Is Sex Necessary?

Alan Farnham,
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 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.

Dr. J. Francois Eid, a urologist with Weill Medical College of Cornell University and New York Presbyterian Hospital, observes that erectile dysfunction is extension of vascular system. A lethargic member may be telling you that you have diseased blood vessels elsewhere in your body. "It could be a first sign of hypertension or diabetes or increased cholesterol levels. It's a red flag that you should see your doctor." Treatment and exercise, says Dr. Eid, can have things looking up again: "Men who exercise and have a good heart and low heart rate, and who are cardio-fit, have firmer erections. There very definitely is a relationship." But is there such a thing as too much sex? The answer, in purely physiological terms, is this: If you're female, probably not. If you're male? You betcha. Dr. Claire Bailey of the University of Bristol says there is little or no risk of a woman's overdosing on sex. In fact, she says, regular sessions can not only firm a woman's tummy and buttocks but also improve her posture. Dr. George Winch Jr., an obstetrician/gynecologist in Elko, Nev., concurs. If a woman is pre-menopausal and otherwise healthy, says Dr. Winch, her having an extraordinary amount of intercourse ought not to pose a problem. "I don't think women can have too much intercourse," he says, "so long as no sexually transmitted disease is introduced and there's not an inadvertent pregnancy. Sometimes you can have a lubrication problem. If you have that, there can be vaginal excoriation--vaginal scrape." Women who abstain from sex run some risks. In postmenopausal women, these include vaginal atrophy. Dr. Winch has a middle-aged patient of whom he says: "She hasn't had intercourse in three years. Just isn't interested. The opening of her vagina is narrowing from disuse. It's a condition that can lead to dysparenia, or pain associated with intercourse. I told her, 'Look, you'd better buy a vibrator or you're going to lose function there.'" As for men, urologist Eid says it's definitely possible to get too much of a good thing, now that drugs such as Viagra and Levitra have given men far more staying power than may actually be good for them. The penis, says Eid, is wonderfully resilient. But everything has its limits. Penile tissues, if given too roistering or prolonged a pummeling, can sustain damage. In cases you'd just as soon not hear about, permanent damage. "Yes," says Dr. Eid, "It is possible for a young man who is very forceful and who likes rough sex, to damage his erectile tissue." The drugs increase rigidity; moreover, they make it possible for a man to have second and third orgasms without having to wait out intermission. "I see it in pro football players," says Eid. "They use Viagra because they're so sexually active. What they demand of their body is unreasonable. It's part of playing football: you play through the pain." This type of guy doesn't listen to his body. He takes a shot of cortisone, and keeps on going. And they have sex in similar fashion." There's a reason the penis, in its natural state, undergoes a period of flaccidity: That's when it takes a breather. The blood within it is replenished with oxygen. "During an erection," explains Eid, "very little blood flows to the penis. During thrusting, pressure can go as high as 200 mil of water. Zero blood flows into penis at that time." To absorb oxygen, the tissue must become relaxed. "If you do not allow the penis to rest, then the muscle tissue does not get enough oxygen. The individual gets prolonged erections, gets decreased oxygen to tissue, and could potentially suffer priapism." (We recommend you get a medical encyclopedia and look it up.) "The muscle becomes so engorged, it's painful. Pressure inside starts to increase. Cells start dying. More pressure and less blood flow. Eventually the muscle dies. Then there's scarring. That's why it's considered an emergency."

The Science of Gaydar

If sexual orientation is biological, are the traits that make people seem gay innate, too? The new research on everything from voice pitch to hair whorl.



