SEX BOOST: VIBRATORS

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According to September issue of Prevention Magazine, the Pelvic and Sexual Health Institute says 53% of women and 45% of men use a vibrator for sexual stimulation.

Using a vibrator can generate greater desire, arousal, lubrication and frequency of orgasm.

The article also highlights Zestra, a botanical oil applied topically that increases blood flow and creates a warm, tingling sensation.  Prevention Magazine claims that women using the oil climax more quickly and have more intense orgasms. 

More information on Zestra is available on their official website:  http://www.zestra.com/  

S&M: WHAT IS A SAFE WORD?

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A “safe word” is a word or a signal that consenting S&M (sadomasochistic and masochistic) partners use to keep their activity comfortably safe.  S&M interests are those that include being humiliated, whipped, bound, beaten, etc, in order to get pleasure from experiencing pain. 

It is usually a word (not associated with sex) such as “pineapple,” used to signal the partner that they want to immediately halt their sexual activity.   An agreement is made prior to engaging in the activity that if either person wants to stop all they have to do is say their safe word or give a signal previously agreed upon.

Sometimes the words “green,” “yellow,” and “red” are used within the BDSM community to indicate “go,” “caution,” and “stop.”

For anyone wanting to experiment in this area, it is imperative that you do not use a stranger (especially someone you meet over the internet).  There are individuals pretending to be interested in S&M solely for dangerous ulterior motives, like robbery, rape, or murder.

SEX TOY SHOPPING FOR WOMEN

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It is true that many women are often appalled when they think about going into their local sex shops.

First, we have to overcome our early training that women should not be seen in those kinds of places.  It’s embarrassing, nerve wracking, and scary.  Then, when (and if) you can overcome your initial fears and do go in, you notice there are mostly (if not all) men in the store, including the clerk.

It doesn’t help that you feel that all eyes are on you as you look through the items for the right style, size, shape, color and purpose.

Well, since I’ve heard these tales of woe so often from women, I’d like to pass along the name of a company that I’ve referred women to for years.  They used to have a catalog but apparently now operate solely online.  The company is run by women, for women. 

It’s called Good Vibrations: http://www.goodvibes.com

They have everything needed to bring the most pleasure to your sex life including toys, lubricants, books, videos, and more.  And yes, your items are shipped in plain brown, discrete wrapping. 

Enjoy!

BEST SEX – FEMALE ORGASM

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According to sex therapist, Dr. Weston in WebMD the Magazine, about 25% of women have never had an orgasm – either with a partner or during masturbation.

It is possible to learn to be orgasmic.

Dr. Weston says the first and most important lesson is to practice developing a balance of tension and relaxation during sexual activity. But, how can they be both tense and relaxed at the same time? Here is her two-part answer:

Part 1:

The type of tension that helps women reach orgasm is muscle tension. The majority of women learn to have their first orgasm by incorporating a fair amount of leg, abdominal, and buttock tension.

Women report that the most orgasm-inducing muscle contractions are in their lower pelvis. These are the same muscles you squeeze to stop the flow of urine midstream.

What is the connection between tensing muscle groups and having an orgasm? Arousal. Contracting (or tensing) certain muscles increases blood flow throughout the body and often to the genital area. And arousal, of course, is the road map that helps lead most women to orgasm.

Part 2:

So, where’s the relaxation part of this equation? In the brain. During sex, a woman should be focused simply on feeling the sensations of the stimulation.

Have a hard time relaxing? Dr. Weston’s suggestions is to think of a Times Square billboard in which words stream into view from the left-hand side to the right edge, and then disappear off the screen. During sex, many women find it helpful to program their own Times Square news crawl with a repetitive mantra such as “I can take as long as I want” or “This really feels great” on their mental silent radio. It keeps the brain occupied — but with a thought that will encourage sexual arousal rather than with a nervous, negative thought that might decrease arousal.

For homework, during sex, tense up your muscles and let your mind go silent. This technique takes practice, but it can work over time.

Therapy can help some women having difficulty with orgasm. For others, a medical condition or side effects from a medication may be causing the problem.

BOOTY CALL SEXUAL STUDY

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The University of West Florida recently conducted a study on “booty calls” involving 300 students, published in July’s Journal of Sex Research.

A “booty call” is a slang term for “a late night summons — often made via telephone — to arrange sexual liaisons on an ad hoc basis.”  Most college students today have at least a passing familiarity with the term, but few researchers have investigated what makes up these relationships.

This study finds that booty-call relationships are marked by less emotion than long-term partnerships but more sexual variety than one-night stands.  Booty calls mix the sexual and the emotional, but are distinct from either one-night stands or committed relationships.  

