It used to be called impotence. But thanks to the proliferation of drug industry advertisements that now threaten to overwhelm our television programs, today we know it as erectile dysfunction, or, more discreetly, simply as E.D. Whatever you want to call it, though, it’s the man’s inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient to satisfy him or his partner during intercourse.

When it occurs in young men, it’s usually just a matter of momentary anxiety. In middle-aged men, it’s often caused by stress, guilt, or overwork. In fact, most men experience it at some point in their lives by age forty, though usually only briefly, and they are not psychologically affected by it.

But it gets more common with age, and for some men – as many as 30 million of them according to the drug companies – it occurs frequently and causes serious emotional and relationship problems.

In many cases, E.D. is due to the deterioration of the blood vessels that carry blood into the penis. A host of things can cause this deterioration, including nicotine, which narrows the blood vessels, excessive alcohol, and certain prescription drugs, notably antidepressants. Some physical problems can contribute to the deterioration, too, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.

If you have difficulty getting an erection, get help. Discuss it with your partner, and consult your doctor, who will help you find the cause of your E.D. Treatment will, of course, depend on the cause. Though there are a number of mechanical devices that can help men get a better erection, including splints, rings, and pumps, it’s the E.D. drugs that have revolutionized the treatment of this problem. They work well for most men, and if one drug doesn’t work for you, try one of the others – but always work with a doctor’s guidance since the drugs can have significant side effects.

You may have seen the recent reports about people’s ears turning black because of an adverse skin reaction to cocaine.

The cocaine in question has been cut with a livestock deworming medication, levamisole, which is banned for human consumption.

Nevertheless, drug dealers sometimes use levamisole to cut cocaine because it’s similar to the street drug in the way that it increases levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine to the brain’s euphoric centers.

Now, authorities are saying they are seeing more and more cases of people’s ears, cheeks and mouths turn blotchy and black after cocaine use.

My question is, why is it that these idiots keep using cocaine and all these other drugs to get high? What is the matter with our society?

Even after all the health advisories and warnings, to this day, millions of people in the U.S. are still using cocaine. Even worse, in some cases, they’re mixing it with other drugs.

It’s no secret that cocaine is an extremely dangerous drug, and you could end up paying a high price for such a short high. I’m not just talking about money here either.

Drugs like cocaine can do severe damage to the body. For example, it can cause vasoconstriction, which minimizes blood flow to the body’s extremities, such as the ear lobes, the nose, the fingertips – and yes, the penis.

Also, cocaine tends to have significant effects on the cardiovascular system, including the heart. That’s why it’s possible to have a spontaneous heart attack when mixing cocaine with other drugs.

In my opinion, L.A. Sheriff’s Capt. Mike Parker made the best case against using cocaine when he said, “If not because of the violence in this country and beyond, how about for no other reason so you don’t have your extremities turn purple and fall off.”