Health & Fitness

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March 2008
Let’s Talk about Sex
BN’s very own Health & Fitness Editor gives you the facts on sex health and fitness
By Jasmin Guleria
Download Link HereWith all the books, web sites, and darling talk show hosts giving us tips on how to keep it hot, tasty, fresh, and healthy in the bedroom, it’s a fair assumption that some of us might be overwhelmed! Here are some simple must-do’s that only a fitness-savvy foodie fashionista could appreciate.

Fuel Up Dear Foodies:
nterestingly enough, the foods that are bad for your regular diet are bad for your sexual appetite as well! Avoid excessive sugar, salt, saturated fat, coffee, tobacco, and highly processed foods. This junk is linked to frigidity, difficulty reaching an orgasm and even, horrors of horrors, a lack of interest in sex!

To keep you at your peak sexual performance, ditch the burger at lunch and opt for a salad filled with grilled Alaskan Salmon, tomatoes, avocados, zucchini, and cauliflower. End your meal with a tangy-sweet orange. The veggies will keep your blood sugar level stable and thus happy and healthy for sex, while a citrus fruit such as the orange will do wonders for your sexual appetite! Also, salmon is a huge factor for sex because it is full of Essential Fatty Acids, which are crucial for the production of female sex hormones. You can also get your EFA’s from flaxseeds, fish oils, and primrose.

Aside from their inner sexual appetite, women are often curious about what to eat to make them taste and smell better in the nether regions. According to popular belief, the sweet and sugary pineapple is the #1 fruit that will keep your significant other eager to head south. But don’t take our word on it ladies, on your next date-night skip the after-dinner chocolate soufflé, pick up a bowl of this tropical delight, and see where the night takes you. Now that’s one dessert I could get used to!

Finally, just like our everyday health, taking vitamins is crucial for optimal sex health and enjoyment. 30 minutes before sex, pop in Vitamins E and B to help you get to the ever-coveted Big O.

Fitness-Mavens Rejoice:
Just like any other body part, your pelvic muscles need conditioning and strengthening exercises as well. Kegel Exercises will not only intensify and increase the number of your orgasms, but they also help get your PC muscles (the muscles around your pelvic bone) ready for birthing and help the uber painful process pass a bit more easily.

To find your PC muscles just remember the last time you had to wait to pee and clenched to hold it in. Those clenched muscles are your PC muscles, and clenching them is a kegel! Easy enough, no? Start off slow by seeing how many Kegels you can do before your muscles start to feel tired. Just like any other muscle, keep working on your endurance by increasing reps and sets. Experts say that if you can work up to 3 sets of 30 strong squeezes four times a week, you’re golden.

Sexuality, Sex and health

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Great sex, it's no secret
It's all about changing our ideas about sexuality and starting to feel empowered.
BY Donna Duggan | Jun 04, 2008Download Link Here
Sexuality is simply the way you experience and express yourself as a sexual being.

According to Jacqueline Hellyer, for centuries many women have been struggling with their sexuality: “We’ve had the Madonna/whore mentality for so long – where you should be one or the other – that it’s really left women feeling confused.”

To get a better understanding of Hellyer’s work, I attend her “Luscious Woman” full-day, women-only workshop. The event offers the opportunity to “unleash the awesome power of your female sexuality”, which sounds new age and confronting, but I’m willing to keep an open mind.

At 8.30am I line up for registration with the other women who have chosen to part with $400 for the workshop. I’m surprised by how gorgeous they are. Surely they have nothing to unleash?

The 14 women range in age from mid-20s to mid-50s.

“Helping people get in touch with their sexuality and seeing it in a really positive way is my main focus,” Hellyer says, as she eases us into the day. “Many of the sexual problems that women in modern society have stem from the fact that we have a very narrow view of what sex is all about, and it’s not a particularly good view.

“Sex is an intrinsic part of our being. It’s as natural as eating food. However, society tries to compartmentalise the experience, to judge it as good or bad. It’s left a lot of people confused. No one really knows what they should or shouldn’t be doing.

Additionally, there’s not a lot of good information out there about how to optimise your sexual experience. My goal is to give people that information so they can experience sex as something that is life-enhancing and very, very enjoyable.”

Our first topic is a history lesson. “Prior to the patrilineal civilisation we live in today,” Hellyer says, “women were more empowered and free in how they expressed themselves sexually. When man set out to conquer the world and establish a more male-dominated religion, things changed. It’s now up to us to swing the pendulum back a bit and reclaim that sense of empowerment we once felt about our bodies and our sexuality.”

