• does wonders as a face mask (applied on its own or mixed with a fruit pulp of your liking, spread it on the face, leave for 20minutes, then rinse)

• here’s another sweet idea: use it to soften rough hands: mix 1tbs honey with a few drops of oil (any will do), rub on your hands and wait for a few minutes before rinsing with lukewarm water - give it a try, your lady will thank you

• speeds up the healing of minor cuts, burns and bruises (apply a bit as is on the wound)

• heals chapped lips (apply on your lips and leave it as long as you can last without giving in and licking your lips)

• soothing effect for a sore throat (eat a tablespoon then avoid drinking or eating for at least 10 minutes) etc.

But when it comes to its benefits and uses, the list doesn’t stop here. What else makes the honey a so much better option than sugar and the perfect natural food supplement?

• it’s an excellent natural energizer

• is rich in vitamins (most important are bees - uh, sorry ….Bs, but also C,A,D, K), minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium etc.) and all sort of helpful enzymes; all of these are present in a form that makes them easily absorbed in the system.

• also important to be mentioned, the royal jelly is rich in natural hormones and is very beneficial to the cellular regeneration process.

• honey acts as a natural anti-bacterial, fighting infections of all kinds, from the skin level to the digestive system.

Considering honey’s countless benefits, there would be no exaggeration to call it a pharmacy in a jar. So without excesses, use it more often and benefit more. And next time you enter the door, right after you call out “Honey, I’m home!”, go straight in and reach for the jar. Natural food supplements have never been so sweet before.

Extra tip: here’s how to test if the honey you just bought is natural, the good stuff the bees are manufacturing, or fake (man-made sugary honey-like product, but mainly a jar of sugar without all of the above-listed benefits): mix a tablespoon of honey with alcohol, in a clean glass. If the honey falls on the bottom of the glass and resembles particles of dust, it’s not the stuff you want.

One theory suggests that the roots of ISD lie in female emancipation. Some men now feel under real pressure to “perform”.  The very word offends. Others feel uncomfortable with the general depreciation of the male role. Still others suffer from a type of female assertiveness which shows little understanding of, and less sympathy for, the complex nature of the erection process.

A man can feel coerced into unwanted intercourse. Due to the stereotype of men-as-strong, he finds it difficult to refuse a partner’s demands. But men are weak too. Like women, they desire to be popular. Like women, they can be altruistic; they do not want a partner to feel rejected. Men-as-weak is not a common perception of sex role expectation. It might help some women to be aware the phenomenon exists.

Divorce Is Difficult - You can take a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink

A new value can be quickly accepted. But it takes longer to reject older values passed down over the centuries. When today’s men make love, many still hold yesterday’s values. They feel adrift with the free-wheeling, money-earning, sex-demanding lifestyles of the women displayed in the glossy magazines.

Yet the average woman is still more reluctant to become sexually involved than a man. In an uncommitted relationship, she is still more at risk than he. Some methods of birth control carry risks to her health, as does pregnancy and childbirth. Due to her different anatomy, she is more likely to catch AIDS than pass it on. Her slighter build adds a further risk of violence and rape.

So perhaps it is natural the man is usually expected to take the sexual initiative. Most men delight in the role of the hunter, and why not? Yet what of the man who does not wish to hunt with today’s assertive woman? He can limit his search to partners who prefer yesterday’s values and courtship ways.

The human mind strives to be whole, to be in harmony with itself. When the conscious and unconscious are split, one part is likely to sulk. A man who perceives himself as superior and in control of women, yet seeks today’s uncommitted relationships, can suffer stress impotence. His values do not fit the reality. His unconscious recognizes this more quickly than he does.

Divorce is difficult! Decide which values fit, yesterday’s or today’s - perhaps a little of both - and act accordingly.

Some men have full masturbatory control, but lose it with a partner. In this case, she can control the exercise, manipulating the penis outside the vagina until the pre-emission stage. Then give the nod or word for her to begin the squeeze technique. When ejaculatory control is gained, try penetration. She must be able to get at the penis quickly; astride on top is appropriate. If underneath, the man’s focus is split between recognizing the pre-emission stage and preparing to withdraw. Help to arouse her first. If penetration is difficult, there is a risk of thrusting, with subsequent loss of control. Use plenty of lubrication to avoid this.

