Is Your Bladder Overactive?

Usually being overactive is a good thing, but not when it comes to your bladder. If you’ve got an overactive bladder (OAB), then you know how disruptive it can be to your life, especially your sex life. So how often do you need to pee to be diagnosed with an overactive bladder? At least eight or more times a day, including two or more times during the night and there are 3 main symptoms that you’ll experience:Urgency, Frequency and/or Leakage. Urinary incontinence is the clinical term for leaking or wetting accidents.

Living with OAB can definitely put a strain on your life so that you don’t enjoy going on vacations, attending social events and end up avoiding intimate moments that may result in inhibitions and lack of desire. Make sure you let your partner know that your embarrassment and lack of desire isn’t their fault and educate them about OAB by letting them know that approximately 33 million men and women are affected, but they can also be successfully treated.

You don’t have to accept that an overactive bladder as an inevitable part of aging because there are options and solutions to help you manage and treat this condition. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms and choose the right method for you and your lifestyle.

Stress Reduction: When your stress is high, it can affect the entire body and result in many health problems that include OAB. So if your anxiety is causing you to urinate too often, decrease your daily stress level by changing a stressful activity and replacing it or taking deep breaths when you feel anxious, listen to relaxing music, meditate when you can, do yoga or get a massage. Changes to your lifestyle and habits may help you better manage your OAB symptoms.

Diet Modification: Certain foods and drinks containing caffeine, alcohol, citrus and spices are known to irritate the bladder.  So, avoid oranges, grapefruits,  lemons and pineapple. Chocolate is a no no, but if you must have it, then eat dark chocolate with more than 70 percent cocoa. Cut down on spicy foods that are made with hot peppers or tomato sauces. No sugar or dairy products. Do eat black foods such as black rice, beans, pasta and blueberries as they are high in antioxidants and fiber. Do continue to drink fluids because you don’t want to become dehydrated and worsen the bladder irritation.

Constipation Prevention: Constipation can cause direct pressure on the bladder when your diet is lacking in fiber, wholegrain, vegetables and water. Avoid foods that can cause constipation such as bananas, chocolate, tea and white rice. Also, be sure to do exercises like walking or swimming, stretching or yoga to help loosen the colon. Alternatively, you may use mild stool softeners or laxatives that you can buy over the counter such as, Glycerin suppositories, Dulcolax®  or Milk of Magnesia® for gentle and effective relief from constipation,  but do not overuse laxatives for any length of time as they can aggravate your symptoms.

Bladder Training: This can help change the frequency of urination by scheduling set times of the day to go to the bathroom. That means controlling the urge to go by waiting until the set time or going as close to the time as you can. This technique can teach you how to gradually control the urge to urinate so that you don’t go as often as you did. You can also schedule social and intimate time more confidently using the bladder training technique.

Bladder Retraining: Includes Kegel exercises, which have been proven to strengthen and tone the genital support muscles. You squeeze and hold the muscles that you use to stop and start the flow of urine 3 times a day for 10 reps and build up to 20 reps. When the sphincter and genital support muscles surrounding the urethra contract by you squeezing them, it signals the bladder to relax, so the urge to urinate may eventually subside. These muscles are called Pubococcygeus and they can be as thin as a pinky or as thick as three fingers. The thicker the better.

   

Electrical Stimulation and Biofeedback: Electrical stimulation is referred to as Pelvic Floor Muscle Electrical Stimulation or (PFES). This is performed in a clinic or doctors’ office where PFES combined with biofeedback may prove helpful providing passive contractions that boost awareness of pelvic floor muscle contractions. This may be favorable for people who are not capable of doing Kegel exercises on their own.

There are oral medications for OAB that prevent the urge to urinate by relaxing sphincter muscles and there is Estrogen for women who can choose to take it orally or insert it vaginally. If you suffer from OAB, seek the advice of a qualified health care professional who can diagnose the cause and prescribe appropriate treatment options for you.

For more information on OAB, go to www.OveractiveBladder.com

Tantra and Tantric Sex

Tantra goes all the way back to the ancient language of Sanskrit which is originally from India and offers sensual and enlightening terminology.  The beginnings go back as far as 1500 BC; its writings concentrated on philosophical issues and ritualistic teachings such as the well known Kama Sutra, a sexual manual from the 14^th century.  The term “sanskrit” is derived from “samskrta” which means “adorned, cultivated, perfected”.   Sanskrit has been maintained as the literary language of the priestly, learned and cultivated castes of India.