EXAMPLE A: Hair Whorl (Men)
Gay men are more likely than straight men to have a counterclockwise whorl.
Photographs by Mark Mahaney



A
s a presence in the world—a body hanging from a subway strap or pressed into an elevator, a figure crossing the street—I am neither markedly masculine nor notably effeminate. Nor am I typically perceived as androgynous, not in my uniform of Diesels and boots, not even when I was younger and favored dangling earrings and bright Jack Purcells. But most people immediately read me (correctly) as gay. It takes only a glance to make my truth obvious. I know this from strangers who find gay people offensive enough to elicit a remark—catcalls from cab windows, to use a recent example—as well as from countless casual social engagements in which people easily assume my orientation, no sensitive gaydar necessary. I’m not so much out-of-the-closet as “self-evident,” to use Quentin Crisp’s phrase, although being of a younger generation, I can’t subscribe to his belief that it is a kind of disfigurement requiring lavender hair rinse.


I once placed a personal ad in which I described myself as “gay-acting/gay-appearing,” partly as a jab at my peers who prefer to be thought of as “str8” but mostly because it’s just who I am. Maybe a better way to phrase it would have been “third-sexer,” the category advanced by the gay German sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld 100 years ago. The label fell into disrepute, but lately a number of well-known researchers in the field of sexual orientation have been reviving it based on an extensive new body of research showing that most of us, whether top or bottom, butch or femme, or somewhere in between, share a kind of physical otherness that locates us in our own quadrant of the gender matrix, more like one another than not. Whatever that otherness is seems to come from somewhere deep within us. It mostly defies our efforts to disguise it. That’s what we mean by gaydar—not the skill of the viewer so much as the telltale signs most gay people project, the set of traits that make us unmistakably one.


The late psychologist and sexologist John Money famously called these the details of our “gendermaps,” which he believed are drawn primarily by life’s experience and social conditioning. Money planted some of the earliest flags in the nature-versus-nurture war by claiming that dysfunctional parents, not inborn biology, is what produced “sissy boys,” tomboys, and other gender variants. But today, the pendulum has swung just about as far in the other direction as possible. A small constellation of researchers is specifically analyzing the traits and characteristics that, though more pronounced in some than in others, not only make us gay but also make us appear gay.


At first read, their findings seem like a string of unlinked, esoteric observations. Statistically, for instance, gay men and lesbians have about a 50 percent greater chance of being left-handed or ambidextrous than straight men or women. The relative lengths of our fingers offer another hint: The index fingers of most straight men are shorter than their ring fingers, while for most women they are closer in length, or even reversed in ratio. But some researchers have noted that gay men are likely to have finger-length ratios more in line with those of straight women, and a study of self-described “butch” lesbians showed significantly masculinized ratios. The same goes for the way we hear, the way we process spatial reasoning, and even the ring of our voices. One study, involving tape-recordings of gay and straight men, found that 75 percent of gay men sounded gay to a general audience. It’s unclear what the listeners responded to, whether there is a recognized gay “accent” or vocal quality. And there is no hint as to whether this idiosyncrasy is owed to biology or cultural influences—only that it’s unmistakable. What is there in Rufus Wainwright’s “uninhibited, yearning, ugly-duckling voice,” as the Los Angeles Times wrote a few weeks ago, that we recognize as uniquely gay? Does biology account for Rosie O’Donnell’s crisp trumpet and Charles Nelson Reilly’s gnyuck-gnyuck-gnyuck?


“These are all part and parcel of the idea that being gay is different—that we are different animals to some extent,” says Simon LeVay, the British-born neuroscientist who has dedicated himself to studying these issues. “Hirschfeld was right. I support the idea that we’re a third sex—or a third sex and a fourth sex, gay men and lesbians. Today, there’s scientific documentation behind this.”


Richard Lippa, a psychologist from California State University at Fullerton, is one of the leading cataloguers of the many ways in which gay people are different. I caught up with him a few weeks ago at a booth at the Long Beach Pride Festival in Southern California, where he was researching another hypothesis—that the hair-whorl patterns on gay heads are more likely to go counterclockwise. If true, it will be one more clue to our biological uniqueness.

Source:
New York Media LLC.

She's Gotta Have It

The straight facts on sexual enhancement creams

By Toby Brener , Toby Brener, EdD, is the former women's health editor for Prevention.

