research shoes that letting go of anxiety and fear is necessary to have an orgasm. These parts of the brain diminish when clitoral stimulation happens. When these areas are shut down, an orgasm can more easily happen. Similar brain activity with orgasms is seen in males as well. The pleasure centers of the brain are turned on to a greater degree in men and the emotional centers are deactivated to a lesser degree in men compared to women. Orgasms as a whole are considered healthy. A study in middle-aged men showed that having more orgasms was associated with a decreased rate of all-cause death. There is a reduction in heart disease in men who have sex more than three times a week. Some men, on the other hand, will have post-orgasmic illness syndrome, which is muscle pain lasting up to a week after ejaculation. The resolution phase follows an orgasm as the body returns to having normal vital signs. The refractory period is part of this phase. Men, as mentioned, cannot generally be sexually aroused in the refractory period. Women probably do have a refractory period but it is generally shorter than in men. Because of differences between men and women, Masters and Johnson’s model better applies to men than it does to women.
STUDYING APHRODISIACS An aphrodisiac is a drug or substance that increases the sex drive. These are different from drugs that treat erectile dysfunction. The opposite of an aphrodisiac is an anaphrodisiac. It is difficult to study an aphrodisiac drug because of a high incidence of the placebo effect. Common substances that have been believed to be an aphrodisiac that do not have proof of this property is Spanish fly, yohimbine, bufo toad, and mad honey. Certain foods, like raw oysters, strawberries, honey, chocolate, and coffee, do not really have an effect. Of the known drugs felt to be aphrodisiacs, only testosterone and phenethylamines, such as methamphetamine and amphetamine, have been found to be successful. Testosterone seems to work only in those who have known low testosterone levels and amphetamines or methamphetamine will also have an effect but only in some people and only if the drug is given in high doses.
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