Sex Your Way to Better Health

Weight loss and weight control. Forget torturing yourself with the latest fad diet or hours on the elliptical machine when you can burn about 200 calories in 30 minutes of sex! Lovemaking lends itself to improved strength, flexibility, muscle tone, and cardiovascular conditioning. Plus, there’s something super sexy about getting to sleep with your very own “personal trainer.”

Pain management. Forgo popping a pain killer and opt for something a bit more “au naturel.” Sex has been shown to offer migraine and menstrual cramp relief, as well as alleviate chronic back pain thanks to the endorphins and corticosteroids released during sexual arousal and orgasm.

— Stress relief. Sex, even if only with ourselves, impacts the way we respond to stress, increasing levels of oxytocin and stimulating feelings of warmth and relaxation. What better way to unwind from a tough day than sharing its most climactic moment with your special someone?

— Immune booster. Stop spending late nights at the office. Sex wards off colds and the flu. And sexually active people take fewer sick days, giving the phrase “working late” an entirely new meaning. Bosses, take note.

— Better heart health. A little bit of heart and soul in the sack should be part of every doctor’s orders when it comes to cardiovascular care. Sex may help lower cholesterol and the risk of heart attack.

— Increased self-esteem and intimacy. When sex is consistent and involves mutual pleasure, it can increase bonding since the surge in oxytocin at orgasm stimulates feelings of affection, intimacy, and closeness. When spiritual in nature, sex can lead to an even better quality of life and stronger relationship. Is it any wonder that good sexual energy in a positive relationship can make you feel better about yourself, your partner, and life in general?

— Sleep enhancement. There’s no need to count sheep when sex, including masturbation, helps insomnia. Plus, making love sure beats tossing and turning your way to zzzz’s.

— A better, younger looking you. Sex keeps you looking and feeling younger and, according to some research, may lead to shiny hair, a glowing complexion and bright eyes. This is because it increases the youth-promoting hormone DHEA (dehydroepiandrostone). And feeling more attractive charges your sex life even more.

— Mood lifter. Sex releases pleasure-inducing endorphins during arousal and climax that can relieve depression and anxiety, and increase vibrancy.

— Longevity. There is a significant relationship between frequency of orgasm and risk of death, especially with men. Men who orgasm two times a week have a 50 percent lower chance of mortality than those who climax one time per month. The bonus: Living longer also gives you and your honey the opportunity for even more lovin’!

— Decreased risk of breast cancer. One study of women who had never given birth found that an increased frequency of sexual intercourse was correlated with a decrease in the incidence of breast cancer.

— Reproductive health benefits. According to at least one study, sex appears to decrease a man’s risk of prostate cancer, and the prevention of endometriosis in women. It also promotes fertility in women by regulating menstrual patterns.

Sex – it does the body good.

Yet most of us are quicker to hit the gym before hitting the sheets when it comes to taking care of ourselves. Believe it or not, huffing and puffing your way through a hot, sweat-inducing sex session may be far more beneficial to your overall health than the time you spend on the treadmill.

As research confirms time and time again, good sex in a healthy, stable, monogamous relationship can only better our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well being. Sex, in this context, offers us tons of benefits, most of which aren’t touted nearly enough.

Increased Blood Flow

Sex helps increase the blood flow to your brain and to all other organs of your body. Increased heart rate and deep breathing accounts for the improvement in circulation.

As fresh blood supply arrives, your cells, organs and muscles are saturated with fresh oxygen and hormones, and as the used blood is removed, you also remove waste products that cause fatigue and even illness

Maintaining Ideal Body Weight

There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat. For every 3500 calories you burn (that you do not replace with food!) you will lose one pound of fat.

Sexual intercourse burns approximately 150 calories per half hour. Here’s how that stacks up against some other activities that may be part of your fitness regime: yoga 114 calories per half hour, dancing - rock 129, walking - 3mph 153, weight training 153, canoeing - 2mph 153, volleyball 174.

According to one survey reported by the Ottawa Citizen, Canadians on average have sex 7.33 times per month, lasting approximately 24.4 minutes. That means that “Joe Canada” is burning off more than 10 thousand calories a year, or about 3 pounds, in a not particularly active sex life.

