Food is Your Pharmacy

A healthy lifestyle has the greatest impact on a man’s sexual ability and enjoyment. Every man can develop his sexual potential to its utmost no matter what his age!

Problems that contribute to a man's sexual dysfunction:

• Stress: All central nervous system responses are impaired by stress, including those of the brain and endocrine glands––the very same glands involved in Stages I and II of a man's sexual process. Long-term stress can hopelessly interfere with a man's ability to achieve full sexual satisfaction or to even become aroused at all! Prolonged recreational drug use lowers libido and stresses adrenal glands, creating lower energy levels. Stress also affects sperm production and motility. Body stressors, like heavy metal or radiation exposure, damage sperm as well.

--Lower your stress levels with herbs like ginseng and regular exercise. Exercise is critically important for a man's sexuality. Find something physical you enjoy. Then, DO IT THREE TIMES A WEEK!

• Poor nutrition: High fat meals suppress testosterone, depress libido, and make erection and ejaculation more difficult. See my sexuality boosting diet. http://healthyhealing.com /SEX-Men-LibidoDiet.html

• Environmental estrogens: Environmental estrogens enter the body through pesticides and hormonally enhanced meat and dairy foods. Eat organic meats, produce and dairy products as much as possible to reduce the load of environmental estrogens on your system.

• Smoking: Smoking interferes with your body's use of zinc. Smoking just two cigarettes a day also constricts blood vessels, impairing circulation and the ability to achieve erection. Chewing tobacco is just as bad.

• Too much alcohol: Alcohol consumption (in excess of two beers a day, two glasses of wine, or one mixed drink) can significantly increase prolactin, which leads to prostate and breast enlargement in men.

--Drink wine in moderation. For most men, that means 2-3 glasses at mealtime, 2-3 times a week.

• Obesity: Did you know fat in a man's pubic region actually decreases the available length of his penis? That's right! Most of the penis lies rooted within the abdominal fat, with only a small stub protruding. Losing 35 pounds of excess weight can translate to an extra inch of penis! Excess fat also blocks your arteries and ruins your ability to become erect. If you are overweight, work to lose that excess body fat!

• Low zinc: Zinc is perhaps the most important single nutrient for a man's sexuality. It is crucial for the production of sperm and seminal fluid. Clinical studies show that men who supplement zinc experience a dramatic increase in testosterone levels. Zinc also reduces the pituitary's formation of prolactin, a hormone that stops testosterone production.

--Have a zinc-rich meal every day––food from the sea. Fish and seafoods also provide essential fatty acids to protect your heart and improve circulation. Or have 2 handfuls of pumpkin or sunflower seeds or nuts; or a cup of peas or beans. If you like liver, it's rich in zinc. If you like toasted wheat germ, sprinkle a tablespoonful on your cereal, salad or a soup for more zinc.

• Drug reactions: Doctors rarely mention the many ways drugs interfere with sex. They worry (and rightly so) that men will be reluctant to take a drug they know could interfere with this basic human drive. So, sexual side effects are hardly ever discussed when drugs are prescribed. Besides lowering libido, drugs can cause drowsiness, lethargy, confusion, depression and weight gain. Some drugs have a direct impact on brain chemistry. Neurotransmitters, the brain's chemical messengers, are critical to sexual interest, performance and enjoyment. A wide range of medications––like antidepressants and high blood pressure medications––disrupt neurotransmitters, interfering with a man's ability to achieve erection or reach orgasm. The result is extreme frustration!

--If you are currently using medications that rob you of your sex life, find a good holistic physician and work out the lifestyle problems you have. In many cases, you may not need to resign yourself to a life without sex. If you think sex-robbing drugs don't apply to you, take a look at the long list of current drugs that do just that .

• Lack of exercise: Exercise reduces tension, depression and anxiety. It increases self esteem, positive attitude, the capacity for joy, mental acuity, aerobic capacity, energy, and libido. Even a brief aerobic workout can point your mood towards lovemaking and encourage more intense orgasms. Most men have no idea how closely regular exercise is linked to their sexual performance. During exercise, the body produces endorphins - the "feel-good" chemicals that increase arousal and orgasm intensity. This sexy effect reportedly lasts 1 hour or more after just 10 minutes of activity. In one new study, 78 healthy but sedentary men were studied during nine months of regular exercise. The men exercised for 60 minutes a day, three days a week. Every man in the study reported significantly enhanced sexuality, including increased frequency, performance and satisfaction.

• Cardiovascular disease: Great sex for men depends on clear arteries. Most men know being overweight increases risk of heart disease, but cardiovascular disease will destroy a man's sex life long before it kills him. Reason: When blood vessels are blocked, a man can't get the proper engorgement needed to achieve an erection.

--Reversing atherosclerosis means better blood flow and that translates to better erections and more sensitivity to touch. Those nerve endings that bring you so much pleasure during sex depend on good blood flow to be fully sensitized. Circulating blood disperses hormones, which regulate sexual function and response. And, of course, your heart has to be strong for the physical activity of lovemaking.

• Change your diet. Avoid fatty fried foods and red meat. Eat more vegetables and salads. Again, exercise, exercise, exercise!

