An hour later, ablaze from the dark grape nectar and feverish with desire, you close the door to your pre-prepared flat (clean sheets, strawberries and chocolate, gentle jazz music waiting for you to press 'play') and claw your way to each other and the bedroom, clothes a-flying and spit a-swapping. Time merges into one giant gasping grope and fumble; destinies align as the fireworks set into position, the crowd waits in anxious readiness, expectations soar, certain celebration right around the corner, and then, and then, and then... theyallgooffsofasttheshowisoverbeforeitsbegun - an explosive flash of light that half the crowd missed if they blinked. Whooops!

... or only five fireworks out of 500 go off. The rest all fizzled and sputtered and conked out right as the music started. Disappointing.

... or nothing happens. At all. Yikes. Embarrassing.

Orgasms are the epitome of physical ecstasy - nerves and proteins and hormones colliding in a fantastical show that has teenage boys panting and grown men racking up blushing amounts of hours on the internet. It seems to be a birthright and a privilege all rolled into one gleeful self (or helped, if you're lucky) act of rapture.

So, what's the magic formula on begetting orgasms that would make even Ed Harris - the man's man - weep?

Big O Breakdown
In a nutshell (no pun intended), bountiful mechanoreceptors in a man's penis and woman's clitoris get all giddy with excitement as the man thrusts pelvically. Such a workout causes the posterior pituitary gland to release the neurohormone oxytocin - one of the few hormones generated in the brain, hence 'neuro'. Oxytocin makes one feel lush with happiness and cosiness, and inhibits the brain center that controls fear and anxiety (for the science buffs, that's your amygdala).

As the oxytocin builds from the stimulation, finally your 'uglies' rebel by releasing histamine from the mast cells in your genitals, sort of like an allergy attack. This triggers orgasm as the built up oxytocin synergistically causes rhythmic contractions of muscles in the schlong. Accordingly called 'ejaculation,' the penis unloads baby batter from pent up testicles by way of the long tubes called vas deferens, then through the seminal vesicles (who provide most of the grub for the spermies), and on towards a short squeeze past the prostate (which gives it a good push on its way out). A mass spermie journey receives final assistance from the bulbourethral glands, and they lie just below the prostate gland. They secretes mucus that smoothes the pathway for the tiny wigglers. (And then the guy falls asleep.)

For the girlies, it's less complicated, and yet intricately more complicated. Biologically, women just plain got lucky - there lacks a sincere reason why they procure orgasm at all. Female orgasms can travel up and down the same major nerve as in males, a nerve called the pudendal nerve, located in the clitoris and in the penis in males. Also, since women get 'the sex' inside of them, it means they also get to shake up the pelvic, hypogastric, and vagus nerves, too, located in the vagina, cervix, and uterus. Which likely explains part of the reason(s) some women can attest to multiple orgasms (lucky lucky lucky!)

Orgasms tend to be universally descriptive with one small advantage stemming for the ladies. Because several nerves have the potential to induce passionate explosions, women sometimes describe their orgasmic experiences from vaginal penetration as being 'full-bodied,' as opposed to the usual concentration in the erotica zone reported by men.



Fireworks 101
Floppy. Limp. Droopy. Flaccid. Who wants to go see that show? In fact, how can there even BE a show with the star unwilling to perform? If your 'member' remains delinquent for the show, consider the following:

Circulation and sensitivity: Saturated fats clog the arteries and stuff your body full of gooey, insulative fat. This vast cushion decreases nerve sensitivity, and the added pressure and stress of blood saturated with fats impairs the free flow of this fluid tissue (yes, blood is considered a connective tissue.) Lack of flow and sensitivity could leave your boy struggling to rise for the big 'O'ccasion. Avoid saturated fats, particularly fatty meats, fried foods, and heated oils.

