Meet People Directory - Astrology

Cupid's Arrow to Target Longevity

1/1/1900

Many of us will go to great lengths to express our adoration of our significant others on February 14th. Not only is Valentine's Day the single, most romantic day of the year, we may consider it as the unofficial anti-aging holiday.

"The connection between sex, intimacy, and romance and living a long and healthy life is well established by clinical studies and polls of self-reported physical and emotional wellness," says Dr. Ronald Klatz, President of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M, Chicago, IL). "As the world's only medical society dedicated to eradicating the degenerative diseases of aging, the 10,000 physician and scientist members of the A4M are keenly interested in extending the healthy lifespan -- and sex span -- of every man and woman alive today."

Dr. Klatz, author of New Anti-Aging Secrets for Maximum Lifespan, offers these observations of how our bedroom behavior translates into living longer and better lives:
~ Sexual Expression as a Predictor of General Health. Scores on self-reporting indexes of sexual drive and performance consistently correlate with life satisfaction. This is accompanied by a parallel rise in the overall quality of life in the last year of life of men and women age 65 to 84 as measured by a Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine study published in January 2000.
~ Senior Friskiness. A Roper Starch Worldwide Survey of 1300 Americans aged 60 and older reported that 48% engage in sexual activity at least once a month. Four of every ten seniors want to have sex more frequently than they currently do.
~ Sex Combats Colds and Flu. A Wilkes University (Pennsylvania) study of college students reports that engaging in sex once a week boosts the immune systems and helps avoid falling victim to the cold and flu season.
~ The Loving Nag. In August 2000, researchers at the University of Michigan reported that men who are nagged by their wives live longer. Women who did not work more than 40 hours a week were found to be more involved in their husband's lives. The health of husbands dropped 25% in couples where the wives worked 40 hours a week or more.
~ Husbands as a Hindrance. Investigators at the University of Maryland found that women age 65+ who were living independently (without a husband or another person) at the outset of the two-year study fared far better in activities of daily living than counterparts with co-habitants. The team proposed that the physical and psychological demands of living alone are beneficial and lessen the deterioration of functional health in women.
~ Trust. Researchers from Duke University Medical Center (North Carolina) found a connection between trust, self-rated health, and life satisfaction. Following study subjects for fourteen years, interviews determined that men and women with high levels of trust live longer that those who did not have a similar confidence.

It is important for men and women to continue their expressions of sexual and affectional needs and desires throughout their relationship. Doing so can enhance feelings of sharing, mutuality, and joint concern over each other's well-being, as well as provide strength and inspiration to the both the sender and the recipient. Says Dr . Klatz, "For the older individual, love, affection, and sexual expression are direct affirmations of one's total being. The efforts we make on Valentine's Day should be continued year-round. How well, and perhaps how long, we live depends on it."