Sexual Health Research for Men & Women
When most people think of sexual enhancements, they most likely think of the well-known drug Viagra®. But that's where the problem lies. It's a drug that was originally invented for heart patients. That is serious. Almost every FDA approved drug comes with a long list of potentially dangerous side effects. There is however alternatives to these sexual enhancing drugs. Natural supplements are the answer. There are many different types of supplements from herbs to pro-hormones. These supplements can help sexual performance, improve libido, longevity, and health. The following is the latest research regarding general overall sexual health.
The first step to sexual health is having overall good health. They go hand in hand. So many problems arise from a poor diet. Alcohol, fats, and sugars are the main culprits for lowering ones sexual health. Alcohol abuse affects the liver. The liver has many metabolic functions. Not only does it process nutrients, but also helps keep hormonal balance.
Hormones must rise, lower, and balance. This must be done to achieve certain metabolic and sexual functions. Most of these hormones are controlled by the pituitary gland that is located in the hypothalamus. Balancing hormones is the most important key process that needs to be achieved in order to stay in good health. Some people would probably argue that diet and exercise is the most important concept for good health. Granted that is true, the goal for diet and exercise is to keep hormonal balance.
Having a good diet is important because the effect that food has on our body is very strong. So strong in fact, that we should view food as a drug. Food can throw off our hormone levels very quickly. For example, when sugar is ingested it triggers the hormone insulin. Keep in mind that eating bread has a greater effect of raising blood sugar and insulin than does sugar. If this rise in insulin goes up to high and happens repeatedly, it will open the doorway to diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
The biggest hormone that is affected by these diseases is the hormone DHEA otherwise know as dehydroepiandrosterone. This is the most abundant free roaming hormone in your body and is on the same hormonal pathways to convert to the sex hormones, mostly testosterone. DHEA is affected by diet and body composition. When you don’t care for your health these levels can decline.
Physiologically men and women are the same with a few anatomical differences. The hormones that are produced in both sexes are the same. The difference is the amount of estrogen and testosterone there is in the body. There are different supplements that can increase these two hormones with virtually no side effects and are now being able to rival the leading drugs.
Most sexual supplements, besides pro-hormones, are made mostly of herbs, vitamins and amino acids. Vitamins and amino acids are useful for both men and women, but when it comes to herbs, there are different ones recommended for the different sexes. The primary herbs that are found in men’s formulas are Tribulus terrestris and Yohimbe. To learn more about the individual herbs go the ingredients page of this web site.
For women there are quite a few herbs and plant based supplements to improve sexual health. Black cohosh is used to help boost estrogen levels which in turn is supposed to inhibit menopause symptoms such as sweats and hot flashes.
One of the bigger and more popular plant based supplement for women is the soy isoflavone. Soy is made from phytoestogens that are plant sterol. This will boost estrogen levels greatly. It is known that 100 grams of soy protein has the estrogen equivalent of one birth control pill.
Another big part of sexual supplements has been the amino acid L-arginine. Arginine is a precursor to a free radical gas called Nitric Oxide. NO is known to increase blood flow by increasing the gas in the blood stream. The clitoris is like the penis in that it will fill with blood. Increasing blood flow may increase sensation and intensify orgasm.
As mentioned earlier, having a good diet is important to good sexual health. There fore a good multivitamin should be included in a persons every day regimen. With the types of food people eat, they miss many nutrients. Vitamins and minerals help enzymes reactions, whether it has to do with digestion or hormone metabolism. They also help cleanse organs such as the liver, and kidneys that help with balancing of hormones.
The two most powerful pro-hormone supplements are DHEA and Pregnenalone. They are produced by your body and are on a chain of hormones that end up as testosterone or estrogen. They both are key to the prevention of major disease such as cancer, heat disease, diabetes and esteoporosis. When adults reach around 40 years old, their body is producing about half the amount of these two hormones compared to when they were twenty. This is the main reason aging occurs and signs of disease begins to creep up. Diet is a large factor involving the longevity of these hormones. If diet is sub-par it can considerably drop these hormones prematurely and risk for disease will increase. These pro-hormones have been labeled the fountain of youth supplements because of the healing affect they can have on your body. Pregnenalone is only recommended for women because of its option to convert to estrogen. Men would rather increase testosterone so DHEA would be a better choice because it is farther along the hormone chain and is less likely to convert to estrogen.
Sexual health is much more than popping a drug and getting the desired effects. If you are taking a drug, that means there are other things in your body that are not functioning properly. It is much safer and beneficial if you try to maintain or remedy a sexual function naturally. That means concentrate on the overall health benefits that can be achieved through a healthy diet, exercise program and a few needed supplements. Since most doctors will not recommend supplements, all that is needed is a little time and research to find out what will make you sexually healthy.