Sexual Medicine’s Struggle As An Entity
The land of Kama Sutra doesn’t recognize its sexologists. No certified course available in sexology in any college in the country, says Dr. Narayana Reddy, renowned sexologist from southern India.
Dr.Reddy’s struggle to become a qualified sexologist is a case study in itself of how this subject is ignored at large by policymakers and educationists.
"When I did my Ph.D at the University of Madras on sexual problems in males, my research was classified under endocrinology-medicine, because they did not recognize sexology as a subject. The only recourse for people like me wanting training in this field was and still is, doing a course with the American Association of Sex Educationists, Consultants & Therapists," Dr. Reddy said in an exclusive interview to Medindia.
And the struggle doesn’t stop there, because of the stigma attached to this particular field.
"To build up a decent practice as a sexologist, one needs an enormous amount of patience. When I started my practice in 1982, it was really tough and I had very few patients," recalls Dr.Reddy.
Quacks and Doctors The subject has only recently received some level of acceptability in India. Even in the West, sexology as a medical practice gained importance only after the 1960s. Earlier, only quacks could claim proficiency in the subject. Only now have doctors started giving sexual health its due importance, says Dr.Reddy.
Health Insurance Does Not Cover Sexual Medicine Another drawback is that sexology like psychiatry and dentistry does not get insurance coverage. "Sexual health plays a great role in a person’s general health condition. Sex is god or nature’s gift to mankind. Insurance coverage is needed as sexual health contributes largely to a person’s mental and physical well-being," says the doctor.
Sexercise "Did you know that with every act of sex, a person (both male and female partner) burns 200 calories; which is the equivalent of 15 minutes on the treadmill?" asks the doctor. In men, sex also reduces the chances of prostate enlargement.
The benefit of having an active sex life is that the person’s longevity is increased and his/her chances of getting joint pain, arthritis or heart disease are decreased. Regular sex helps in combating depression.
Sex Has No Age Bar And age apparently has no bearing on a person’s sex drive. Dr. Reddy says that 70- and 80-year olds frequent his office. "Sex is not bound by age. I have a 93-year-old patient who wants to enjoy a full sexual life. Age becomes a problem only when the participants are too young to understand all the implications of sex."
In a lighter vein, he expounded on the many misconceptions people have about sex. "Even now people think having a family planning operation done will affect their performance. A vasectomy is a simple operation, which can be reversed and which, anyway, will not affect the man’s sex drive. And a family planning operation is easier on the men than the women. Another misconception is that people should not have sex during pregnancy or during the woman’s periods. Sex between two consenting adults is always good at any time," asserts the doctor, adding that he would not recommend having sexual intercourse only when the woman has injuries in her genital tract.