The name “Yab-Yum” is an ancient Sanskrit term which defines the classical, heart-to-heart position of Tantric lovemaking.   In this position, both partners are seated upright, with the woman on top of the man.  The main consideration is that the spine must be relatively straight so that the spinal energy of the Kundalini (sexual force) can travel unimpeded and a cosmic circuit can be created between lovers.  When a couple comes into union consciously, they move their energy simultaneously.   The Yab-Yum position draws the partners into an “auric egg” or circle on eternal union.

Below are a sampling of Sanskrit words that can be used when exploring Tantra and Tantric Sex.

1.Tantra – The ancient yoga originating in India that trains one in the ways of weaving and transforming sexual energy into altered states and awakening to enlightenment, thus carrying sexuality to unfathomable heights and depths.

2. Amrita – This term means nectar of the Gods.  It is the female ejaculatory fluid that flows from the urethra of some women during orgasm.  Some people believe this fluid to have mystical powers; ancient tribes used it to make healing balms and aphrodisiacs. 

3.  Aura – The energetic field layers around the body, seen by some in varying colors and noticeable as a warm, fuzzy – sometimes mildly electrical – energy to the open hand as the hand moves closer to the body.

4. Auric Egg – The energy field created by a man and woman in the Yab-Yum position of lovemaking, in which both partners are sitting upright and creating a circle of energy that flows evenly up and down their spines.

5. Bindu – A drop of semen.

6. Goddess Spot – This area of female genitalia is better known as the G-Spot which was named after Ernest Grafenberg who first clinically identified it in the early 1950s.  It is the fleshy area in the vaginal wall, right behind the pubic bone and between the opening of the urethra and the cervix.  It swells when stimulated, and creates a heightened energy response in women.

7. Guru – The teacher or master of knowledge.

8. Hatha – The joined Sanskrit stems “ha”, meaning sun, and “tha”, meaning moon.  Symbolic of the soul and body of the human being.

9.Kundalini – The creative (sexual) life-force energy at the base of the spine that, once awakened, coils upward like a snake through he electrical chakra centers awakening each aspect of the soul more fully.  If this powerful force is unleashed correctly, the kundalini energy takes sexuality out of the genital area and gives one an overall body orgasm that is fulfilling rather than draining.

10. Lingam – Means the wand of light and describes the penis.

11. Yoni – Means the sacred space and refers to the entire vaginal area including the clitoris and labium.

12.   Maithuna – The traditional tantric ritual culminating in a sexual bio-energy exchange.

13.  Million Dollar Point – The hollow point in the perineum (between the anus and the scrotum) that, when pressed firmly, will block the outward flow and facilitate the upward flow of the seminal fluids.  It is said that when this technique is used properly, the man will “feel like a million dollars”.

14.  Mukh maithun – Fellatio

15. Honoring – Cunnilingus

16.  Nirvana – The extinction of self-will in favor of a more blissful union with the universe, often achieved through meditation and the proper awakening of the kundalini sexual force.

17   Orgone – Bio-energy discovered to be the life force connected to sexuality.

18   Shakti – The feminine aspect of kundalini, kinetic energy.

19   Shiva – The masculine aspect of kundalini, static energy.

20   Vajra – Wand or thunderbolt, another name for penis.

21.  Mani and Padme – These two terms are very significant in male/female relations.  Mani means “jewel” and “padme” means “lotus”.  “The jewel in the lotus” is a significant eastern expression referring to penis (jewel) inside the many folds of the lotus (vagina).

To learn more about Tantra and Tantric Sex, you can take an online course at:

http://www.loveologyuniversity.com/ShortCourseDetails.aspx?CourseID=47

Sex Up Your Bedroom

If you want to sex up your love life then turn your bedroom into a lover’s paradise by giving it a sexy makeover. The minute you walk into your bedroom you should want to seduce and be seduced.  Here are 12 steps to transform your bedroom into a love magnet.

1. Keep it tidy and clean as if a TV show was going to show up to film it.

2. Make the bed cozy and inviting with layers of matching sheets, cover and pillows.

3. Put a soft fluffy rug on the floor for some frisky foreplay.

4. Create mood lighting with dimmers, floor lamps, colored bulbs or candles.

5. Place water, wine, chocolates and other tasty treats on the bedside table.

6. Have a plant or vase with fresh cut flowers perched near a window.

7. Play music that will put you and your lover in the mood for love.

8. Add a large mirror strategically to catch glimpses of your lovemaking.

9. Accessorize with sexy props like lingerie, feathers and silk scarves.

10. Keep a hatbox under the bed to store tissues, condoms, lubes, massage oil, sex toys and sex games to fuel your passion.

11. Even an electric fireplace can turn a plain bedroom into a romantic hideaway.

12. Create a canopy look by hanging sheer curtain panels around your bed

After you’ve transformed your bedroom into a love magnet, create a special love nest area in every room in your home.