A night of unbridled passion is part of the pleasure principle of good health. Making love doesn't just lower stress and burn calories, it also battles illness. A study by Carl Charnetski, Phd., co-author of "Feeling Good is Good for You" found that subjects who had sex once or twice a week had 30 percent higher levels of immunoglobulin A (a substance that helps battle infections such as cold and stomach bugs) than their less lucky counterparts.
Ditch the old "I've got a headache," excuse. During arousal and orgasm, the body produces neuropeptides - chemical with significant pain-blocking properties. How good is the big O as a pain reliever? Women who achieved orgasm increased their pain tolerance by 75 percent in a study run by Beverly Whipple, Ph.D., president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality.
In a 10-year study, men who had frequent orgasms had a 50 percent lower death rate than guys who kept their pants zipped.
Maybe it's their smug smiles, but people who have sex look more youthful. Scottish researcher David Weeks, Ph. D., ha 3,500 subjects report on their sexual activity, then asked a six judge panel to guess their ages. Subjects who had plenty of sex looked seven to 10 years younger than their actual age.
Frequent sex floods your sexual machinery with much needed oxygen-rich blood. "If you're sexually active now," says Irwin Goldstein, M. D., director of the Institute for Sexual Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, " you're protecting your ability to stay that way later.
So do your homework -- there will be a test.
Love from Dr. Feelgood [ www.AARP.com ]
