Celibacy is the state of being unmarried or the voluntary abstention from sex. It has been practiced since ancient times for a variety of reasons.

St. Augustine, the first archbishop of Canterbury, abstained from sex simply because he didn’t like the idea that sperm comes from the same organ that produces urine. The English writer John Ruskin married a 10-year-old girl and was shocked into sexual abstinence at the sight of his wife’s pubic hair! English sexologist Havelock Ellis, on the other hand, never masturbated, fearing he would contract venereal disease that way.

Other notable “virgins” in history found in “The Book of Lists” by David Wallechinsky, Irving Wallace and Amy Wallace are the English scientist Sir Isaac Newton, the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, and the British playwright George Bernard Shaw.

In today’s world, those who practice celibacy are usually priests and nuns who are concerned about Christ’s teachings on continence. These people believe they can better serve the Lord if they don’t have to look after their husbands, wives or kids.

As 1 Corinthians 7:32, 34 reads: “An unmarried man can devote himself to the Lord’s affairs, all he need worry about is pleasing the Lord. In the same way an unmarried woman, like a young girl, can devote herself to the Lord’s affairs; all she need worry about is being holy in body and spirit. ”

Since self-restraint is generally viewed by the Catholic Church as the first step in following Christ, a person can supposedly live the way our Savior did if he learns to control his or her passions and emotions.

Some people may be forced to practice celibacy either because of medical reasons such as a recent illness, surgery or simply as a way of preventing pregnancy. For those who can’t afford to buy expensive contraceptives or those whose religious upbringing prohibits them from using other effective contraceptives, celibacy would appear to be the ideal birth control method.

After all, it costs nothing and, more importantly, has no physical side effects to worry about. In fact, one does not even have to abstain from sex in using celibacy as a contraceptive method. As Paul M. Insel and Walton T. Roth pointed out in “Core Concepts in Health:”

“Many couples who do choose to abstain from sexual intercourse in the traditional penis-in-vagina sense turn to other mutually satisfying alternatives. When open communication between partners exists, many new avenues may be explored. These may include dancing, massage, hugging, kissing, patting, masturbation, and oral-genital sex. Sexual feelings may be expressed and satisfied through a wide range of activities and intimacy in diverse interactions.” (Next: Is celibacy practical?)

To enjoy sex in your later years, keep fit, eat right, and love life. That simple advice can go a long way in preserving your sex life. For extra help, take Fematril, a safe and natural female sexual enhancer that can stimulate your mind and body. For details, go to http://www.fematril.com/

Sharon Bell is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premier online news magazine http://www.HealthLinesNews.com

Is it practical to remain celibate in order to avoid pregnancy? While there is no doubt that this is the most effective birth control method, not everyone can do it. This is because normal sexual desires are strong and may be difficult to control.

Those who succeed in becoming celibate usually do so by overpowering their sex drive through time consuming activities. They may become obsessed with a particular hobby or distract themselves by means of hard work, meditation, exercise, dieting or prayer. However, this trick doesn’t always work, given the vast range of sexual feelings humans have.

Celibacy entails a lot of self-control and determination - something most couples, especially the husband, cannot cope with. One study of contraceptives used by married women in urban poor communities found that those who relied on natural methods such as withdrawal and the calendar method, were often forced to have sex on “unsafe” days by their drunken husbands. This makes it highly unlikely for the same couples to practice celibacy.

Even among the clergy, complete celibacy does not exist. This was proven in a landmark study by Margaret H. Halstead and Dr. Lauro S. Halstead of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. The results of their study published in The Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy might shock you.

After interviewing former priests and nuns, the two researchers found that most had sex just like everyone else. Before being ordained, the most common sexual activity reported was masturbation (47 percent) followed by intercourse and homosexuality (both 11 percent). Oral sex was practiced by 9 percent.

While in orders, masturbation climbed to 57 percent. So did homosexuality (21 percent) and intercourse (15 percent). After leaving orders, these sexual activities, further increased with masturbation at 85 percent, intercourse at 82 percent, and oral sex at 75 percent.

“The percentages given refer to those who replied. In many cases the individual engaged in more than one activity. Therefore, the figures are not intended to add to 100 percent,” said Albert B. Gerber in “The Book of Sex Lists.”

The respondents added that they were more sexually satisfied while in orders than after renouncing their sacred vow of celibacy. The most frequent reasons cited for decreased satisfaction were lack of partners followed by religious and/or moral reasons, feelings of not being desirable, and communication problems.