By Mary Jane Minkin , Mary Jane Minkin, MD, is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist and a clinical professor at Yale University School of Medicine.
The products you're referring to go by various names such as Dream Cream, O'My, Zestra, and Excite, to mention just a few. The claim is that, when applied to the clitoral area before sexual activity, they make sex more pleasurable by enhancing arousal, increasing clitoral sensitivity, and making it easier to reach orgasm.

Having never tried one of them myself, I checked in with two sex experts: Laura Berman, PhD, director of The Berman Center in Chicago and cohost of the cable TV show Berman & Berman, and Barbara Bartlik, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City.

The active ingredient in these products varies, but most contain an amino acid called L-arginine, which is a precursor to nitric oxide, a potent dilator of blood vessels. The idea is that by increasing bloodflow to the genitals, you increase sensation and enhance lubrication, making it easier to have an orgasm. (This is similar to the way Viagra works in men.) Both experts acknowledge that there are no rigorous clinical studies to back up the claims these products make, just lots of anecdotal information.

It's not really clear what these products are doing and which ingredients are responsible. The "it's working!" phenomenon could be chalked up to the placebo effect. Nevertheless, Bartlik (who prefers creams or gels that contain L-arginine) has patients with desire, arousal, and lubrication problems who report success with them. A word of caution: L-arginine can cause a flare-up of genital herpes, so don't use it if you have this sexually transmitted disease.

Some of these products contain peppermint or menthol, which creates a tingling sensation and warmth but can also be irritating to delicate tissues.

Be sure to tell your doctor if you're planning to use one of these products, which are readily available over-the-counter. (In case the one you try turns out to be irritating, you wouldn't want to mistakenly be treated for a vaginal infection later.)

Too embarrassed? Let your doc know it's uncomfortable for you, but bring it up anyway. Another suggestion is to request to speak with a nurse practitioner or female physician in the office.

Sex Drive Makeovers

Prevention sent 4 couples to the top sex experts in the US to recharge their libidos--in a week.

By Amy Spencer , Amy Spencer has written about sex and relationships for Glamour and Maxim.
It's a cliché that hot sex always cools down, especially in the marriage bed. Unfortunately, it's often true.


"Low sexual desire is the most common sexual complaint among couples, affecting 30% of American women," says Laura Berman, PhD, founder of the Berman Center in Chicago, a clinic devoted to women's sexual issues. But that doesn't mean you have to give up on sex--or your libido. And for your health's sake, you shouldn't, because the health benefits of physical closeness are real (see "How Love Keeps You Healthy").

Cara Birrittieri, 46, and Jackson Smith, 37
Medfield, MA Married 6 years; 2 children, ages 1 1/2 and 6

The Problem "We used to have a great sex life," says Cara, a media consultant who married Jackson in 1999 and gave birth to their first child, a son, at the age of 41. But a year later, when they decided to try for their second child, infertility got in the way. Jackson's job as the chief mate on an oil exploration ship meant he was away 2 weeks a month; he wanted to come home and make love when the mood hit him.

"But romance was not my priority," says Cara, who later wrote What Every Woman Should Know About Fertility and Her Biological Clock. And Jackson knew it. "Sex had become like a circus act," he says, "and I was the dancing bear."

Says Cara: "He'd tell me sex felt like a job. Then I'd cry and tell him he didn't love me." The couple finally had a daughter, using a donated egg in 2004, but Jackson has never recovered from trying to perform on demand.

"We're emotionally distraught," says Cara. "We really want our sex life back," adds her husband.

Their "Sexpert" Laura Berman, PhD, founder of the Berman Center

Sex Rx "Cara and Jackson's fertility struggles made sex a means to an end," says Berman. "It became a source of frustration and argument." Berman also diagnosed low testosterone in Cara. "She had all the signs: low genital sensation, difficulty responding sexually, and low libido." She measured Cara's hormone levels and suggested she try hormone therapy.

