Masturbation has been marked a taboo act by most religions and our Puritanical culture, but it’s still the second most common sexual act amongst humans. Heck, other animals enjoy self-pleasuring too! I’ve seen my cat and my friends’ dogs get down with no shame whatsoever, so maybe we can take a hint from Fluffy and Fido and celebrate that May is National Masturbation Month.

Masturbation is so perfectly natural, yet so maligned. I’m happy to report that masturbation can actually be considered part of your health care regime:

Women report a decrease in menstrual cramps and bloating when masturbating, can increase their resistance to yeast infection, and build their pelvic floor muscles which can improve orgasms. For men, masturbation has been documented to improve their immune system and makes for a healthier prostate. Masturbation is also a great form of stress relief, releases endorphins, and burns calories (see my FitBit video here).

How did this fantastic holiday get started?

Back in 1994, the U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders caused a public furor when endorsed masturbation as a safe way to discourage early sexual activity. In response to an audience member’s question about masturbation at the United Nations’ World AIDS Day, Elders said “I think it is something that is part of human sexuality and a part of something that perhaps should be taught.”

For that simple statement, the torches were lit and Elders was forced to resign. So much for the first black woman Surgeon General…

The good folks at Good Vibrations, a sex-positive and female oriented sex store in San Francisco, (and, by the way, the place where I bought my first vibrator) decided to get a public debate going about the positive aspects of masturbation for men and women. Hence, National Masturbation Month was born.

(If you’re looking for a good hands-on experience to find your own sex toys in a non-creepy environment and don’t live in San Francisco, you can also visit Toys in Babeland in New York City and Seattle, or go to their website here.)

This May is also the 40th anniversary of the publication of Our Bodies, Ourselves, the seminal reference book on healthy sexuality for women.

This book was devoured by young women (and probably a lot of young men, too!) the world over who were hungry for straight talk and information about their bodies, hormones, emotions, and sexuality. If you haven’t read the book, or you know a woman who is exploring her own sexuality, pick up a copy here!

I’ll be attending a special party next week hosted by Belisa Vranich, nationally recognized “sexpert” and psychologist, to celebrate the authors and publication of Our Bodies, Ourselves here in New York City. I’ll be sure to post some photos!

Finally, if you’re curious about discovering true physical intimacy with others or yourself, you simply MUST listen to this week’s podcast from Ariel & Shya Kane titled “Let’s Get Physical!”

The Kane’s wonderful internet radio show Being Here will “support you in dissolving those old limiting ideas and inhibitions so that you can be free and natural with yourself and/or your partner.”

Masturbation has been marked a taboo act by most religions and our Puritanical culture, but it’s still the second most common sexual act amongst humans. Heck, other animals enjoy self-pleasuring too! I’ve seen my cat and my friends’ dogs get down with no shame whatsoever, so maybe we can take a hint from Fluffy and Fido and celebrate that May is National Masturbation Month.

Masturbation is so perfectly natural, yet so maligned. I’m happy to report that masturbation can actually be considered part of your health care regime:

Women report a decrease in menstrual cramps and bloating when masturbating, can increase their resistance to yeast infection, and build their pelvic floor muscles which can improve orgasms. For men, masturbation has been documented to improve their immune system and makes for a healthier prostate. Masturbation is also a great form of stress relief, releases endorphins, and burns calories (see my FitBit video here).

How did this fantastic holiday get started?

Back in 1994, the U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders caused a public furor when endorsed masturbation as a safe way to discourage early sexual activity. In response to an audience member’s question about masturbation at the United Nations’ World AIDS Day, Elders said “I think it is something that is part of human sexuality and a part of something that perhaps should be taught.”

For that simple statement, the torches were lit and Elders was forced to resign. So much for the first black woman Surgeon General…

The good folks at Good Vibrations, a sex-positive and female oriented sex store in San Francisco, (and, by the way, the place where I bought my first vibrator) decided to get a public debate going about the positive aspects of masturbation for men and women. Hence, National Masturbation Month was born.

