Yoga vs fluoxetine to treat premature ejaculation
Fluoxetine (Prozac) is considered a useful treatment for this condition, which is thought to be due to psychological causes, although no one knows for sure.
First, the details.
- Researchers from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi studied 68 patients with premature ejaculation.
And, the results.
- Among 38 patients using yoga, 66% had a good response, 34% had a fair response.
- In the fluoxetine group, 82% had statistically significant improvement in premature ejaculation.
The bottom line?
The authors concluded, “Yoga appears to be a feasible, safe, effective, and acceptable nonpharmacological option for premature ejaculation.”
Too bad it’s impossible to tell what was done and found based on the information available. There’s no mention in the abstract if assignment to treatment was random and if the researchers knew the treatment given. The tools used to evaluate a response are not mentioned. It’s not clear why they report the results with yoga and fluoxetine differently. Was the response to yoga statistically significant?
The authors recommend “More studies involving larger [sic] patients,” I don’t think they mean heavier patients, just more of them.
The problems in language and communication in this article are only partially the fault of the authors. If the study was worth publishing, the journal editors should have ensured that the standard protocols for writing abstracts and (I presume) the article were followed.
1/26/08 15:07 JR