“Those who have not known the deep intimacy and the intense companionship of happy mutual love have missed the best thing that life has to give.” – Bertrand Russell
A chapter from the book “Homeopathy through Harmony and Totality Vol III” Published by B. Jain Publishers Pvt Ltd.
DEFINITION OF SEX
The conception or definition of sex would at first glance seem to be a strictly biological task. Yet sex can be defined or characterized at many levels including Chromosomal (XX or XY); cellular (egg vs. sperm); morphological (gonads, genitalia and functional anatomy); physiological (hormonal levels) and behavioural (sexuality).
Which is ‘The’ definition?
HUMAN SEXUALITY AND SEXUAL DESIRE
Human sexuality is the study of human behaviour in relation to an important and over-powering human need, i.e. sex. Sex is part of our life, our personality, our identity. It is an integral part of one’s self. It is not a subject of isolation, but a composite of intangibles, the totality of which affects our life.
Sexuality concerns sex as well as sexual behaviour and it involves a deep pervasive aspect of the total personality, the sum total of one’s feelings and behaviour.
The four broad lines of thoughts regarding sexual desire are as follows:
- Whether it is merely a biological drive or an intentional mental state?
- How it should be defined?
- Whether it is benign or malignant? and
- Whether it admits of perverted forms?
Definition of sexual desire seems to understand sexual desire as basically an appetite. ‘Sexual desire’ is “desire for contact with another person’s body and for the pleasure which such contact produces” (Goldman 1977) or it can be defined as “the desire for certain bodily pleasures” (Primoratz 1999: 46). On the first, if X feels sexual desire, then X desires the touch of another person’s (Y) body and the sexual pleasure derived through that touch.
Given that the pleasure view understands the sexual desire in terms of an object (pleasure), one can describe it as “object-based”.
An alternative is the “feature-based” approach, which defines “sexual desire” in terms of “sexual arousal” (Jacobsen 2017).
PHILOSOPHY OF SEX
The aspect of applied philosophy involved with the study of sex and love, includes ncludes both ethics of phenomena such as prostitution, rape, sexual harassment, sexual identity, the age of consent, homosexuality, and conceptual analysis of concepts such as “what is sex”?
Moral evaluations of sexual activity is determined by judgments on the nature of the sexual impulse. In this light, the philosophies fall into two camps.
A negative understanding of sexuality
Immanuel Kant believes that sexuality undermines values and challenges our moral treatment of another person. Sexual love, says Kant, “makes of the loved person an object of appetite”. As per this understanding, sex is often advised only for the purpose of procreation. Sometimes sexual celibacy is considered to lead to the best or the most moral life.
A positive understanding of sexuality
Such as from Russel Vannoy or Irving Singer looked upon sexual activity as pleasing the self and the other at the same time.
Thomas Nagel proposed that only sexual interactions with mutual sexual arousal are natural to human sexuality. Perverted sexual encounters or events would be those in which this reciprocal arousal is absent, and in which a person remains fully a subject of the sexual experience or fully an object.
SEX: CHARACTERS
Sex is not a function of sexual orgasm only, it is for fun, pleasure and ecstasy. It doesn’t act separately, like other functions of the body.
Sex binds the concerned with cords of love, respect, compassion for the other, gratitude and romance. Sex reflects the unity, the sublime love and the nature’s way of delight a human being can experience.
Sex is powerful enough to blossom the creativity of a human being.
Above all, sex is the very basis of love, which is nothing but the basic emotion of a human being. Love is the only satisfying answer to human existence, and to flourish and sustain sex throughout life, love must be built on the foundation of affection, compassion, respect, trust, and responsibility. Hence sex must not be a segregated item; it can’t be an object one can buy as it is not merely a physical pleasure.
SEX: THE PROBLEM
Does the problem begin from the definition of sex itself?
It’s like the definition of health. The materialistic view looks upon the body made up of several parts which need to be corrected by hook or crook. When the parts are put in order, health is bestowed upon.
For most of the part, the popular definition of sex is to have an orgasm. This definition is a male production! Ejaculation is orgasm and that’s sex. This definition makes the whole concept of sex too narrow and it becomes only an aerobic exercise. The genitals become some sort of a machine that must satisfy biological output quota, or else be deemed broken and sent to the scrap heap.
An orgasm-based definition is just not realistic. While orgasm is a beautiful thing to be held, sex can still be very pleasurable without it!
‘Good sex’ and ‘bad sex’ can refer to moral, pleasurable, aesthetic, practical, legal and especially with sex, naturalness (Soble 2008). Sex can also be practically or pragmatically good or bad. ‘Good sex’ most obviously refers to pleasurable sex. An act of sex can be good or bad depending upon the amount and intensity of the pleasure or pain it provides (Vannoy 1980), though the pain in sex can contribute to its pleasure.
