If you thought sex was simply an adjunct to a good life, like the olive in the martini, think again. Sex is one of the five pillars to living in prime health and being on top of your game. It’s at the very center, right next to your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual pillars. 

Sex is salubrious. Sex supports optimal sleep, reduces stress, improves cognitive performance, is good for the heart, promotes deeper intimacy in relationships, and overall uplifts your mood. Here are some reasons to do it regularly and consciously. 

Sex reduces stress: Stress hormones shut down sexual activity – our ancestors didn’t need to be focused on arousal while they were running from big scary predators. These same stress hormones are activated from the overwhelming demands of daily life, from crying infants to Austin traffic.

Freud and Jung described libido as “the free, creative and psychic gifts we have to give to the world.” Our libido is the marker of health and one’s ability to create in the world. It’s something to take seriously; it’s something to preserve and cherish. Stress kills libido but sex is the remedy. Having sex lowers the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline and also provides a rush of endorphins throughout the body.

Sex is an all-purpose health tonic: Research from Wilkes University found that folks who had sex once or twice a week had a 30 percent increase in the antibody immunoglobulin IgA which measures the strength of the immune system. Sex lowers blood pressure and is a gentle form of exercise burning around 3.6 calories a minute depending on the level of robust activity.

There’s even some research out there stating that frequent sex may significantly lower the risk of prostate cancer. We all know that deep restorative sleep is essential for the body to repair itself. Research also has shown that sex before bed supports a good night’s sleep. The love hormone, oxytocin, acts as a sedative. The American Journal of Cardiology published a study involving men in their 50s, suggesting that men who have sex at least twice per week have a 45 percent reduced risk of heart disease compared with men who have sex less frequently. Women who have sex regularly have higher levels of estrogen, which supports their heart health.

Sex is anti-aging: A study in Scotland found that people who engaged in sex at least three times a week maintained a more youthful appearance. I’m a firm believer in having a fluid bonded partner to receive all the nutritional value of sex. A healthy man’s ejaculate is a potent skin rejuvenator and makes a powerful antioxidant mask. I have been using sperm facials as part of my anti-aging regimen for years and swear by them. The compound spermine reduces acne and wrinkles and promotes an overall glowing smooth complexion leaving your skin tighter and brighter.

Don’t stop taking your multivitamin, but ingesting semen is also good for you! Semen contains mood boosting hormones and compounds. Additionally, women who don’t use condoms report less issues with depression. Semen contains Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) which increases cognition and is a potent antidepressant. Along with tons of antioxidants that combat stress, semen also contains proteins with antimicrobial properties to fight viruses, fungi and bacteria, and act as anti-inflammatories.

Don’t worry fellows, going down on your lady has positive benefits for you too. Sex has a beautiful energetic exchange between lovers. The vaginal fluids are full of the probiotic Lactobacillus and protein, but the real benefits are that your lover is providing you with the yin to replenish your yang. A well-known Taoist concept is that man absorbs yin energy during lovemaking by pleasing a woman which replenishes his life force. You gain a lot of energy through her orgasm. Don’t waste it, relish in every moment. Likewise, the ladies take in nourishing yang energy through fellacio which replenishes their life force. Just one more reason to love oral sex!

Sex is a natural pain reliever: Got cramps? Have an orgasm. The happiness hormone, oxytocin, and a flood of feel good endorphins are released from the brain during arousal. Endorphins are considered our natural pain-killing hormones and soothe the nervous system. “According to a study by Beverly Whipple, professor emeritus at Rutgers University and a famed sexologist and author, when women have an orgasm, pain tolerance threshold and pain detection threshold increases significantly, by up to 74.6 percent and 106.7 percent respectively.” Furthermore, researchers found in a 2013 German study that having sex can lead to partial and even total relief from migraines and cluster headaches. 

Sex boosts self–esteem and increases intimacy: Sex has long been famed as the glue that keeps couples together and for good reason. According to Taoist philosophy men and women need one another to heal and balance each other’s essence. Those delightful bonding hormones that are released during arousal and orgasm strengthen trust and connection between partners. Studies have shown that couples that hold hands, kiss and cuddle have sex more frequently.

Morning in the Taoist tradition is an optimal time for sex. Why not start the day with loving connection to yourself or your partner and a burst of endorphins to fuel your creativity? Better than a cup of coffee!

