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STRESS BREAKDOWN: FIRST SYMPTOM – HIGH LEVELS OF SENSORY INPUT CAUSE DISTRESS

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Information comes in to the brain through sensory nerve fibres. Usually sensory nerves are activated by tiny sense organs or ‘receptors’ which respond to certain sensations and fire off the nerve. There are receptors for heat sensation, touch, position sense, balance, acceleration, cold, light, sound, taste and smell. As well, the muscles and the joints are supplied with stretch receptors which provide the information necessary for the body to know where its various parts are.
There doesn’t seem to be a specific receptor for pain impulses. We experience pain from over-stimulation of nerves which don’t have specific sense receptors, and also whenever specific sensor receptors are over-stimulated. Thus a too-loud noise, a too-cold stimulus, a too-hot stimulus, or a too-bright light, will all cause the person to feel pain.
Pain is experienced, therefore, when the sensory nerve fibres are over-stimulated. There is a corresponding hypersensitivity which occurs not when the incoming fibres are over-stimulated, but when the receiving brain cells are over-sensitive. Receiving brain cells become over-sensitive when they are over-stimulated in stress breakdown. Thus the over-stimulation of brain cortex cells in stress breakdown may have the effect of making the incoming information disagreeable, just as excess actual stimulation makes the sensory input disagreeable or painful.
In stress breakdown which has gone beyond second stage, the receiving brain cells are so over-sensitive that strong sensory stimulation becomes actually disagreeable.
Even stimulation which has previously been highly enjoyable, such as sexual stimulation, music and perfume or exotic tastes can become disagreeable in the third stage.
In third stage breakdown, women who previously enjoyed an active sex life might claim to be totally uninterested in sex and, even more than that, actually turned off it. ‘I can’t stand him to even touch me, doctor. What’s wrong with me?’ In the third stage, over-stressed people who normally love music might be irritated by the very music they previously enjoyed. This leads to over-stressed people complaining that the radio or TV is too loud, and that they have ‘gone off’ their favorite programmes or activities.
*30/129/5*

STRESS BREAKDOWN: FIRST SYMPTOM – HIGH LEVELS OF SENSORY INPUT CAUSE DISTRESS
Information comes in to the brain through sensory nerve fibres. Usually sensory nerves are activated by tiny sense organs or ‘receptors’ which respond to certain sensations and fire off the nerve. There are receptors for heat sensation, touch, position sense, balance, acceleration, cold, light, sound, taste and smell. As well, the muscles and the joints are supplied with stretch receptors which provide the information necessary for the body to know where its various parts are.There doesn’t seem to be a specific receptor for pain impulses. We experience pain from over-stimulation of nerves which don’t have specific sense receptors, and also whenever specific sensor receptors are over-stimulated. Thus a too-loud noise, a too-cold stimulus, a too-hot stimulus, or a too-bright light, will all cause the person to feel pain.Pain is experienced, therefore, when the sensory nerve fibres are over-stimulated. There is a corresponding hypersensitivity which occurs not when the incoming fibres are over-stimulated, but when the receiving brain cells are over-sensitive. Receiving brain cells become over-sensitive when they are over-stimulated in stress breakdown. Thus the over-stimulation of brain cortex cells in stress breakdown may have the effect of making the incoming information disagreeable, just as excess actual stimulation makes the sensory input disagreeable or painful.In stress breakdown which has gone beyond second stage, the receiving brain cells are so over-sensitive that strong sensory stimulation becomes actually disagreeable.Even stimulation which has previously been highly enjoyable, such as sexual stimulation, music and perfume or exotic tastes can become disagreeable in the third stage.In third stage breakdown, women who previously enjoyed an active sex life might claim to be totally uninterested in sex and, even more than that, actually turned off it. ‘I can’t stand him to even touch me, doctor. What’s wrong with me?’ In the third stage, over-stressed people who normally love music might be irritated by the very music they previously enjoyed. This leads to over-stressed people complaining that the radio or TV is too loud, and that they have ‘gone off’ their favorite programmes or activities.
*30/129/5*

