rs69 at cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Rong Shen) writes:
> This is the story. A reporter for a newspaper wrote that a
>doctor in Japan did some clinical research on the corelation between
>productivity and breakfast; he found that all the students in medical
>school who did not do well academically and all the graduates who had
>not received licenses for medical practice did not have the habit of
>eating breakfast. Since neurons are unable to metabolize proteins or
>other cell constituents, once the glucose concentration in the blood
>falls, the brain can not function to its full capacity.
I don't know if this is so, but I have a related question. I've begun
practicing the Taoist semen retention techniques mentioned in the alt.sex
FAQ, and just as described there I have noticed a fantastic increase in
mental alertness and physical stamina.
There are two rationales proposed in the Taoist literature to explain the
phenomenon, and I'm not sure that I buy either of them. The first is that
semen is 20% cerebro-spinal fluid, so if you ejaculate it your brain and
spine kind of sag, and that's why males want to go to sleep after ejaculation.
The second is that your various organs and vessels spend 30% of their time
just replacing lost semen, so if you don't lose any then they've got plenty
of extra time to make you healthy. The argument goes that this doesn't apply
to celibates on account of their bodies adapt over time to not manufacturing
semen.
An obvious alternative explanation is that the effect is purely psychosomatic,
that it is a placebo effect. I'd subscribe to this if it weren't for the fact
that I have empirical evidence of the phenomenon.
See, I am a regular 'rave' participant - a rave is a prolonged intense
dance party. Before beginning to retain I was unable to last for more than
four hours at a rave before physical fatigue did me in, and for a day or
more afterwards I would be good for nothing but sleep. The only way I could
better this was with the popular varieties of artificial stimulants, which
I'd rather avoid on account of their illegality and assorted risks.
I've been to three raves since beginning to retain, and on each occasion I
was able to last in excess of seven hours, most recently for a complete ten
hour party. I took no drugs of any kind, slept for only six to eight hours
after, and felt and was fit and able after sleeping, bar the odd fatigued
muscle and ringing eardrum. I'm thirty years old and not fantastically fit,
I haven't regularly exercised in six months, and so I think the improved
stamina and alertness can only be attributed to the semen retention. Friends
of mine have experienced similar effects from the practice.
So, what say, doctors and neuroscientists? Are the two rationales above
at all sensible? Is there an acceptable physical explanation? What's the story?
--
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