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Chinese Medicine and Sex — How much is too much?

Culturally, I would say that we are kinda messed up about sex. Talking about it openly seems to make people withdraw in discomfort, even when it relates to reproduction.

I specialize in treating reproductive health and fertility and still many of my patients apologize when asking my opinion on suggested timing and frequency of intercourse. While getting into a sociological study about sex is beyond the scope of this post, we can touch on a few interesting tidbits. 

Chinese Medicine gives an interesting perspective on male vs. female sexual practices. For example, for women sex is thought to diffuse negative and potentially toxic pent up energy. Without sufficient sex, we may end up in a disease state. Imagine that? Does anyone have that girlfriend that is more pleasant to be around when she is being regularly “serviced”? Crude, I know, but TRUE. Your friend’s mood disorder responds to sex therapy. Go get ‘em girls! BUT be safe please. 🙂

Men, on the other hand are encouraged to abstain when possible. The theory is that excess sex for men depletes their “essence” and results in premature aging. Symptoms include anxiety, poor quality sleep, low back weakness, dizziness, poor concentration, premature greying and premature ejaculation. All this for the sex that considers the “spreading of their seed” to be of great value to themselves and humanity.

A decade ago, one of my early mentors invited me to meet a patient that had come in for extreme anxiety, agitation and insomnia. The patient was pale, fidgety and suffering from dizzy spells. After leaving the room, my mentor asked me what my thoughts were on the possible causes. I then launched into Chinese Medicine rhetoric about “deficient this” and “imbalanced that.” He listened but looked unconvinced. When I finished my rant, he immediately responded with: “The guy is masterbating too much.” Ummmm…. OK. Blank faced, I followed him back down the hall where we re-enter the room to continue speaking with his patient. My mentor asked him directly about his sexual practices and how frequently he was masterbating. The man paused, then answered honestly, “Three to four times per day.”

An important key practice of Chinese Medicine is to counsel patients on being in harmony with their lifestyle as it pertains to their health. In order to find balance, one suggestion for that poor chap was to cut back on a habit that he believed to be helpful for his anxiety. Of course, there were other contributing factors, BUT the imbalance in his sexual habits was potentially taking him further into the depths of misery (so says Chinese Medicine).

In conclusion, I believe it to be very important that we get in tune with our bodies and sexual health: whether to reproduce or otherwise. Learning about our bodies and how to best connect with others is a beautiful part of being alive.  

RELATED EVENT: If you’re interested in learning more, please join me for a talk entitled “Sex and Herbs.” See details below:

Topic: Sex and Herbs
Date: Thursday, February 16
Time: 7:00 PM-10:00 PM EST
Location:
Primary
26 Broadway, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10004

To register click here

Several experts in their respective fields–myself, a urologist, an ob/gyn–will discuss their profession’s perspective and philosophy on sexual health and practices. I’ll be touching on western and eastern herbs to boost virility, sexual function and desire.

If you can’t make it then, please reach out to us for notes. I’m more than happy to share.

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TIP: Make friends with an herb called “Maca” if you have a low sex drive.

Maca Root (lepidium meyenii) is a member of the cruciferous family, like broccoli and cabbage. It’s considered one of the world’s natural “super foods.” Maca is grown in the high altitude mountains of South America, mainly in regions of Peru. Benefits include increased fertility in both men and women, hormone balance, and improved sexual function.