ASTHMA IN CHILDREN: THE INHALED ALLERGENS – ANIMALS AS ALLERGENS

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Some animals and insects are known to act as allergens and cause asthma.
Animals. Henry Hyde Salter has given the first accurate description of the attacks of asthma caused by an exposure to a cat. In his book on asthma published around the middle of the nineteenth century, he wrote:
‘This singular phenomenon is, I imagine, almost peculiar to myself. The cause of this asthma is the proximity of a common domestic cat; the symptoms are very similar to those of hay fever, and, as in the case of hay fever, are occasioned by some sudden influence inappreciable by the senses. I cannot recollect at what time I first became subject to the cat asthma, but I believe the susceptibility has existed
from the earliest period of even a pet dog can cause life. I believe there are even some asthma symptoms even if I were sitting by the fire and the cat sleeping on the hearthrug; but the effect is much greater when the cat is at the distance of about one or two feet or closer; it is further increased by the rising of the fur and moving and rubbing about; but most of all when it is in the lap, just under the face…. The asthmatic spasm is immediate and violent and accompanied with sneezing, burning and watery condition of the eyes and nose and excessive itching of the skin…., I believe that if the cause were suffered to continue, all or most of the other symptoms of hay fever would ensue, only with a more excessive and conspicuous asthma. After the removal of the cause, and if the paroxysm is not very severe, the cure is effected in five or ten minutes, leaving, as in all other cases of asthmatic spasm, a tendency to mucus at the top of the wind pipe, which being repeatedly removed in the ordinary way the last symptom disappears, and the lungs and throat resume their normal condition’.
*30\260\8*

ASTHMA IN CHILDREN: THE INHALED ALLERGENS – ANIMALS AS ALLERGENSSome animals and insects are known to act as allergens and cause asthma.Animals. Henry Hyde Salter has given the first accurate description of the attacks of asthma caused by an exposure to a cat. In his book on asthma published around the middle of the nineteenth century, he wrote:’This singular phenomenon is, I imagine, almost peculiar to myself. The cause of this asthma is the proximity of a common domestic cat; the symptoms are very similar to those of hay fever, and, as in the case of hay fever, are occasioned by some sudden influence inappreciable by the senses. I cannot recollect at what time I first became subject to the cat asthma, but I believe the susceptibility has existedfrom the earliest period of even a pet dog can cause life. I believe there are even some asthma symptoms even if I were sitting by the fire and the cat sleeping on the hearthrug; but the effect is much greater when the cat is at the distance of about one or two feet or closer; it is further increased by the rising of the fur and moving and rubbing about; but most of all when it is in the lap, just under the face…. The asthmatic spasm is immediate and violent and accompanied with sneezing, burning and watery condition of the eyes and nose and excessive itching of the skin…., I believe that if the cause were suffered to continue, all or most of the other symptoms of hay fever would ensue, only with a more excessive and conspicuous asthma. After the removal of the cause, and if the paroxysm is not very severe, the cure is effected in five or ten minutes, leaving, as in all other cases of asthmatic spasm, a tendency to mucus at the top of the wind pipe, which being repeatedly removed in the ordinary way the last symptom disappears, and the lungs and throat resume their normal condition’.*30\260\8*

