Beauty

Answer: Although most people experience happiness when they receive a lot of love, there is a very good reason, because you feel a breakdown. Sperm contains a lot of zinc, and a man loses about 3 mg of zinc with each ejaculation. Thus, you can easily deplete your stores of this important nutrient. Depression is just one symptom of zinc deficiency; the other is impotence, something that you are rightly concerned about.

If you have established a definite connection between the abundance of sex and your condition, increase your intake of zinc-rich foods: oysters, meat, nuts, eggs, and whole grains. Also take a multivitamin supplement that contains at least 15 mg of zinc.

Question: I have heard about supplements that can stimulate libido. Which ones are better?

Answer: There are several natural substances that can increase your sex drive, and all of them are designed to make your time in bed (and maybe any time) more attractive to you. B vitamins are essential for the production of testosterone, and testosterone deficiency causes a decrease in sexual activity in both men and women. Testosterone is also essential for adrenal support, energy production, and healthy nerves. So you should take a multivitamin or B complex. Herbs that can be used are ginseng, mupra puama, maca, and damiana. If taking damiana alone, try 400 to 800 mg twice a day. Ginseng is widely known as a sexual restorer, and animal studies have shown that ginseng can double testosterone levels, which helps the body adjust to stress and increase energy. You need about 1g per day of ginseng (usually containing 10% ginsenosides) or Siberian ginseng (usually containing up to 1% eleutherosides). Mupra puama, native to the Brazilian Amazon, is traditionally used to relieve menstrual cramps and the discomfort of menopause — that is, tones the female genitals. Try 1 g per day. Maca grows in the central highlands of Peru, where it is used in traditional Andean culture to arouse a healthy passion. Try 3 to 5 grams of crushed plant. The amounts shown are for one drug, but you can try two at the same time, it can last all night!

Q: I rarely have an orgasm. What can you offer?

Answer: You are not alone. One US survey found that one in three women rarely had orgasms in sex. Aside from the technique (there are now many books that explain how to maximize arousal), there are some biochemical disturbances that can lower your chances of having an orgasm.

If you have a hormonal imbalance, resulting in a decrease in testosterone, it may be difficult to achieve orgasm. Testosterone is made from progesterone, and many women have low levels of this hormone. A nutritionist can measure progesterone and testosterone levels from saliva and advise you on what to do. Studies have shown that giving testosterone to women increases their sexual performance — with increased sexual desire, fantasy and responsiveness and reduces the pain of sex resulting from lack of arousal and lubrication. I suspect that our ever-increasing exposure to estrogen-like compounds found in pesticides, certain plastics, household utensils, cleaning products, industrial pollutants, and drugs may mess with the normal hormone production and hormonal balance that contributes to a healthy reproductive system. When men are exposed to high amounts of this so-called xenoestrogen, they may develop feminine characteristics, such as breast growth. At the same time, these substances affect sexual activity and other, especially male, properties — for example, muscular strength and development.

Question: When I work hard or I am under stress, my sexual activity decreases. Why is this happening?

Answer: Stress is by far the main cause of decreased libido. The body needs stress to cope with daily challenges, but if the stress is prolonged or severe, many aspects of health can be negatively affected, including hormonal balance. Testosterone is a steroid hormone derived from cholesterol. Another important steroid hormone is cortisol, which is released as part of the body’s response to stress. Both testosterone and cortisol are made from progesterone. During times of stress, progesterone can produce more cortisol than testosterone to help you cope with stress, and this can reduce testosterone levels and therefore sexual activity. While in more severe cases testosterone treatment (only by prescription) may help, it does not address the underlying cause of the deficiency.

Real advice: You need to get out of stress, get some free time and give yourself a sexual break.

Question: Are oysters really an aphrodisiac?

Answer: One oyster contains approximately 15mg of zinc — so you’re certainly energizing yourself by eating half a dozen for lunch. Why? The mineral zinc is essential for healthy sperm and healthy growth of the baby. Not only is zinc important for maintaining male strength, it is also essential for women’s health. The study found that zinc-deficient men had low testosterone levels, low sexual activity, and low sperm counts. So, assuming the average man only takes 7.6mg of zinc per day, a plate of oysters is probably a very good idea before a romantic evening.

Question: Is it bad to have sex too often?

Answer: From a nutritional point of view, it is bad for a man to have too much sex, because it usually ends up with a deficiency of zinc, which is excreted along with other nutrients through the ejaculation of the seed. Sperm is incredibly rich in nutrients and, in a way, too many ejaculations take them away from you. Of course, as long as you’re replacing zinc and other beneficial minerals, vitamins, and essential fats, there shouldn’t be any problem.

Interestingly, long-term zinc deficiency results in growth problems and poor vision. So grandma’s tales of masturbation may turn out to be true, after all! In the 18th century it was said that masturbation could make you mentally ill. Zinc deficiency can cause depression, so if you feel down during the day after a lot of sex, now you know why. There is another notion of sexual exhaustion associated with your life energy, known as «chi» or «ki» in East Asian traditions. Since you expect a lot of «chi» to be in semen, it is lost during orgasm. It is possible that women may also experience a loss of vitality in this way.

But let’s not forget the huge positive side: sex is a good way to feel connected and fantastically relaxed. You will only have to control how you feel the next day — whether you feel tired or excited. My verdict is everything in moderation, including moderation.

Source: Adapted from 500 Health and Nutrition Questions and Answers

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