The same study said celibacy was practiced by 46 percent of the respondents before they were ordained. That figure went down to 32 percent while in orders, and finally dropped to 10 percent as the respondents left the ministry. These figures clearly show how difficult it is to become celibate. (Next: Effects of celibacy.)

To enjoy sex in your later years, keep fit, eat right, and love life. That simple advice can go a long way in preserving your sex life. For extra help, take Fematril, a safe and natural female sexual enhancer that can stimulate your mind and body. For details, go to http://www.fematril.com/

Sharon Bell is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premier online news magazine http://www.HealthLinesNews.com

History appears to support the belief that celibacy is difficult since a number of religious personalities - the very people who supposedly abstain from sex - were involved in sex scandals.

The most notorious of these figures was the Italian Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia) who bought his way to the papacy in 1492. Borgia once brought 50 prostitutes to the Vatican where he offered prizes to men who copulated the most times. His worldly and wicked ways eventually paved the way for the Protestant Reformation.

From “The Book of Lists” by David Wallechinsky, Irving Wallace and Amy Wallace, we learn that Pope Leo VIII died of a stroke while committing adultery, while Pope John XII plundered the church to support his gambling and mistresses which included female pilgrims. These examples show that for most people, including the clergy, sex is a vital part of life that can’t be ignored.

If you’re one of the lucky few who has the willpower to be truly celibate, don’t count your blessings yet. Forced celibacy may affect your partner, especially if he or she does not approve of it. Psychological problems can result if this is done for a long time.

“Although celibacy is not physically harmful, it may be destructive to a relationship if one partner makes a unilateral decision to stop sexual relations - whether due to illness, physical disability, interpersonal problems or sexual difficulties - thus imposing celibacy on the other partner. When life situations entail long-term deprivation of sex with a steady partner, an individual may turn to masturbation (selective or partial celibacy) or seek random partners for release of sexual tension,” according to Dr. Domeena C. Renshaw, professor of psychiatry at the Loyola University of Chicago - Strich School of Medicine in the journal Medical Aspects of Human Sexuality.

“Celibacy may lead to psychological problems. Some celibates who say they have no difficulty with sexual suppression nonetheless develop symptoms such as irritability, insomnia, somatization, or clinical depression,” Renshaw added.

Thus, if you’re not prepared for celibacy, forget it! You don’t have to torture yourself when there are other less demanding - and equally effective - ways of preventing pregnancy.

To enjoy sex in your later years, keep fit, eat right, and love life. That simple advice can go a long way in preserving your sex life. For extra help, take Fematril, a safe and natural female sexual enhancer that can stimulate your mind and body. For details, go to http://www.fematril.com

Sharon Bell is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premier online news magazine http://www.HealthLinesNews.com

How user friendly is your condom brand? Does opening the product foam its packaging give you problems? If you can use your product easily without encountering any form of challenges, then you are on the right track. When selecting the right condom brand, ensure that you can be able to utilize it at the shortest possible time. There is no time to waste when using a condom; the adrenaline rush involved calls for hasty decisions. It means the condom will be put in a hasty manner. A good brand ought to consider the risk involved. It ought to cover loop holes plus other discrepancies such that it reduces the risk of the user. It should address issues like the rubber band at the rim of the condom, is it tight and flexible enough to prevent the condom from sliding off?

Durability is paramount when choosing or selecting the right condom brand. These are issues of life and death. The durability of a condom can either save your life or drive you to an early grave. Imagine having sex with a strange woman and experiencing a wonderful climax only to learn that the condom had busted along the way! You realize all what you have is a bungle at the base of the now wet penis. You can worry yourself to death. You wonder whether you contracted any sexually transmitted disease. You hope and pray you didn’t get the killer virus. You curse yourself for not being vigilant enough. You curse the brand for being such a fake brand. Durability is the key theme when selecting the right condom brand.

Is this condom brand available? What is its availability? Is it something that can be got on a short notice? Some condom brands are so unique that you only get them at exclusive and designated areas. What is necessary is a condom brand that can be dispensed at any shop counter. A condom brand that looks like a member’s only club is not good to depend on. Shop for a brand that is evenly available at the shelf of your local shopkeeper especially when selecting the right condom brand. Purchasing a condom should not be a big issue but a common routine that you do every day. You should not even break a sweat looking for your favorite condom brand. Just get it at the counter of any shop country wide. It should be in any shop that you walk into in any corner of that nation. You can travel knowing that wherever you are you have enough supplies.