The students in this study took online surveys asking them how many times they had done certain acts during their booty call relationships. Some of these acts, like vaginal intercourse or oral sex, were sexual in nature. Others, like hand-holding or kissing, were emotional.

The team found that overall, emotional acts were less common in booty-call relationships compared with serious long-term relationships. On the other hand, sex acts were more common in booty-call relationships than in one-night stands, probably because the reoccurring nature of booty calls means more time for trying new things.

Emotional acts like kissing and hand-holding function as foreplay and act to escalate the relationship, in a very quick fashion, to sex.

Research suggests that booty-call relationships often end when one partner pushes the other for something more committed than casual sex. Avoiding conversation and leaving right after sex can prevent those emotional bonds from forming.

A STUDY IN SEXUAL CONDITIONING

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In the April-June 2010 journal of Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity, a study conducted by Sandra S. Stroebel from the Department of School Psychology Marshall University centered around boys inserting objects into their rectum or urethras during masturbation before age 18 and the effect this had on their sexual habits later in life. 

The study used data provided by 841 men using an anonymous computerized survey.  The study found that the boys who engaged in this kind of activity prior to 18 years old were approximately 15% more likely to insert objects into their rectums and/or urethras into adulthood.  It also increased the likelihood of them wanting to use objects in relation to their partner’s genitals and/or anus.

These results are not surprising since we know that many habits as well as likes/dislikes (including sexual ones) can have their roots in childhood.

STDS INCREASING IN SENIORS

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, men over 40 with STD’s are up almost 50 percent since 1996.

Younger adults have far more STDs than seniors, but the rates are growing at far higher rates in older adults.

Older adults appear to ignore safe sex practices. 50-year-olds are six times less likely to use a condom than men in their 20s.

The most commonly found STD was HIV, followed by chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea.

The risk of contracting an STD is more than twice as high in men taking erectile dysfunction drugs compared with those who didn’t.

Men older than 40 years remain sexually active, even if they need chemical assistance to do so. Sex after age 40 years is not necessarily safe sex.

Advice?  Realize that you are at higher risk for STDs, and try to be careful like you used to be 30 years ago.

WORKING WOMEN

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The amount of hours a woman works does not predict whether or not she will want to have sex. 

That’s what a study by DeLamater and Hyde said a decade or so ago.  They found that whether or not a woman was at home, worked 20 hours or less, 40 hours, or even 60 hours a week, work had a negligible effect on how much sex they had. 

They said the real culprit to low sexual desire was fatigue, and whether or not the woman liked her job. 

This was reprinted recently in the news but I feel the article can leave the wrong impression.

Fatigue is the number one cause of low sexual desire in women.  But to say that no matter how many hours of work you’ve done you’ll still want to have sex as long as you like your job just doesn’t make practical sense.

Long job hours and fatigue are so closely interwoven; I don’t think they can truly be separated.



WHAT IS PREMATURE EJACULATION?

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It is when a man ejaculates with minimum sexual stimulation before or shortly after penetration.  It happens before the man wants it to.  In order to have this diagnosis, it must happen persistently in his life.

There are, however, times that premature ejaculation is expected and normal.  Some of these times are:  when a man has not had sex in a while; when he starts to have intercourse with a new person; when the sexual position, location, time, etc. is new; when there is distress in the relationship.

Premature ejaculation is the easiest male sexual problem to treat.  Treatments are successful, relatively fast, and easy to do.  Men are usually very relieved to find this out and wish they had sought treatment earlier.

A good book on the subject is P.E.: How to Overcome Premature Ejaculation by Helen Singer Kaplan, available online and at bookstores locally.  However remember that treatment books can only give a general description of the problem and its treatment and is not tailored to each individual.

Premature ejaculation is the third most frequent problem men seek to fix in sex therapy.



NASW HONORS GAY PRIDE MONTH

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The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) honors Gay Pride Month in June and its support of full equality under law for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people around the world!

According to NASW President James Kelly, “human rights are universal, regardless of sexual orientation.  Criminal penalties against individuals based on their sexual orientation violate basic human rights, demeans human dignity, and undermines efforts to limit the spread of HIV.”

NASW lends its support to court cases of national importance involving same sex couples.

Examples are:

  • Legalizing same sex marriages in D.C.
  • Legalizing same sex couples ability to legally adopt in N.C.
  • Extension of hospital visitation rights to same-sex partners.  Hospitals are no longer able to deny hospital visitation on basis of race, color, religion, or sexual orientation.
  • Changes in military protocol of opening an inquiry of a service member’s sexual orientation based on overheard statements or hear say.



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