Considering that people put weight on gradually, slowly gaining 5-10 pounds per year until they are overweight, it’s not unrealistic to assume that regular sexual activity is one way to help maintain a healthy body weight.

Sex is Good for your Health

Lose weight. Reduce stress. Lower your cholesterol level. Improve your circulation. Live longer. Stay younger.

Sounds like an ad for a new wonder drug right? In fact it’s a partial list of the benefits of humanity’s oldest and most pleasurable pastime - sex.

People in recovery from alcoholism, addiction or codependency may benefit from this discussion and be able to recognize the benefits as they emerge from drunk or drugged sexual life.

Most of us are aware of the feel-good benefits of sex while we’re engaged in it, but do you also know that there are benefits which carry on after the sweaty bodies have dried and the sweet talk has reverted to sports? For instance:

5 Amazing Sex Tricks Every Woman Should Know

Married sex? It's great. You're attuned to each other's bodies, and you know exactly what makes your partner weak. (In fact, you've done it thousands of times.) And that's why the usual rev-up-your-sex-life tricks -- satin sheets, slinky lingerie, scented massage oils -- aren't wildly relevant for you.

Okay. But somewhere deep in your heart maybe you do miss that first-time excitement. And getting it back is much, much easier than you might think. "Small tweaks will do it," says Sandra Scantling, Psy.D., a sex therapist in Hartford, Connecticut, and author of Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Sex. "By altering one movement or thought, by looking for tiny differences in taste, touch, sound or smell, we can refresh the familiar and revitalize our sex lives."

We've got some suggestions here. Some of them may seem a bit odd; some may seem too tiny to matter. But none of them requires years of study in the tantric arts or even batteries. And all of them have the potential to rock your happily married world.

Is Sex Necessary?

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.

Low sex hormone 'increases depression'

Low testosterone puts older men at significant risk of depression, according to an Australian study which recommends those with abnormal levels consider getting injections of the sex hormone.

A study of almost 4000 elderly men has drawn the strongest link ever between low testosterone and mood.

Researchers at the University of Western Australia tracked levels of both in men aged 70-plus and found those with the lowest testosterone were three times more likely to suffer depression than those with the highest levels.

This was true irrespective of a man's physical health, a finding researchers say is important because bad health is known to increase the risk of depression and decrease hormone levels.

"Even when you take this into account, the association between low testosterone and depression is still strong," said Professor Osvaldo Almeida, lead author of the paper published in the US journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

"This is the most compelling case we have for the link yet."

Professor Almeida said the science behind the link was not yet fully understood.

But it might be that low hormones somehow trigger changes in the levels of neurotransmitters or hormones in the brain.

He said the evidence was now strong enough to support testosterone replacement therapy in depressed older men.

But only the 20% of men over 70 who have abnormally low testosterone, so-called hypogonadism, will likely benefit.

"We propose clinicians check their depressed older patients for hypogonadism, and if they have it then I think there is good rationale for considering using testosterone replacement to improve mood," Professsor Almeida said.

"This would be a totally new way of dealing with these men because currently they get nothing."

He said the benefits of giving hormone replacement needed to be proven in a randomised controlled trial before the therapy should be offered at a subsidised rate.

Testosterone replacement is most infamous for illegally boosting athletic performance, but an increasing number of older men are accessing the controversial treatment to build muscle mass and treat bone loss through osteoporosis.

Gay Marriage Good For Mass. Business Community

Massachusetts has a reputation for losing talented workers to less pricey markets, reports the Boston Business Journal. But a trend that runs counter to the talent drain has emerged in the state's same-sex marriage law -- a powerful lure for same-sex couples who want to live in a place where they can get married, gain legal rights and have access to spousal health benefits.

"There was a lot of psychological and physical energy that I was investing in just living my day-to-day life, because I had to defend myself against anti-gay sentiment and rhetoric," said Lisa Forest, who with her wife, Anne Marie Willer, had good jobs and owned their home in the Dallas area. But in 2006 the couple left Texas for Massachusetts.

"[We] were taking too large of financial and legal risks remaining there as strangers, legally," Forest told the Journal.

