Dr.Ratan's Clinic

Masturbation is a wonderful way to explore your physicality which is healthy as well as beneficial. According to research, women who masturbate regularly are likely to enjoy better sex lives with their partners and are more self confident in nature. Women who indulge in masturbation enjoy a wealth of physical as well as mental health benefits. Following are the benefits that you should be aware of:

Physical benefits of female masturbation:

1. Prevention of infections: Female masturbation is very important as it prevents cervical infections and also relieves you from infections in the urinary tract. Recent studies suggest that masturbation helps relieve you from pain caused by urinary tract infections. It lubricates the vagina and eliminates harmful bacteria from the cervix. 
2. Better cardiovascular health: Masturbating promotes improvement in cardiovascular health and also effectively lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It has been observed that women who masturbate regularly are less vulnerable to coronary heart disease and overall have a better immune system. 
3. Prevents insomnia: Masturbation can be a natural way to prevent insomnia as there is a subsequent release of hormones and stress involved. During masturbation the hormone called Dopamine increases as the process reaches climax. After orgasm, the hormones called oxytocin are released along with endorphins which consequently help you to sleep better.

Psychological or mental benefits of masturbation

1. Improves mood and busts stress: Masturbation helps you get rid of depressed feelings and in turn positively affects your sexual life with your partner. It improves your mood and is considered an effective stress buster without any associated side effects.
2. Helps you accept yourself: Accepting your sexuality is very important as it makes you aware of your body and makes you comfortable with it. It strengthens your love for yourself and increases your confidence. Paying attention to your sexual desires and fulfilling them yourselves is pleasurable as well as healthy. Masturbation can help you know your physical needs and relieve stress associated to your personal and professional life.

Apart from affecting your memory, health and looks, sleep deprivation can lead to decreased sex function as well. People who have trouble sleeping have a difficult time coping with their relationships as with almost all aspects of their lives. Similarly, in the modern world of continuous work pressure and fast paced lifestyle, stress generally takes away all the energy required to enjoy a fulfilling sex life.

The following are some of the ways chronic sleep disorders and stress may affect your sex life:

1. Mood swings: Sleep disorders often lead to perpetual mood swings. It can make a person grumpy and quarrelsome. If you're sleep deprived, you may get very agitated even by minor stress. This can hurt interaction between you and your partner, leading to a disruptive relationship in the bedroom.
2. Anxiety: Increased levels of anxiety and stress attributed to lack of sleep can lead to loss of sexual function and even sexual disorders at times. Lack of sleep generally decreases your experience of positive emotions, which may lead to pessimism and subsequently lack of sexual interest.
3. Decreased social activity: Lack of sleep may decrease your likelihood of engaging in social interactions. People with sleep disorders usually avoid social engagements, as they believe it may disrupt their sleep patterns. They rearrange their sleeping patterns by avoiding social interactions, which leaves them with lesser opportunities to meet with people of the opposite sex, thereby affecting their sex lives.

So, what you should do?

1. Focus on getting rid of other stressful issues from your life: Common tensions of your daily life and everyday issues like the normal household chores, and your duties and responsibilities towards your family often leave you too exhausted to spend time with your partner. Moreover, getting preoccupied with social commitments also minimises the time available for just the two of you.
2. Go to sleep and wake up at roughly the same time everyday to tune your sleep cycle. Avoid waking up late into night as far as possible.
3. Avoid afternoon sleep or take only a nap.
4. Don't take heavy foods, big and late meals.
5. Eat at least 2-3 hrs before sleep.
6. Avoid coffee and tea in the night.
7. Don't get glued to the tv, computer, or mobile till sleep time. Shut them down 30 mins. before retiring to bed.
8. Read something calming, meditate, or listen to quiet music just before sleeping.
9. Regular workouts helps you get good sleep.
10. Avoid serious discussions, work or complex decisions 2-3 hrs before sleep. If any of them bother you much, jot them down on a paper. That will lighten your mind help you get better sleep.

If sexual problems and concerns make you sleepless, seek help from a sex counselor. If your sleep problems are due to work in shifts or night-only shifts, take the help of a specialist in sleep problems. This way you can overcome sexual problems arising out of sleep disturbances, and have an improved sex life. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Sexologist.

Maintaining proper vaginal hygiene is imperative to ward off any sort of STDor STI, even before any sort of irritation, infection or disease occurs. The normal vaginal pH balance helps cater to the growth of useful bacteria. Some useful tips to maintain proper vaginal hygiene can be:

1. Douching (spraying a mixture of water, baking soda, vinegar or iodine on the vaginal area) is strictly discouraged. It can interfere with the normal pH levels of the vagina and can make the area extremely acidic, which sets the stage for the growth of bacterial infections.

2. A balanced, healthy, nutritious diet is recommended for a healthy vagina as well as for good reproductive health. Certain fluids such as cranberry juice can help prevent the onset of any yeast infection.

3. Safe sex should be practised in order to keep harmful bacteria away. Using a condom during a sexual intercourse helps prevent the occurrence of any sort of STI or STD.

4. Gynaecological check-ups should be done every four months or so to be on the safe side regarding any doubts about unhealthy vagina. Prevention is always better than cure in the long run.

