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Last Updated: Oct 23, 2019
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Untold Harmful Effects of The Kegel Exercise

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Dr. U.C.ShanghviSexologist • 39 Years Exp.MBBS
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What is Kegel?

Kegel is a type of an exercise that helps strengthen the pelvic floor muscles which support the bladder, the uterus, rectum and small intestine. This exercise can be performed at just about any time of the day, when you are getting bored at work or in bed before sleeping.

this exercise helps cure minor disorders such as stress incontinence (leakage of urine on doing any activity, as simple as sneezing), faecal incontinence (leaking stool) or urinary incontinence.

How to do this exercise?

To understand which muscles are involved in this, firstly you need to flex your muscles to stop urination in midstream. If you do it successfully, you have found your pelvic floor muscles. This is for women. As for men, the muscle that stops you or restricts you from passing gas is the muscle involved in this exercise. The Kegel exercise involves holding this muscle for several seconds and releasing it.

The Harmful Effects of Kegel:

While Kegel can have several benefits, but overdoing anything can cause negative side effects-

  1. Kegel exercises are known to be particularly beneficial for women. But in men, this exercise is shown to cause premature ejaculation. This is because the contraction of the prostate leads to the triggering of the sympathetic system that signals ejaculation.

  2. Using the right muscles for it is essential. If you do not know how to engage the right muscles, it is not recommended to carry on with it. Ask for help if you are unable to do it. Also, it is essential to not involve the abdomen muscles. It can result in more harm than good.

  3. The tightening of the pelvic floor muscles is a gradual process and doing the exercise more often than recommended does not expedite the process. If you do the exercise too often, then chances are you may strain the muscles and it can become tired and not able to do its function properly.

Ayurveda and Kegel:

  1. Ayurvedic drugs such as Ashwagandha (Withania somniferum) are medicines that should be used to treat complications caused due to Kegel exercises. It is a very powerful drug and has aphrodisiac properties as well. If. kegel. performed with the consumption of ayurvedic medicines(like Ashwagandharistha) will be safe and more beneficial.

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