Keep in mind rhythm-and-friction trigger ejaculation. Avoid thrusting. After penetration, lie still. Either person can begin moving in a short while, very slowly at first. She watches for his signal to remove the penis and begin the squeeze technique. Aim to repeat the exercise five times before ejaculation. If this is not possible, avoid being downcast. With sufficient practice, the squeeze technique is highly effective.

(A partner who has been subject to premming may be reluctant to help. This is understandable. Partners of prems often suffer too. Or there may be a power struggle between the couple. In this case, consider seeking help from a sex behavior therapist).

Some men regard the squeeze technique with horror. They stop the process over again. Over a few months, they notice a longer and longer period between initial excitation and ejaculation.

Gun Shy?

Retarded ejaculation is defined as “ejaculation which happens too late, or not at all”. The condition is less common than premming. Nor does it damage the relationship so much, especially at first. A delayer may find he easily ejaculates on his own, often after love-making. The condition begins and ends with partner sex.

All men delay at times and for the same reasons as they prem. A young man rarely does, unless his particular taboo is especially strong. In elderly men, not ejaculating over many love-making sessions is a normal part of the aging process. A mature man who fails to ejaculate is not a delayer.

Fear of pregnancy is a major factor in delay. If withdrawal was used as a method of birth control, the stress of timing it right probably affected control. The lone responsibility of holding back can develop an unconscious dread of ejaculating, especially if an unwanted pregnancy occurred in the past.

The pregnancy taboo results from the best of intentions, and can be appreciated by both partners as such. But once delay sets in, avoid thrusting too long in the hope of unblocking the taboo. There may be times when this is successful. At other times, semen dribbles out with no satisfying explosion of release. To avoid this becoming chronic, work through the next article. If the pregnancy problem remains, seek contraceptive advice first.

Self Help

Dr. Kegel, a gynecologist, drew up a program of exercises to help women strengthen the pelvic muscles stretched at childbirth. They are known as Kegels, and used with problems of bladder control. Yet Kegels can be successful therapy for stressors, both delay and premming. (And they may help to avoid urine leakage problems in later life).

Kegels strengthen the muscles at the penile root, and improve blood flow to the pelvic area. They help focus sensation prior to ejaculation. Many men with perfect control do Kegels regularly to get stronger and keener sensations at orgasm.

Week 1 Squeeze the muscles of the back passage tight. Then relax them. Do this 15 times, twice daily, for a week.

Weeks 2 and 3 Gradually build up to 65 squeezes, twice daily. Squeezing can be done anywhere, even waiting in line.

Weeks 4 and 6 Hold the squeeze to a count of three - then’ relax. Build up gradually from 15 times twice daily to 65 squeezes, twice a day.

Note the word “gradually”. Avoid extra squeezes. The muscles get sore, and require rest. Kegels then have to be resumed at week 1 again. It usually takes 6 weeks before improvement is noticed.

Theory Land!

One theory suggests men with ejaculatory distress are acting out a power game. Coming too soon, or too late, are ways of using a partner, which is meant to abuse her, not always unconsciously. Such men are said to be cold, controlling, unrelaxed. They hold unexamined and inappropriately high values. The over-powering need to be in control prevents them from being intimate.

But theories are theories and open to debate. It is hardly surprising a man who loses control may have a passion to control other areas of life. Keep in mind these can he acutely painful conditions; they can cripple self-esteem. The coldness may result from the distressor, not the other way around.

Yet the theory may be worth checking, for distressors can damage the nicest of men. Why make life sadder by empowering one condition to create an added emotional one? After checking the self, check the relationship: is it really close? In what ways could it be more satisfying, more effective? (And because being uptight slows down the effects of self help, learn to relax!)

Some men with naturally gentle natures are in manipulative relationships and cannot cope with conflict. The stressor may be unconsciously encouraged by a partner as a way of controlling him. Here it is she who is playing the power game, not he. Consider professional therapy. Deeper unhappiness and the risk of psychological impotence can result from leaving things as they are.

The sleep laboratory is popular in some countries. In others, it is not, partly due to the high expense. A healthy sexually-active man may have five separate erections during the night. The average number is three to five, depending upon how often the sleeper enters dream sleep.

In a sleep laboratory, sleep cycles and NPT (nocturnal penile tumescence) are monitored on a device called a Rigiscan. Two silicone rings filled with mercury act as “strain gauges.” They are put around the corona and the shaft base. Each takes a separate recording calibrated to measure width increase in millimeters. This is called penile plethysmography.