How well priced is a condom brand? Maybe you are the person who prefers up market products or you are comfortable with those pocket friendly condoms. It all depends on you. The affordable product is important when selecting the right condom brand. Choose a brand you can really afford since it is should be frequently used if you value your life. Something that will not strain your budget unnecessarily. The condom brand that you settle for should have a capacity of being accommodated in your slim budget. Avoid expensive condom brands that might force you not to use condoms whenever you need them. Stay safe.

Francis K. Githinji Is An Online Dating Expert. His Latest Project Condom Brand Shows How The Power Of Online Dating Can Be Harnessed Internationally and With Great Success, Or You Could Post Your Valued Comments On His Blog At Condom Brand

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If you suspect that you may be pregnant and you are taking a contraceptive pill like Mircette, it is wise to stop taking your pills until you have at least carried out a home pregnancy test - this will ensure that there are no risks to the fetus. You may be wondering though, if a home pregnancy kit works by measuring hormone levels- and you have been taking synthetic hormones in your Mircette contraceptive pill - “Will I get an accurate result from my DIY test?.

Pregnancy tests do not measure estrogen and progestin, the two hormones in combined oral contraceptive pills so even if you get pregnant while taking an oral contraceptive, you can rely on the result of the test being accurate. Taking Mircette will NOT interfere with your pregnancy test result.This is true whether you are still taking Mircette or have recently stopped taking it because of your suspicion that you may be pregnant.

Mircette is an extremely effective oral contraceptive pill so it is highly unlikely that you will become pregnant while taking it, unless you have missed several days of taking your pill. If you have stopped taking Mircette or any other brand of oral contraceptive pill, now is the time to decide if you wish to become pregnant now or sometime in the near future. If you do not wish to get pregnant at this point in your life, you should resume taking the pills and use back up contraception for a week.

But don’t estrogen levels rise when I’m pregnant and oral contraceptives, like Mircette, contain estrogen?

Yes, when you are pregnant estrogen levels are higher but this is NOT the hormone that is measured by a pregnancy test kit. All pregnancy test kits measure beta HCG (a placental hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin). A urine or a blood sample can be used to measure beta HCG. Most home urine pregnancy tests will turn positive 10 - 16 days after conception occurs. If you were not taking oral contraceptives, this would be around the time of your first missed period. When you are on oral contraceptives, ovulation could have occurred at a more irregular time so that if the pregnancy test is negative, you are either not pregnant OR you are less than 14 days pregnant from the date you ovulated. If you were to become pregnant while taking oral contraceptives, a normal ‘withdrawal bleed’ would not occur. - Dr. Rick Jelovsek MD.

Carole Pemberton brings you up to date with the latest information on contraceptives, including Mircette to empower you to enjoy your sexuality while successfully managing your birth control.

For a FREE E-BOOK, lighthearted videos, useful guides and a ‘no nonsense’ website that tells it like it is, visit:http://www.contraceptivereviewer.com

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Not many babies are born when their parents are on vacation, but many babies are conceived when their parents are out of town. Any kind of contraception, but especially the Pill, requires planning ahead before traveling abroad.

Women who take a progesterone-only “mini-Pill” because they are nursing or because they want to lower the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) on a flight need to be especially aware of the Seven Day Rule:

If a Pill is more than three hours late, pregnancy is possible for the next seven days.

Progesterone-only Pills have to be taken on a strict schedule, adjusted for the time zones crossed. For instance, if a woman who lives in Seattle usually takes her Pill at noon and she flies to Hong Kong (nine time zones west), she still has to take the Pill at noon Seattle time, which in Hong Kong is 3 a.m. (The calendar date doesn’t make a difference.)

Combined estrogen and progesterone contraceptives allow a little more leeway. Women should follow package instructions, or the Twelve Hour Rule:

If you are less than twelve hours late taking the Pill (on your home time), take the delayed pill at once, and then return to your normal schedule the next day at your new location. A woman from Seattle who usually takes her combination Pill at noon in Seattle can also take it at noon in Hong Kong. That’s because there’s only nine hours time difference. She still has to take it at noon Seattle time on the flight. For this purpose, it’s helpful to have a watch on home time.

If you are more than twelve hours late taking the pill, however, the same Seven Day Rule kicks in.

