One of the toughest parts of talking to people about sex is how often shame comes up. Shame is such a complicated thing because it is a part of all of us and yet as humans we inherently don’t want to go near it. As a therapist, this is a big challenge because I might …
Continue ReadingTestosterone is not a “Boy Hormone.”
Gender associations start pretty young. Back when I was a kid, I remember one of the most common questions my peers would ask was “what’s your favorite color?” The question was relatively superficial, but considering that coloring is a popular socializing activity for youngsters, it’s like asking an adult what they like to drink. As …
Continue ReadingWhat I have learned about chronic pain.
As a medical professional, treating chronic pain can be very difficult. We are always looking for new treatment options for vaginal/vulvar pain since one treatment option doesn’t always work for all patients. What I have noticed is the longer a patient has pain, that once pain has advanced from acute to chronic, the more complicated …
Continue ReadingIs too much Serotonin a mood killer?
In Daniel Bergner’s latest book, What Do Women Want, I learned something new about what might be going on when women try to be sexual but find themselves distracted by thinking about other things. We often hear from them that while they were in the midst of trying to be sexual, they couldn’t turn down the voice in their …
Continue ReadingJust do it, and other dumb ideas.
A few years back when we were giving a training at a gynecologist’s office, one of the male doctors started listening to us speak about low desire and said flippantly: “Oh please. When a patient complains of lack of desire I tell her to think of the Nike ads and ‘”Just Do It!” I had to …
Continue ReadingSex and mind reading.
“It’s like he can read my mind.” When it comes to relationships, we’ve all heard these words. Whether we said it ourselves or heard it from a friend gushing about a relationship, the ideal of a partner reading our minds is one that many women hope for and value in a dynamic. The notion of …
Continue ReadingCranberry supplements: Do they prevent UTIs?
I get asked quite often if cranberry products (tablets, juice) work to prevent urinary tract infections (UTI). The short answer: YES! Theoretically, cranberries keep bacteria from adhering to the wall of the bladder. The most common bacteria that causes an UTI is E. coli. Researchers have found that two components of a cranberry prevent E. …
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