BIOBOMBS: DESIGNER BUGS

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One of the scenarios that surfaces in discussions of biological terrorism is the possibility of a genetically engineered superbug for which there is no defense. The ability of molecular biology to accomplish such an engineering feat is limited, however. A superbug would need to have the right mix of transmissibility and virulence, and the interplay between different genes in the genome is not sufficiently well understood to allow this kind of designer bug to be generated. Nasty variants can certainly be created in laboratories by trial and error, but this possibility existed long before the precision of molecular engineering arrived on the scene.
Animal models won’t do the trick either, because repeated transferring of a pathogen between animals of a given species tends to adapt the pathogen to that species and makes it less able to live in and harm humans. One can therefore obtain a highly lethal and transmissible pathogen for mice that is unpredictable in humans. To generate a pathogen that would be both highly damaging and transmissible after being released in a human population, pathogens would need to be transferred among humans in the same way that virulent pathogens can be generated in an animal species—by transferring the pathogen among many individuals of that host species. This option is so abhorrent to most people that we should be able to suppress it. Even if a psychotic individual was willing to do such research, the project would have to be so large, and the probability of being appalled would be so great for those involved, that word would probably get out; when the word did get out, it would most likely be possible to obtain overwhelming approval for drastic measures to end the work and remove from power those who instigated it. The project would be so self-destructive that only the most foolish would engage in it. Still there are self-destructive psychopaths, and there are historical precedents, such as the experiments by the Japanese on prisoners during World War II. The knowledge that superbugs could be created by using humans as experimental subjects should generate multinational public support for efforts to monitor any research activities using human subjects and to place the investigations and dismantling of any such projects above any pleas of national sovereignty.
The potential dangers of such a superbug are illustrated by the history of contact between people during the colonial period. Before this contact, something akin to an experimental passaging of pathogens in humans was carried out. This passaging occurred over thousands of years in European populations, who coevolved resistance to endemic pathogens such as measles, mumps, and smallpox. When these pathogens were introduced into human populations who did not share this co-evolutionary history, the lethality of each was ferociously elevated. Whereas smallpox killed one in ten in Europe, it killed most of the New World people it infected. Measles was transformed from a disease that killed about one out of every thousand infected Europeans to a disease that killed New World people the way smallpox killed Europeans. Mumps, which killed less than one in a hundred thousand Europeans, killed New World populations the way measles killed Europeans. The net result was the destruction of New World populations by more than 90 percent. Throughout the arms race between Europeans and pathogens, the pathogens were continually selected to break through human defenses and be transmissible. The evolved and acquired immune defenses of Europeans caused the pathogens to evolve particularly aggressive characteristics that, though held in check in European populations, met with little defense in populations native to the New World.
This natural experiment of human history should keep us from being complacent about the damage pathogens could cause if they acquired the appropriate mix of characteristics. But fear of this scenario should be tempered by the knowledge that this natural experiment cannot be repeated. Human pathogens are now so thoroughly and continuously mixed that we cannot generate the coevolutionary arms races in one area that would leave the humans who were not running in the race vulnerable when they eventually encountered the pathogens. No more New World populations of humans are left to discover, contact, and destroy.
Another problem with the designer bug strategy is the continued evolution of virulence and transmissibility after the bug is released. A key characteristic of the designer bug would be transmissibility, but once transmission occurs, the evolutionary future of the bug is out of the hands of the terrorists. It would rapidly evolve to a level of virulence that is most suited to the environments in which it is being transmitted. In other words, it would evolve into an organism with more familiar characteristics. The organism may cause terrible damage during the process of evolutionary equilibration and thereafter. But, as noted above, it would still leave the target population intact, ready to take revenge on the terrorists. The influenza pandemic of 1918 illustrates something like a worst-case scenario. Here was a pathogen that was probably overly exploiting its host during most of the pandemic; as it swept around the world, the most virulent viruses eventually lost out in competition with viruses of reduced virulence. The generation and maintenance of high virulence was permitted by natural selection only when the dependence of transmission on ambulatory hosts was temporarily relaxed under the unusual conditions of the Western Front and the masses of densely packed populations transported at the end of the war. It killed about 1 percent of humanity, yet it hardly seemed to influence the ability of the afflicted countries to keep the social cogs moving. Within a year or two the nasty variants of the influenza viruses vanished and never resurfaced in epidemic form. For more than eight decades, they have been replaced by the more traditional influenza viruses, which have been less lethal than the 1918 viruses by one or two orders of magnitude. The nasty strains did not disappear because of any heroic control efforts. Rather, they probably disappeared because they were too damaging for their own transmission under normal conditions. Terrorists would have little control over such a virus.
*55\225\2*

