Heal your body with SEX!

by Michael Culbert |

The strongest case for the benefits of sex comes from studies of aerobic fitness. The act of intercourse burns about 200 calories, the equivalent of running vigorously for 30 minutes. During orgasm, both heart rate and blood pressure typically double, all under the influence of oxytocin. “Can we make the claim that having sex is equal to walking a mile or bicycling? “We don’t know,” says Robert Friar, a biologist at Michigan’s Ferris State University, “The data doesn’t really exist.” Although, a study conducted in Wales in the 1980s showed that men who had sex twice a week or more often experienced half as many heart attacks after 10 years as men who had intercourse less than once a month. The trial, however, did not include a parallel group of randomly chosen control subjects, in order to meet the scientific gold standard.

More recent research focused on the hormones dehydroepiandrostone (DHEA) and testosterone, both important for libido. They have been linked to reducing the risk of heart disease as well as protecting the heart muscle after an attack.

PAIN CONTROL
In the 1970’s, Dr. Beverly Whipple of Rutgers University identified the female G spot; the vaginal on-switch for female arousal. She stumbled upon one of oxytocin’s more potent effects: its ability to dull pain. Whipple showed that gentle pressure on the G spot raised pain thresholds by 40% and that during orgasm, women could tolerate up to 110% more pain. However, she could not explain the link until the advent of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Using fMRI to view the brain of easily orgasmic women as they climaxed, Whipple found that the body’s pain-killing center in the midbrain is activated during peak arousal. Signals from this part of the brain instruct the body to release endorphins and corticosteroids, which can temporarily numb the raw nerve endings responsible for everything from menstrual cramps to arthritis and migraines for several minutes. Activating this region also reduces anxiety and has a calming effect.

During trial studies in 1999, research found that the levels of immunoglobulin, a microbe-fighting antibody, for those who engaged in intercourse once or twice a week were 30% higher than in those who were abstinent. Curiously, those who had sex three or more times a week had the same levels as those who were celibate. There seems to be an optimal rate of sexual frequency for the body.
Meanwhile, researchers in Sweden continue to explore how sex affects another immunological function: the healing of wounds. Using injections of oxytocin as a surrogate for arousal, Swedish investigators have found that sores on the backs of lab rats heal twice as fast under the influence of the hormone than without it.

A LONG, HAPPY LIFE?
Various studies show that married couples tend to live longer and suffer less depression than unmarried individuals. Is this because of more frequent sex, simple companionship or some benign aspect of personality that lends itself to marriage? Finding an answer to that question is difficult, but sex itself appears to be a factor. A study of 3,500 Scottish men, for example, found a link between frequent intercourse and greater longevity. A much smaller study of elderly men found that those who masturbated appeared to experience less depression than those who did not. In addition, frequent sexual activity has been tied to lower risk of breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men, a relationship that is still not fully understood but may involve some interaction between oxytocin and the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone and their roles in cell signaling and cell division. “Scientifically, it’s an exciting time that will lead to the rethinking and re-conceptualizing of human sexuality,” says Dr. John Bancroft, director of the Kinsey Institute.

References:

1. Park, Alice.
2. Bancroft, John MD.
3. Glaser, Ronald MD.
4. Whipple, Beverly MD.
5. Frair, Robert.
6. www.qfac.com

For more info, contact Fountain of Youth Wellness at (775) 853-4699.