5. Petroleum jelly should not be used for lubrication during sexual intercourse as such fluids tend to damage the latex in the condom and may even lead to a possible infection.

6. Clothes should be chosen carefully to keep the vaginal area clean and dry. Cotton underwear is generally the best option in this regard as it can help prevent any bacterial infection by keeping the area clean and dry.

7. Certain simple sanitary habits such as changing of tampons or sanitary pads every four hour during one’s periods, proper washing of the genital area after relieving the bowels, can go a long way in nurturing the health of the vagina.

8. Opt for gentle skin care products to wash the vaginal area as that area is extremely sensitive. Avoid scrubbing the vaginal area as well. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a gynaecologist and ask a free question.

Impotence, also known as erectile dysfunction, is a condition in which a man is not able to maintain an erection during sexual intercourse. It can be triggered by a variety of conditions like smoking, intake of certain drugs, health disorders or excessive consumption of alcohol. Although treatment options like medication and surgery are available, there are non-invasive treatments that can help a person fight the condition.
Here are some of them:
1. Engage in a physical workout - Among the many types of lifestyle changes that could be resorted to, exercise is the most effective one. Exercising improves blood flow and blood pressure in the body, both of which are essential for getting and maintaining a normal erection for a prolonged time. Plus, exercising also increases the level of testosterone, which is a crucial factor in sex drive.
2. Follow a balanced diet - The food you consume has a direct effect on your health and subsequently on your sex drive. A diet consisting of fruits, veggies, fish and lesser servings of red meat and refined grains can decrease the risk of impotency. Also, a healthy diet helps to maintain a stable body weight, which aids in sexual activity. Overconsumption of junk foods can cause obesity and diabetes, which are responsible for impotence.
3. Get sufficient sleep - Apart from a host of health problems, lack of sleep may also you render you impotent. Studies have shown that testosterone levels of men who are sleep deprived are much lower than in those who get their 8 hours of sleep. A proper sleep schedule should thus be duly adhered to.
4. Quit smoking and limit your alcohol consumption - Erectile dysfunction can be the cause of vascular disease. This occurs when the blood supply to the penis becomes restricted due to the blockage and narrowing of arteries. Alcohol and smoking can be responsible for this and can be the cause of both temporary and long-term impotence. Therefore, it's important to limit your alcohol consumption and quit smoking altogether. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Sexologist.

There's a time and a place for myths - but not when talking about penis size. Just as it's important to get straight-shooting facts when locating information on penis health, so does a guy need to shoot down any myths about penis size that may come his way.

Why? Well, because society places such a disproportionate emphasis on penis size - and it does so generally for reasons that are based more on myths than on reality. As long as guys go on thinking that it takes 7 or 8 massive inches to provide proper satisfaction to a partner, they're going to have disappointment, potential penis problems and lowered self-esteem.

With that in mind, let's look at common penis size myths.

1. The average penis is six inches long. For many years, this was accepted as a fact, but some more recent studies indicate that an erect penis is more likely to be about 5.1" inches long. That means that many guys who are perfectly normal have thought they were "substandard" for not being the erroneously-reported 6" average - let along the sought-after 7" or more.

2. Women crave a man with a long penis. In fact, surveys indicate that, if size is all a person is looking at, most women (about 90%) are more interested in penile width than length. More importantly, about 85% of women report being perfectly satisfied with their current partner's endowment. (Interestingly enough, usually only between 40 and 55% of men say they are satisfied with their own penis size.)

3. Even if they don't crave it, women still PREFER a longer penis. In fact, for many women an above-average penis can be problematic. While the vagina can stretch to accommodate a surprising range of sizes, it doesn't necessarily do so without some pain. A woman who dates a man with an especially big penis may find that it can take many attempts to achieve proper penetration - and many more to achieve painless penetration.

4. Gay men are better endowed than straight men. This myth gained some scientific currency due to a 1999 retrospective study that did find gay men, on average, had larger equipment. However, that study looked at data that was fifty years old. More importantly, the data was entirely self-reported - which brings into question its validity. At this point, there is no reason to suggest that sexual preference impacts penis size.

5. Hand size correlates with penis size. Sorry, but tiny hands do not mean a tiny penis - or vice versa. Neither does foot size. Yes, in some cases a man with a large hand or foot will have a large penis, but he's equally likely to have a moderate or small one. And the same is true in reverse for a man with small hands and a small penis. Simply more myths.

6. A guy with a small penis is more likely to be faithful. There aren't really valid studies to support this myth. One study (not especially valid) found that men with a large penis were more likely to cheat on their partners, which makes it easy to infer therefore that a man with a small penis will be faithful. But there really is nothing to suggest that penis size and fidelity are correlated.

Penis size myths need to be debunked so men can get on with more important and fruitful things - such as seeing to their penis health. One excellent way to maintain penis care is via the daily application of a first rate penis health crème (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin). Many men will benefit from a crème that contains two key ingredients: L arginine and L-carnitine. The former is an amino acid that plays a crucial role in allowing penile blood vessels to more open and receptive to increased blood flow. The latter is a neuroprotective ingredient. If a man fears loss of sensation in his penis from rough handling, L-carnitine can help to protect from loss of penis sensitivity.