When Bob Dole announced that he suffered from erectile dysfunction (ED), it seemed like all of America paused and gasped. Many were shocked that a U.S. senator was publicly opening up about a sexual disorder. Despite it's common prevalence among men, erectile dysfunction was an extremely taboo subject at the time -- it just wasn't openly discussed.
Bob Dole changed the way we think about erectile dysfunction, bringing awareness to the disorder as the first ever celebrity spokesman for Viagra. His commercial spots and print ads stirred more controversy than a political scandal, but it reached its goal of releasing the stigma of erectile dysfunction.
Now, millions of men are seeking treatment for erectile dysfunction -- it is now less of a taboo subject. Even more importantly, their doctors are determining and treating the underlying causes of ED, which can range from hypertension to diabetes. Prostate cancer treatment is a common culprit of ED, as it was in Bob Dole's case.
