Exercise and weight reduction can contribute positively to lowering the need for antihypertensive drugs. One man I know tells me that he took off 14 pounds in a month simply by eating a bran muffin before each meal to cut down his appetite, plus he took a 15-minute walk each day. No one who is using hypertensive drugs prescribed by his physician should stop using them without a prior consultation with that doctor. Life itself may depend on their use, so a person cannot afford to take that chance without careful professional collaboration. Nevertheless, a study of nutritional therapy has shown that over one-third of people who previously needed drug treatment for high blood pressure had their blood pressure adequately controlled with nutritional therapy alone.
Drugs prescribed for arthritis can also have sexual side effects.
For example, the corticosteroids may cause temporary impotence. Analgesics prescribed for pain may affect male sexual capacity, while aspirin, taken over a long period of time, may reduce fertility. Among older persons, of course, this may not be a critical issue. However, a number of men over 50 still want to father children. More often than not, these older citizens make wonderful fathers and should not be denied the chance.