A Healthy Sexual Lifestyle
Ayurveda and Sexuality
Charaka Samhita, the traditional text of Ayurveda states,
“A healthy life has three main pillars: balanced nutrition, proper sleep, and a healthy sex and marital life.”
The goal then becomes to maintain these three pillars.
In this article, our focus within the realm of healthy sexuality is going to be on what is often not spoken of—sexually transmitted diseases. Many schools provide sex education, but it is often left incomplete. Children and teens are commonly educated regarding male and female body parts, saying “no,” identifying what safe sex practices are (ie, using a condom or birth control pill), and even emphasizing abstinence. In many households, children are then left to “explore” and learn on their own, often at the expense of their own health.
Strategies for Promoting Sexual Health
Hygiene:
It goes without question that staying “clean” prevents disease. This is the case for maintaining sexual health as well. It is important to wash the genital region with a mild cleanser, change undergarments daily, and not apply substances (including douching) or use material as undergarments that may cause irritation or even a change in the normal pH of the region. By changing the pH, we allow for infection to flourish.
After and before intercourse, it is important for both males and females to urinate as this helps flush what may trigger irritation and/or infection.
Safe Sex Practices
Prevention is key in all health and promotion of well-being. Today, there is a rise in sexually transmitted infections, and we don’t exactly have a clear picture why. There is speculation regarding this, which includes: an increase in the number of sexual partners, unsafe sex practices, changes in sexual behavior, and increase in risky sexual behavior to name a few. In the U.S., the top three reportable STIs include: syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamy dia. Others include: Herpes I/II, HPV, hepatitis and HIV/AIDs. “Reportable” indicates that health care practitioners are required to report these cases to the health department.
Let’s take a closer look at what these are:[1,2,3]
STI | Route or Spread | Symptoms | Prevention | Treatment |
---|---|---|---|---|
Syphilis | Spread by close contact (oral, vaginal, anal) Enters via tiny abrasions on skin or mucous membranes. *Can be transmitted through the placenta (mostly during 2nd trimester). |
In the fetus, can cause: birth defects similar to Rubella.
Secondary stage:
Clinical Latency period:
Advanced stage:
|
Barrier during intercourse, ie. condom | Conventional: Antibiotics. The patient and all sexual contacts must be diagnosed and treated to prevent secondary & tertiary disease. Pregnant females should have a screening test at the time of the first prenatal visit. |
Gonorrhea |
Spread by contact with infected mucous membranes (direct contact, usually sexual). Incubation is 2-8 days. Can be transmitted to infant during childbirth. |
Males
Females
*Gonorrhea and Chlamydia often occur together. |
Barrier during intercourse, ie. condom | Conventional:Antibiotics. The patient and all sexual contacts must be diagnosed and treated to prevent secondary & tertiary disease. |
Chlamydia | Spread by contact with infected mucous membranes | Commonly not symptomatic, especially in women. | Barrier during intercourse, ie. condom | Conventional: Antibiotics. The patient and all sexual contacts must be diagnosed and treated to prevent secondary & tertiary disease. |
Herpes I or II (oral or genital) | Spread by contact with mucous membranes. Can be spread by mother to infant during birth. |
Tingling before symptoms are full blown Painful blister(s) that erupt into shallow ulcers Virus remains dormant after healed Lymph node swelling Fever, headache, malaise |
Barrier during intercourse, ie. condom |
Conventional: Acylclovir Diet modification:
Understanding triggers |
HPV | Contact with mucous membranes (mouth, genitals, anal area). | Flat of cauliflower like genital warts after 1-6 months of contact. May spread. *3 times more common than herpes simplex virus. *Certain strains associated with increase in cervical or ano-rectal cancer. |
Barrier method. HPV vaccine is controversial and has reported side effects. |
Podophyllin cream. Freezing leaves the chance for warts to return. |
Hepatitis | Hepatitis A: food borne, fecal-oral, water borne, IV drug use, hemodialysis, sexual, anal-oral, oral-oral, mother to newborn Hepatitis B: IV drug use, transfusion, hemodialysis, oral-oral, household, mother to newborn, travel where Hep B is common Hepatitis C: via body fluids IV drug use, transfusion, hemodialysis, sexual, household, mother to newborn |
Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes), fever, loss of appetite, fatigue, dark urine, joint pain, abdominal pain, diarrhea, gray-colored stool, nausea, and vomiting | Vaccination for Hepatitis A & B. There is no vaccine for Hepatitis C. Safe sex practices: barrier method to reduce risk of transmission. Practice cleanliness (ie. wash hands) |
Hepatitis A: No standard treatment other than supportive care. Hepatitis B: Several antiviral medications for chronic exposure. Supportive care for acute exposure. Hepatitis C: Combination therapy for acute and chronic exposure. *Avoid alcohol *Evaluate liver every 3-6 months. |
HIV | IV drug use or drug sharing, unsafe sex practices, blood product exposure, travel to endemic areas. Mother to newborn. |
Acute stage:
Clinical Latency Stage:
|
Barrier method during intercourse. Prophylactic pre-exposure treatment with anti-retrovirals. |
Prophylaxis anti-retroviral treatment (ART/HAART) for pre and post exposure. Post-test counseling. |
*As a note, for primary prevention, it will be worthwhile to have a conversation with your partner prior to engaging in intimate activity.
Testing
If there is suspected exposure to sexually transmitted infection(s), it is important to get tested. For many STIs, there is no immediate reaction as it can take weeks for the infection to be detected in the body. Below is an outline that provides how long it takes for the infection to be detected in the body and when testing should occur again, if any.[2,3,4]
STI | Incubation Period | When to Retest |
---|---|---|
Syphilis | 3-6 weeks | 3 months after treatment |
Gonorrhea | 2-6 days | 2 weeks after treatment |
Chlamydia | 24 hours – 5 days | 2 weeks after treatment |
Herpes I/II (oral or genital) | 4-6 weeks | If initial test is negative, retest if you have unprotected oral sex. If negative for genital herpes, retest in 3 months to confirm initial results. |
HPV | 1-6 months | Every 6 months |
Hepatitis | Hepatitis A: 2-7 weeks, with 28- day average Hepatitis B: 6 weeks, sometimes within 3 weeks, average 120 days Hepatitis C: 2 weeks – 180 days, average 45 days |
Retesting isn’t necessary, as virus remains dormant in the body forever |
HIV | Antibody test method: 1-3 months RNA test for early detection: 9-11 days |
Retesting isn’t necessary, as the virus remains in the body for life. |
Conclusion:
The greatest emphasis is placed on prevention, as prevention is the best treatment. Washing with a mild soap is a very simple tool to keep infections from flourishing. However, this is not fool proof. Taking other appropriate steps, such as using the barrier-method (i.e. condoms) will help prevent the spread of infection.
Of other significance, it is also your social responsibility to prevent spread of infections, and to be open and fair to your partner. If you suspect any existence of infection, do not get involved in sexual activity. After all, infection can spread as easily as slight contact of an open lesion of the lips or genitals to another individual. If you are at all doubtful of your status, get a medical evaluation done by your primary care physician.
References
- [1] Class Notes: Genitourinary & STD, (2012).
- [2] Class Notes: HIV+/HIV Risk Assessment, (2015).
- [3] The ABCs of Hepatitis (2016).
- [4] Brocail, M. How Soon Can I Get Tested for STDs After Unprotected Sex?, (2015).