Quotes Bibliography for 11/22 Women & Cancer/Sexuality Seminar

Great online articles:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer-treatment/SA00071

http://cancerresources.mednet.ucla.edu/5_info/5c_archive_lec/1995/sexuality.htm

http://www.sexualhealth.com/article.php?Action=read&article_id=76&channel=5&topic=48

http://www.cancervic.org.au/cancer1/patients/sexuality/problems_men_women.htm (particularly good re positions, also re pelvic floor exercises -- for which ben-wa balls are the "bar bell" of Kegels . . . e.g., they give more muscle control in a shorter period of time, a la using a bar bell when doing bicep curls.)

This is my personal favorite, introducing the concept of VENIS (Very Erotic Non-Invasive Sex):
http://www.newshe.com/articles/sexcancer.shtml

General quotes:
1. Gynecologist Dr Dudley Chapman states that orgasms boost infection-fighting cells up to 20% in women. Psychologists at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania found that students who had regular sexual activity had a third higher levels of immunoglobulin A, an antibody that boosts the immune system and can help fight colds and flu.

2. Alfred Kinsey's well known Reports stated that sex reduces stress, and people who have fulfilling sex lives are less anxious, less violent, and less hostile. In the 1970s, a Duke University study found that the frequency of sexual intercourse for men was associated with lower death rates, and that the enjoyment of sexual intercourse by women was associated with a longer life. (See also, December 1997 British Medical Journal, "Sex and Death: Are They Related?")

3. Dr Winnifred Cutler, a specialist in behavioral endocrinology, reports that women who enjoy regular weekly sex have significantly higher levels of estrogen in their blood than women experiencing either infrequent sex or no sex at all. The benefits of estrogen include a healthy cardiovascular system, lower bad cholesterol, higher good cholesterol, more bone density, and supple skin. There is also growing evidence that estrogen is beneficial to brain functioning.

4. Another important hormone that seems to be affected by sexual activity is DHEA. Right before orgasm, the level of the hormone DHEA in the body spikes to several times higher than normal. DHEA is believed to improve brain function, balance the immune system, help maintain and repair tissue, promote healthy skin, and possibly improve cardiovascular health.

5. Both testosterone and estrogen levels increase through regular sexual activity. Testosterone can help strengthen bones and muscles, and is also beneficial to a healthy heart. For women, the health benefits of estrogen include keeping vaginal tissues suppler and protecting against osteoporosis and heart disease.

6. A study from the South Illinois School of Medicine found that having an orgasm can help with migraines. Working with 52 migraine sufferers, 16 reported considerable relief after an orgasm and another 8 reported that their migraines were completely gone.

7. Other studies show that orgasm can help treat other types of pain. In research by Beverly Whipple and Barry Komisaruk at Rutgers University, women found that they had a higher pain threshold through regular orgasms, which helped with conditions ranging from whiplash to arthritis.

8. Regular orgasms can even help you look younger. According to research done by David Weeks, a clinical neuropsychologist at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, making love three times a week in a stress-free relationship can make you look 10 years younger. (Of course, who has a stress-free relationship, I ask you?)

9. A study headed by Gordon Gallup, a psychologist at the State University of New York, found that semen might reduce depression in women. According to this study, mood-altering hormones in semen are absorbed through the vagina, and are beneficial to women as anti-depressants.

Hey now...I report it like I read it...

:-)