• Sexually transmitted diseases: These leave scarring, which obstructs the path of semen through the penis. If the diseases occur in the testes, infertility results. Your best protection: Always practice safe sex. Bodywork therapy can help, too.

Learning to control your pubococcyggeus (PC) muscle can enhance a man's pleasure while prolonging and intensifying his orgasms. The PC muscle normally contracts upon ejaculation. By learning to contract this muscle at will, a man can hold off and ultimately intensify his orgasm. Located on the pelvic floor between the anus and the scrotum, the PC muscle can be identified this way: When urinating, stop the flow midstream. The contraction that makes this possible is the PC muscle.

Once you are familiar with this feeling of contraction, practice it often to gain control. Make the PC exercise a part of your day. Try it in the car at stoplights, or each time the phone rings. Begin with 10 to 15 contractions per day. Contraction and relaxation should last about four seconds each.

SECRET: A prolonged PC contraction can be used just prior to ejaculation to avoid orgasm and maintain erection and intensify orgasm. Your partner will be very appreciative!

A big plus: The PC exercise can also help reduce an enlarged prostate. Don't forget ... avoid clothing and tiny bicycle seats that holds your testes too close to your body. (Body heat hampers sperm production.) Avoid electric blankets, hot tubs and saunas because of too much heat.

Some sexuality enhancing herbs and how they can help you:

Yohimbe is a good example of how an herb can help enhance sexual experience. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, drives men's libido. Yet, its levels decline as men grow older. Yohimbe increases libido and also improves blood flow to the erectile tissues. (It has actually been approved by the FDA for treatment of erectile dysfunction.) Best of all, users report that overall sexual pleasure increases––including more intense orgasms! I suggest using yohimbe in combination with other herbs that augment its therapeutic benefits. Yohimbine (an activity compound of yohimbe) alone can be overstimulating and even cause anxiety attacks, increased heart rate or aggravate high blood pressure. Yohimbine should be avoided by those with heart problems or diabetes.

Potency Wood is a powerful aphrodisiac herb of South America. It is used for low libido and erectile dysfunction. A recent clinical study in the U.S. validated its safety and efficacy in improving both libido and the ability to achieve erection.

Ginkgo Biloba extract is one of the most popular medications in Europe. It has been clinically tested for increasing blood flow to the penis - 30% more than Viagra® in some cases. This makes ginkgo extremely beneficial for the treatment of erection problems.

Saw Palmetto Berries tonify the male reproductive system. It’s active components inhibit enlargement of the prostate, which makes erection more difficult.
Panax Ginseng enhances sexuality for both men and women. It helps regulate the functions of the organs and glands, strengthens the immune and nervous systems, and normalizes blood sugar. It also alleviates some of the physical damage done by stress and raises energy levels. Many think of ginseng as an aphrodisiac because it seems to strengthen sexual desire and helps the body handle stress––a clear libido killer. What ginseng really does is help normalize and balance your body, so your own sexuality shines through.

Ginseng won't make a man into a superman ... but these herb formulas are clearly helpful for male sexual regeneration. Japanese studies show ginseng increases the weight of the seminal vesicles, the prostate gland, and boosts sperm count. Ginseng is the only herb that tests positively for plant testosterone so far. A wild Manchurian variety found in China has a particularly stimulating effect on the endocrine system, increasing testosterone levels. This effect was compared to men who received testosterone injections - and the ginseng users showed more rejuvenation! My own research shows that a combination of ginsengs and other synergistic herbs is far more effective than any one ginseng when addressing male sexual problems. In fact, high quality ginseng compounds can be a man's best friend. Here's why: A ginseng compound addresses a broader spectrum of needs, affecting more body systems with regenerative and rebuilding activity. A compound acts as an all-over body tonic to help you deal with stress. Ginseng combinations offer more long lasting improvement through gland nourishment, balance, and support. Continued use of a strong concentrated Panax ginseng may not be advisable over a long period of time, a combination formula may be taken for several months for strengthening and restoration.

Herbs are powerful potentiators for sex, especially for men. Herbs are strong enough to benefit the male system without the unwanted side effects of drugs. They act quickly, but the effects are also cumulative in the body to build a strong nutritional foundation for sexual health. Herbs have been associated with love potions for thousands of years. The right combinations of herbs can even help overcome difficulty achieving erection, restore hormonal balance for a more vigorous sex life, and combat problems with prostate health.

Remember herbs are concentrated foods - whole essences with the ability to address both the symptoms and the causes of a problem. As nourishment, herbs offer the body nutrients it doesn't always receive, either from a poor diet or environmental deficiencies in the soil and air. As medicines, herbs act as body balancers that work with body functions so that the body can regulate and even heal itself! Indeed, herbs are at their best when they normalize body processes.

Next time: Fitness Can Enhance Sex For Women

©2003 Traditional Wisdom, Inc.
http://healthyhealing.com/index.html

The products, services and advice contained in this article are intended solely for informational and educational purposes and not as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional if you have questions about your medical health.

Mar/Apr 2003

GETTING FIT ENHANCES SEX

For Men & Women - Part 1

See Linda's Recipes at the end of article.

by Linda Page, N.D., Ph.D.

RICE LAYERS