BIOBOMBS: DESIGNER BUGSOne of the scenarios that surfaces in discussions of biological terrorism is the possibility of a genetically engineered superbug for which there is no defense. The ability of molecular biology to accomplish such an engineering feat is limited, however. A superbug would need to have the right mix of transmissibility and virulence, and the interplay between different genes in the genome is not sufficiently well understood to allow this kind of designer bug to be generated. Nasty variants can certainly be created in laboratories by trial and error, but this possibility existed long before the precision of molecular engineering arrived on the scene.Animal models won’t do the trick either, because repeated transferring of a pathogen between animals of a given species tends to adapt the pathogen to that species and makes it less able to live in and harm humans. One can therefore obtain a highly lethal and transmissible pathogen for mice that is unpredictable in humans. To generate a pathogen that would be both highly damaging and transmissible after being released in a human population, pathogens would need to be transferred among humans in the same way that virulent pathogens can be generated in an animal species—by transferring the pathogen among many individuals of that host species. This option is so abhorrent to most people that we should be able to suppress it. Even if a psychotic individual was willing to do such research, the project would have to be so large, and the probability of being appalled would be so great for those involved, that word would probably get out; when the word did get out, it would most likely be possible to obtain overwhelming approval for drastic measures to end the work and remove from power those who instigated it. The project would be so self-destructive that only the most foolish would engage in it. Still there are self-destructive psychopaths, and there are historical precedents, such as the experiments by the Japanese on prisoners during World War II. The knowledge that superbugs could be created by using humans as experimental subjects should generate multinational public support for efforts to monitor any research activities using human subjects and to place the investigations and dismantling of any such projects above any pleas of national sovereignty.The potential dangers of such a superbug are illustrated by the history of contact between people during the colonial period. Before this contact, something akin to an experimental passaging of pathogens in humans was carried out. This passaging occurred over thousands of years in European populations, who coevolved resistance to endemic pathogens such as measles, mumps, and smallpox. When these pathogens were introduced into human populations who did not share this co-evolutionary history, the lethality of each was ferociously elevated. Whereas smallpox killed one in ten in Europe, it killed most of the New World people it infected. Measles was transformed from a disease that killed about one out of every thousand infected Europeans to a disease that killed New World people the way smallpox killed Europeans. Mumps, which killed less than one in a hundred thousand Europeans, killed New World populations the way measles killed Europeans. The net result was the destruction of New World populations by more than 90 percent. Throughout the arms race between Europeans and pathogens, the pathogens were continually selected to break through human defenses and be transmissible. The evolved and acquired immune defenses of Europeans caused the pathogens to evolve particularly aggressive characteristics that, though held in check in European populations, met with little defense in populations native to the New World.This natural experiment of human history should keep us from being complacent about the damage pathogens could cause if they acquired the appropriate mix of characteristics. But fear of this scenario should be tempered by the knowledge that this natural experiment cannot be repeated. Human pathogens are now so thoroughly and continuously mixed that we cannot generate the coevolutionary arms races in one area that would leave the humans who were not running in the race vulnerable when they eventually encountered the pathogens. No more New World populations of humans are left to discover, contact, and destroy.Another problem with the designer bug strategy is the continued evolution of virulence and transmissibility after the bug is released. A key characteristic of the designer bug would be transmissibility, but once transmission occurs, the evolutionary future of the bug is out of the hands of the terrorists. It would rapidly evolve to a level of virulence that is most suited to the environments in which it is being transmitted. In other words, it would evolve into an organism with more familiar characteristics. The organism may cause terrible damage during the process of evolutionary equilibration and thereafter. But, as noted above, it would still leave the target population intact, ready to take revenge on the terrorists. The influenza pandemic of 1918 illustrates something like a worst-case scenario. Here was a pathogen that was probably overly exploiting its host during most of the pandemic; as it swept around the world, the most virulent viruses eventually lost out in competition with viruses of reduced virulence. The generation and maintenance of high virulence was permitted by natural selection only when the dependence of transmission on ambulatory hosts was temporarily relaxed under the unusual conditions of the Western Front and the masses of densely packed populations transported at the end of the war. It killed about 1 percent of humanity, yet it hardly seemed to influence the ability of the afflicted countries to keep the social cogs moving. Within a year or two the nasty variants of the influenza viruses vanished and never resurfaced in epidemic form. For more than eight decades, they have been replaced by the more traditional influenza viruses, which have been less lethal than the 1918 viruses by one or two orders of magnitude. The nasty strains did not disappear because of any heroic control efforts. Rather, they probably disappeared because they were too damaging for their own transmission under normal conditions. Terrorists would have little control over such a virus.*55\225\2*

SIMPLE REMEDIES FOR EYE PROBLEMS

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It is a proven fact that a carrot juice diet has a favourable effect on the eyes on account of the provitamin A carrots contain. Any­thing that stimulates the circulation and the supply of blood to the eyes helps to improve their efficiency, and this is where carrot juice is most beneficial. If raw carrots are not available, use condensed carrot juice (Biocarottin) instead. As supporting remedies in the treatment take Aesculaforce and a calcium complex {Urticalcin), as well as goldenrod for the kidneys. The requirement of silica can be met by taking Galeopsis (hemp nettle).

