Volume
2, Issue 10, October 2003
Letter From the Editor
Welcome to the October 2003
issue of smart.sex.talk. It's been
a busy month for us here, but we are excited to see the fruits
of our labours unfolding. As I mentioned last month, we are
looking to add features to this newsletter, and to the site.
Please feel free to contact me, at editor@smartsextalk.com,
or Dr. Ren, at sexdoc@smartsextalk.com,
and let us know what you want to see.
~ Editor
Upcoming Appearances
Dr Ren will be offering a presentation on courtship, From
Hello to Good Morning, at the Love That Works
Conference in Seattle, Washington, on Saturday, October 18th.
The conference runs for three days, Oct 17, 18, and 19th.
It promises to be packed with practical and entertaining information
about many forms of human relationships, from monogamy to
polyamory and beyond.
Details about the conference can be found at http://www.lovethatworks.org/conference.html
Hot Topic: Masturbation Protects
Against Prostate Cancer
For the
past few centuries, masturbation has had a bad reputation,
first as sin and later as sickness. Even since the sexual
revolution of the 1960s, solo sex has been viewed as
somehow ‘less’ than partnered sex. It is
the butt of bad jokes and rarely discussed as a serious
subject. |
A new Australian study is putting this traditionalist
stance on its head. Now we know that masturbation
is not only universally practiced, but it is scientifically
linked with improved health for men throughout their
lives. No longer can informed mothers chastise their
sons for playing with themselves, threatening consequences
of bodily ruination. Masturbation actually seems to
help prevent one of the most serious threats to male
health, prostate cancer.
Boys and men have always masturbated, and will continue
to do so. What is newsworthy about this research is
that we now can validate that the practice promotes
physiological as well as psychological health. Surely
in all but the most conservative pockets this news
will free males to enjoy the pleasure they find in
masturbation as well as in partnered sex.
|
A
snippet from the headlines states that:
“The Cancer Council Victoria in Australia has
just announced the results of a study into the relationship
between prostate cancer and ejaculation in men. Published
in the British Journal of Urology International, the
results of the study show there is evidence that the
more frequently men ejaculate between the ages of 20
and 50, the less likely they are to develop prostate
cancer. The research suggests that the protective effect
of ejaculation is greatest when men in their twenties
ejaculated on average seven or more times a week. This
group were one-third less likely to develop aggressive
prostate cancer when compared with men who ejaculated
less than three times a week at this age.”
|
| To read this article in it's entirety,
click here. |
| No longer must masturbation
be seen as a second class activity. And with the lifting
of censorship around self pleasuring will hopefully arrive
the acceptance of physical pleasure in many realms. Regular
readers will not be surprised to hear me lament our culture’s
fear of pleasure. How often do we see people (mostly women)
cover their mouths when they laugh, as if to hide from
view the ‘slip’ of humour? We shy away from
‘too much’ fun, fearful we will ‘lose
control,’ regardless the source of the pleasure.
Add our nervousness about things sexual and the stakes
get outrageously high. |
It is not coincidental that
the treatment for premature ejaculation, a major sexual
concern for many men, is based upon masturbatory exercises
that focus not on the denial of pleasure (if that method
worked, there would be no premature ejaculators, for they
all try that before seeking the help of sex therapists),
but on the recognition of and sensitivity to that very
pleasure path. If this study (more will surely follow)
helps to encourage parents to educate their sons about
the nature and benefits of regular masturbation, adult
men will suffer far less with the consequences of rushed
self-pleasuring. Of course, their future partners will
benefit as well.
This study reinforces what many of us have long suspected:
that pleasure, even (or perhaps even especially) sexual
pleasure, is good for us, not bad for us. |
Recommended Readings
I've recently discovered a columnist in the
UK, Zoe Williams, whose writing style, and thinking pattern,
enchant me. I recommend the following links as food for thought
for all of you. You may not agree with everything this talented
writer has to say, but you'll enjoy the time it takes you
to read her views. Enjoy!
Click here
to read her article, "Gays Win The Numbers Game",
and here
for "Just Say No To Abstinence".
Humour
Quote of the Month
"Porn has at least six different
'functions': identification, 'dream', sexual stimulation,
entertainment, (psychological) relief, and 'education' (Ed
note: maybe we now have to add "health" after that
masturbation/prostate study). It seems to be quite difficult
to find out why an individual consumes porn since his main
interest in it changes not only over his life time but also
while watching."
~ Jakob Pastoetter, 2003
|
