Mythbusting The Big O

Plus: keeping the "whole-foods" in "whole-foods plant-based"

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The 10almonds Team
March 02, 2024

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It’s the 1st of March (already!), so now’s a great time to take a moment to look at what’s been working for you lately in terms of diet, exercise, sleep, etc, and what’s not been going so well as it could, and set a plan in motion for this new and exciting month!

⏰ IN A RUSH?

Today’s 30-Second Summary

If you don’t have time to read the whole email today, here are some key takeaways:

  • Orgasms are broadly good for the health, but not critical. Anorgasmia, the inability to orgasm, becomes more common in older women, but if that’s you, do not be too quick to despair, as sometimes unexpected factors (not merely age, but for example, some medications) play a part, and those can often be changed (see today’s main feature for more information on that, and links to resources)

    • For a small minority of people, usually men, there can be health problems associated with orgasms. But if you don’t get flu-like and allergic symptoms for about a week after each one, this probably isn’t the case for you.

    • There is no known scientific basis to “semen retention” as a health practice.

  • Today’s sponsor, WeightCare, is a weight loss specialist, offering semaglutide and other drug-based solutions. Please do visit them, as it helps keep 10almonds free!

Read on to learn more about these things, or click here to visit our archive

🤫 A WORD TO THE WISE

Keeping The “Whole-Foods” in “Whole-Foods Plant-Based”

Deakin University looked at 700 processed plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy. In many aspects they weren’t bad at all, but ouch for those sodium levels in the plant-based processed meats!

👀 WATCH AND LEARN

10-Minute Hip Opening

Our hips affect a huge amount of our overall musculoskeletal wellbeing—after all, it’s where the spine sits, thus little will be healthy above or below our hips, if our hips themselves aren’t.

Adison Briana of Flow with Adee has just the thing to keep our hips in good order:

YOU MAY HAVE MISSED…

💥 MAIN FEATURE

“Early To Bed…”

In yesterday’s newsletter, we asked you for your (health-related) views on orgasms.

And it was a landslide, as you can see in the above-depicted, below-described, set of responses:

  • About 73% said “Orgasms are essential to good health 💥”

  • About 13% said “Orgasms are good for the health, but marginally”

  • About 6% said “Orgasms are good or bad depending on being male or female”

  • About 5% said “Orgasms have a net neutral health effect”

  • About 4% said “Orgasms are better avoided for optimal health 🛡️”

But what does the science say?

Orgasms are essential to good health: True or False?

False, if and only if we allow “essential” to do some heavy lifting here. This is taking the question in the most literal sense: one certainly won’t die (or otherwise suffer seriously) without them.

Anorgasmia (the inability to orgasm) is a condition that affects many postmenopausal women, some younger women, and some men. It isn’t usually disruptive to life in any other respect—just generally considered unfortunate:

👆 That article focuses on women; here’s a paper focusing on men 👇

Orgasms are good for the health, but marginally: True or False?

True! They have a wide array of benefits, depending on various factors.

That said, the benefits are either so little-studied, or else so marginal, that we don’t have a flock of studies to cite, and are reduced to pop-science sources that verbally cite studies that are, alas, difficult to find, for example:

Doubtlessly more actual studies do exist, but are sparse enough that finding them is a nightmare as the keywords for them will bring up a lot of studies about orgasms and health that aren’t answering the above question (usually: health’s affect on orgasms, rather than the other way around).

There is some good science for post-menopausal women, though! Here it is:

(if you have the time to read this, this also covers many very avoidable things that can disrupt sexual function, in ways that people will errantly chalk up to old age, not knowing that they are missing out needlessly)

Orgasms are good or bad, depending on being male or female: True or False

False, broadly. The health benefits are extant and marginal for almost everyone, as indicated above.

What’s that “almost” about, then?

There are a very few* people (usually men) for whom it doesn’t go well. In such cases, they have a chronic and lifelong problem whereby orgasm is followed by 2–7 days of flu-like and allergic symptoms. Little is known about it, but it appears to be some sort of autoimmune disorder.

*It’s hard to say for sure how few though, as it is surely under-reported and thus under-diagnosed; likely even misdiagnosed if the patient doesn’t realize that orgasms are the trigger for such episodes, and the doctor doesn’t think to ask. Instead, they will be busy trying to eliminate foods from the diet, things like that, while missing this cause.

Orgasms are better avoided for optimal health: True or False?

Aside from the above, False. There is a common myth for men of health benefits of “semen retention”, but it is not based in science, just tradition. You can read a little about it here:

The short version is: do it if you want; don’t if you don’t; the body will compensate either way so it won’t make a meaningful difference to anything for most people, healthwise.

Small counterpoint: while withholding orgasm (and ejaculation) is not harmful to health, what does physiologically need draining sometimes is prostate fluid. But that can also be achieved mechanically through prostate milking, or left to fend for itself (as—dependent on testosterone levels—will at some point in nocturnal emissions, popularly called wet dreams). However, if you have problems with an enlarged prostate, it may not be a bad idea to take matters into your own hands, so to speak. As ever, do check with your doctor if you have (or think you may have) a condition that might affect this.

One final word…

We’re done with mythbusting for today, but we wanted to share this study that we came across (so to speak) while researching, as it’s very interesting:

On which note: if you haven’t already, consider getting a “magic wand” style vibe; you can thank us later (this writer’s opinion: everyone should have one!).

Top tip: do get the kind that plugs into the wall, not rechargeable. The plug-into-the-wall kind are more powerful, and last much longer (both “in the moment”, and in terms of how long the device itself lasts).

Enjoy!

YOU MAY HAVE MISSED…

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Please do visit our sponsors—they help keep 10almonds free

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📖 ONE-MINUTE BOOK REVIEW

Radical Longevity: The Powerful Plan to Sharpen Your Brain, Strengthen Your Body, and Reverse the Symptoms of Aging – by Dr. Ann Gittleman

Dr. Gittleman takes a comprehensive approach, advising us about avoiding AGEs, freeing up fascia, stimulating cellular rejuvenation, the mind-gut connection, keeping the immune system healthy, and more.

The "plan" promised by the subtitle involves identifying the key factors of nutrition and lifestyle most impactful to you, and adjusting them accordingly, in a multistep, author-walks-the-reader-by-the-hand process.

There's also, for those who prefer it, a large section (seven chapters) on a body part/system by body part/system approach, e.g. brain health, heart health, revitalizing skin, reversing hair loss, repairing bones, muscles, joints, etc.

The writing style is quite casual, but also with a mind to education, with its call-out boxes, bullet-point summaries, and so forth. There is a "select references" section, but if one wants to find studies, it's often necessary to go looking, as there aren't inline citations.

Bottom line: we'd love to see better referencing, but otherwise this is a top-tier anti-aging book, and a lot more accessible than most, without skimping on depth and breadth.

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Wishing you the best of health and happiness,

The 10almonds Team