Alternative Healing

Pressures on women are enormous and women's lifestyles are energy-sapping. Over 80% of women visiting their doctors today put chronic tiredness at the top of the list of their health problems. This is definitely interfering with women's love life and sexuality.

What is sexual chemistry? How does it work for women?

Sexual chemistry is for real! For women, the entire sexual process begins in her brain, often described as a woman's largest sexual organ.

The hypothalamus gland, deep in the brain, acts as a switchboard––managing her incoming sensory perceptions of sight, smell, and touch. Hormones are released by her glands in response to those senses.

The nervous system sends blood to her pelvic area, causing tissues to become warmer and more sensitive. The adrenals release adrenaline; her heart beats faster. As her pulse races, she breathes deeper to take in more oxygen. Her sexual fluids begin to secrete. The brain responds by releasing endorphins and she feels even more pleasure. All of a woman's senses are players in the lovemaking game. And it can all happen in an instant!

Although the entire experience of making love is pleasurable, the climax of the sexual experience is orgasm - a state of intense pleasure. Her muscles contract rhythmically around and in her vagina and uterus. Her heart rate quickens; her breathing deepens. If you're a woman who's out of shape, here is another reason to tone up: The orgasmic experience can be even more intense if you have good muscle tone and circulation!

The final phase of a woman's sexual response is a dreamy state of relaxation that allows her to cool down. She might feel drowsy and drift off in a relaxed sleep. But some women are energized and feel they could conquer the world.

The entire sexual experience is orchestrated by sophisticated conversations that take place between her brain, senses, nerves, glands, blood vessels and sexual organs. Imagine the positive impact vibrant health could have on this process!

Do you want to boost your sexual response? Here are some important ideas to think about. Have you experienced...

- an unexplained decrease in your desire for sex?

- a change in frequency of sex due to a loss of initiative from either of you?

- a failure to reach orgasm with a partner?

- less intense orgasms, taking longer to reach?

- a loss of vaginal lubrication? Does sex hurt?

- hot flashes or other signs of estrogen deficiency, like unexplained torso thickening?

- being too tired for love? unusual stress or emotional anxiety?

- chronically cold hands and feet?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, my Healthy Healing Sex for Women program may be worth reading.

Sexually Related Problems For Women
Certain elements in our daily lives can lead to lack of sexual desire, inability to achieve orgasm and affect our overall health.

• Stress - All nerve responses are impaired by stress, including those of the brain and endocrine glands. Stress can hopelessly interfere with a woman's ability to become aroused or achieve full sexual satisfaction. Something as simple as soft music or even just some quiet time with her lover can turn a woman's thoughts to love. For stress reduction techniques, see my book Stress & Energy.

• Lack of proper sleep - Fatigue keeps glands from functioning optimally and dulls arousal, desire and satisfaction during sex. Get 8 hours of sleep, nightly. Try Deep Sleep by Herbs, Etc., a natural herbal remedy that encourages deep sleep without morning sleepiness.

• Environmental toxins - We're plagued with additives, preservatives, dyes and artificial flavorings in our food chlorine and fluoride in our drinking water, even pesticides on our fresh produce! They create nutrient deficiencies–– especially the minerals and trace elements needed for sexual health. Eat organic foods. Stay away from red meat. Eat poultry that is hormone and antibiotic-free. Drink pure water.

• Tobacco - Smoking damages blood vessels, which provide the increased blood flow needed for arousal. We lose nutrients important for strong sexual function. Women who quit smoking find their frequency of intercourse increases.

• Caffeine - Caffeine stresses the adrenal glands, which provide material for hormones. Caffeine actually decreases testosterone, killing libido. It increases muscle tension, making it hard to relax. If you decide to quit coffee, try green tea, instead. Yogi Green Tea Super Antioxidant is a good (free radical protection, too!)

• Alcohol - Alcohol impairs sexual response by dulling the senses. A glass of red wine can help one relax, and it's loaded with flavonoids that improve circulation. But a glass or two should be the limit if you are romantically inclined.

A woman's diet is critical to her sexual readiness, her libido and her sexual responsiveness. A good, gland-boosting, hormone-balancing diet accentuates the positive––whole grains rather than white flour, and organic fresh fruits and vegetables. Examples of vegetables that provide nutrients for more sexual vitality include asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, carrots, peas, and yams. Add tropical fruits, avocado, mango, papaya, citrus fruits, bananas, apples, pears, plums, peaches and nectarines. And by all means, have strawberries dipped in chocolate on those special occasions!

Have on hand several packages of assorted dried sea vegetables, like sea palm crunchies, nori, wakame, dulse or kombu. Snip 2 TBS. per day of sea veggies over your rice, salad, any soup, or even a healthy, vegetarian pizza.

A good herbal combination can help overcome certain aspects of sexual dysfunction. Difficulty achieving orgasm, menstrual and menopausal discomforts, and low libido can be addressed with herbs. Herbs can be formulated with amazing specificity to work like precision instruments in the body with quick results.

Reason: Herbs are concentrated foods - whole essences with the ability to address both the symptoms and the causes of a problem. As nourishment, herbs provide nutrients the body does not always receive, either from a poor diet or environmental deficiencies in the soil and air. As medicines, herbs act essentially as body balancers that work with body functions. This way, the body can regulate and even heal itself.

Here are some herbs that can help women's sexual problems:

• Dong Quai is an estrogen-balancing herb for women. Estrogenic herbs and foods have the same effect on a woman's body as her own hormones do––but without negative side effects of synthetic estrogen. The estrogenic effect of Crystal Star's Love Female Caps (with dong quai) alleviates many menopausal problems associated with the decline of estrogen, especially hot flashes and vaginal atrophy, during and after menopause. Women not yet in full-fledged menopause but experiencing estrogen fluctuations during their peri-menopausal period also get good results with estrogenic herbs. That's because coumarins––naturally occurring substances in dong quai––exert tonifying action on the uterus as well as boost circulation.

• Black Cohosh combats the effects of fluctuating hormones. An antispasmodic, it relieves menstrual cramps, menopausal hot flashes and uterine contractions.

• Chaste Tree Berry has a normalizing effect on the sex drive. It stimulates production of the hormone progesterone and balances estrogen dominance. Chaste tree berry helps overcome depression associated with the menstrual cycle, headaches, premenstrual acne, breast tenderness, cramps and bloating.

• False Unicorn is a uterine tonic that relieves congestion. It has been traditionally included in aphrodisiac formulas for women.

• Panax Ginseng has estrogen like effects on the female reproductive tissues and prevents vaginal atrophy. It is especially good over the long term, because it helps the body secrete moisture.

• Ashwagandha is an Ayurvedic herb with ginseng like activity. Often called a woman's ginseng, ashwagandha is a gentle energizer - not as intensely heating as Panax ginseng.

Normal sexual function requires healthy organs and healthy glands to produce the necessary sex hormones. Great sex depends on good health. Most of a woman's barriers to having great sex are physical––stemming from an unhealthy lifestyle, poor nutrition, stress and burnout, or the side effects of prescription drugs. Even if her sexual challenges stem from emotional issues, good nutrition and healing herbs can make a tremendous positive impact.

Check out the "Romantic Weekend Kit for Men & Women" at www.healthyhealing.com

Find all of Dr. Page's books and products recommended in her programs at:
www.healthyhealing.com
©2003 Traditional Wisdom, Inc.

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.

May/June 2003

GETTING FIT ENHANCES SEX

For Men & Women - Part II

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

RICE LAYERS