Akshay Chopra - With the Hand: How Masturbation is Normal and Why it Doesn’t Effect Health & Sports Performance

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VIEWS & RESEARCH ON MASTURBATION

Despite of the all the scientific literature demonstrating the effect of masturbation both physiologically and psychologically, it is still considered a rather taboo subject to discuss. One of the major reasons behind this is the historical and the cultural perspectives attached to the stigma. Though in the recent years the attitude towards masturbation has become a bit more accepting, but we may never be completely free from the shackles of the negative myths attached to it.

The word Masturbation conjures up a wide variety of images and meanings in the mind of an individual. When you hear this word, which is often spoken in complete secrecy, the picture that comes in the mind is almost always of another individual stimulating himself or herself, manually or using some tool, always in private. But the word Masturbation always connotes an isolation from the social world, and the pursuit of self-interest or pleasure; which may or may not convey a negative emotion (though in a lot of cases it does). Though with the domination of the modern thought, one may address masturbation as normal, healthy or natural, but not everyone shares the same thoughts.

Masturbation, or touching ones own sex organs for pleasure, has long been shunned to have pathological origins and negative physical and mental health consequences. Whereas today the research has clearly shown that it is actually the other way around i.e. it promotes physical, mental and sexual health and is a completely healthy and natural behaviour.

The Latin root of the word masturbation is Manus Stuprare, meaning self-abuse or self-defilement by ones own hand. The practice of masturbation has had various names given to it since centuries. Acc. to the 1865 book, Seminalia, by Dr. Joseph Ralph, It is variously known by the terms, masturbation, self-abuse, self-pollution, manustupration, onanism, luxuria manuensis, solitary or secret vice, voluntary pollution; or by its proximate consequences, as seminal weakness, spermatorrhea, nervous debility, nocturnal or seminal emissions, wet dreams, sexual debility, involuntary pollutions.

Regardless of the stigma attached to masturbation, it forms a part of all societies and cultures. Author of the book Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity, Bruce Bagemihl, found that, masturbation has even been observed in hundreds of animal species.

My journey into the research of this, virtually controversially common topic, started from a question, or rather from a series of questions from the clients in my gym Body Mechanics, who quoting some or the other self-proclaimed fitness guru on the YouTube, repeatedly asked me whether masturbation is normal or having regular sex or masturbating daily would cause any harm. Surprisingly, to me this sounded a kind of weird, as most of these people were well educated and the controversy behind regular masturbation, has been cleared long back. So I wondered why are they still confused about this rather minor issue. But, when I initiated my research into this, rather seemingly minor topic, I was quite taken aback by the deep and extremely painful history attached to it, and how despite of all the scientific evidences supporting its normalcy and benefits, it still remains a taboo.

I have been writing and researching on topics which most people just conclude in minutes, and proclaim to be an expert in them, and even after writing books on them, I still feel inadequate. The topic of sex and masturbation is one such topic. While I was answering these queries, a lot of people gave me a reference of certain videos on YouTube, wherein these stupid fitness gurus were imparting weird knowledge and information on the topics of fitness, nutrition and supplementation. I decided to check personally, as to what are the research references these people are using, for their videos.

There are different perspectives on masturbation. Most of these views generally pertain to the religious thoughts which are being passed on from one generation to another, without any scientific base behind them.

It is an activity which everyone enjoys, but few are comfortable discussing openly with a friend, family or even with a doctor. In a conservative society like India, where a person is still hesitant to ask for a condom from a chemist shop, discussing sexual issues, even if he/she is suffering from one, needs a lot of courage and mental preparation on the persons part.

The social taboos which have been attached to the very act of sex, that too in in the land which gave the very basis of sexual education to the world, the land of Vatsayans KamaSutra, have made it a kind of social stigma. A person suffering from cancer is looked upon as a person who needs cure and help, whereas a person suffering from a sexual disease is frowned upon as if it is an alien problem, which humans are not supposed to have. Try and tell someone that a person is having an issue with impotency or erectile dysfunction, and a tad too timid and kind of insulting laughter follows. This is one of the reason the Indian society has put all the sexual issues under an umbrella term Gupt Rog or Secret Disease. Why does a culture has to address the diseases related to the very basis of human creation, i.e. sex, as secret?

A person suffering from such issues has to keep it a secret from the society and make sure he visits a sexologist in total isolation, because the social stigma attached to these problems is way too extreme and looked down upon, and no one would want a social taboo and isolation in their lives. Masturbation is one such issue and the problem with suppression of a basic human need is the outpour of that need in all the walks of life.

OSHO says about masturbation: Medical science has established with absolute evidence that masturbation does not lead to insanity. But religions continue to repeat that too much masturbation destroys intelligence and leads to premature death.

Well, no one can masturbate too much: it is impossible. You can masturbate just enough - in your body there is only a certain amount of sperm and you can release only as much - most of you cannot. Whatever you do, you cannot immediately produce more sperm. It takes time. So there is a natural prevention to do it too When a persons jerking off and start to feel that is about to reach a state of orgasmic, his thoughts disappear. Experience the same orgasmic state that happens making love to a woman. There is no difference. At the biological level there is no difference. The semen is released in a mechanism, in a body or somewhere else, is of no importance. It is to bring the sexual tension to its fulfillment, which is more easily implemented with masturbation, as with a woman the other is present. In masturbation you are the master.