Sex toy company, LELO UK has penned an open letter to the Department of Health, urging the NHS to prescribe masturbation to patients as part of a wider wellness programme.
Although this act is often seen as a taboo subject, but masturbation could soon be prescribed by doctors if one sex toy company has any say.
While this might seem strange, it wouldn’t actually be the first time that masturbation has been prescribed.
Back in the 1970s, masturbation was prescribed to treat ‘hysteria’ – a collective diagnosis for women experiencing anxiety, insomnia, nervousness, loss of appetite for food or sex, and shortness of breath.
Since then, several studies have shown the positive side-effects of masturbation, including reducing stress, improving sleep, and boosting endorphins as people who regularly masturbate are more likely to be managers, survey reveals.
Kate Moyle, a sex therapist at LELO UK, said: “The function of pleasure is to make us feel good; and self-pleasure and masturbation can have positive benefits for our health in a variety of ways, including the release of the hormone oxytocin which can lower cortisol levels, getting to know our bodies better, and building sexual self-confidence.
“Potentially recommended as a part of an integrated wellness programme, masturbation could be of benefit to some patients, when put forward with confidence and educative information.”
The letter comes shortly after a LELO UK survey revealed that 78% of Brits say orgasms make them happier, whether they have them alone or with a partner. A survey which discovered that 2,000 Brits, 66% said they feel more productive after having an orgasm, with 40% believe they benefit from the happiness and productivity-boosting effects of an orgasm for up to five days afterwards.
