Sex is good for you.
Like I said, I'm all for finding rationalizations for the things I like to do, but I'm not supposed to do. Red wine, coffee, porn, and sex itself. Woo-hoo!
Is Sex Necessary?
Alan Farnham
Fans of abstinence had better be sitting down. "Saving yourself" before the big game, the big business deal, the big hoedown or the big bakeoff may indeed confer some moral benefit. But corporeally it does absolutely zip. There's no evidence it sharpens your competitive edge. The best that modern science can say for sexual abstinence is that it's harmless when practiced in moderation. Having regular and enthusiastic sex, by contrast, confers a host of measurable physiological advantages, be you male or female. (This assumes that you are engaging in sex without contracting a sexually transmitted disease.)
In one of the most credible studies correlating overall health with sexual frequency, Queens University in Belfast tracked the mortality of about 1,000 middle-aged men over the course of a decade. The study was designed to compare persons of comparable circumstances, age and health. Its findings, published in 1997 in the British Medical Journal, were that men who reported the highest frequency of orgasm enjoyed a death rate half that of the laggards. Other studies (some rigorous, some less so) purport to show that having sex even a few times a week has an associative or causal relationship with the following:
- Improved sense of smell: After sex, production of the hormone prolactin surges. This in turn causes stem cells in the brain to develop new neurons in the brain's olfactory bulb, its smell center.
- Reduced risk of heart disease: In a 2001 follow-on to the Queens University study mentioned above, researchers focused on cardiovascular health. Their finding? That by having sex three or more times a week, men reduced their risk of heart attack or stroke by half. In reporting these results, the co-author of the study, Shah Ebrahim, Ph.D., displayed the well-loved British gift for understatement: "The relationship found between frequency of sexual intercourse and mortality is of considerable public interest."
- Weight loss, overall fitness: Sex, if nothing else, is exercise. A vigorous bout burns some 200 calories--about the same as running 15 minutes on a treadmill or playing a spirited game of squash. The pulse rate, in a person aroused, rises from about 70 beats per minute to 150, the same as that of an athlete putting forth maximum effort. British researchers have determined that the equivalent of six Big Macs can be worked off by having sex three times a week for a year. Muscular contractions during intercourse work the pelvis, thighs, buttocks, arms, neck and thorax. Sex also boosts production of testosterone, which leads to stronger bones and muscles. Men's Health magazine has gone so far as to call the bed the single greatest piece of exercise equipment ever invented.
- Reduced depression: Such was the implication of a 2002 study of 293 women. American psychologist Gordon Gallup reported that sexually active participants whose male partners did not use condoms were less subject to depression than those whose partners did. One theory of causality: Prostoglandin, a hormone found only in semen, may be absorbed in the female genital tract, thus modulating female hormones.
- Pain-relief: Immediately before orgasm, levels of the hormone oxytocin surge to five times their normal level. This in turn releases endorphins, which alleviate the pain of everything from headache to arthritis to even migraine. In women, sex also prompts production of estrogen, which can reduce the pain of PMS.
- Less-frequent colds and flu: Wilkes University in Pennsylvania says individuals who have sex once or twice a week show 30% higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A, which is known to boost the immune system.
- Better bladder control: Heard of Kegel exercises? You do them, whether you know it or not, every time you stem your flow of urine. The same set of muscles is worked during sex.
- Better teeth: Seminal plasma contains zinc, calcium and other minerals shown to retard tooth decay. Since this is a family Web site, we will omit discussion of the mineral delivery system. Suffice it to say that it could be a far richer, more complex and more satisfying experience than squeezing a tube of Crest--even Tartar Control Crest. Researchers have noted, parenthetically, that sexual etiquette usually demands the brushing of one's teeth before and/or after intimacy, which, by itself, would help promote better oral hygiene.
- A happier prostate? Some urologists believe they see a relationship between infrequency of ejaculation and cancer of the prostate. The causal argument goes like this: To produce seminal fluid, the prostate and the seminal vesicles take such substances from the blood as zinc, citric acid and potassium, then concentrate them up to 600 times. Any carcinogens present in the blood likewise would be concentrated. Rather than have concentrated carcinogens hanging around causing trouble, it's better to evict them. Regular old sex could do the job. But if the flushing of the prostate were your only objective, masturbation might be a better way to go, especially for the non-monogamous male. Having sex with multiple partners can, all by itself, raise a man's risk of cancer by up to 40%. That's because he runs an increased risk of contracting sexual infections. So, if you want the all the purported benefits of flushing with none of the attendant risk, go digital. A study recently published by the British Journal of Urology International asserts that men in their 20s can reduce by a third their chance of getting prostate cancer by ejaculating more than five times a week.
So, sex is good for your physical health, right?
But, but, but...wait a minute! The Holy Terrors and the Federal Goverment are doing everything possible to keep us from having sex! At least, any sex that doesn't involve making babies. Keep it to a bare minimum, they say. Don't have gay sex. Don't use erotica or porn to get you in the mood. Don't use birth control. Don't use sex toys. Don't have fun. Don't teach kids about having sex. Don't let them get vaccinated against HPV. Don't encourage them in any way. Teach them only to abstain. Hell, teach grown-ups to only abstain. And when they do have sex, make it as risky as possible. Think of it as a throbbing, squishy, wet version of Russian Roulette.
Now, keep in mind that the Holy Terrors are also opposing gay marriage on the grounds that marriage is such a wonderful (and vulnerable) institution we can't let gays in on the fun, or they'll destroy it. They're opposing letting gays adopt or have kids or teach kids. They're depriving people (kids and potential parents) of the chance to beh happy.
And the porn. Don't forget the porn. Porn reduces crime. So, naturally, the Holy Terrors are screaming that we've got to shut down the porn. (But not before we take their campaign donations, of course. Just make it out to the RNC.)
The only conclusion I can draw from all this?
First, keep in mind that the Holy Terrors are real big on the Endtimes and Revelation as interpreted by Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye, and others. The Holy Terrors are so big on Jesus' second coming they insist on having a voice in America's foreign policy, especially that of Israel, because they seem to think that by getting in good with God's Chosen People will look good on the resume when the Rapture kicks in. Some of these crazies have actually been pushing for the Iraq war and other conflicts in the Middle East precisely to get the Four Horsemen out of the stable that much more quickly.
So, it stands to reason that if the Holy Terrors are trying to get us to the end of the world ASAP, they're also trying to get us into Heaven on an individual basis as quickly as possible, as well.
In short, the Holy Terrors, through the Federal Government, are trying to kill us.
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