Sexual Health and Desire: The Elephant in the Room

When it comes to taboo and sensitive topics, sex is often at the top of the list. Discussing sexual health related issues are often the “elephant in the room.”

However, talking about sex is also the quickest way to grab someone’s attention. It is a topic that can sometimes be difficult to discuss, but undoubtedly something people want to get more education on. In addition to taboos surrounding sex as well as any embarrassment that may be felt when discussing such sensitive topics, I think it is really important to realize how crucial sexual health is in relation to overall health and wellness.

Sexual health is a big part of life, and can affect many other aspects of health, including physical, mental and social aspects. Sexual health is included in the mind, body, and spirit approach to health. Sexual health is a combination of education, safety, and respect for yourself and others. Research indicates that as many as 43 percent of women and approximately 31 percent of men experience sexual dysfunction at some point in their lives.

In addition to being a functional medicine practitioner and naturopath, a large part of my consultations and education include sexual health and wellness. According to the CDC and World Health Organization, sexual health is defined as our state of physical, emotional, mental and social wellbeing in relation to sexuality.

It is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction, or infirmity. Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination, and violence.

Aside from several conditions and diseases that impact sexual health for both men and women, there are emotional implications as well. Sometimes it is merely a lack of, or reduction in libido for both men and women. Life gets crazy and busy, and sexual health can take a backburner. This alone can be isolating and stressful on relationships. Our sexuality is intertwined with our mental health and physical wellbeing.

It is so difficult to discuss this, but during standard health and wellness consultations, men and women alike have told me about the devastating and distressing effect sexual dysfunction has caused themselves, their partner or their relationship. Some avoid wanting to form a relationship at all, and many have delayed seeking help due to embarrassment, shame, fear and guilt.

As a functional health practitioner, and wellness consultant and educator, I want to change the thought process and dialogue around this. Sex is natural, normal, and healthy-and yes, fun and awesome. It is perfectly okay to have a desire to want to enhance and improve your sex life, even if there are no physical or medical problems involved. Let’s normalize discussions surrounding sexual health, and take the embarrassment out of it.

With this said, there are some holistic suggestions we can make to help support, foster, and improve sexual function and health.

There are many supplements and herbs on the market for libido and sexual function, but not all are created equal or safe. Like anything else, it is really important to speak with your licensed health care provider in addition to your functional medicine practitioner when starting on any new supplements or medications for libido and sexual health. This is where my hashtag and claim to fame approach comes in, “Holistic but realistic.” Complementary care is where it’s at, and where we get the best results.

I have utilized and recommended many supplements and wild crafted herbs to help support libido and sexual health. However, there is one recurrent recommendation that I continue to get stellar results with time and time again for both men and women, and it is called Libido.

This is a practitioner grade nutritional/herbal blend that helps support healthy sexual function, drive, and pleasure for both men and women.* It is designed to support factors like energy level, hormone balance, circulation, and nervous system function.* It combines a blend of carefully harvested herbs including ashwaganda, horny goat weed, tribulus, rhodiola rosea, catuaba, damiana, maca, muira puama, and tongkat ali. It also contains a very unique blend of DMG (N, N-Dimethylglycine HCL) to help support and vitalize sexual arousal, satisfaction and drive.*

So, what the heck is DMG? It is a derivative of the amino acid glycine. It is effective because it falls apart and produces building blocks for a wide range of fundamental biological molecules in the body including neurotransmitters, hormones, antibodies, and other structures involved in the energy cycle.

Some additional benefits of DMG include immune modulation, enhanced athletic performance, cardiovascular health support, liver detoxification, improved cognition, inflammation and aging support, stress support, and methylation pathway support.*

So what do all of these amazing herbs and nutritionals do when they are combined? We are all biochemically different and individual, but some men have noticed harder and longer lasting erections, a stronger libido in general, increased endurance and stamina, more pleasure during sexual activity, and more powerful orgasms.* Some women have noticed a stronger sexual desire, better genital circulation and engorgement, heightened pleasure sensations, and more frequent and intense orgasms.* Some people may notice these changes within a few hours while for others it may take up to a few days/weeks. You be the judge. I mean, who doesn’t want to have better sex and orgasms?