Normal erectile capacity as girth increase is in the range of 10 to 15 mm at the corona, and 12 to 20 mm at the base.

Rigidity is tested in the same way. The readings are recorded as millimeters of deflection. These are converted by calibration to the grams force needed to buckle an erect shaft. A force in excess of 1500 must never be applied. Normal tonicity challenge is in excess of 500 grams force. (Penile plethysmography is also used for sex criminals who deny their desires. Pictures of a woman being attacked and of naked children of both genders are shown when he is awake. If the plethysmograph records tumescence, he is shown the print-out and can accept his deviancy. And the psychologist learns in which area to apply aversion therapy techniques.)

Other measurements include: two leads on the outer area of the eyelids to record separate eye movements; two EEG leads on the head to record brain activity on the electro-encephalograph; and various other leads to record involuntary muscle movement, heart and respiratory rate, and skin activity. There should be at least one full erection lasting at least five minutes without any fluctuation in width increase and rigidity.

It may be necessary to spend three nights in the laboratory. Night 1 is for getting used to strange surroundings, and learning to sleep while wired up (painlessly) to machines. On Night 2, sleep is usually better quality, allowing more REM sleep and more NPT. Recordings of these two nights are collated and become data base for assessing maximum NPT rigidity, number, endurance time.

On Night 3, the man is awakened during REM sleep and asked to observe his erection, and comment on rigidity, width and angle. A polaroid photograph is taken so he can rate the quality with those before trouble started. If the problem is psychogenic, they are much the same.

If the problem is physical, other factors to note are:
1. Partial engorgement only.
2. Frequent short-endurance erections.
3. Very few short-endurance erections.
4. Uneven ratio of width increase between the corona and base.

While expensive, the sleep lab provides measurable answers to questions on health and erection. But knowing what the problem is can be a cost-saver in the end, both in terms of money and setting the right expectations.

The death of stars seems to trigger the public imagination in the most unexpected ways. Probably due to our methodical approach to male and sexual health, some readers engaged us over our Twitter account to ask for MHD’s opinion about Michael’s potency in the context of allegations about the conception of his children with sperm from a donor.

There have been a number of reports as to how bad the state of Jackson’s body was; The Sun reported that the “King of Pop” was a virtual skeleton. It was alleged that he had hardly eaten and only had pills in his stomach. However, we have to wonder how much truth there is in this story.

With all respect (or lack of) due to regular high-quality material published by tabloids, such comments cannot be sustained without hard evidence. However, if you too were wondering how come both Michael’s elder kids have flawlessly white skin, here comes the answer: they were indeed conceived by Michael’s second wife, Debbie Rowe, but are not his biological children. In fact, Rowe herself claims that Paris and Prince were conceived with the help of a sperm donor. “Michael knows the truth. He has to come clean” she is quoted as saying. The fact is, from what Rowe has stated over the years, we can deduce that she and Jackson entered what is called a “surrogacy agreement” in 1996, about nine months before they were officially married. What that means is that she agreed to bear his children - not his biological children, mind you - and got a nice little reward for it.

We also liked the idea of little Blanket being a human clone created from his father’s genetic material. It sounds so high-tech and sci-fi that we could not ignore it, and it tickles our conspiracy sense as well. Fortunately MHD is not written in ink,  so that we can spare some trees from supporting our speculations.

There was so much contradicting information about Michael Jackson, both before and after his death, that any theory can be developed and sustained with “facts” as long as we don’t care who leaked those facts in the press in the first place. Could Michael have normal erections? Dr. Strangelove said yes, and I concur with his opinion. His art tapped well into human sexuallity and he was not shy to dance his way about it. Was he impotent? Modern science has detailed so much the definition of impotence that we find it hard to believe such a theory would hold unless an analysis of his DNA proves us wrong. Sometimes the easiest explanation is simply the truth - he was a normal man with an unusual and very troubled life, and maybe we should remember him this way. No gory picture from the autopsy can shake the living, breathing image of the King of Pop.

As you might imagine after roaming around our site, I’m extremely skeptical of a lot of the Premature Ejaculation solutions hype (and in fact, that skepticism was one of the major reasons I built this site in the first place).

I get a fair number of inquiries from Sex Experts who want to advertise their latest scheme on the site. Most of them are laughable. Most of the rest make me wonder if taking time to politely deny their offer is a waste!