Local observers see the influx of same-sex couples as a boon for the state's economy.

"Since the marriage law passed, we see a lot more (gay) professionals moving into the Boston area," said Henry Hoey, a board member of the Greater Boston Business Council, a chamber of commerce for gay professionals, told the Journal. The organization's membership has increased 5 percent to 1,100 members since last year. "The effects of this law are starting to take hold."

Inclusive Recruitment, a Boston-based staffing firm that places gay professionals in welcoming workplaces, has noticed an increase in same-sex couples who have moved or are planning to move to the state.

"There's a woman that I'm working with right now because she came to Massachusetts so her marriage would be recognized," said the company's founder and CEO, Martha Livingston.

The state's same-sex marriage law provides businesses with a unique competitive edge, notes the Boston-based Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders.

"Massachusetts has a reputation for fairness both generally and in the specifics that it offers gay and lesbian couples, especially those with children who are concerned about raising their kids in a place that supports their family and protects their legal rights," Carissa Cunningham, director of public affairs at GLAD, told the paper.

Sex By Schedule

This is a story about love cycles, which are not silly things moonstruck couples ride on the boardwalk of hotels They are rhythms that link your sexual behavior to your hormones.

And Winnifred B. Cutler, Ph.D., found them. She discovered that regular sex is good for you. It orchestrates a woman's body biologically, regulating the flow of hormones that make it fertile and increase well-being. It also props up testosterone levels in men.

The time to embrace is once a week. Weekly intercourse--but not less frequently-- tunes the menstrual cycle to 29.5 days, optimal for fertility and general endocrine health.

Here's the tricky part: For Cutler, the findings mandate monogamy. Only committed relationships allow sex so regularly. If regular sex is not possible, then it's better to abstain altogether, because intermittent sex drives hormones wild, sending estrogen to lower lows (and higher highs) than the more moderate lows of celibacy, Cutler claims in a report, Love Cycles, the Science of intimacy. (Lows are responsible for bone loss, depression, heart disease.)

Banish the thought that you can keep yourself hormonally humming by your own hand. It isn't the orgasm but the presence of another person, preferably male, that does the trick. Males add pheromones: The odors fire off nerve signals to the brain and alter endocrine patterns.

Riding the cycles of love is definitely an indoor sport.

Short sex the best - experts

THE best sex should last between seven and 13 minutes, and even three-minute sex is "adequate", a major survey of US experts has concluded.

But Australian sex therapists commenting on the new research say most men Down Under wanted it to last considerably longer while most women were "not bothered" if it was over with fast.

The sex study is the first to review what the experts believe is the ideal length of time to have penetrative sex, with the random sample of Americans and Canadians labelling seven to 13 minutes most "desirable".

Intercourse lasting between three and seven minutes was deemed "adequate", but anything less was "too short" and beyond 13 minutes was "too long".

The study, published today in the international Journal of Sexual Medicine, is designed help calm couples' unrealistic beliefs that healthy sex should last a long time.

US studies show Americans expect penetrative sex to last between 15 and 20 minutes, even though sel- reports indicate it is over in less than half this time.

Lead researcher Dr Eric Corty, from the Behrend College in Erie, Pennsylvania, said this was a situation "ripe for disappointment and dissatisfaction".

"In the fantasy model of male sexuality, men have large penises, rock-hard erections, and can sustain sexual activity all night long," Dr Corty wrote.

"It appears that many men and women hold this fantasy. The results from the present study, by providing a realistic not a fantasy model of sexuality, are useful both in treating people with sexual concerns and dysfunctions, and, with wider circulation, in preventing the onset of sexual dysfunctions."

Dr Jane Howard, a Brisbane-based medical sex therapist, said there was a dearth of data on Australians' expectation of sex.

Anecdotal evidence suggested most Australian women would be happy with the therapists' "adequate" time of three to seven minutes, while men would not.

"There is a major gender difference in this area," Dr Howard said.

"Usually women are quite happy with short intercourse, and are not bothered about prolonging it at all, but nearly all men want it to be much, much longer."

She said it was important not to obsess over the length of intercourse, with time often suspended during the act anyway.

"I mean really, who's counting?" the expert said.