Junk in your€¦ahem€¦trunk: Junk foods contain a plethora of artificial ingredients, sugars, and altered fats. All of these interfere with nerve transmission, blood flow, hormonal health, moods, emotions, sex drive, potency, and respiration. Your Junk could be making you Clunk in the bedroom, and decreasing your drive for 'the sex.'

Chimney-speak: Smoking continues to make headlines as an erectile dysfunction hero. As well as constricting blood flow, your body's resources of vitamins and minerals repeatedly get depleted from lighting up, particularly vitamin C. This is because your body is in a constant battle to undo the tragic damage done with every toxic inhaling of smoked chemicals. These chemicals literally change your brain, and your response and ability to respond to intimate thoughts and contact. Rarely for the better. Ex-smokers report massive influxes of sexual gratification when they put down the tar sticks.


Fireworks 201
Your body holds a storehouse of nutrients that from which your tissues and organs shop 24/7 to 'feed' you and keep you alive and well. If an ingredient that they need is missing from the warehouse, then the final entrées will either fail to materialize, or be a poor substitute for the preferred dish. Examples include pre-mature ejaculation, frigidity*, weak and/or unfulfilling orgasms, and a scarcity of genuine sexual urges. Stock upon the following suggestions to conjure sexual urges and explosions worthy of Bonfire Night:


Supermarket Frenzy

Fresh Chilli: Accommodating bundles of capsaicin, this spicy little ingredient stimulates our nerve endings and encourages the release of endorphins that create a natural high, which can potentially put you in the mood to tango.

Freshly chopped Garlic: Compressed in this miracle vegetable (yep, it's a veg) lie volatile sulfur-containing compounds. That sounds scary, though the only thing scary about them is how good they are for you. Chopping and crushing garlic instigates the enzymatic process that turns one of those phytochemical compounds, alliin, into allicin, the main volatile factor from which many of garlic's glory stem. Garlic is known to champion excellent blood circulation, allowing more blood to quickly reach sexual organs and subsequently aid in arousal.

Fresh Ginger: Like garlic, ginger improves and stimulates circulation. Popular in Asia for thousands of years and touted as a sure remedy for impotence, men either eat it or rub it directly on their cocker spaniel€¦(!)

Raw foods and fresh fruit juices: The greater the life energy available from your foods, the greater stimulus you have to your own living system. Raw foods still hold intact enzymes that do the dirty work of breaking down your food for you. Without these enzymes from your food, your body must toil incredibly hard to manufacture these enzymes. It's a tiring process. Its what makes you sleepy at lunch-time. Eat as much raw food as you can and save your energy for the horizontal mambo!

Celery: The pituitary gland, as you recall, is the big boss for sex hormones. Celery houses nutrients that support and stimulate this erotic little gland.
Spinach: Overflowing with nutritional goodies, its high magnesium content helps your blood vessels dilate and maintain strong erections.
Avocados: Loaded with Vitamin E, your pituitary gland uses this gem vitamin in prodigious quantities.Grapes: An antioxidant straight from goddess Venus, grape skins contain resveratrol, which happens to be the closest thing to an actual aphrodisiac you can get. It heightens sexual desire and makes lubrication easier for ladies in the p.m.

Chocolate: Contains naturally occurring phenyl ethylamine (PEA), which is the same chemical produced by your body during the first moments of falling in love. In fact, eating chocolate for some people stimulates the same feelings in the brain of making love!

Amino Amour
Amino acids are the individual components that join hands to form proteins. All plants contain readily absorbable proteins in perfectly prepared packages. Supplemented amino acids are just like that, too - in the 'L' form they are a straight-shot, pure food. They absorb immediately into your system. Take them on an empty stomach, in-between meals.


Frigidity: Combination Lysine, Arginine, and Histidine, to be taken with co-factors Vitamins B3, B6, and Manganese. Histidine's role in orgasm documents from the 1970's by American researcher Carl Pfeiffer, who, with supplements of this orgasm inducer, liberated many a 'frigid' woman who initially tested low for histidine. Take the above combination before meals, with an equal amount if Lysine and Arginine and a 500mg dose of Histidine.