But there are two methods that I feel are very worthwhile, and that I endorse. Everyone who ever thought about pills, pumps or surgery needs to read one or both of them. These are PenisAdvantage and The Ejaculation Trainer.

PenisAdvantage - The Natural Penis Enlargement

Given my skepticism, you can imagine that when I got cold-called by “Roger” from PenisAdvantage, I was extremely dubious. Another hype-artist with a course on how to gain in length and girth. Lucky me.

Roger wanted us to promote their method, “Natural Penis Enlargement… that works” on the site. He went on in detail about how successful the method was, how it was full of positive reviews, won an award, did not rely on pills or surgery or magic… yadda yadda yadda.

Having decided that Roger had wasted enough of my time, I decided to hit him with my “stopper” question, which usually terminates these conversations.

“Tell you what, Roger,” I said, “if the method is that good, let my colleague Dr. Strangelove review it, and if he approves it, I’ll join your affiliate program.”

I expected the next thing I’d hear was Roger hanging up, but to my surprise, he said he’d like that very much. I placed a long distance call to our good doctor and spent a good hour explaining to him what was my “stopper” question for advertisers and my surprise when someone called my bluff. The professional curiosity helped me win the battle and our friend kindly accepted to be our lab rat for a week; or with his own words:

Damn!  Now I actually have to read at the silly thing and there’s no way I take e-books in the bathroom. Besides, if I run out of TP, it would be of no help at all…

And you know what? It’s a pretty good method! He’s allegedly no slouch when it comes to things male-related, but he found quite a few tips and insights in the course that I’m now keen to review in depth for menshealthdirect.org. If I had bought the course, I would have gotten my money’s worth. I’m pretty sure that anyone else who buys it will also. Dr. Strangelove won twice - got it for “review purposes” and apparently the benefits were significant enough to bury any resentment for volunteering him in such a mischievous way.

Please be aware that PA also packs a variety of other methods as bonuses. I do not endorse these other products.

The Ejaculation Trainer

The Ejaculation Trainer is a book by Matt Wutzke, a Sex Educator & Researcher-turned-web-marketer. It’s available only as an online e-book. Matt also has a number of other e-publications you might find useful.

Like the other folks, I got cold-emailed by one of Matt’s affiliates, which was kind of lame because it shows how amateurish Menshealthdirect.org looks; he obviously could not pass the “stopper” question and send me a copy of the book - affiliates can never *give* the products they promote for free. Instead, it was the 60-day money back guarantee that caught my eye - this is a little unusual, since one can pay with Paypal. Having nothing to loose, I ordered it and I can tell it’s well laid out and chock full of great suggestions, examples, and descriptions of things not to do. Did I get results? Let’s say I wish I had this a couple of years ago, when I started my own research in the field. It would have saved me time and lots of experimentation. Even so, I got to improve my technique and I feel there are benefits that go beyond how long you last and you would not be disappointed.

ET covers a lot of the same ground as the PenisAdvantage course, but IMHO concentrates more on the process of building the right mental approach and preparing you to avoid mistakes. It’s written in a very personal style (much like the way I write on my website), and in very great depth. I did some research and found out that the method had been on the Internet for quite a while, initially as a two-prong process that got upgraded to a three-prong one (mental, chemical and physical control).

I’d say that the difference between the PA method and ET is that the PA course comes from the perspective of traditional “bigger is better” and shows how to apply techniques for enlarging the penis, whereas TE feels like it comes from a more holistic stand point. The difference is well captured in the name - I would say PenisAdvantage is about the organ while Ejaculation Trainer focuses on the process.

So which should I buy?

Both these courses are good. If you’re serious about lasting longer and gaining confidence, you should read and apply both of them. However, if you have to order only one, get The Ejaculation Trainer. It covers all the basics, it’s very comprehensive, reasonably priced (about $45US last time I checked) and backed by 60-day money back guarantee.

PenisAdvantage is priced about the same, but relies more on taking part in discussion groups and setting goals for yourself - so my advice is this: get ET first, use it to raise your awareness and improve your performance, and then, after you’re successful and gaining some confidence, get on the PA method as well - it will serve as an excellent refresher course, and the different perspective will be useful to you.

Both of these courses offer 100% no-strings-attached money-back guarantees, so there’s no real risk.