Next, we move on to biology, real biology. We see diagrams of how female arousal mechanically works and how large the clitoris actually is. Through illustrations we see that penis size really doesn’t matter; it’s how a man uses it.

WHAT’S “NORMAL”?

“The challenge for me is the way sex is viewed by society,” Hellyer says. “Because of that view, people may avoid my type of work because they expect it to be about sex toys and Tantric sex techniques. Or they think they couldn’t possibly do something like that because they don’t feel good about sex or because it’s too confronting.”

Sexual Health, for gays

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Sexual Health
The information below addresses specific information about STDs/STIs (sexually transmitted diseases, sexually transmitted infections) other than HIV and syphilis that frequently affect gay men in Palm Springs. Some of the links include graphic images of potential symptoms and should be viewed with caution.Download Link Here

If you feel that you or someone you know my have been infected with any of the conditions detailed on this page, click here for testing sites.

Chlamydia
Chlamydia, which is caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis, targets the cells of the mucous membranes including the surfaces of the urethra, as well as the anus or rectum. Chlamydia sometimes even affects the mouth or throat.

How it's spread:
Chlamydia is easily transmitted through semen, pre-seminal fluid and vaginal secretions during unprotected anal or oral sex with an infected person. It can also be transmitted by touching an infected area with your own genitals, anus or by sharing sex toys contaminated with infected fluids. Someone with no symptoms can still transmit it. Chlamydia is not transmitted through such casual contact as hugging, shaking hands, sharing food, using the same eating utensils, drinking from the same glass, sitting on public toilets, or touching door knobs.

Symptoms may include:

1. Discharge from the genitals, which may be yellow or white, watery or thick (see picture);
2. Need to urinate (pee) more often;
3. Thick yellow or white drip from the genitals
4. Burning or pain when you urinate (pee) or have a bowel movement;
5. Some may not experience any symptoms.

Treatment for Chlamydia:
A healthcare provider may prescribe a single-dose antibiotic, such as azithromycin (Zithromax), ta ken as a pill. On the other hand, the healthcare provider may choose an antibiotic, such as doxycycline (Atridox, Bio-Tab), to be ta ken as a pill twice a day for a week. Up to 95% of people will be cured after one course of antibiotics.

Prevention
Abstinence is the only 100% effective way of preventing Chlamydia, however if you choose to engage in sexual activities and are unsure if you or your partner is possibly infected, consistent and correct use of condoms can effectively help reduce the risk of transmission.
Genital Herpes (HSV)
Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) is a recurrent skin condition characterized by sores on the mouth or genitals. HSV-1 commonly causes “cold sores” or “fever blisters” on the mouth or face. HSV-2 is a closely related virus that is a much more serious infection causing painful sores on the genitals which can also be spread to the mouth or throat.

How it's spread:
HSV is primarily transmitted, both sexually and non-sexually, by direct contact with an active sore: mouth to genitals, genitals to genitals, mouth to anus or genitals to anus. It can also be transmitted when there are no active sores present as small amounts of the virus “sheds” onto the skin surface even when there is no active, visible sore. HSV is not transmitted through such casual contact as hugging, shaking hands, sharing food, using the same eating utensils, drinking from the same glass, sitting on public toilets, or touching door knobs.

Symptoms may include:

1. Small, painful blisters on the sex organs (see picture) or mouth (see picture);
2. Itching or burning before the blisters appear;
3. Blisters generally last 1-3 weeks. When they do go away, HSV is still present in the body. The blisters may reoccur in the same area with varying frequency;
4. An outbreak may be preceded by flu-like feelings.

Treatment for Genital Herpes:
There are medications available to treat genital herpes infections, preventing or reducing the frequency or recurrent outbreaks. However, herpes cannot be "cured." The decision to use one treatment over another for genital herpes depends on many factors that must be discussed with your healthcare provider. During an outbreak, keep the infected area as clean and dry as possible as this will help the natural healing processes. Some healthcare providers recommend warm showers in order to cleanse the infected area. Afterwards, towel dry gently, or dry the area with a hair dryer on a low or cool setting. To prevent chaffing, some people also find it helpful to avoid tight-fitting undergarments. Finally, a healthy immune system is important in controlling outbreaks of the virus. Don't ignore the need for proper nutrition, exercise, and rest.

Prevention
There is no inoculation for herpes so abstinence is the only 100% effective way of preventing HSV infection. However, if you chose to engage in sexual activities and are unsure if you or your partner is possibly infected, consistent and correct use of latex barriers (condoms) can help reduce the risk of transmission. However, only areas covered by condoms, dams or gloves are protected from infection.