SEX: THE CENTER OF EMOTIONS
Sex is a powerful force of ‘moving’; centrifugal (moving away from the center) and centripetal (moving towards the center). The center is a ‘unitary’ destination, not to be reckoned with!
Sex is a powerful instinct, which can bring onto the surface everything of a human being! It can ‘uncover’ everything. It can compel every nuance, every emotion to dance around itself!
When sex is bad, it is a source of unhappiness and it can occupy much of the consciousness as well as consume a lot of energy. It can provoke emotions like anger, shame, humiliation, fear etc. causing an imbalance in the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The reinforcement of the emotions can be devastating!
Mae West has stated, “Sex is an emotion in motion.”
HOMEOPATHIC APPROACH
Case Taking
Related to sexual practices
- Start with open-ended questions that do not suggest particular assumptions about sexual practices or preferences.
- Can you tell me something about your sexual activity? How often you have sex? Your sexual partners? Which sexual act you engage in most often? When was your last sexual contact? How many partners have you had in the last few months? What kind of contraceptive devices you use?
Related to sexual functioning
- Assess each phase of the sexual response: Desire, arousal and orgasm.
Related to the desired phase
- Have you maintained interest in sex?
To assess the arousal phase
- Ask “Are you able to achieve and maintain an erection?” If there is a problem, ask “Is the problem constant or sporadic?” Are there circumstances in which erection is normal: with other partners? On awakening during the night or in the morning? With masturbation? Were there any changes in his marriage or life situation, at the time when the problem began? Are you consuming any medications or drugs? Since how long?” Questions related to the phase of orgasm
- For premature ejaculation ask, “how long does intercourse last? Do you come too soon? Do you feel you have any control over it? Do you think your partner would like intercourse to last longer?” For retarded ejaculation
- Ask “do you find that you can’t ejaculate even though your erection is allright?” Inquire about the frequency of the problem, medications etc. “Are you satisfied with your sex life? Has there been any significant change over the last few years? How satisfied do you think your partner is?”
- A physician should not press inquiries on a reluctant patient. Privacy and interpersonal trust are essential to sexual interview. If the situation is uncomfortable, begin with “lately many patients have been raising questions about sexual function. Do you happen to have any sex related questions”?
- Make the symptom complete by location, sensation, pathology and concomitant.
- SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION
- Sexual dysfunction can occur due to organic problems, or due to psychological problems, or both.
- A. Sexual desire disorder
- Hypoactive sexual desire disorder: Characterized by deficiency or absence of sexual fantasies and desire for sexual activity.
- Sexual aversion disorder: Characterized by a dislike or avoidance of genital sexual contact with the partner.
- Rubrics • Male; sexual, libido; desire; diminished (320 remedies) • Male; sexual, libido; desire; diminished; erections; without: caust., COFF., DIOS., hippo-k., KALI-BR. • Male; sexual, libido; desire; wanting (227 remedies)
- B. Sexual arousal disorder
- Male erectile disorder (impotence): Characterized by a partial or complete failure to achieve or maintain an erection until the completion of the sexual act.
- May be recurrent or persistent.
- C. Erectile dysfunction
- Incidence: Higher among men with diabetes mellitus, heart disease, hypertension and decreased HDL levels and those who have undergone radiation or surgery for prostate cancer and in those with a lower spinal cord injury.
- Risk factors: Smoking. Allopathic medications for diabetes or cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, cimetidine.
- Psychological causes: Depression, anger or stress from unemployment or other causes.
- Rubric • Male; erections; wanting, impotency (262 remedies)
- D. Orgasm disorder
- Difficulty in ejaculation during coitus. It may be a life-long orgasmic disorder or acquired.
- Psychopathology: Severe in life-long orgasmic disorder. Such males may come from a rigid, puritanical background; who perceive sex as sinful and the genitals as dirty. Acquired male orgasmic disorder frequently reflects interpersonal difficulties or unexpressed hostility towards women.
- Organic factors: Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, drugs like antibiotics or anti-hypertensives and other systemic disorders.
- Rubrics • Male; thrill, orgasm; diminished, absent (21 remedies) • Male; thrill, orgasm; prolonged: alco., CANN-I., SEL. • Male; coition; enjoyment; absent; ejaculation, during: PSOR • Female; orgasm; delayed: BERB., brom., oplo-h (Oplopanax horridus). • Female; orgasm; easy: bos-s., posit., STANN.
- Female; orgasm; involuntary: aether., ang., ARG-N., argo., ARS., bamb-a., CALC., LIL-T., nat-m., NUX-V., OP., phos., PLAT., senec., sul-ac., uro-h.
