General

All through history, men have been debating whether and how to control sex. Ancient Asian societies believed that the semen fluid is sacred, made from the same stuff that the brain is made from, and therefore should be preserved inside the body. Athletes, particularly wrestlers and boxers, have traditionally avoided sex before competition to increase aggression. Does the avoidance of sex promote aggression? Apparently yes, but aggression can be increased by suppressing other things as well, including eating, resting, sleeping, etc. Aggression isn't always a side effect of testosterone, sometimes it's a symptom of sheer frustration and stress.

The truth is simple: sex should be treated like exercise. If you do it too often, you may become overtrained/oversexed but if you don't do it at all, you may get out of shape. Note that overtraining is a relative matter - what's considered overtraining to one person may be an optimal regime to another. Other factors that contribute to overtraining are nutrition and sleep. Inadequate nutrition (misincorporation of recovery meals and nutritional deficiencies) as well as sleep deprivation are major contributors to overtraining symptoms. The same holds true for sexual performance, whether you exhaust your virility or not is a relative matter and it depends on your lifestyle, nutrition, sleep and level of stress.

How does all the above relate to your survival? The answer is obvious: the capacity to perform sexually is critical to the survival of the species. Sex hormones regulate multiple survival related functions, including reproduction, build-up of tissues, and physical performance (fight or flight activities). The point is that we are inherently programmed to actively survive - cycle between action and rest - and having sex is an action that plays an important role in actively surviving. Every mechanism in our body is well programmed for activity rather than inactivity. And this, by any means, applies to our reproductive/sexual system. Our semen fluid must be spent and recycled to keep it fresh and healthy. Similarly, our testosterone pool must be recycled (secreted and reproduced) to sustain itself and this important process is enhanced by exercise and sex. Legendary warriors, including King David, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Attila the Hun were known for their high virility and brutality. Evidently sex and aggression go hand in hand.

Manhood is inherent to us. It involves more doing than thinking, and like other things that we possess, it should manifest itself instinctively. Sexuality is part of what we are and we can't deny it. How often and how much? Well, it all comes down to the "art of living" - if you live your life as you have been programmed to, this very question becomes irrelevant.

In our modern society, everything is pathologically measured and accounted. Check and balance, moderation and saving are all terms that relate to matter and money - "if you spend you lose" or "you can't eat the cake and have it ...etc. What people today have been failing to understand is that our bodies are not programmed to do well while saving (saving/storing means getting fat). Unlike cars, our bodies can generate energy without having been fueled. Unlike machines, we have been programmed to renovate and recreate ourselves. Our testosterone pool must be challenged in order to recreate itself and overcompensate, that's why active individuals are in better shape than sedentary people - more resilient to aging and potentially more capable of being virile for life. Do not try to save your testosterone like saving money. It simply doesn't work. Stop counting and stop contemplating, instead live instinctively, eat to your heart, make love passionately - and enjoy this primitive side of yours.

The recently FDA approved weight loss pill alli is now available as an OTC drug. Alli targets millions of overweight and obese people who fail to lose weight in spite of dieting. The rates of obesity in America are reaching an epidemic proportion: 30% of all Americans and 40% of all Americans over the age of 50 are clinically obese. Add to this the borderline obese and overweight people and you'll get the overwhelming majority of people living in this country. Yes, 60% of the population, over 200 million people have now a direct access to this new weight loss pill. Let's examine what may happen to this country if the majority of people will start taking alli to lose weight.

Alli is actually a new version of an anti-obesity prescription drug. It works by inhibiting the absorption of fat via inhibition of fat metabolizing enzymes. According to its manufacturer, "the fat passes out of your body..." Nonetheless, together with the loose fat there are also loose stools that apparently pass out of the body...and you may not be able to control these undesirable "passes". Alli manufacturers call this "a treatment effect". Their actual suggestions:

Wear dark pants...and also bring a change of clothes with you to work. They also kindly suggest that if you get gassy – the bathroom is really the best place to go...oh really... Finally, they recommend you to get a food journal in order to recognize what food requires "black pants" and what doesn't. This isn't a joke, if you suddenly realize that the majority of people around you wear dark pants – Run away! Get a gas mask! Get on a boat! Get on a plane! Seriously, if the majority of people will be sitting or standing in the bathroom for most of the day - what would happen to our economy? What would happen to our country? Are we ready to trade our kingdom for a pill? And if we are ready, does it work?

Does alli work?

Alli's premise is to inhibit fat absorption and thus prevent fat gain, but this premise may be based on wrong assumptions. The notion that fat makes you fat is misleading and practically wrong. Yes, there are bad fats that should be avoided, but regardless, fat isn't the main culprit for the current epidemic of obesity. There is growing evidence that other factors of modern men's diet, particularly the high increase in the glycemic index of the diet with a higher intake of refined and processed food are the major contributors to modern men's disease and disorders including obesity, diabetes and cancer. Inhibiting fat absorption may actually accelerate the problem by increasing the overall metabolic stress on the body. Fat is a natural carrier of fat soluble vitamins. It is also the building block for sex hormones and stress hormones, certain fats are essential to the body and the majority of people today are already deficient in essential fatty acids.

Alli is just another commercial gimmicky product that addresses a desperate need for a quick fix solution. There is no shortcut to weight loss. There is no miracle pill that really works. Any attempt to shortcut a natural metabolic process in the body may short-circuit your health.