Sex Is The Most Powerful Medicine
Up the dose on this natural super drug through times of crisis
Staying healthy is at the top of everyone’s list right now, for obvious reasons. Personally, I’ve stocked up on all the good stuff, from vitamin C and zink to Cistus tea, CBD oil, and Amla powder. I have bags of oranges and lemons, fresh ginger and dried Thyme, Oregano oil and home-brewed fire tonic. My crew and I are covered!
Still, my foremost medicine of all is not just free and abundant but is created, in part, by myself. My best remedy for everything is touch—and, yes, sex!
Right now we should limit the touching to a select few.
I recently published an article advocating hunkering down, either alone or with our partner(s), in order to flatten the curve. Slowing down the spreading of this pesky pandemic is only one reason why lots of sex (in isolation) is a great idea right now:
Sex is your best health tonic.
No other activity has had a more profound effect on my mental and physical health and well being over the last few years than sex. Not only has it helped me reclaim my personal power and heal the wounds of my past, it keeps me sane and healthy on a regular basis; it both calms me down and lifts me up:
When anxiety wraps its cold claws around my chest and I struggle to breathe, nothing opens me up and allows fresh oxygen to flood my lungs like a long, sweaty bout in bed.
Few things soothe my nerves like being wrapped in, or pinned down by, a pair of strong arms.
Forget about using a headache as an excuse not to have sex. Use sex as your cure for the headache. It works!
The ingredients that make sex so good for you.
Depending on your activity level, sex strengthens our cardiovascular systems and tones our bodies, it boosts our moods, clears our heads and releases tension.
Sex also causes the logic, judging and reasoning part of our brains (the lateral orbitofrontal cortex) to become less active. This means that our fears and worries get to go on a much-needed vacation in order to make room for arousal and pleasure.
Concertedly, our bodies release a delicious melange of natural substances:
Oxytocin—the cuddle hormone.
Also labeled the love hormone, oxytocin has been proven to strengthen social bonds, between romantic partners, but also between parents and children, and friends as well.
All kinds of intimate touch can cause its release into the bloodstream, but nipple stimulation is especially effective! Its secretion increases levels of empathy and works as a natural drug to reduce stress, anxiety and even depression—all of which we’re definitely going to need through the coming weeks.
Dopamine—the natural high.
Speaking of the need to disassociate, this neurotransmitter activates the reward center of the brain and is the same chemical responsible for the highs we get from certain drugs. So, leave the artificial and added substances behind and have orgasms instead.
Sexual climax causes the release of a dopamine surge, and while it doesn’t feel exactly like the highs we get from taking drugs, it involves the same brain regions.
Exercise along with certain foods, like chocolate, also encourages dopamine release. More sleep, sunshine, meditation, creative exploration and listening to music are other natural ways to produce more of it. All of the above are highly recommended—all the time—but especially while in quarantine.
Endorphins—the immune booster.
This natural stress-reliever associated with ‘runner’s high’ is another neurotransmitter released during sex and orgasm. A mood-booster, it enhances self-esteem and intimacy between partners.
Endorphins and has been found to stimulate the immune system cells that fight disease by increasing our levels of Immunoglobulin-A, an antibody that helps to protect us from infections.
Adrenaline—the thrill pill.
Along with dopamine, adrenaline is the reason why some people literally get ‘hooked on sex’. While lots of it released over long periods of time can be harmful, the quick surge of adrenaline during sex, resulting in increased heart rate, contracted blood vessels and dilated air passages, provides a thrilling rush.
If you’re worried that self-isolation will get dull, find ways to spice things up in the bedroom and create your own thrills!
Sure, most of you probably didn’t need more reasons to have sex as often as possible, but, I’ll keep repeating myself: Now is not the time to let our sex drives falter under loads of stress and worries.
Named a natural painkiller, the ultimate happy pill, and the most effective sleeping aid, sex is your personal super drug. So, skip that extra trip to the grocery store; stop stripping the pharmacy isles and start self-medicating.
To your health!
Sources | Science Alert, Health Line, Atlas Blog, Chatelain, Health.com, Medical News Today.