Since liver disorders, constipation and overtiredness can also be the causes of eye troubles, make sure that both the liver and the bowels are functioning properly. The liver is best restored to good working order by a liver diet (see page 247) and by taking Chel-idonium 4x and Podophyllum 4x or Boldocynara liver drops. Very often constipation will disappear at the same time, but if this should not be the case, use a natural remedy for it. Above all, avoid denatured foods. Instead, eat a natural diet that is low in protein and salt. If you are feeling overworked, make sure to get to sleep at least two hours before midnight and take oat extract in the form of Avenaforce, and Eleutherococcus, a remedy made from the taiga root, since both are known for their value as general tonics for the nerves and body.

Consider each case carefully and, in accordance with the diag­nosed problem, choose the right remedies and treatment.

In the case of a blocked tear duct, observe the general advice already given and for external treatment apply packs made with clay and a horsetail infusion. For conjunctivitis make up an eye bath from eyebright and marigold tea.
*119/28/1*
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THE LACRIMAL GLANDS 3

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It is also wise to refrain from straining the eyes when there is insufficient illumination to read by. The eyes need plenty of rest, and to be closed during the night, because they work hard during our waking hours. They are indeed very precious to us, but many people forget that and do not give them the care they deserve as the indispensable gift they are. No one will deny that the eyes are instruments that we cannot do without, physically or mentally.

Blindness constitutes an extremely heavy loss. Amongst all the other wonders of Creation, the eyes are a miracle and the lacrimal glands, despite their negligible size and apparent unimportance, are a convincing symbol of a carefully thought out design to smooth the necessary but involuntary processes of our daily existence.
*118/28/1*
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DRY BRUSH MASSAGE: MASSAGE FOLLOWED BY SHOWER

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After dry brush massage it is advisable to take a shower or rub-down with a sponge or wet towel, to wash away dead skin particles. Brushing loosens up copious amounts of dead layers of skin that you can see as a dust on your body.
There are two ways to go about taking a shower. One, used mostly by the patients in European Clinics, is the alternating hot-and-cold shower, followed by dry brush massage. First, take a hot shower for 3 minutes or so, until you feel warmed up, then take a cold shower for about 10 to 20 seconds. Repeat this three times, always finishing with cold – as cold as you can stand. After this hot-and-cold shower, rub yourself dry with a coarse towel and then give yourself a brush massage that will warm you up thoroughly.
The other way, which is most suitable for relatively healthy people, is to take the dry brush massage first and finish with alternating hot-and-cold shower. Of course, if you can not tolerate the hot-and-cold shower, you can have a warm shower only. But the alternating hot-and-cold shower has an exceedingly beneficial and stimulating effect on all the vital functions of your body, particularly on the glandular system, and has a rejuvenating effect on your skin. The combination of the dry brush massage and a hot-and-cold shower is an excellent way to start and finish your day.
*123/103/5*

SEX EDUCATION PROGRAMS: DOES BEHAVIOR-RELATED TRAINING WORK?

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Having shown that teens can learn to delay intercourse, use condoms, and have fewer sex partners, scientists must also prove that this behavior will lead to fewer cases of unwanted births and disease. In 1996 ETR and the University of California at Berkeley were evaluating Education Now and Babies Later (ENABL). This statewide program, begun in 1992 by the California Department of Health Services, included Postponing Sexual Involvement, a sex education program for 12- to 14-year-olds, and a media and public relations campaign. Researchers are comparing the behaviors of students in that age group, who were exposed to the sex education or media campaign with that of a control group of students who were not.
Sex education alone won’t halt teenage pregnancies. Much help is needed from parental involvement, community activities, and social support groups. Still, progress has been made. If research truly connects less teenage pregnancy with a change in behavior inspired by sex education, we may soon see a reduction in disease, unwanted pregnancies, and unwanted, uncared-for children.
*122/266/5*

YOUR CHILD’S HEALTH/BOWEL DISORDERS: APPENDICITIS

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Appendicitis is a common condition in childhood and always requires surgical treatment.