So if you're among the one-third of US couples suffering from low sexual drive or desire--yours or his--read on. Prevention put the country's top sex experts to the ultimate challenge: Help four cooled-off couples rekindle their sex lives--in a week. Did they succeed? Indeed. These couples are all reporting more action in the bedroom and working on greater intimacy. See what worked for them; then, do try this at home.

Source:
prevention

The Big O in Om: Yoga for Hotter Sex

Enlightenment is great and all, but doing yoga will also pay off in a very immediate, extremely earthy way: in the sack.

In ancient times yogis practiced abstinence from sex so that all of their energy could be directed toward yoga and spiritual advancement. Makes you wonder: How could these supposedly wise guys have gotten it so wrong?

Today yoga lovers are finding that more time on the mat means more--and steamier--time spent reveling in their newly toned bodies. To take a walk on yoga's carnal side, add these sex moves to your yoga routine for overall better sex. Or just do them by themselves to turn up the heat.

Flex Time Is Sex Time
Having more flexible muscles and joints definitely helps in assuming those compromising positions. Opening your hips in particular gives you a wider range of motion in your nether regions, allowing for more direct stimulation in just the right spots. After all, one micro-movement in missionary is sometimes all it takes to ring the bell.

Sex Rx: Bound Angle In a seated position, bring the soles of your feet together, put your hands on your ankles, allow your knees to relax toward the floor, and hinge forward at the hips as far as is comfortable. Hold for 10 to 15 complete breaths (inhales and exhales).

Power Up the Pelvis
Strengthening one key muscle helps you engage and lift the pelvic floor, bringing you more sensation and control during your sex moves.

Sex Rx: Root Lock You may also hear this referred to by its Sanskrit name, Mula Bandha. Seated or standing, contract and then release the pubococcygeus muscle located between the pubic bone and the tailbone, as if you wanted to stop the flow of urine. You can even do this at your desk, say, 10 times at three workday intervals.

Sex Goddesses Go the Distance
Shake-the-headboard sex moves are hard work. "The better shape you are in, the more pleasure you have and the longer you can do it," says Kimberly Fowler, owner of Yoga and Spinning Studio in Venice, California.

Sex Rx: Yoga Pushups Start in the pushup position, arms extended. Engage your abs as you lower your body slowly toward the floor. Stop when your torso is about 2 to 3 inches away. Keeping elbows in, hold there for five breaths, then lower to the floor. Repeat three times at first and build up to five.

Charge Up the Bed Batteries
A killer day at work can leave you too beat to boogie. But a few minutes of nonstrenuous yoga when you get home can mean one less night with Netflix and one more erotic evening entwined with your sweetie.

Sex Rx: Legs Up the Wall Change into some yoga-friendly clothes. Lie on your back with one hip touching a wall. Swing your legs up and turn your body so you face the wall, legs resting against it from heels to butt, arms at your sides. Bring your awareness to your breath and focus on it for 5 minutes. This position allows more oxygen-rich blood to flow from your lower body back up to the heart and the brain, so you'll get up reenergized, refocused, and ready to rumble.

Breath of Desire
While most yoga poses help prepare you for a libidinous rendezvous, this breathing exercise can actually heighten your pleasure in flagrante.

Sex Rx: Breath of Fire While you're in the act, take rapid, forceful, and rhythmic breaths through your nose with your mouth closed. Don't worry if your partner thinks you're hyperventilating; he'll forget all about it when you reach a spine-tingling climax (and no doubt take credit for your fulfillment).

Double Your Pleasure
Practicing yoga with your man is like foreplay, says Jacquie Noelle Greaux, creator of the Better Sex Through Yoga video series. "You start to breathe together, sweat together, and move together. It gets your energy synched up." Some mat work might make him more sex-imaginative as well. "Yoga sparks creativity," Fowler says. "Women don't want bang-boom from a man, they want an explorer--and yoga invites you to explore."


