Sincethe beginnings of recorded history, there is evidence that manual pleasuring a healthy, natural activity in both men and women has been frowned upon, oreven downright forbidden, as an act that can cause physiological and/orspiritual damage. It is not the aim of this article to address the moral issuesrelated to self-pleasuring, as these are highly individualized. On the otherhand, many men have been exposed to an endless mythology about everything thatcan go wrong due to manual pleasuring, leading to feelings of guilt or fear inmen who engage in the practice. Here, some of these myths are addressed, withan explanation as to why they are simply not true; and in addition, we offersomemale organ caretips for keeping things healthy.

Myth#1: Manual pleasuring causes blindness

Theidea that self-stimulation can lead to loss of sight is centuries old. It islikely that this myth grew up around a need to discourage children fromexperimenting by threatening them with terrible consequences, but there is noscientific evidence linking the practice to blindness.

Myth#2: Manual pleasuring causes hair loss

Thisnotion may seem reasonable on a certain level. Self-stimulation, as well aspartner relations, is linked to increased levels of androgen, which are in turnlinked to male-pattern baldness. However, while theurgeto get off is linked to androgen, theact itself does not increase androgen levels in the blood, and therefore,arguing that self-pleasure causes baldness is misleading.

Myth#3: Manual pleasuring causes excessive hairgrowth

Thenotorious hair-on-the-palms rumor likely falls under the same category as theblindness myth. It is easy to see where a male would be discouraged fromexperimenting if he were afraid that the evidence would be plainly visible toeveryone. However, if this were the case, then most men would have hairy palms,and it is a safe bet that anyone reading this article would be among them.

Myth#4: Manual pleasuring causes infertility

Aswith the idea of hair loss, it might seem to make sense that spilling seedthrough manual pleasuring would lead to a loss of fertility. It is true thatright after release, a man will not have has many swimmers in the reservoirs,but the supply will quickly rebuild itself. In fact, the use it or lose itprinciple applies here, and men who do not take the opportunity to releaseevery so often may actually have fewer reproductive cells than those who takeadvantage of the occasional alone time.

Myth#5: Manual pleasuring causes weakness

Insome cultures, the release of male fluid (without the benefit of a femalepartner) is viewed as weakening a man, and those who do engage from time totime may believe that any feelings of fatigue or illness are related to theirexperimenting with self-pleasure. Again, no scientific link has ever been foundbetween weakness and manual pleasuring, so it is likely that any relatedphysiological problems are really all in an individuals head.

Caringfor the manhood and preventing manual pleasuring-related issues

Whilemanual pleasuring is certainly normal, and many of the stories told to preventmales from exploring their bodies simply are not grounded in fact, men canexperience some adverse side effects of self-pleasuring IFthey do not exercise some precautionsand engage in adequate male organ care.

Vigorousmanual stroking creates heat and friction, which can leave the skin feeling rawand chafed. Over time, this causes a thickened, protective layer of skin todevelop that can dull sensation and make it more difficult to experiencesensory pleasure. In addition, hard pulling or lying on a bed or pillow toself-stimulate creates a risk of bruising and other injury. In order to preventthese issues, a more gentle approach is recommended, and an appropriate lubricantshould be part of every session.

Toavoid friction injuries and reduce the risk of lost male organ sensation, ahigh qualitymale organ health creme(health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil)can be applied tothe skin on a daily basis. Using a moisturizing, vitamin-rich cream as part ofthe daily male organ care regimen is a good way to improve overall male organhealth so that every experience solo or with a partner is more satisfyingand fulfilling.