John,

I'm a pretty stubborn guy so I even took the pills longer than what my TCM doc suggested. Actually, he got onto me for taking them too long. He said (with each round of tweaks) that I should take for exactly four weeks and if no improvement he would try another concoction. I did this three times and really felt no real improvement at all. In all honesty, I don't struggle with ep each and every day. I have bouts of it most often connected with increased sexual activity, physical strain, and prolonged sitting. These flare ups remained even after methodically taking the pills/tea for an extended duration.

As you likely know, TCM is supposed to FIX the problem so that you don't have to take the pills/tea forever. Unfortunately, it didn't even HELP me let alone FIX anything.

My next step is to find a reputable herbalist and talk to them about all of the herbs discussed on this forum. Hopefully, they will be able to help me put together a brew that will let me get back to somewhat normal.

It's a sad day when a guy looks so forward to trying bromelain!

Eric