Source :
www.prevention.com

The New Science of Sensational Sex

Researchers are unveiling breakthroughs that truly work for grown-up women (we promise: not a stiletto or silly gadget among them).

Courtesy of Prevention

A fulfilling sex life is one of the most important ways to stay connected to your partner and boost self-esteem. But great sex doesn't just happen on its own--and less so as you age. Your need for intimacy changes, and your body may not respond the same way it did when you were younger. Here, five common reasons that women over 40 find their libido lagging, and the scientific interventions that can get it happily humming along again.

Help Reaching Orgasm
Libido Enhancing Drugs

Reason: You Have Low Testosterone
We tend to think of testosterone as a "male" hormone. But small amounts--delicately balanced with estrogen--fuel a woman's sex drive. Unfortunately, at menopause testosterone starts to decline, which can cause desire to plummet. Hormone therapy throws off the balance even more. A blood test and your gynecologist can determine if low testosterone is to blame. Luckily, studies show that stabilizing testosterone levels can rev up arousal in postmenopausal women--and improve all areas of sexual response, from lubrication to stronger, more powerful orgasms.


How Science Can Help
Testosterone gel
Although the FDA has not yet approved a testosterone gel specifically for women, many doctors simply prescribe the male version off-label or have a compound created by a pharmacist (a female gel is in the works--see "2 Libido-Enhancing Drugs" below). And no, it won't make you grow hair on your chin or give you huge muscles. "The doses prescribed for women aren't large enough to stimulate male characteristics," says Anita Clayton, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Virginia and author of Satisfaction: Women, Sex, and the Quest for Intimacy.

Libido-boosting herbs

Certified sex researcher Beverly Whipple, PhD, professor emerita at Rutgers University and coauthor of The Science of Orgasm, recommends ArginMax for Women, a nutritional supplement containing ginseng, ginkgo, multivitamins, and minerals. Science backs her up. ArginMax increased sexual desire, including clitoral sensation and orgasm frequency, in several studies. In one, women taking the supplement daily for 4 weeks reported a 74% improvement in satisfaction with their sex lives. In another study, men taking the male version of ArginMax experienced similar results.

Birth control with benefits

"Ironically, oral contraceptives increase levels of a protein that binds with testosterone and makes it less available to get our brains thinking about sex," says Clayton. But hormonal contraceptives that are inserted into the vagina and release a minimal amount of localized hormone (such as the NuvaRing), or are administered through the skin (such as a patch) and nonhormonal methods (such as condoms or spermicides) can free up that testosterone--and your sexual desire.

Publish On : AOL Health

Recipe for better sex: What to eat to add spice

Need to spice up your sex life? All the ingredients you need may be found at your local grocery store.
Like many aspects of health, our sex drive is affected by what we put into our bodies. Certain foods affect the body in different ways. Depending on what you consume, wining and dining a date can induce more sleep than romance.
Grab some granola
Improved circulation results in greater erectile response.
go for food rich in L-Arginine, such as granola, oatmeal, peanuts, cashews, walnuts, dairy, green vegetables, root vegetables, garlic, ginseng, soybeans, chickpeas and seeds.
L-Arginine is helpful for improving sexual function in men.
For a good time, try soy
binds estrogen receptors, which helps the vaginal area remain lubricated and combats symptoms of menopause — particularly hot flashes. Studies have shown that soy is also beneficial to the prostate, a crucial male sex organ.
'Good for your heart, good for your penis'
Women have erections too: in their clitoris

The Better Sex Diet

Need to spice up your sex life? All the ingredients you need may be found at your local grocery store.

Like many aspects of health, our sex drive is affected by what we put into our bodies. Certain foods affect the body in different ways. Depending on what you consume, wining and dining a date can induce more sleep than romance. A big, fancy dinner, a bottle of wine and fine chocolates may sound sweet--but such meals are actually little more than empty calories.

