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4/27/2011

XXX Healthy Sex: And Its Benefits to You

By Will Blesch

My girlfriend and I were discussing the health benefits of being a vegetarian. Somehow, the
subject went from talking about food, to talking about sex. Don’t ask me how. Maybe it’s a mental
connection…food…sex…they both provide a form of sustenance and pleasure.

One of the things that can really affect a person’s health, whether male or female is sex. There
are great benefits when one partakes in regular, stress free, spontaneous, sexual activity.
Reduce the stress, and the potential for mind-blowing, xxx sex increases dramatically!

In my previous blog postings so far, I’ve talked about at least one sexually transmitted disease
and the conventional and alternative therapies out there to treat it. Thus, it’s obvious that there
are also potential downsides to sexual activity. It’s a “duh” statement. In today’s world of hyper-
sexuality there are myriad pitfalls that await those who partake without being wise.

But, in this blog I want to talk about some benefits…and how to enjoy those benefits in a manner
that is healthy, protected, as well as stress and worry free.

There are studies that show that sex begins in the brain. There are a million and one different
factors that can go into arousal and that are the reasons for why someone is or isn’t interested in
sex at any given time.

Let’s start with creating a healthy environment. When I talk about a healthy environment, I mean
first of all creating for yourself circumstances that allow for healthy sexual contact. This in turn will
allow for stress free, fulfilling sex.

How does one do this? One of the biggest stressors when it comes to sex is worry and fears
relating to the sexual health of your partner. Is he carrying a nasty surprise that he may or may
not know about? If she’s got something…is she irresponsibly having sex with you anyway?
Questions like these are a great argument for really taking the time to know a person before
jumping in to bed with him or her. And, if you are jumping into bed…being able to trust your
partner is paramount. Are you the only person your partner is doing the horizontal mombo
with? Is your relationship affair free?

Thus, knowledge of your partner and the ability to trust him or her are the first steps in
creating a worry, stress free situation in which to enjoy the benefits of sex.
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4/27/2011

The next steps are for those who are actively engaged in sexual activity but that go ahead and do
so with more than one partner. It’s advisable (again) to at least know your partners’ health status
before going on with a little bow-chika-bow-wow.

I’d also advise the use of a condom and because there are some diseases that condoms don’t
protect against (such as HPV since it is transmitted through any sexual, skin-to-skin, contact) one
should also be taking antiviral supplements. It pays to remember that safe IS sexy. The
supplements help to reduce the viral load and I think that if you are engaging in potentially risky
behavior, then taking these on a regular basis is not only smart…it can also ease your mind since
infections often occur when the viral payload that’s passed is significant.

Reduce the load…reduce the chances of contracting (or passing on) a revolting affliction. No one
wants him to hold you in his armchair where you can feel his disease, thank you very much!

Now, on to the actual health benefits of an active, healthy, sex life!

1. Good, healthy sex actually helps lift your mood! According to the medical journal, Biological
Psychology, “Penile-vaginal intercourse (PVI) but not other sexual behavior is associated with
better psychological and physiological function.” (Biological Psychology)

What does that mean for you? Having straight, knocking boots, penis entering vagina and exiting
again sex increases your confidence, makes you feel better about yourself, and causes your
brain to flood with “feel good” chemicals.

2. Less Stress = Better Sex! According to the Journal of Family Psychology, “Findings suggest
that higher self-reported stress in daily life was associated with lower levels of sexual activity and
satisfaction and a decrease in relationship satisfaction.”

Basically, the less stress you have…the better sexual and relationship satisfaction you have.
There are a number of ways to reduce that stress including yoga, exercise, removal of fear
regarding STD’s etc. (great reason to take antiviral supplements!), get a massage, listen to
music…the laundry list could go on and on.

3. It lowers your blood pressure! “greater HRV and lower DBP (diastolic blood pressure) were
both associated with greater PVI (but not masturbation or non-coital sex with a partner) in
cohabiting subjects, but not in non-cohabiting subjects. (Biological Psychology)

Those who put the beef in the taco enjoy the benefits of a better cardiovascular system!
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4/27/2011

4. Frequent, good sex boosts your immune system! “Having sex once or twice a week has been
linked with higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A or IgA, which can protect you
from getting colds and other infections.” (Psychological Reports Journal)

There are other health benefits to a healthy sexual life. Some of those include higher self-esteem,
greater intimacy, and for men…reduced risk of prostate cancer. (According to the Journal of the
American Medical Association, “high ejaculation frequency was related to decreased risk of total
prostate cancer.”)

Being a guy, most people would expect me to say when asked, “What are the benefits of sex,”
something like,”uh…duh!”…simply because the male response is stereotypically obvious.

But, for me, I think some of the major benefits lie in the fact that sex can be pretty spiritual. This
could be lumped in with increasing intimacy but there are times when I think it can help you focus,
bring you into the now, and help you to stop worrying about external, future events. I think from
my point of view, that there is nothing stronger to help a man open up emotionally to one’s
partner. Nothing else, when both partners are honest with one another down to the depths of their
beings, allows both to experience the other’s essence.

It’s definitely more than just sharing one’s body. It’s creating (or deepening) an emotional and
spiritual bond with another person. Feelings of love and passion can be stronger during the act of
lovemaking than at any other time!

That’s why I don’t think people should just give it away. And if you do…make sure he, she,
or they…damn well deserve it.

References:

Brody S, Veit R, Rau H, “A preliminary report relating frequency of vaginal intercourse to heart
rate variability, Valsalva ratio, blood pressure, and cohabitation status.” Biological Psychology,
April 2000
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4/27/2011

Brody S, “Blood pressure reactivity to stress is better for people who recently had penile-vaginal
intercourse than for people who had other or no sexual activity.” Biological Psychology, February
2006

J Fam Psychol. “;”The association between daily stress and sexual activity. , Journal of Family
Psychology, June 2010

Charnetski CJ, Brennan FX., “Sexual frequency and salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA).”
Psychological report Journal, June 2004

Leitzmann MF, Platz EA, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC, Giovannucci E., “Ejaculation frequency and
subsequent risk of prostate cancer.” JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 7 April,
2004