Visual Obsession: An Obstacle Blocking a Fulfilling Sex Life
Technology has flooded our attention, bringing vices right to our fingertips. From gambling, to food delivery on demand, our phones can give us virtually everything… even sex.
Social media influencers, pornographic websites, and cam models can cause any viewer or consumer to experience sexual imagery overload, which in some cases, can ultimately lead to behavior addiction.
Internet Addiction Disorder is a real thing; this feedback loop constrains sexual energy, and can actually lead to blockages between genuine intimate partners. This is where our virtual world starts to (negatively) impact our ‘real world.’
The good news? Acupuncture and herbal medicine can help remove those obstacles, restoring the potential for an exciting and gratifying sex life.
Treating Sexual Addiction with Chinese Medicine
Balancing Internal Fire
Chinese Medicine views sex as a healthy life expression — a healthy divergence from the shame, stigma, and taboos of Western culture.
Having too little sex, within the scope of TCM, can be just as detrimental as too much sex. A high amount of desire is common, but the compulsive nature of addiction can overwhelm the body’s natural physiological function.
The internal center of arousal of Chinese medicine, the ming men fire that exists within men and women, is vital to providing virility, yang masculine energy and ‘spark of life’. Constant arousal can cause ming men fire to overrun the natural balance of yin feminine energy, causing too much internal excitation and depletion of the body’s substances.
Yin energy is important for looking and feeling young. It is the substance that supports reproduction, keeps hair dark, and skin looking smooth. It forms the water to let us “keep our cool”, and when the fire and water are imbalanced, the body tends to feel worse and age quicker.
Internal Fire Imbalances
When the aforementioned energies are knocked out of equilibrium, pathologies start to appear as the fire rises. Some symptoms to be mindful of include:
Headaches
Insomnia
Inappropriate or excessive anger
Rumination
Performance anxiety and frustration
Dusky, withered complexion
With excessive ejaculation, functional impotence
As pornographic and sexual addiction becomes a continuing problem, the fire burns the body’s fuel and is now unable to support the Spirit (Shen), resulting in desensitization to natural arousal. Constant visual stimuli retrain the body to only respond to external sexual cues, impairing interpersonal connection with partners. Obstructions in the body’s meridians make it increasingly difficult to experience the same level of pleasure or desire. As a result, the body may experience:
Low libido
Impotence
Depression
Low energy
How Chinese Medicine Can Help
Awareness and early ‘detection’ is the first step in mitigating negative health effects. In conjunction with lifestyle changes, this awareness and shift can help target any sexual addiction struggles.
As with any addiction, changing core habits is challenging for both mind and body. This is where TCM comes in. Treating sexual addiction with Chinese medicine can help control stress, which is a common cause of early onset erectile dysfunction (and stress can also be the result of breaking addictive patterns).
Chinese medicine for sexual wellness is a powerful therapeutic intervention. Studies have shown that acupuncture can help with the efficacy of addiction recovery when used in conjunction with conventional therapy.
This is because acupuncture and herbs can unblock pathways that can improve sex hormone release, as well as opening neural pathways to sustain healthier behaviors.
With continual treatment and maintenance, a patient can correct and support a healthy, sustainable balance. Early course correction not only promotes sexual vitality now, but also can allow the body to maintain a lifetime of sexual health.