To really get your blood going, consider circulation-enhancing dishes. Food that's high in Omega-3 fatty acids such as mackerel, salmon and wild salmon are best. "Omega-3 makes your nervous system function better," says Dr. Barbara Bartlik, assistant professor of psychiatry and sex therapist with the Human Sexuality Program at Weill Cornell Medical Center. "Sex is really about circuitry." Multivitamins and minerals will help, too. Both improve neurological function, which contributes to good circulation.

In Pictures: The Better Sex Diet

Improved circulation results in greater erectile response. To accomplish that, go for food rich in L-Arginine, such as granola, oatmeal, peanuts, cashews, walnuts, dairy, green vegetables, root vegetables, garlic, ginseng, soybeans, chickpeas and seeds. Studies show that L-Arginine is helpful for improving sexual function in men. There haven't been studies done on women--but remember, erectile response isn't just a guy thing. "Women have erections too: in their clitoris and the tissue surrounding the vulva," says Bartlik.

Humans have sought ways to enhance or improve their sex lives for millennia--and have never been reluctant to spend money to make themselves better lovers. The ancient Romans were said to prefer such exotic aphrodisiacs as hippo snouts and hyena eyeballs. Traditional Chinese medicine espoused the use of such rare delicacies as rhino horn. Modern lovers are no less extravagant. In 2005, for example, according to Amsterdam-based health care information company Wulters Kluwer, Americans spent just under $1.4 billion to treat male sexual dysfunction disorders alone.

Of that amount, Viagra rang up $1.2 billion in sales for Pfizer (nyse: PFE - news - people ), or 60% of the total market. Among the other drugs trying to find their way into American's bedside tables and back pockets are Levitra, which is made by Bayer (nyse: BAY - news - people ) but marketed in the U.S. by GlaxoSmithKline (nyse: GSK - news - people ) and Schering-Plough (nyse: SGP - news - people ), and Cialis, which was jointly developed by Eli Lilly (nyse: LLY - news - people )and ICOS (nasdaq: ICOS - news - people ).

Aphrodisiacs, for the most part, have been shown to be ineffective. Named for Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of sex and beauty, these include an array of herbs, foods and other "agents" that are said to awaken and heighten sexual desire. But the 5,000-year tradition of using them is based more on folklore than real science. "There is no data and no scientific evidence," says Leonore Tiefer, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine. "Product pushers are very eager to capitalize on myths," she says.

Most libido-enhancing products offer short term benefit at best, according to Dr. John Mulhall, director of the Sexual Medicine Program at New York Presbyterian and associate professor of urology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Mulhall, who also sits on the Nutraceuticals Committee of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America, says, "Every year, we review the literature on these compounds--these nutraceuticals like nitric oxide and ginseng--and there are none that have really been shown to be more than a placebo."

When it comes to sexual function, the placebo effect probably accounts for 30% of improvements in men and around 50% in women, he says. That means there are a lot of people out there who believe a pill they are taking or a food they are eating is doing a lot of good for them sexually. In reality, their mind is doing all the work.

So, besides renting The Story of O and opening a bottle of red wine, what can people do to kick-start their sex life?

One thing they can do is change their diet. Soy, for example, binds estrogen receptors, which helps the vaginal area remain lubricated and combats symptoms of menopause--particularly hot flashes. Studies have shown that soy is also beneficial to the prostate, a crucial male sex organ. However, it's important to note that women who have a history of breast cancer should not eat large amounts of soy, because the binding of estrogen receptors actually increases the risk of reoccurrence.

Foods that promote weight loss also hold libido-boosting potential. "There has been very solid research showing that obesity is a risk factor for erectile dysfunction and low testosterone," says Dr. Ridwan Shabsigh, director of the New York Center for Human Sexuality and associate professor of urology at Columbia University's medical school. "Reducing weight," he says, "results in an increase of testosterone, and thus an increase in sexual function."

