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Topics: Health, Japan, Sex and Relationships, World News
Liv Bridge
Topics: Health, Japan, Sex and Relationships, World News
Experts have claimed an ancient 'sex scroll' could contain the secrets to living a long life.
Living a long, healthy and happy life is a concern for most of us, though arguably no more than Bryan Johnson, a biohacker on a quest to 'live forever' who has shelled out more than $2 million to try and find the answers to immortality.
However, far from bizarre and costly medical experiments, experts have recently dug up a 1,000-year-old Japanese text which claims certain tips on bedroom intimacy are the top contender when it comes to promote longevity.
The Imperial Family of Japan and its physicians have preserved the 30 scared scrolls that make up the Ishinhō, translated to the 'heart of medical prescription,' as per The New York Post, for centuries, and modern-day scientists say it could hold some ancient wisdom.
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The scrolls lift the lid on a holistic approach to living, tipping herbs, and nutrition as the secrets to a long life, and a thriving sex life, as evidenced by Scroll 28 which details the creation and the preservation of the life force, jingqi.
Scholar Denis Noble told the outlet that the theme of the texts center around the belief that the human body's systems are connected in an 'integrated communicative system'.
Modern-day science also appears to support the theory of sex medicine, having discovered telomeres, which cap the end of each strand of DNA, tend to a good indicator of biological age.
It is therefore believed that tapping into and expanding telomeres can help reverse the ageing process.
Leslie Kenny, founder of Oxford Healthspan and co-founder of the Oxford Longevity Project, told the outlet: "All we need to do is find something that activates telomeres.
"Well, one of those things is sexual intimacy,” she said. “And it’s that meditative state that couples can get into when they entrain breath, heartbeat and eye gaze. That actually increases the telomeres.”
Our bedroom activity can also increase the prevalence of the anti-inflammatory hormone, oxytocin, which Kenny says supports 'wound healing and immune function' too, all of which goes towards promoting a long life.
What's more, she adds getting frisky between the sheets also works as a de-stressor and as a way to 'better regulate our emotions'.
"Physical affection triggers a release of endorphins, dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin, all of which contribute to emotional bonding, elevated mood and lower inflammation," she added.
A 1997 study into the frequency of sexual intercourse of 900 men between the ages 45 and 59 further found those with the most orgasms had a whopping 50 percent lower premature mortality rate.
However, Ishinhō Scroll 28 recommends actually reducing ejaculation, stating an excessive release of sperm could adversely affect a man's life and possibly accelerate the speed of ageing.
Kenny seems to agree, advising men to actually save themselves from ejaculating too much.
She explained: “When a man ejaculates, he actually will deplete his body of testosterone, what the Eastern sages have called a ‘man’s essence.’ There have been studies done that show that immediately after ejaculation, a man will lose testosterone.
"The more that this happens, the more his testosterone levels drop. Another thing he will lose is spermidine.”
She added: "Sperm also include vitamin C, magnesium, glutathione, which is the body’s master antioxidant, and zinc,” Kenny said. “There are a lot of important minerals and antioxidants that the man is losing, so he needs to top up with these other things to replenish.“