Pre-mature Ejaculation: To skip out on the €œWhooops!€ moments, supplement with Methionine, taken with Calcium and Magnesium as co-factors. Men with high levels of histidine make lots of histamine (the little protein released that triggers orgasm), which means the more you have, the faster you reach climax. Fun for you, sometimes less fun for your partner. Methionine converts in your body to form a substance called s-adenosyl-methionine, which helps create adrenalin. Adrenaline is the police chief of Sex City in your body. It monitors the effects of high histamine levels inside you, and so delays orgasm. Sort of like re-directing traffic during rush hour.

Herbal Helpers:

Rhodiola Rosea: Known to enhance energy, performance, desire, orgasm, and prolong stamina in men.

Ginseng: Triggers the sex drive in both sexes as it stimulates dopamine in the system; also increases blood flow, desire, performance, energy, stamina, and orgasm.

Maca (Peruvian ginseng): Boosts lustfulness and orgasm, known for its Viagra effect; increases stamina and libido.
Horny Goat Weed: Need we say more? Particularly popular for correcting male erectile dysfunction.

Gingko: This shining star stimulates the release of nitric oxide (NO), which signals blood vessels in genital tissue to dilate; similar to Viagra, it helps the penis to stay erect and full.

Nutmeg: Prized as an aphrodisiac for thousands of years, lab research concludes it DOES increase mating behaviour in mice.

Yohimbe: Originating from the bark of a tree in West Africa, this vasodilator proves to enhance sex drive in both sexes, better sexual performance, maintain healthy arteries, and decrease fat synthesis in the body by increasing fatty acid mobilization (remember the bit about saturated fats above?). It fights impotence and clocks libido perkiness within 1 hour, as per test subjects at a Stanford University study. Maybe the guy in our opening should have taken a few during the meal at the restaurant!

Catuaba and Muirapuama: Two trees that grow widely across the Amazon River basin, these beauties clout centuries of worshipful followers. Known for €œmaking people sexually young again,€ they reign supreme in the libido and sexual function soar scores. In Brazil, guarana and other herbs are often added to a notorious drink called 'Super Sex Drink' that incorporates heaping teaspoons of Catuaba and Muirapuama combined.


To find out more on how to increase your personal fireworks potential and receive a 20 minute Nutritional Consultation, please contact Lani here.

*Frigidity, the term used to describe a woman's inability to orgasm, spells devastation for some females. They speak of feeling frustration, anger, and resentment for being unjustly imprisoned in a body devoid of passion.


References:
Barry R. Komisaruk, Carlos Beyer, Carlos Beyer-Flores, Beverly Whipple . (2006). The Science of Orgasm. JHU Press.
Mars, Brigitte. (2002). Sex, Love and Health: A Self-Help Health Guide to Love and Sex. Basic Health Publications, Inc.
Starr, Cecie, Evers, Christine A, Starr, Lisa. (2008). Biology: Concepts and Applications. Thomson Brookes Cole. 7th Ed.
Michael Riskin, Anita Banker-Riskin, Deborah Grandinetti. (1997). Simultaneous Orgasm: And Other Joys of Sexual Intimacy. Hunter House.
Cohen, Barbara. (2005). Memmler's Human Body in Health and Disease. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Baltimore, Maryland USA. 10th ed.
Alters, Sandra. (2006). Essential concepts for healthy living. Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, Mass. 4th ed.
Woolven, Linda and Snider, Tim. (30 Jul 2007). Healthy Herbs: Your Everyday Guide to Medicinal Herbs and their Use. Fitzhenry & Whiteside Limited., Ontario.
Erdmann, Robert with Jones, Meirion. (1 Jun 1989). The Amino Acid Revolution. Prentice Hall & IBD, USA; Reprint edition.
Murray, Michael and Pizzorno, Joseph and Lara. (23 Dec 2005). The Encyclopaedia of Healing Foods. Atria Books, New York.