- Female; orgasm; wanting: BROM., calad., caul., ferr-m., herin., kola., tritic-v.
E. Premature ejaculation
- The male persistently ejaculates before achieving orgasm.
- Factors: Age, novelty of sex partner and frequency and duration of coitus.
- May be associated with anxiety about the act or with unconscious fears about the vagina. A stressful marriage may exacerbate the disorder.
Rubric
- Male; emissions, pollutions, seminal; premature, too quick (57 remedies)
SOME HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES
Homeopathy approaches human sexuality through totality, phenomenon and pattern of energy that each individual exhibits. This energy pattern is unique in each homeopathic remedy and it is interesting to see the reflection of it.
AGNUS CASTUS
The main theme of this remedy is depression exhibited at mental and sexual level. There is sexual melancholy and it is related to self-contempt from sexual abuse. Chronic depression is the cause of sexual problems.
Agnus castus represents:
- Sexual desire disorder where the desire for sex has totally gone.
- Sexual arousal disorder where there is relaxation of the penis that voluptuous fancies excite no erections.
- Erectile dysfunction where there are no erections or impotence is there with morning erections.
- Premature ejaculation where there is a quick emission.
But note that under the rubric, ‘Male; thrill, orgasm; diminished, absent’, Agn. is not present.
CONIUM
It represents an imbalance of energy between upper and lower parts of the body. He is no longer able to draw up energy from the lower parts to the upper parts. The energy finds its way in emission on the slightest provocation. Forced abstinence causes sexual incompetence or/and excessive desire (satyriasis, nymphomania). The suppressed sexual energy goes deeper to cause an aberrant immune response, resulting in diseases like cancer, multiple sclerosis, etc.
FLUORIC ACID
Materialistic, libertine and hedonist. He has an irresponsible gaiety, an easy-going complacency. He is interested in physical pleasure only without any emotional involvement. He goes from one sexual partner to another and suffers from sexually transmitted disorders (STDs). But in spite of STDs, his libido is high and he can do sex for a long time. Many people from porn industry belong to Fl-ac.
LACHESIS
‘Sees’ through, is highly sexual, possessive, and wants to keep his loved ones under tight control. He puts sex to love; according to him, sex is the only way of love. Emissions always ameliorate him, he can’t control his sexual instinct and suffers from suppression of sex. He is romantic, joyous, passionate and ecstatic and the female Lach. is mannish and often takes a lead in sexual activity.
LYCOPODIUM
It represents the right side, the masculinity which is reflected in sexual relations. The inner weakness, anticipation, and anxiety of performance tell upon the organ that is unable to show its worth. Repeated bad experiences make Lyc. diffident and in order to keep his honour, herefrains from sex. Lyc. has loss of sexual desire and strong sexual desire as well. Lyc. is deceptive, a liar, and an opportunist. The sense of impotency inside is reflected to act as bravado outside ‘I-am-potent.’
STAPHYSAGRIA
It represents a range of action from shyness of the opposite sex to excessive indulgence in sex. It has the unsatisfied sexual urge. Sex is for the sake of honour in Staph. and ‘no’ to sex by other partner is viewed as indignation. He can then show violent outbursts of anger. Sex then can be harassing for the partner who has to tolerate the wrath of Staph. Haughtiness, libertinism and wounded honour characterize Staph.
CONCLUSION
Human sexuality is a subject of fundamental concern for researchers of many faculties. Homeopathic science, which focuses on ‘life’ of a patient, has a great armamentarium to deal with psycho-sexual disorders.
A skillful interview is essential to explore the man behind psychosexual sickness. A physician must not embarrass the patient by bombarding penetrating questions!
Knowledge of sexuality is a must for a homeopathic physician as he has to treat a patient as a person with the holistic approach!
ABOUT AUTHOR
Dr Ajit Kulkarni M.D. (Hom.)
- Director, Homeopathic Research Institute, Pune
- A veteran homoeopath, an academician and a famed international teacher
- Co-Author: Absolute Homoeopathic Materia Medica, Five Regional Repertories: AIDS, DM, Thyroid, HTN and Trauma
- Author: Law of Similars in Medical Science, Homeopathic Posology, Kali Family and its Relations, Body Language and Homeopathy, Homeopathy through Harmony and Totality Three Volumes, Homeopathic Covidoscope (Published by Amazon), More than 100 publications on various aspects of homeopathy, Many articles and books translated in several languages, 25 books in Russian language
- ‘Excellence Award’
- Award of ‘Excellence in Homoeopathy’
- Award of ‘Homoeo-Ratna’
- ‘Life Achievement Award’
- Dr B. Sahni Memorial Award 2020’
- Member, Editorial Board, National Journal of Homeopathy, Mumbai