One final note: Both courses pay a commission to us each time one of you buys something based on my endorsement. All of this money goes to hosting and developing this site, just as we promised in the begining.

It is not my hobby to launch into pseudo-journalism, investigation and popular blogging. Yet the death of Michael Jackson revived the media in an unexpected way (pun intended). Most of us living in the Western countries knew him as a legend singer and dancer, with a heavy touch of tabloid love regarding his excesses, awkwardness and embarrassing accusations. Even his funeral turned into a large scale event with enough attendance and logistics problems to glue the audience to the channel news and help once more the networks’ bottom line.

It is not about the star Michael Jackson I am concerned now, but the man. Irrelevant of the farewell concerts in London, he must have pushed himself too much in preparation. Once a mighty athlete, the autopsy revealed a meagre 110lbs. of artist in a decaying state. The media covered in detail the findings, seemingly determined to draw sales from his fame for the last time.

Cardiologist Dr. Murray was thought to have given Jackson the final injection of painkiller Demerol. Dr Murray was hired just days before by AEG Live - the firm masterminding Jacko’s 50-date residency at London’s O2 Arena, which was due next month.

Speculation about the King of Pop developing stage fright sounds unlikely. But I would not be surprised to learn that he did not want to disappoint the public and forced an early ending upon himself. As a man, he was put in an untenable position - and proofs of his efforts were the rehearsals and continuous abuse of drugs to keep his failing body going. Painful as it is to say, choosing voluntarily to break under pressure is just another form of suicide.

Research shows the placebo effect works. In one study, patients with raised blood pressure were divided into three groups. Group A went to faith healers who “laid on hands.” Group B did the same, but the faith healers did not touch them. Group C were the control. They were fully aware of this. They knew they had raised blood pressure and were not to receive any treatment.

When the blood pressure dropped, it did so evenly for all three groups. And it dropped equally by 30 percent. The reasons why it dropped in Group A and B are open to debate. Why it dropped in the control Group C is even more of a mystery. The physicians I who monitored the study could only suggest the satisfactory re­sults were due to the placebo effect.

The power of the imagination is stronger than the power of facts. In control group C, participating in the study and just having blood pressure regularly monitored was enough to produce the desired effect. In marginal cases, the placebo effect of just seeking a urolo­gist’s help has been known to restore the ability to erect. It might be worth giving the placebo effect of the consultation a chance to work before opting for therapy. Or, if embarking on therapy, become strongly motivated to believe in its success.

Who’s for Medical Therapy?

The answer would seem to be any man with a problem. Yet this is not always so. Like women, men have different levels of sexual need. Some are relieved to be free of the “turbulent demands of the flesh.” No man should feel pressured by social values or other obligations to undergo therapy unless he himself is strongly moti­vated to do so.

The following groups may opt for medical therapy:

1. Men who suffer physical impotence, including diabetes.
2. Men whose impotence is due solely to the aging process - the erection lacks enough rigidity for penetration.
3. Young men whose psychogenic (stress) impotence has lasted over two years. They may not respond to self-help because they no longer believe they can sort out their unresolved conflicts.
4. Men over age 50 with stress impotence who may feel too angry or defeated to believe they can be helped.

There are many different choices of therapy, some of which may seem totally unacceptable. They lack aesthetic appeal, or sound fiddly and unlikely to work. Try to avoid rejecting one without a trial. Keep an open mind.

The vagina is not a germ-free environment. Many harmless flora live there, as they do in the male urethra. Yeasts, protozoae and bacteria flourish without any trouble. Under certain condi­tions, they flare up and cause vaginal infections. These include monilia (yeast or thrush), trichomonas (protozoa), bacterial vaginitis (mixed bacteria) and non-specific vaginitis (gardnerella). The symp­toms are soreness, itching, swelling, stinging on urination and unpleasant-smelling discharge.

A vaginal infection may not be sexual disease. Antibiotics or a change in diet can upset the natural ecological balance of flora and allow a yeast infection to spread. They used to be thought “women only” conditions. But trichomonas and gardnerella can cause male urethritis. A few men are affected by the fungus of monilia. The glans feels sore and itchy, and small skin ulcers appear a few days after infection.

Such infections breed in stale smegma. Check genital hygiene. Less usually, they lurk inside the urethra or prostate. The man is unaware of a problem; he is asymptomatic. So he acts as a silent reservoir of vaginal infection for his partner. If she has therapy, he should involved. If not, she suffers repeated re-infection from the “ping pong” effect.

