Is this news as great as the findings about Chocolate being good for you????? Depends...  Always being health conscious here, just had to read this article put out by LifeScript today and felt the obligation to share it with friends... You decide...

Sex Does a Body Good

By Dana Demas, Special to LifeScript

Monday, September 22, 2008

                                                                                                     

Sex is the new health potion. It’s good for you, keeps you young and only gets better the more you tango. Kinsey Institute sex researcher and educator Debby Herbenick, Ph.D., extols the benefits of sex.

Most of us already know that life is sweetened by sex. But healthier? Yes! In fact, study after study reports that people who are sexually active get sick less often, heal faster, are more alluring and simply happier. And once you’re in the groove, sex begets more sex. The momentum takes on a life of its own. Last night’s delight makes you want more. After all, your body wakes up to its arousal, and in a loving relationship, you and your partner feel closer than ever. 

Painless Perks

Why the magic? When we have sex, our bodies release increasing levels of oxytocin. Nicknamed “the bonding hormone,” oxytocin helps put the body and mind at ease. And it’s partly responsible for the feel-good effects of sex, including more pleasure and less pain. “Sexual excitement and orgasm, for both women and men, increase their threshold for pain,” Herbenick says. “They’re both less sensitive to pain and less likely to experience it.” 

In fact, Rutgers University sex researcher Beverly Whipple, Ph.D., has found that during orgasm a woman can tolerate up to 110% more pain than she can normally – a good thing, says Herbenick, because increased pain tolerance protects our bodies during sex and ensures that pleasure is the main event. The downside: some women may notice soreness or even mild tearing from an energetic romp once the pleasurable buzz has faded.  

But getting physical may be beside the point. Just thinking about sex can be pain relieving, too: In 1999, when researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Wisconsin asked participants to submerge their hands in ice-cold water, they found that participants who were told to think of kissing, flirting or otherwise enjoyable sexual activity with a partner experienced less pain and distress than participants who thought of a neutral situation.

Sexual activity can also lighten the pain of migraine headaches, chronic back pain and even offer relief from PMS symptoms, such as cramps. Saturday night never sounded so good.

The Sexy Side of Beauty

Sex also increases a person’s attractiveness quotient. A study out of Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland, found that participants thought people who had sex four times a week were 7 to 12 years younger than people having less sex.

“Research shows that more sex releases higher levels of oxytocin,” Herbenick says. “And we know that’s good for decreasing stress. So, it makes sense that if you’re less stressed, you’ll look better.” And blood pumping through the body at a post-coital clip brightens our blush, not a bad elixir for dewy skin and rosy cheeks.

Feeling attractive may also link up with how much sex you have. A 2005 study by Penn State sex researcher Patricia Barthalow Koch, Ph.D., found that women who perceived themselves as less attractive now than they were 10 years ago had less sex and less enjoyable sex than women who still felt attractive.

The Happiness Factor

Along with the physical boon, sex lifts our spirits. In fact, people who have more sex are happier in their relationships and in general. Of course, much of the well-being conferred by regular sex comes compliments of oxytocin, says Herbenick.

“The benefits are not dependent on having an orgasm,” Herbenick says. “It can be just the result of warm touching and massage.” In fact, animal research shows the hormone promotes closeness and even feelings of exclusivity among pairs who mate. And although men and women may be mating in captivity, says Herbenick, we’re more like animals than we know.

okay, thinking single and thinking miles....... I'm thinking chocolate!!!!  Let's talk about it!!!!