If you are more than twelve hours late (by your home clock) with your daily Pill, take the most recently delayed pill at once, continue the rest of the package, and abstain from intercourse (or use other methods of contraception) for the next seven days. If there are more than seven pills left in the package, continue your normal schedule, taking a seven-day break when you finish the package. If there are fewer than seven pills in the package, be sure to take the Pill for at least the next seven days, breaking open a new package, and taking your seven-day break at least seven days after the last skipped pill.

Of course, even if you are keeping track of time, there can be other problems.

If you experience vomiting less than three hours after taking the Pill, take a replacement pill from a spare packet. If the replacement pill doesn’t stay down, either, follow the same rules as for a missed pill, above. Diarrhea usually will not interfere with absorption of contraceptives unless it is very severe. If there is severe diarrhea within eight hours of taking the pill, however, follow the “seven-day rule” as above. And if you take the antibiotic Doxycycline, the effectiveness of the combined estrogen-progesterone Pill can be diminished for up to three weeks.

Injectable contraceptives (Depo-Provera, Noristerat) aren’t affected by time zones or gastic upset. As birth control Depo-Provera is a more reliable method during international travel.

Robert Rister has also written on whether the rhythm method works on vacation at his Savvy Natural Healer website.

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For those acne suffers whose acne is hormone related (a dermatologist can determine this), birth control pills can be very effective. Birth control pills are useful in treating acne by reducing the hormone androgen. This hormone makes the skin more oily. Therefore when less androgen is produced -the clearer the skin of acne prone women.

It can take 6 to 8 weeks for any changes in the skin to be noticed. This is because the pill will work first to prevent new breakouts and then heal the acne that is visible on the skin. This acne solution also has proven to work for at least 3 years.

The downside to using birth control pills for acne is the increased chances of developing blood clots, diabetes, gall stones, liver tumors, heart attacks, osteoporosis and breast cancer. Other less severe side effects can be depression, allergic reactions, facial hair growth, migraines, UTI’s and vaginal bleeding. Therefore an in-depth discussion with a doctor is very important. Clear skin may not be worth the negative risks involved for some women.

Along with other acne treatments, birth control pills may not work for everyone especially since there are different brands that affect the hormones and body differently. However a newer drug, Ortho Tri-Cyclen has had a much better success for fighting acne than other birth control pills. In fact, 80% of Ortho Tri-Cyclen users have had success for fighting acne. It is also the only birth control pill which has been FDA approved for clearing the skin of acne. See your dermatologist or gynecologist for more information.

Stop! As a licensed esthetician, I am sick and tired of all the false promises, over-hyped nonsense and simply bad information being passed off as fact about YOUR adult acne.

Read on to discover the 6 things you are doing everyday to cause your acne problems and how to avoid them, quickly easily and effortlessly!

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It is one of the most successful male contraceptives but dogged with a string of strange myths. It is believed that putting on a condom during sexual intercourse inhibits sexual pleasure. It is a general opinion from the male species with a number of echoes from their female counterparts that a condom is not good during sex. A person is not in a capacity to experience that tingling sensation during sex. You do not get to feel the warmth, wetness and the sweetness when flesh meets flesh. You only feel each other through the wall of the latex. Many pundits equate having sex with a condom to eating a sweet with its wrapper on. It is not easy to persuade people to drop such a notion or a condom myth. I believe people will always find a scapegoat to blame. They are condom myths developed and formulated to pour cold water on the condom. People want to have unlimited access to the pleasures of sex without using a condom.

The church especially the catholic church has continued to fight the use of condoms since it’s inception. The church says a condom encourages promiscuity in the society. People can sin without fear of disease or conception. The church insists that the condom is a license for the society to engage in a sex orgy. It makes the youth curios and have an urge to experiment. They are assured that with a condom nothing can go wrong. You can engage in sexual activities as much as you want so long as you have a condom. These are condom myths that have a strong backing from the church. The church is opposed to contraceptives and prefers its members to use the natural method or better still take heed and fill the world all together. A person who always uses condoms is a person who has taken control of his life.

The pores of the latex expand with heat and friction enabling the microscopic virus to penetrate. This is a condom myth that makes many people who have never engaged in sex to prefer abstinence. They fear it is too risky to engage in sex. Before a condom brand is released into the market, a lot of research and tests goes on to ensure it does not expose people to risk. This ensures that a consumer is assured of top range quality. Corporate social responsibility cannot allow a manufacturer to sell substantial goods that will cause harm to clients and other potential users. No sensible political authority would allow it’s citizens to be put at risk by consuming substandard products. Condom myths are simply unfounded and baseless.

