Doctors urged to prescribe masturbation to reduce stress after multiple studies show orgasms can be beneficial
Masturbation is a subject that many refrain from talking about. However, it could soon be prescribed by doctors as a way to reduce stress thanks to a sex toy company.
LELO UK recently wrote an open letter and addressed it to the Department of Health. In the letter, they urged the NHS to prescribe masturbation to patients as a part of a wellness program. Several studies conducted over the years have shown the positive effects masturbation can have. This includes reducing stress, improving sleep, and boosting endorphins.
A sex therapist at LELO UK, Kate Moyle, said, "The function of pleasure is to make us feel good; and self-pleasure and masturbation can have positive benefits for our health in a variety of ways, including the release of the hormone oxytocin which can lower cortisol levels, getting to know our bodies better, and building sexual self-confidence," as reported by Mirror.
"Potentially recommended as a part of an integrated wellness program, masturbation could be of benefit to some patients, when put forward with confidence and educative information," Moyle added. The letter closely follows a LELO UK survey which found that around 78% of Brits say that orgasms make them happier be it alone or with a partner.
The survey also found that around 66% out of the 2,000 Brits surveyed feel a lot more productive after they have had an orgasm. Around 40% of Brits also believe that they benefit from the happiness and by-product effects of orgasm for up to around five days after.
LELO UK marketing specialist, Marcella Zanchi, shared, "We call on the Department of Health to act now and review and refresh the current practices when treating wellness issues, and to include the prescription of 'masturbation' and self-pleasure to patients as and where needed as part of a wider wellness program".
This is not the first time that masturbation has been prescribed. In the 1970s masturbation was prescribed to treat hysteria which was a diagnosis for women who suffered from anxiety, insomnia, nervousness, loss of appetite for food or sex, and shortness of breath.