Forget Viagra! Sound waves can send your sex life into orbit

This is another attempt to get at causes and may be worthwhile if a full trial is successful

Firing shock-waves into the body could be a radical new way to boost the love lives of men with erection problems. The pain-free therapy boosts performance by stimulating the growth of new blood vessels in the genital area. A small trial involving 20 men who were taking Viagra or similar drugs for impotence problems was so successful that, by the end of the experiment, 15 of them were able to throw their pills away. None of the volunteers reported any pain or side-effects from the treatment.

The radical new therapy, which is on trial in Israel, uses a very mild form of lithotripsy, a technique developed more than 20 years ago for the treatment of kidney stones. Waves of sound are beamed through the skin, and although they pass harmlessly through body tissue, they are at just the right pressure to smash up kidney stones into tiny sand-like particles that are then passed out of the body in urine.

But in recent years, several studies have also shown that this type of shock-wave therapy appears to have a healthy effect on blood vessels. It triggers the release of an important substance called Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, or VEGF, which sends out a signal for new blood vessels to start growing. As a result, shock-wave therapy has also attracted increasing interest from cardiologists looking for new ways to treat heart disease. U.S. and Japanese researchers are investigating whether firing shock-waves towards the heart will help it sprout healthy new blood vessels. If so, it could offer a lifeline to patients who are too ill to undergo heart bypass surgery.

According to Israeli research, the same benefits could help men who suffer persistent erection problems. Some health experts are now convinced there is a close link between impotence and heart disease, and that problems in the bedroom can often signal hidden blockages in blood vessels near the heart which are reducing blood flow around the body.

Doctors at the Rambam Medical Centre in Haifa, Israel, recruited 20 men with an average age of 56 to take part in the trial. All 20 were already on medication and had suffered mild to moderate erection problems for an average of three years. During the three-week course of treatment, low-intensity shock-waves were repeatedly fired into five specific points in the genital area, using a handheld device.

Doctors then assessed the severity of the men's ailments on a 30-point scale called the International Index of Erectile Dysfunction, widely used to measure impotence problems. The lower the score, the greater the problem. Before the trial, the men averaged scores of between 12 and 20 points, which meant they had mild to moderate sexual dysfunction. But after treatments, their scores increased by between five and ten points. Experts say anything in excess of five points is a significant improvement.

Viagra and similar medications, such as Cialis and Levitra, have transformed the treatment of impotence in the past ten years, around 30 per cent of men who take them see no improvement. For these men, the only other options are to inject drugs straight into the penis, or use a pump that manually increases blood supply to the organ.

Dr Yoram Vardi, who led the trial, says: 'Drugs are not a cure. When patients stop taking their medication, then they cannot function. 'With shock-waves, we can do something biological for the problem. These patients can then function without the need for medication.'

Dr John Dean, president of the International Society of Sexual Medicine, said the findings were 'intriguing' and worth following up in larger studies. But he warned that earlier attempts to use shock-wave therapy for another condition called Peyronie's disease - where the penis is bent and painful when erect - had failed. 'These findings are interesting and definitely warrant further investigation,' Dr Dean said. 'But we are a long way off saying that men should go to their GP asking for this treatment.'

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Politically correct food on the menu in Britain

From foie gras produced without making birds suffer to 'sustainable' fish, British retailers and restaurants are embracing politically correct food

Faux (false) gras is the ethical answer to the dilemma that attends the foodstuff, which has been the bane of campaigners for decades. It is produced by force-feeding ducks or geese to create engorged livers that yield the creamy pate. Waitrose, House of Fraser and Tesco are among a growing number of major British retailers that are refusing to stock real foie gras after protest campaigns.

Even Selfridges, one of the main attractions for discerning shoppers on Oxford Street, decided in November to take foie gras off its shelves after a protest fronted by Sir Roger Moore, the former James Bond actor. "It's torture in a tin," said Moore, who appeared on pre-Christmas posters urging Selfridges to halt its sale, with the words: "Force-feeding birds is not yule, it's cruel."

The foie gras ban has even gained the royal seal of approval after Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, ordered it off menus for royal functions.

Waitrose developed the faux gras version - produced without force-feeding the birds - and calls it an "ethical alternative to traditional foie gras". A darker colour than the real thing, faux gras is made from about 50 per cent liver from free-range poultry blended with goose or duck fat. Two years after its introduction, Waitrose customers appear to be increasingly happy to substitute faux gras for the real thing at Christmas and New Year. "Faux gras is still one of our most popular festive foods," said a Waitrose spokeswoman, who added that sales of the new product grew by almost 60 per cent in 2009.

Such is the popularity of the new, more "ethical" version of the product that lawmakers have backed a motion calling for restaurants to adopt the new version and ditch the real foie gras. "It is only a matter of time before foie gras is relegated to the history books where it belongs," said Sam Glover of lobby group Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).

While the day that five-star establishments abandon such foods may be some way off, restaurants in England do seem to be turning towards "green" alternatives. Acorn House, in the King's Cross district of London, claims to be the "first truly eco-friendly" restaurant in the capital. The duck it serves comes from birds raised in a "positive" way, without cages and without antibiotics added to their food; its food deliveries are made in vehicles using biofuel, 80 per cent of its waste is recycled and its roof is a herb garden. "Acorn House is set to alter the image of the restaurant industry as well as transform the way in which people eat out," is the bold claim of its co-founder Arthus Potts.

French celebrity chef Raymond Blanc, the holder of two Michelin stars at his renowned restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons near Oxford, has embraced a campaign to use fish certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). This label guarantees that the fish has been obtained from sustainable stocks. "By supporting MSC, I am helping to ensure that fish stocks will be replenished for generations to come," said Blanc, a well-known face in his adopted country thanks to regular TV appearances.

There are 14 MSC-certified restaurants in Britain and although the number remains relatively low, the non-profit organisation argues that its campaign is putting pressure on other restaurants to change their ways.

The main target of the protesters is Nobu, the global chain of chic Japanese restaurants which has the financial backing of Robert De Niro, the actor, and a strong following among the rich and famous. Nobu's Michelin-starred London branch is refusing to remove bluefin tuna, an endangered species, from its menu. Elle Macpherson, a model, Sienna Miller, an actress, and Stephen Fry, a TV presenter and actor, all added their names to a petition protesting against the restaurant's use of the endangered fish.

The restaurant responded by adding an asterisk next to the dish on its menu, directing diners to a footnote saying: "Bluefin tuna is an environmentally threatened species. Please ask your server for an alternative."

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