It is talked interns of unreliability as a condom myth. Many believe the latex can burst any time during lovemaking and hence exposing the user to very grave dangers. They may be called daddy when they are not yet ready. The greatest fear is to contract a sexually transmitted disease. Tests have been done to ensure that such incidents do not happen. When a condom rips itself apart during sex, it shows the problem is secondary. The condom is either expired or has been handled carelessly. Use the right lubricant in case the woman lacks enough lubricants herself or is dry. A condom is so good you will never regret using it, dismiss the condom myths.

Francis K. Githinji Is A Online Dating Expert. His Latest Project Condom Myths Shows How The Power Of Online Dating Can Be Harnessed Internationally and With Great Success, Or You Could Post Your Valued Comments On His Blog At Condom Myths.

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The most known and widely used male contraceptives are the famous condoms and vasectomy. Some male contraceptives are irreversible like vasectomy. Once it is performed it is permanent. The MRU and MPU are male contraceptives that block the vas deference. The vas deference is the tube that transports or relays sperms from one medium to another. This tube is blocked such that sperms will no longer be able to join the urethra during ejaculation. No sperms will be released during sexual intercourse but the blocking of the vas deference is reversible. It is only a slight or a small section of the vas deference that is usually blocked. A man’s fertility is able to return once and is known to have minimal side effects.

Another male contraceptive is the adherin. Adhering is also among male contraceptives that interferes with sperm formation in the testes. It inhibits the way cells in the testes work towards the development of mature sperms. Adherin has minimal or no side effects even after tests performed on rats indicated that the introduction of adherin led to a very low sperm count. It is a contraceptive that is still under investigation and it will be in the market soon. Once the normal development of the sperm is interfered with, the male can no longer be able to release sperms with a capacity of fertilizing an egg. The man is no longer fertile but do not feel scared because it is only temporary. Once this contraceptive is withdrawn fertility returns to normal within a period of 3-4 months.

Another formula that is used as a male contraceptive is by blocking the development of sperms without any alteration of the testerone levels in the body. Controlling hormonal changes would adversely affect some body functions in a person. The contraceptive ought to be user friendly with minimal or no side effects. This is the reason why all these male contraceptives are still research projects. They have not yet been formally introduced into the mainstream market. Apart from vasectomy and condoms all the rest of male contraceptives are still on trial. Blocking the development of sperms is either achieved through the introduction of an injectable drug into the body. Sometimes it can be a direct ingestion of a contraceptive.

The androgen-progestine is the most recent invention among male contraceptives. But do no start smiling yet because like the rest of the contraceptives it is still on trial. It might have to wait for several years before you officially see it in the market. Androgen-progesterone is intended at control those hormones and chemical change in the body that aid in sperm development. Their is a risk of having terrible side effects of toxic accumulation of harmful substances in the body. A trial done on rats however did not show any toxic deposits from the contraceptive. Apart from this risk, hormonal alterations in the body will interfere with normal body functions. The contraceptive is being further researched on to overcome such challenges.

Francis K. Githinji Is A Online Dating Expert. His Latest Project Male Contraceptives Shows How The Power Of Online Dating Can Be Harnessed Internationally and With Great Success, Or You Could Post Your Valued Comments On His Blog At Male Contraceptives.

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Currently, there are over 303,000,000 US citizens and that population does not include all the illegal immigrants or undocumented workers. In October of 2007 the United States had passed the 300 million mark and already there are 3 million more. This is somewhat alarming as some have asked how many more people can this nation handle under the current conditions and mind you, this is not only happening in the US, it is happening all over the world. In China there are over 1.3 Billion people and in India over 1 Billion.

It is time that the human race control this incredible population growth and to do that it will be necessary to practice more birth control and enlighten large population bases on contraceptives. Without a Worldwide plan to prevent these out of control birth rates we will indeed end up running out of natural resources, and first on the list is water. That’s right water, we do not have enough fresh water supplies to handle them all. It is for this reason that if we do not take birth control seriously, all will be lost.

In one report put out by the United Nations, it was estimated that there could be as many as double the current population by 2050. China recently, changed its one child per couple law and some are concerned that this could lead to an increased birth rate bolting the 1.3 Billion population in their nation. Indeed, it is for this reason that I hope all of you out there will think about it before creating more little human beings to enter our realm. Use contraceptives and practice birth control, for the future of the human race.

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