Syphilis

The cork-screw shaped bacteria of syphilis penetrate the skin of the penis and within 30 minutes reach the glands in the groin. Some 36 hours after infection, the bacteria have doubled in num­ber. They then double again every 30 hours. It takes an average three weeks (10 to 50 days) for the first symptom to appear. By then, there may be countless bacteria in the blood stream.

The first symptom is a chancre (ulcer) on the penis. It starts as a red pimple and develops into an open sore with a hard rim two days after infection. The chancre does not hurt, and may be small enough to go unnoticed. It heals slowly and disappears. But the infection remains highly contagious because the bacteria continue to multiply and cause damage inside the body.

The chancre usually appears on the glans. But it can appear on the meatus, shaft, scrotum, anus or pubic area. It can be on the finger, lip or tongue, wherever it was first caught. If it is small, or inside the rectum or urethra, it is possible to have syphilis without seeing the chancre. Have a blood test after high risk sexual activ­ity.

The secondary stage of syphilis starts two to six weeks after the chancre heals. The symptoms vary from a skin rash over the body, swollen glands to a flu-like condition. If untreated, they disappear. But syphilis continues to wreak its havoc in the vital organs. The tertiary (third) stage is devastating: heart and brain disorders, joint inflammations and early death.

Early therapy at stage one results in a speedy recovery. Antibi­otics destroy the bacteria of syphilis. Complete the full course or series of injections.  Regular blood tests checking for lingering infection may be necessary for two years. Keep all follow-up appointments to ensure the disease has finally gone.

In recent years, syphilis is on the increase again. In 1987, the number of U.S. cases rose by 25 percent. Syphilis is three times more common in men than women, and rare in female homosexu­als. Because it can be passed to the fetus after the 20th week of pregnancy, a syphilis blood test is a routine part of prenatal care.

Some men with physical impotence withdraw into themselves. They refuse to acknowledge what is happening and become iso­lated with their grief. The damage to their psychosocial well-being can be profound. In effect, they “turn their face to the wall.” This seems so sad, especially as the problem can usually be resolved.

Psychogenic (stress) impotence often follows physical impotence.

It is natural to feel anxious, angry or depressed. Accept these painful emotions, rather than denying them. Denial directs valu­able energy away from erection goals, and increases stress. Stress damages the cardiovascular system, which makes erection prob­lems worse.

It may be necessary to try different therapies before satisfactory erections occur. From long experience, the urologist may short-list the options, suggesting only one type. A man with potency loss can feel he has lost control in other areas of life. He may go along with this advice, which could be the opposite of how he would normally act. Try to avoid loss of choice. As far as possible, be your own physician.

Regard an erection problem as a gauntlet thrown down. There are only two choices: pick it up, or leave it alone. Why not pick up the gauntlet? What is there to lose? An erection problem may be the greatest challenge a man can face and overcome.

Erection Devices

There are a variety of external management devices for mild to moderate impotence. They used to be sold in pornography shops and so gained a dubious reputation. However, they have been restyled and raised above the level of quackery. They are now considered legitimate erection aids.

The main type is a cylinder pulled over the relaxed penis. It creates a controlled vacuum worked by a hand pump. Blood is drawn into the penis, which engorges and erects. The cylinder is removed and an entrapment ring put at the base of the shaft. The ring maintains the erection by stopping blood outflow leakage. Trapped penile blood is dangerous and causes priapism. Avoid leaving the entrapment ring on for longer than directed, usually 30 min­utes. Follow all directions to the letter.

Each device involves some paraphernalia, and none of it is cheap. Some men complain their erection is less rigid than they wish. Others rejoice in the pump because full penetration is re­gained. The devices are non-invasive, and their use can be discon­tinued when the man wishes. Perhaps their greatest appeal is that the man always stays in control.

The U.S vacuum pump was designed by an autoparts salesman, or so the story goes. In 1974, at age 72, he had been told by his physician that he must put up with his impotence. The autoparts salesman set about manufacturing the pump, then marketing it himself. He did this by showing a grainy old film loop on which he could be seen pumping up the device, waiting a few minutes, then showing a full erection. Not a pretty sight perhaps, but one of benefit to older men. Who says American initiative is dead?