If you are not sexually active your verve and creativity is impacted. All those hormones I’ve discussed lie dormant and your lust for life will slowly diminish. It’s imperative to take personal responsibility to awaken and reclaim your erotic pleasure.

Sex and spirituality go hand in hand: Why do you think everyone screams “Oh my God,” during orgasm? It’s an enlightening experience, where for a spell, all mundane thoughts fade and we are complete. Tomes have been written about the 5000-year-old art of Tantra and how to have enlightened sex. Sex supports and stimulates the pituitary and pineal glands. In esoteric traditions the pineal gland is considered our spiritual center. It’s said that the pineal gland can awaken us to see the true light of creation when activated, and when fully developed is the compass to guide the spirit home to its place of origin.

The pituitary gland is the master of all glands governing intelligence, thought and memory, several body functions, growth and metabolism. The clitoris is directly connected to the pituitary gland. Incorporating breast massage into sex will also stimulate the endocrine system activating the pineal, pituitary, and thymus glands to secrete hormones.

Sex is the secret: The transmutation of sexual energy is the basis of all physical, psychological and spiritual transformation. This tremendous key is hidden at the heart of all the sacred Eastern traditions including the internal alchemy of qigong and meditation practices. And it’s been right under our American noses for years. In 1937, American author, Napoleon Hill published Think and Grow Rich one of the best-selling self-help books of all time and he devotes an entire chapter to sex!

Have goals? Big dreams? Sex is your number one manifestation hack. Did you know that you can use your sexual energy to create your best life? We have literally at our fingertips, access to the strongest drive on the planet. We can transmute our sexual energy into manifesting our desires by aligning this super power to our emotions while employing the power of creative imagination and clear intentions. Where your mind goes energy flows.

Sex is either regenerative or degenerative: When it comes to sex the cake is sliced differently for men and women. Women benefit from frequent orgasms and are considered the wellspring in Taoist philosophy, so ladies are encouraged to come and come and come again!

Guys, think of your semen as the elixir of life. Preserving your man nectar makes you smarter and stronger. Testosterone has been dropping in men at the rate of 1 percent a year for the last thirty years. Sex sans the ejaculation increases testosterone by 72 percent. The Standard American Ejaculation habit is debilitating to your wellbeing and diminishes your drive in all aspects of life. There are lots of factors at play in the 21st century. For starters, we are experiencing an epidemic of internet porn addiction born out of a history of puritanical sexual repression. Many men are ejaculating 1-3 times a day, twice as much as they were 50 years ago. 

The brain responds to porn much like it does cocaine. The excessive dopamine dump becomes addictive over time and requires more and more stimulation for arousal. Dopamine is a big factor in governing libido. Instead of flipping open the laptop, get your dopamine fix the good old-fashioned way with novelty, or new experiences. If you have a partner in crime explore new venues, positions, and elicit playfulness through role-play or wrestling. If you’re eating the same flavor ice cream every day you gotta throw a little chocolate sauce on it every once in a while. 

Porn and excessive ejaculation combined with poor diet and nutrition, EMF pollution, and a highly estrogenized environment is causing a plethora of sexual dysfunction in men. There are several formulas, but a simple ejaculation equation for a man in good health is to take your age, minus 7 and divide by 4. So a 40-year-old man would ejaculate every 8 days. The average man who’s been ejaculating daily since adolescence doesn’t really have a clue as to what his energy would be like if he was to abstain for a week. Masturbation habits get wired in at an early age. If you are spilling your seed daily at least be aware that you are leaking your life force energy and that your body isn’t replenishing the vital nutrients lost after each ejaculation. 

High-level entrepreneurs, athletes and performance coaches are all dialed into the secret, that curbing one’s ejaculation, while remaining sexually active is crucial to a man’s health, vitality and optimum power. This becomes even more crucial as a man gets older. And when you do masturbate guys, pay equal attention to the head and the shaft instead of stimulating the same area over and over again. 

Sex is healing: The Taoist sages of old prescribed sexual positions to overcome illness and for preventive measures. Take an opportunity to up the bar and make sex not only a priority but an art form. It’s an essential key to health and happiness with a potential for so much more.

Keep it sexy. Make it sacred.

Love,   

Bella LaVey 

Fetish Girl: A memoir of Sex, Domination and Motherhood