FOOD, EXERCISE, HERBS & SEX
Anna Scott, MD
Has the oversexed new age man become a myth?
We are living in a sexually charged era. Researchers say we think about sex
hundreds of times daily. Over fifty percent of marriages end in divorce.
And of those that stay together, over half are unhappy, continuing to live
together because of parents, children, money, convenience or religious/
cultural beliefs. These unfortunate relationships lead to the ever-
increasing rates of wife beating, extra-marital affairs, child abuse and
the latest, penis cutting. In other words, 80% of relationships are
dysfunctional, meaning that statistically, by your seventh or eight marriage
you may have found the right person.
Is it preposterous to think that the person who is the ideal match
for your personal growth and development today, will also be the right
partner for you ten or twenty years from now? What is going on? What's all
the confusion?
Many otherwise satisfactory relationships end because of sexual
incompatibility, while many bad relationships stay together because the love
-making is so satisfying.
And when it comes to love-making, most Americans have no idea what
they're doing. If you disagree, simply take a look at the number of books
being written on the subject.
Witness the development of sex therapists, phone sex and computer
sex as well as the proliferation of sex pages in the back of newspapers.
Margo Anand, author of The Art of Sexual Ecstasy, writes that there
are three ingredients that create good sex: deep breathing, making sounds
and finding the right touch. I'd like to add a fourth element: food
exercise & herbs.
Like any other bodily function, our sexual appetites can be stimulated or
suppressed by diet. For instance, regular consumption of dairy foods like
yogurt, cheese and milk is a sure-fire way to dampen the flames of passion.
Other foods that cool sexual energy include cold drinks, ice cream, excess
sweets and fruit, foods like avocados, nuts and coconuts; nightshades like
potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and tobacco.
In Oriental medicine, the kidney, bladder and sexual functions are related.
You can assess your own sexual fitness, and that of your current lover, by
looking at the area under your eyes, which reveals the strength of your
kidneys. Bags or black circles are a sign of problems. Yellow in the whites
of the eyes, and brown dots in the lower half of the iris, often indicate
stagnation in the sexual organs. Strong, healthy hair shows sexual vitality
also while, split ends come from too much yin, usually in the form of sugar,
chocolate and fruit.
With all the information available today on improving our sex lives,
you'd think everyone would be sexual dynamo. But there seems to be just
one key group who's taking full advantage of this information: women.
Women make up the budding majority of the new age, personal (and pleasurable
) growth movement. And in the process of getting to know themselves, they
have rediscovered their sexuality and they're not afraid to express it.
Looking around at the token few men in their workshops, seminars, or new age
stores, these women are beginning to wonder, "Who took the strength out of
sensitive men?"
To be an equal match for these women who seem to be at a continuous sexual
peak, men could eat more consciously, because diet plays a large part in
sexual vitality.
For the skeptical, scientific type, who say there is no relationship between
food and sexual performance, The Journal of Clinical Nutrition (June 1994),
reports that men who get less than the recommended daily intake of zinc do
not produce as much testosterone. The Journal of Urology recently showed
that lack of lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL)--the "good" cholesterol, can be
"an accurate predictor of erection trouble."
Strict vegan or vegetarian diets cultivate feminine characteristics--good
for awhile, and definitely lead to longer love-making. So, to get energy
down to the base chakra, vegetarian men need a healthy dose of yang.
For starters this means cooking the majority of your vegetable dishes, and
increasing consumption of root vegetables like garlic, burdock and jimenjo
(available in Japanese grocery stores),which have strong downward energy to
activate physical and sexual vitality.
Other helpful foods for many new age men include sea vegetables, soba noodle
s, seitan and beans, that have been properly cooked several hours, especially
black soy beans and aduki beans.
Men who already possess a well-developed sense of machismo, yang, but
ejaculate too quickly could reduce or eliminate animal foods, especially
eggs and dramatically increase whole grains, beans and vegetables,
especially greens, which increase our abilities to experience subtle
energies and touch.
Eating home cooked meals made with ingredients that are organically grown
and appropriate to our climate may lead to better quality relationships with
ourselves, our family, friends and our planet. Hopefully, we are the bridge
generation to a healthier way of relating.
Here's a quick and easy recipe that takes only minutes to prepare and
promises to get your sexual energy moving.
CARROT GINGER SOUP
5-6 organic carrots, cut into chunks
1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon fresh grated garlic (optional)
Bring vegetables, salt and enough spring water to cover vegetables to a
boil. The cover pot. Simmer for 25 minutes until tender. Purie or mash,
adding cooking water and extra stock to achieve desired consistency.
Squeeze out juice from grated ginger. Add at the end to taste. For a
richer flavor, start by sautiing vegetables for a few minutes.
Serves 6-8 people.
Herbs for Improving Sexual Response:
You can also increase your sexual energy through the use of herbal extracts.
In general, herbal formula act by either tonifying or stimulating your
sexual organs. The following herbal formula are most popular among Japanese
men:
1.Golden Gun Capsules: a special nutrition for man made according to
traditional prescriptions and modern medical research. Regular usage
promotes virility and potent sexuality. Effective for impotence, infirm
erection and over exhaustion.
2. Meng Nan Bien pill (Superman s precious): ultra-strength male tonic for
impotence, premature ejaculation, failure to obtain erection and low sex
drive, including fatigue, lower back pain and poor digestion. You can
obtain information about these formula from PS Health, 2333 West 13th Street
, Brooklyn, NY 11223.
Thousands of years ago, the Taoists created and elaborate system of
longevity based upon the careful cultivation of female sexual energy.
Although the full range of Taoist practices is elaborate, a simple three-
part exercise drawn from these ancient practices can be used to build sexual
awareness and strengthen the sexual organs.
First, sit in a comfortable cross-legged position, preferably on the edge
of a meditation cushion or a rolled blanket, with your knees as close to
the floor as possible and your back straight. Close your eyes and pay
attention to the flow of your breath as it enters and leaves your body.
As you inhale, expand your abdomen, and with your exhalation, allow your
abdomen to collapse. Breathe rhythmically in this manner for several minutes.
regulating your breathing calms the mind, sharpens the senses, and increases
the ability to focus the attention-all of which contribute to heightened
body awareness.
Second, when you feel relaxed, change the flow of your breathing so that as
you inhale, you draw your abdomen in towards your spine, and as you exhale,
you gently expand your abdomen. This reverse breathing, as it is called,
generates energy in the pelvic area.
The third part of this Taoist exercise strengthens the pubococcygeus muscle,
part of the musculature that supports the internal pelvic organs. Like
any other muscle, the pubococcygeus muscle lose tone if it is not exercised.
Diminished sensitivity of the vagina and lessened sexual desire is one
result of lack of muscle tone; so are urinary incontinence and a prolapsed
uterus. With regular exercise of the pubococcygeus muscle, the entire
pelvic region becomes stronger and healthier.
to strengthen this muscle, tighten the muscles of your vagina and anus as
though you are trying to close both openings, draw them up towards the
navel., and then relax. Coordinate the muscular contractions with your
breathing so that when you inhale and draw your abdomen in, you are
contracting your vagina and anus, and when you exhale, you are releasing
your abdomen and the muscles of your vagina and anus. daily practice for
20 minutes at a time will strengthen these internal muscles and build
sexual energy.
Anna Scott, MD, a contributing writer for Health International Magazine.
