OK - I will be the first one to admit I am a tad old-fashioned in some ways, but the first time I saw the TV ad campaign for the new male wonder drugs, I wasn't sure just what I was watching. Happy, smiling men, doing grandjetés down the sidewalk, and Gene Kelly dance routines off the fire hydrants and lamp standards...(je·té - a ballet leap from one leg to the other in which one leg is stretched forward and the other backward). What's this all in aid of, I wondered.

At first, I wasn't sure just what was being advertised, but when I listened to the song lyrics, and noted the addition of a wife or two into the rather coy proceedings, it all became clear. Oh my goodness - could we actually do this on television. The shades of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson with their separate twin beds loomed large. After all, we may have known where Ricky and his brother, David, came from, but they sure weren't even going to hint at anything other than storks or cabbage patches way back then.

Really, I was still getting over the shock of seeing commercials for certain intimate feminine products. Welcome to the new age of modern advertising!

In the words of the immortal Dillon, the times are indeed "a-changin'..." and on the goggle-box almost as quickly as in print ads. No longer are we embarrassed by bodily functions once not considered suitable topics for polite conversation. Had any of these been raised at our dinner table - oh, my! The resulting furor would no doubt have been enlightening.

Be that as it may, our once tender psyches have been desensitized to such goings on. We are now accustomed to hearing almost any formerly taboo subject bandied about quite freely.

Long before the first Romeo first scaled the walls of the first Juliet's bower, s*e*x has been a favorite topic...and the prolonging of such joyful activities into and beyond one's middle years has always been an issue. ED, or erectile dysfunction seems to now fall into that category of middle-age concerns.

ED does not refer to the occasional hydraulic malfunction brought on by overindulgence, temporary impotence caused by any number of reasons - lack of sleep among them, guys - or simple lack of interest. ED can be a chronic condition that sometimes requires medical attention to discover that underlying cause and potential for reversal.

Drug companies are nothing if not opportunistic, often preying on our deepest fears to sell their products under the guise of improving our lives. Where would we all be without whiter teeth, brighter laundry, sweet-smelling armpits? OK - maybe we do, in fact, need sweeter smelling armpits. I know my life is much nicer for them.

How could we survive without hair color that only our hairdressers can tell from nature's endowment? This is not a new trend, as noted in the play "The Importance of Being Earnest", wherein one recently widowed character's hair is described, rather cattily, but terribly cleverly, as having turned "quite blond, with grief".

ED being the new "hot topic" of the tube, the many substances reputed to correct or overcome the problem are the darlings of the drug companies, and advertisers alike. With the proliferation of such advertising, sponsors are becoming more clever and persistent about hyping their wares to an ever more discerning audience. I must admit to a certain perverse fascination with these product ads. I find I am becoming quite a connoisseur of such things.

One of my current favorites is the irredeemably cheesy, but mildly amusing series of ads for natural male enhancement. It took me a hearing or two to realize what the voice-over was referring to when the obviously slim, but immensely self-satisfied Santa was described as "chubby". Silly me! The smiles on the faces of all the young lovelies waiting in line to sit on his lap should have been indication enough.

The basic cause of ED, whatever the reason behind the cause, is lack of blood flow to the penis sufficient to create or sustain an erection. Viagra®, and many other such drugs work in roughly the same way. By artificially increasing the blood flow to the penis, they allow for a stronger and longer lasting erection, thus increasing the pleasure for both partners. No more sitting alone with a book tonight, Martha - John is definitely "in the mood".

Very few drugs work perfectly, and Viagra® is no exception. Almost any drug has side effects that arise as the drug is dispersed throughout the body and may unintentionally affect other parts. For example, aspirin is a drug that is often used to relieve pain, but this same drug in also a blood thinner, and can erode the stomach lining.

Viagra® has several side effects of which patients need to be aware.

Many people who take Viagra have noticed a change in the way they perceive green and blue colors, caused by the drug's affect on the cone cells of their retina. They might also see the world with a bluish tinge for several hours. For this reason, pilots may not take Viagra® within 12 hours of flying.

If a person is taking nitroglycerin for angina, which works by increasing nitric oxide, thus opening up the arteries that supply the heart with oxygen, taking Viagra® may lead to a dangerous increase in nitrous oxide.

Other problems can include symptoms ranging from headaches to heart attacks. Your doctor needs to understand your medical history to be sure that taking the drug won't trigger a heart attack.

Occasionally, patients who take Viagra® have painful, long-lasting erections and have to see a doctor to relieve the problem.This is called priapism, after the ancient Roman God Priapus, god of fertility, who was most often depicted well-endowed, and with an erect penis, In ancient times, devout families would present their young girls at his temple. The girls were "given to Priapus" in a solemn ritual, and required to deflower themselves on his statue. This served two purposes - it was proof that the girl was a virgin, important for dynastic alliances, and it conferred the blessing of fertility upon the coming union. The practice fell out of favor for a variety of reasons, but the god's name is still used to described any erection lasting more than four hours.

Finally, there is some concern that men, especially younger men who take Viagra® recreationally but don't need it for physical reasons, may become dependent on the drug, and may become unable to maintain an erection without taking it.

With all its negative aspects and possible complications though, these drugs can be immensely beneficial - and not in the least, to the comapnies that produce tand market them. Still, you still have to admire that slim, elegant, grey-haired couple heading up the beach accompanied by the strains of an Elvis impersonator...you just know they are going to have one great vacation!

Viva Viagra®!