"From an erection standpoint, anything that's good for your heart is good for your penis," says Dr. Mulhall. Too much saturated fat can, over time, clog arteries and, in doing so, prevent an adequate flow of blood from reaching the genital region. This not only interferes with the ability to perform, but also with sexual pleasure. Too little fat, on the other hand, is also bad.

"You need fat to produce your hormones," says Beverly Whipple, professor emerita at Rutgers University and president of the World Association for Sexology. "Cholesterol is metabolized in the liver, and you get your testosterone and estrogen, which you need for your sex drive," she says. Olive oil, salmon and nuts are optimal sources of the "good" kinds of fats--monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

According to Dr. Judith Reichman, author of I'm Not in the Mood: What Every Woman Should Known about Improving Her Libido, medical and hormonal problems are major contributors to sexual dysfunction and a low libido--but so are too much stress, relationship difficulties and psychological issues. Antidepressants, such as Prozac by GlaxoSmithKline and Paxil by Eli Lilly, can negatively affect sex drive as well.

How To Spice Up Your Sex Life

Since the dawn of time, people have looked toward elixirs and potions to improve their sex lives. Why else, after all, would one consume ground tiger penis, horny goat weed and Spanish Fly?

Perhaps because nearly one in five men in the U.S. suffer from erectile dysfunction, according to a recent study in the American Journal of Medicine. Some researchers have estimated that as many as 40% of U.S. women have low libido or inability to reach orgasm. Most quick fixes simply don't work, and some, like Spanish Fly, a supposed aphrodisiac derived from beetles that can cause kidney damage, are harmful.

But modern medicine has found ways--both proven and experimental--to improve your sex life. Might they help make this Valentine's Day more memorable?

In Pictures: Thirteen Steps To Better Sex


That’s anyone’s guess. One place to start: old-fashioned remedies, which some say work best. Regular exercise can actually improve erectile function in most men, says Andrew McCullough, a urologist at New York University Medical Center--and we're talking jogging, not the acrobatic feats found in the back of a magazine. Not particularly athletic? Therapists say that paying attention to your feelings is as important as any pill, nose spray or cream.

"Have a really wonderful role-play with your partner, have a really great dinner out or watch a romantic movie together," says Robert Dunlap, who has researched aphrodisiacs at the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco. "The greatest aphrodisiac is your mind."

Hope In A Bottle

But that's not stopping the $600 billion global pharmaceutical industry from trying to think up new sex drugs. Viagra, the little blue pill Pfizer (nyse: PFE - news - people ) launched a decade ago, brings in $1.7 billion in sales every year. Cialis, the longer-acting imitator made by Eli Lilly (nyse: LLY - news - people ), rakes in another $1 billion, with several hundred million more for Levitra, from Bayer (nyse: BAY - news - people ) and Schering-Plough (nyse: SGP - news - people ). Other remedies increase blood flow, like the penis injection Caverject, and bring in $30 million more.

A product that could improve women's sexual function might bring in even more money, if it were truly effective. So far, though, companies have been unsuccessful. Viagra failed in tests on women. Procter & Gamble (nyse: PG - news - people ) tried to push a testosterone patch for female sexual dysfunction through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but in 2004 the agency balked, citing a lack of long-term safety data.

Now the idea of using testosterone as a sex-booster for women is being pushed by Lincolnshire, Ill.-based BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc (amex: BPA - news - people ). Its LibiGel is rubbed on the upper arm daily, delivering testosterone, which is thought to increase libido, to the bloodstream over time. The company just began late-stage trials, and, after discussions with the FDA, will start a big safety trial before submitting data to regulators in 2009.

Palatin Technologies (amex: PTN - news - people ), of Cranbury, N.J., is trying to get in on the game, developing a nose spray, called bremelanotide, to treat men and women with sexual dysfunction. Applied 10 to 15 minutes prior to sex, it travels through the central nervous system to increase blood flow in the penile or vaginal tissue. The company hopes to get FDA approval for men in 2009 and women around 2011. "On the female front, we've got a chance to be first to market," says CEO Carl Spana. "People wonder how many women will come in for treatment, but my gut tells me they will come in."

