It can help to reduce stress, soothe pain, cure insomnia, lower the risk of a heart attack and, as if that wasn't enough, make your hair shine and your wrinkles vanish.
"Forget about jogging round the block or struggling with sit-ups," says the UK government's patient health helpline, NHS Direct. The key for healthy living is "a good bout of `sexercise.'"
Undertaking "regular romps," according to an official posting on the homepage of the NHS Direct Web site, will bring a plethora of health rewards, from staying fit and burning calories to combating cancer.
"Orgasms even release painkillers into the bloodstream, helping keep mild illnesses like colds and aches and pains at bay, and produce extra oestrogen and testosterone hormones," the site says.
"These hormones will keep your bones and muscles healthy, leaving you feeling fabulous inside and out. The increased production of the hormones will make your hair shine and your skin smooth. And if you're worried about wrinkles, orgasms even help prevent frown lines from deepening," it adds.
And it's not just sex that helps, but the aftermath too: "The toptastic `post-coital' period after sex may be one of the few times you'll completely let go, surrender and relax ... and awake the next morning ready for seconds."
But Melissa Sayer, an expert in sexual health, said the site made unproven claims. "It's good to see the NHS promoting sexual wellbeing. But they are making claims that can't be scientifically substantiated. Yes, there is evidence that sex has benefits for mental wellbeing, but to say there is a link with reduced risk of heart disease and cancer is taking the argument too far."
After outlining the supposed health benefits of sex, the NHS Direct site goes on to explain how best to do it. It recommends readers to squeeze pelvic muscles three times a day to "get your sexual anatomy in shape," and, under the heading "O,' O,' ohhh," gives relaxation tips to help achieve, and improve, orgasms.
If all that fails, there's always the next suggestion: "Simply shopping for sex toys together can be a turn on. Just don't pick anything too `intimidating' on your first go -- you can always build up to it later."
Not to discriminate against singletons, NHS Direct also says masturbation can be a handy way to get to know your own body.
Ann Grain, head of external affairs at NHS Direct, which receives over a million online visits a month, defended the Web site saying it aimed to move towards a magazine style homepage.
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