efficacy and effectiveness of any treatment. Unfortunately, shockwave therapy’s research isn’t quite up to these standards, and it’s why a lot of healthcare practitioners are reluctant to endorse it.
2. Variable Treatment Protocols
What’s also frustrating about shockwave therapy is that treatment protocols aren’t standardised across the hundreds of clinics offering it. From what devices are used to how frequently they are treated to the procedure itself. Such a disparity can lead to unpredictability, which renders unbiased evaluation of this modality’s efficacy in any given population impractical. Patients can be concerned about whether their outcome is their own fault or the treatment itself. Such a lack of standardisation encourages doubt and, in turn, hampers this modality’s appeal to shockwave therapy as a reliable therapeutic approach.
3. Regulatory Status and Oversight
Additional concerns surround the regulatory status of shock wave therapy: shockwave therapy is not regulated by the major regulatory authorities, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. While it is employed in many off-label scenarios, FDA disapproval clouds the therapy’s safety and effectiveness. Patients who pursue this option need to balance the regulatory climate and the impact it will have on the treatment choices they make. Naturally, knowing of a treatment that hasn’t yet been approved can induce hesitation and trepidation in prospective patients.
4. Economic Exploitation
In response to increasing demand for shockwave therapy, clinics are increasingly racing to provide the treatment. However attractive such expansion might be, the commercialisation of treatments raises serious ethical issues. For the most part, clinics simply want to cash in, selling shockwave therapy with aggressive tepid-sell selling tricks, and not mentioning the drawbacks of this kind of therapy.
These relief-seeking patients risk being lured into a high-risk, high-reward purchase that will yield next to nothing. This may be money-related, but it also involves a great deal of psychological and emotional suffering, which is too easily underwritten by most people in poor health. The patient should conduct thorough research and in-depth consultations with health care providers before undergoing any treatment that might have uncertain results.
5. Holistic Understanding of ED
ED is not a simple physiological illness: psychological, hormonal and vascular components are intricately linked to each other. Shoutwave therapy alone risks diverting attention away from the most pressing problems in health that must be explored and resolved, such as diabetes, hypertension or some emotional health problem.
In holistic ED, symptoms are not the sole focus. Patients must therefore be treated holistically across the continuum of their health. Focusing on shockwave therapy alone, for example, risks the absence of diagnostic or therapeutic intervention for generalised health conditions that sorely need care.
Concluding Thoughts:
While shockwave therapy for erectile dysfunction is an intriguing research frontier, and has yielded anecdotal success stories, it is important for potential patients to be skeptical and wary. In the meantime, until more rigorous science can validate the treatments available, patients suffering from ED should explore existing treatments and talk with their medical practitioners to craft a comprehensive and effective treatment plan.
Simply put, the glamour of shockwave therapy shouldn’t obscure the fact that deliberation, patient education and rigorous research – key ingredients to ensure men receive the safe, effective treatment they deserve for erectile dysfunction – are crucial.