(If you’re looking for a good hands-on experience to find your own sex toys in a non-creepy environment and don’t live in San Francisco, you can also visit Toys in Babeland in New York City and Seattle, or go to their website here.)

This May is also the 40th anniversary of the publication of Our Bodies, Ourselves, the seminal reference book on healthy sexuality for women.

This book was devoured by young women (and probably a lot of young men, too!) the world over who were hungry for straight talk and information about their bodies, hormones, emotions, and sexuality. If you haven’t read the book, or you know a woman who is exploring her own sexuality, pick up a copy here!

I’ll be attending a special party next week hosted by Belisa Vranich, nationally recognized “sexpert” and psychologist, to celebrate the authors and publication of Our Bodies, Ourselves here in New York City. I’ll be sure to post some photos!

Finally, if you’re curious about discovering true physical intimacy with others or yourself, you simply MUST listen to this week’s podcast from Ariel & Shya Kane titled “Let’s Get Physical!”

The Kane’s wonderful internet radio show Being Here will “support you in dissolving those old limiting ideas and inhibitions so that you can be free and natural with yourself and/or your partner.”

Last summer I had a yeast infection. A minor bladder infection turned into a kidney infection while I was traveling, and I took a course of antibiotics. The antibiotics helped my kidneys, but did what they often do – they killed not only the infection but all the good, beneficial bacteria that was keeping my intestines and reproductive organs balanced. Hence, the yeast infection.

While strolling through the health food store looking for a product that would relieve the itching and discharge (I said this was TMI-zone!) I came upon one of the most amazing products I’ve ever tried. Vitanica’s Yeast Arrest was like a beacon of cooling, healing light at the end of a dark, itchy tunnel. Formulated by Dr. Tori Hudson, a naturopath, Vitanica contains tea tree oil, oregon grape root, boric acid, cocoa butter, and several homeopathic remedies.

These suppositories worked well and worked fast. What I also loved about the product was the box itself: Dr. Hudson makes dietary recommendations for avoiding sugar, yeast, alcohol, and fermented foods as well as several other ideas for decreasing the overgrowth of yeast. This may be the first time I’ve seen a product like this offer sound health advice necessary for helping customers truly heal.

The most popular over the counter product for yeast infections is Monistat. Monistat is applied in a similar fashion in that the medicine is inserted like a suppository. Unfortunately, the harsh anti-fungal chemicals contained in products like Monistat come with clear warnings and might cause:

Monistat may cause the following side effects:

• Rash
• Burning at the site of application
• Itching
• Irritation of the skin or vagina
• Stomach pain
• Fever
• Foul-smelling vaginal discharge
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Hives
• Chills

So if you’ve suffered from yeast infections and want to avoid the complications from using other over the counter products, enter my blog contest here and you could win yourself a box of Yeast Arrest! Enter a comment her by 3/16  ~ Want to order some Yeast Arrest today? Go here!

now - a great night in the sheets is better then ice cream, right?

Sex toys and products are fun and spark the imagination wether your single, married or just playing the field. The only problem is that many of those products contain ingredients that should never be used in your most sensitive, sacred area. Call it your noni, vag, hoo-ha, or the old-school vulva, our female privates are porous places and shouldn’t be exposed to toxic ingredients like petrochemicals.

According to Good Clean Love’s founder Wendy Strgar “over 90% of the OTC [over the counter] lubes available are made with chemicals designed first for cars or oven cleaner.” Yikes! Don’t put that THERE!

Wendy is a sexual health expert and has been creating and promoting safer sex products from her base in Eugene, OR for years. As a special Valentine’s Day gift to my readers, Wendy has given 2 of her fabulous gift-sets to my blog readers! Leave your comment here about sexual health, exploration or what you plan on using these goodies for on Valentine’s, and you could win 1 of the 2 gift sets!

To see what the Cupid’s Travel Kit contains go here:  http://www.goodcleanlove.com/Cupids-Travel-Kit.html