Americans are confused about sex. Many of the first colonists were Puritans and a strong puritanical streak still runs through our culture.
Although our sitcoms and soap operas rely on sex to keep viewers watching, many of us consider this type of entertainment a guilty pleasure.
Despite our seeming obsession with sex on television, in movies and on the Web, Americans are actually more watchers than doers. We’re a voyeuristic society that seems content to observe others acting sexy.
According to some global sex surveys, Americans lag behind people in France, Greece, Croatia, Poland, Great Britain and even Kazakhstan.
Part of the problem may be that Americans work too hard. A survey for the National Sleep Foundation found that nearly one fourth of the couples surveyed were often too tired to engage in sexual activity.
We are so busy with work, family responsibilities, email, television and other distractions that we just don’t find enough time to relax and get in the mood. A commercial on television for the erectile dysfunction drug Cialis asks, "If a relaxing moment turns into the right moment, will you be ready?" If there are no relaxing moments, however, Cialis won’t do much good.
Besides being overscheduled and stressed out, many people are unclear about the differences between an anti-impotence drug like Cialis or Levitra and an aphrodisiac. When the first medication against erectile dysfunction, Viagra, was introduced, it quickly became a household name. People talked about it with the kind of leer reserved for raw oysters.
Those who expected Viagra to increase libido were soon disappointed. While this medication is considered effective for helping a man achieve an erection, that achievement is possible only in the presence of sexual desire. Medical science is still looking for ways to increase libido.
Too many medicines do the opposite–dampen desire. Many Prozac-like antidepressants interfere with arousal or function. Birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy and even some blood pressure medications can reduce interest in making love.
We have listed many common culprits in our Guide to Drugs That Affect Sexuality and we have discussed ways to overcome low libido in our Guide to Treating Sexual Dysfunction. Anyone who would like copies, together with a one-hour CD radio interview with Irwin Goldstein, MD, one of the country’s leading experts on human sexuality, may send $18 to Graedons' People's Pharmacy, No. YP-561, P. O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027.
There are a few compounds that may eventually turn out to be helpful for improving libido. Some years ago, Dutch researchers discovered that giving women a small dose of testosterone under the tongue increased their interest in an erotic video (Archives of General Psychiatry, Feb., 2000).
A recent study found that sniffing a compound isolated from men’s sweat, androstadienone, could increase cortisol levels in women’s blood and make their hearts beat faster (Journal of Neuroscience, Feb. 7, 2007). It also improved their mood and boosted their sexual arousal.
Perhaps someday scientists will create a true aphrodisiac. Until then, Americans may need to learn how to relax and rediscover romance.
