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Sexual Medicine
Our esteemed colleague, Dr. Shen, arrived in Los Angeles a few months agl to conduct a one-day seminar. The following day he saw those hard-to-figure-out patients brought to him by practitioners in the class. A young woman was among these. Diane, 23, was a slender woman who had been experiencing sever fatigue and thyroid-related symptoms for several months. While undergoing treatment with endocrinologists, she began looking to alternatives to ease the side effects. After a thorough diagnosis and herbal formula recommendation, Dr. Shen put forth a dictum. Under no conditions was Diane to engage in sexual activity for the next six months. She was dumbfounded. The practitioner who had been working with her could make no comment, as she did not understand the reasoning behind such an odd medical protocol. Among the most ancient aspects of Oriental Medicine is the study and use of sexuality. While eliminated from most school curriculums, eroticism and sexual play as a healing modality has been a vital part of treatment for thousands of years. Cultural taboos, as well as the secretive nature of these teachings, have kept them from contemporary Oriental Medicine practice both in this country and in Asia. Historically, only those persons considered worthy of exceptional power were taught the ways of erotic healing. Any individual thus trained would develop tremendous strength and would have a greater shot at longevity, intellectual superiority and spiritual wisdom. He or she would have the political advantage over competitors and the upper hand in battle. The high regard earned by the erotic healing arts was the result of generations of study and evaluation. The performance and capacities of lovers were closely watched by generations of royal bedroom watchers. These professional spectators viewed the entire event from seduction to after-play. Pulses were taken. Notes were written. Techniques were altered to increase effectiveness, and over the course of centuries, the use of sex as an energy generating, illness-alleviating system was perfected. The basic premise utilizes the notion of qi exchange through sexual touch. Lovers generate energy through the friction of their contact, and, with appropriate training, are able to store and manipulate that energy for healing purposes. The qi generated through heterosexual intercourse is the most abundant. Lesbian sexual play is the next most effective method of qi exchange. Because the female body is primarily yin and receptive in nature, the pressing of two vulvas together during the orgasmic experience can pass a tremendous amount of qi between partners. All sexual acts recorded were measured for their qi-generating potential. Ultimately, a sophisticated system of analysis was developed to understand which acts and which positions generated health and which sabotaged it. The ways your patients express their sexual urges have an effect upon your success with them. While the superior sex techniques that are part of Oriental Medicine will enhance stamina and strength, most of your patients actually drain qi from their bodies when they make love. So while you are busily working to increase vitality, your patients may unknowingly be slowing the process. Dr. Shen is well aware of this problem, which is why he was so stern in his prescription for Diane. Without meaning to, she could drain away some of the qi she had available, thus prolonging her illness. Certainly one should have more knowledge of this subject before introducing sexual guidelines to patients. At the Pacific Symposium this year, I will be introducing the use of sex as a healing modality. My book, Passion Play, has been designed to present this subject to you and to your patient base, the general public. If you are interested in this subject but are not able to attend the conference, Passion Play is available through Redwing, Amazon.com and all other local and e-bookstores. Until such time as you gain more knowledge, here are a few guidelines that you may wish to consider for your patients. As Hamlet said, "The readiness is all." There is no use putting a lovemaking scenario into motion if the timing is off. That would be an invitation for failure and, according to Oriental Medicine, failure dissipates qi. Although their basic rule was, essentially, more is better, our professional ancestors had remarkably precise ideas about when to have sex and when not to. Intercourse opens the body's energetic system. This is wonderful for intimacy but not for protection-physically, emotionally or energetically. Because sex opens the body to external influences, it is best to avoid being sexual during periods of natural instability. As intercourse merges yin and yang, it was thought best to abstain when the interaction of the two forces in nature was chaotic and turbulent. Some of the conditions singled out were storms, eclipses, the night before a new moon, solstices, equinoxes and New Year's Day. Like most modern Westerners, you will probably take those admonitions with several grains of salt. Howe ver, it was also considered important to protect the body by refraining from sex when:
The benefits of proper sexual expression, as outlined by our professional ancestors, provides us with a unique perspective on erotic loving. It is a worthy subject in that it provides both joy and relief to the patients we support. Rather than separating the sexual self from other aspects of our nature, Oriental Medicine beautifully integrates a deep and true wisdom about the erotic, its importance in healing and its role in leading a fulfilled and happy life.
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