Greetings Courtney(reporter for Bustle Magazine), I’m Dr. William Kolbe, author of “The Rejuvenating Power of Masturbation” (www.therpom.com ). First, let’s come to terms with ‘intimacy’ which I refer to as solo and paired sexual activity. That having been said, let’s also look at intimacy in terms of its process and finale. Solo and paired sex produces marvelous responses in the body: increased heartbeat and respiration, stimulation of the entire nervous system(neuromuscular energy flows throughout the body producing feelings of bliss, well-being, and euphoria), and stimulation of the endocrine system( the stimulated pituitary sends target hormones to the thyroid, adrenals, and sex glands). The pituitary, our master endocrine gland, ‘mandates’ the sex glands to step up production of our sex hormones, testosterone and estrogen, which are vital for the function and integrity of our muscular, skeletal, and cardiovascular systems. Therefore, intimacy before an athletic event can be a performance enhancer; however, there is a caveat. Full body orgasms accompanied by ejaculation(especially for males) is a high energy-consuming event requiring a substantial refractory period to replenish both the lost fluids and the expended energy. However, by edging orgasms, that is repeatedly getting to the threshold of spasm but holding back, one can become invigorated and vitalized capitalizing on stimulated nervous, endocrine, and cardiovascular systems. Incidentally, martial artists can enhance both the force of their punches and their resistance to physical blows by using the latter technique, often mentioned in Qi-gong literature as Wai Dan and Nei Dan.