Cause

Appendicitis is caused by the inflammation of the appendix, a finger-like projection 0f the large bowel. Just what causes this sudden inflammation is not known. The appendix itself is thought to serve no function in the normal digestive process and it is just thought to be an evolutionary remnant of some sort.

Clinical features

Appendicitis tends to occur more commonly in older children and young adolescents and is rarely seen in children under the age of 2 years. The characteristic symptom of appendicitis is abdominal pain. Initially it is in the middle of the belly and is more like a dull cramp. Within a few hours the pain classically shifts to the lower right side of the belly, where the appendix lies, and becomes sharper. Your child may not be comfortable sitting upright or walking straight. Movement tends to aggravate the pain. A mild fever is usually present, and your child may vomit or pass loose stools. Despite it being a relatively common illness, appendicitis can be difficult to diagnose because the appendix can lie in various positions in different children, and therefore cause pain in different parts of the abdomen.

Although uncommon today, there is always the risk of an inflamed appendix bursting; this can be life-threatening. If your child is extremely unwell and even slight movement irritates him, take him directly to a hospital.

Investigations

Your doctor may perform a urine test to exclude a urinary tract infection, which can mimic appendicitis. A blood test, although not specific for appendicitis, can show evidence of inflammation. If your doctor suspects acute appendicitis after examining your child, you may be advised to take him to hospital immediately before any tests are carried out.

Treatment

Emergency appendicectomy is the treatment of choice for acute appendicitis, and should not be delayed once the diagnosis is suspected.

When to see your doctor

See your doctor immediately if your child complains of the above symptoms.

*341\90\8*

COMMON PROBLEMS WITH BREASTFEEDING: RAPID FLOW OF MILK AND BABIES WHO BITE

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Rapid flow of milk

If you have a strong let-down reflex, you may find that your milk gushes out at the beginning of a feed. This can sometimes be a little overwhelming for your baby, who may cough and splutter because he cannot cope with the speed at which the milk is being delivered. This problem can usually be overcome by expressing a little milk at the commencement of each feed before putting your baby to the breast. This can be continued for a few days until your milk supply is regulated.

Babies who bite

Being bitten by your baby while breastfeeding can be a very unpleasant experience. Often a baby will bite for the first time while it is teething, due to sore gums. If your baby does bite you, take him off the breast immediately and firmly say ‘no’. If he gives you a repeat performance when you put him back to the breast, take him off and say ‘no’ again. Leave him off the breast for a while. In this way he will learn that this behaviour is not acceptable to you.

*94\90\8*

YOUR MARITAL HEALTH/SEX AND PROBLEMS OF DAILY LIVING: PEOPLE WHO ALMOST LOST THEIR SEXUAL INTIMACY

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Meet people who almost lost their sexual intimacy for the rest of their lives.

Wife: “You said to schedule sex. You said to get up an hour earlier. We did and we do, but now the hour is all used up. Any time we have gets sucked right in. We really don’t have time for sex. We really don’t have much time for doing much of anything. I swear, someone once said that life is eighty percent maintenance, and for us, it’s more like ninety-eight percent.”

HUSBAND: “Now I have to file my taxes four times a year. I have to go to school conferences, doctors’ offices, kids’ activities, business meetings, call repairmen, pay bills, and it is all so frustrating. The school, the IRS, the dentist, and the plumbing and heating guy all screwed up on the billing. I have written four letters to the phone company about a bill on a phone I don’t have, and now I’m getting a penalty charge on this stupid bill I don’t even owe. What’s worse is I can’t talk to anybody. When I do, they don’t seem to give a damn. They even criticize their own company. I am so distracted and trapped that it’s no wonder I can’t come during sex. I just feel all uptight.”

WIFE: “After twenty-seven years of marriage, I still go to church alone. We don’t even talk about it anymore. He hated the church and I love it. It has always been a part of me. He wants sex but I can’t do the things he wants to do. If he can’t even go to church with me, how can he expect me to make love with him? It’s cheap, just cheap thrills. If he loved me, he would be part of my life and my religion. I can’t respect a man who doesn’t honor his faith, any faith.”

Any hope for super marital sex depends more upon our living than our genitals. No one really has a sex life. We have one life, a life we lead as a part of a system, and the twelve problem areas below can be transitional or even permanent blocks to our intimacy.

*204\97\8*

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