Is masturbation good for health?

Answer 1

2003 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- It will make you go blind. It will make your palms grow hairy. Thankfully, such myths about masturbation are largely a thing of the past.

But the latest research has even better news for young men: frequent self-pleasuring could protect against the most common kind of cancer.

A team in Australia led by Graham Giles of the Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne asked 1079 men with prostate cancer to fill in a questionnaire detailing their sexual habits, and compared their responses with those of 1259 healthy men of the same age. The team concluded that the more men ejaculate between the ages of 20 and 50, the less likely they are to develop prostate cancer.

The protective effect is greatest while men are in their twenties: those who had ejaculated more than five times per week in their twenties, for instance, were one-third less likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer later in life (BJU International, 2003;92:211).

The results contradict those of previous studies, which have suggested that having had many sexual partners, or a high frequency of sexual activity, increases the risk of prostate cancer by up to 40%. The key difference is that these earlier studies defined sexual activity as sexual intercourse, whereas the latest study focused on the number of ejaculations, whether or not intercourse was involved.

The team speculated that infections caused by intercourse may increase the risk of prostate cancer. "Had we been able to remove ejaculations associated with sexual intercourse, there should have been an even stronger protective effect of other ejaculations," they suggested. "Men have many ways of using their prostate which don't involve women or other men," Giles added.

Giles accepts the possibility that the men who completed the questionnaires could have lied about their habits. But he doubts this skewed the results, since questions about masturbation are unlikely to evoke the same macho exaggeration as questions about, say, number of sexual partners.

But why should ejaculating more often cut the risk of prostate cancer? The team speculated that ejaculation prevents carcinogens building up in the gland. The prostate, together with the seminal vesicles, secretes the bulk of the fluid in semen, which is rich in substances such as potassium, zinc, fructose and citric acid. Generating the fluid involves concentrating these components from the bloodstream up to 600-fold - and this could be where the trouble starts. Studies in dogs show that carcinogens such as 3- methylcholanthrene, found in cigarette smoke, are also concentrated in prostate fluid. "It's a prostatic stagnation hypothesis," said Giles. "The more you flush the ducts out, the less there is to hang around and damage the cells that line them."

His findings suggest an intriguing parallel between prostate cancer and breast cancer, as recent studies indicate that lactating reduces a woman's risk of breast cancer, perhaps because this also flushes out carcinogens. Alternatively, ejaculation might induce prostate cells to mature fully, making them less susceptible to carcinogens. "All these mechanisms are totally speculative," cautioned breast cancer expert Loren Lipworth of the International Epidemiology Institute in Rockville, Maryland.

But if the finding is confirmed, future health advice from doctors may no longer be restricted to diet and exercise. "Masturbation is part of people's sexual repertoire," said Anthony Smith, deputy director of the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University in Melbourne. "If these findings hold up, then it's perfectly reasonable that men should be encouraged to masturbate"

Answer 2

Actually there are a lot of benefits to masturbation/ejaculation.

1) Research has shown that masturbation may protect against cancer of the prostate. The more a man ejaculates between the ages of 20 and 50, the less likely he was to develop cancer of the prostate.

2) It can help with people that have insomnia, helping their bodies to relax after wards

3) It can help to stimulate the immune system to help build up resistance to common infections.

4) It can help with depression by the release mood elevating hormones.

So - masturbation is not only fun - it turns out that it is also good for you =o)

Answer 3

You darn right it is!! I believe this with all my heart, and I'm a firm believer this is what causes prostrate cancer in men. I think men who don't have enough sex has that stuff build up in them and it really needs to come out keep the system in good working order. You ever notice if a man does not have sex for a period of time, they begin to have painful cramps in their testicles? Why would this be? It's a proven fact that people who have a great sex life in a marriage live longer. Why is this? Masturbation gives us relief, does it not? I just think it is necessary for a man to either have sex often or masturbate to keep his prostrate working and not having a backup that could lead to cancer. This is a good question, and I'm glad you ask it. I have always wondered about this myself. I do notice if I either have sex often or masturbate often, I feel better, my testicles don't hurt, and I don't look at other women as much, so this has got to be good for a marriage that don't have much sex in it. Way to go!!

Answer 4

I assume here that you are a man. Every time you masturbate, you deny a lot of pleasure to a woman. If a lot of men masturbate, they deny a lot of pleasure to a lot of women. As a result, women become sex starved. Therefore, I get to have more sex. So, masturbation is great for the health--my health!!

Answer 5

Frankly I'd be worried if you DIDN'T masturbate,.. it's as healthy as running or liking food,... (for example).
It's considered by some religions to be bad,.. but in all fairness it's good no matter what you believe. Though having said that Buddhism says it drains the body or its deeper 'energies',... *A room-mate at a hostel I knew was a Buddhist,.. he had lived in the hills/mountains of Tibet,. so I think he knew best as far as what his religion thought.
By the way I'm not religious,.. so I enjoy a tommy tank as much as the next person :-D Have fun! :-D

Answer 6

YES!!!

well... it is probably not strictly necessary in a medical way... the body has other ways to dispose of unused semen, wet dreams for example...

but whatever anyone might try to tell you, it is IN NO WAY harmful, and it is certainly good for your mental health.

Answer 7

its been clinically proven that sex is good for you, self sex or partner sex.

Orgasms release endorphins, and lower your blood pressure and also help cleans toxins. Orgasms have been shown to reduce stress and people who have "regular" orgasms have a more "positive" outlook on life.

No kidding.

so, yeah, it's "good" for you :D

Answer 8

Depends.

For me, if I do it everyday, more than once..
I tend to feel lethargic.

Plus it gives me acne.

Damn.

Answer 9

one word Y.E.S