What Really Works


Right now, the treatment available for women with female sexual dysfunction that has been reviewed by the FDA is a handheld vacuum that can be used with a doctor's prescription to increase blood flow to the clitoris. Called Eros Therapy, it is made by NuGyn of Minnesota. Devices such as this go through fewer hurdles than drugs; the Eros device has been tested in several dozen people, compared with hundreds for a pill such as Viagra.

Joy Davidson, a Manhattan-based certified sex therapist, worries that all this technology may cause some people to ignore important cultural factors that can cause sexual dysfunction. "There are agendas here that are not health-based, they're profit-based," she says. "If you're not looking at these elements--the emotional, psychological and cultural--then giving somebody a so-called magic pill is not going to solve the problem."

Future Fixes


Meanwhile, drug researchers keep coming up with even more out-there approaches. For instance, a gene therapy, which seeks to fix erectile function by altering the DNA of cells in the penis, then injecting them back in to the patient. It should work for six months, according to inventor Arnold Melman, the researcher at New York's Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He has co-founded a tiny biotech, Ion Channel Innovations, to develop the product, which even he doesn't expect to reach the market before 2012. No gene therapy has ever been approved.

"People always say gene therapy doesn't work, but at one point it will," says Melman. "We think this is the one."

Allison Van Dusen and Matthew Herper 02.07.07, 12:01 AM ET
Published On : Forbes.com

Sex in Cinema

Hollywood Seen as Sin City: Scandals Rock the Industry

In the early days of Hollywood shortly after the development of film-making as an industry, moralists objected to the amount of nudity, sexuality, criminality and violence portrayed in films. Censorship boards were set up in various states and controls began to be imposed, often on a voluntary basis, once moving pictures became widespread and available to mass viewing audiences (encouraged by the popularity of nickelodeons, first called "arcade peepshows"). However, the vast complexity of various local, state and national censorship laws added to the problem of enforcement, i.e. in some states an ankle couldn't be displayed, or pregnancy couldn't be mentioned.

To appease various groups worried about the powerful effects of movies on the mainstream and growing resentment of the 'get-rich' quick Hollywood mentality, the film industry made some efforts to self-censor its own production, worried that it might be shut down --- especially after two very publicized cases that made headlines:

The Arbuckle Case:

In this infamous September 1921 Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle scandal (for the rape and murder of young 27 year-old starlet Virginia Rappe in San Francisco's St. Francis Hotel), the popular silent comedian was eventually fully acquitted after three trials; the third jury stated: "Acquittal is not enough for Roscoe Arbuckle. We feel that a great injustice has been done him."

Murder of William Desmond Taylor:

Further scandal erupted over the murder of film director William Desmond Taylor, Mabel Normand's lover-millionaire, in February 1922 - he was shot to death in his LA apartment after an evening with Mabel Normand; the murder was never solved, although it appeared that Charlotte Shelby was a major suspect -- the angry mother of actress Mary Miles Minter who was seeing Taylor; the situation was further complicated by rumors that Taylor was homosexual

Sex

In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into male and female reproductive roles. Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells (called gametes) to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents. Gametes can be identical in form and function, but in many cases an asymmetry has evolved such that two types of gametes exist: male gametes are small and are optimized to transport their genetic information, while female gametes are large and carry the nutrients necessary for the development of the child organism.
An organism's sex is defined by the gametes it produces: males produce male gametes (sperm) while females produce female gametes (egg cells); organisms which produce both male and female gametes are hermaphrodites. Frequently physical differences are associated with the different sexes of an organism; these sexual dimorphisms can reflect the different reproductive pressures the sexes experience. In some cases female organisms also have the role of carrying offspring through the first part of development, a process called gestation.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia