14 February 2006

Love Potions, 'Sexercise', Etc.

It's Valentines Day. How are you going to spend the day? For men in love, I think it's going to be one big financial investment as roses, chocolates, and other romantic gifts' prices usually shoot up during this date. 'Nothing wrong with burning your pockets, as long as you're certain that your partner is the right one. Meanwhile, here are some relevant health news you might want to know:
In The Name of Love - "As the traditional lovers' day approached in China, plastic surgery clinics in trend-setting Shanghai reported a huge rise in business. These days, most of the 1,000-plus customers who came to ConBio each year were still women, around 95 percent, said Pan, adding the most popular operations were eyebrow remoulding and "eyelid doubling," where an extra crease is added to the upper eyelid to make the eyes look larger."


Most of these Chinese patients are women. I often wonder why they want bigger eyes. Are bigger eyes prettier? These Chinese women are willing to spend 800 yuan ($100) for an eyelid doubling, 1,000 yuan ($124) for a nose alteration, and about 4,000 yuan (nearly $500) for a leg liposuction.
Love Potions -"When hope fades and acts of bravery fail, many a loveless warrior turns to traditional healer Nashuru Kipeen, whose armory of sweet-smelling herbs is famed for curing heartache. Kipeen swears for every complaint of unrequited love, jealousy or infertility there is a different herbal cocktail to be washed down with milk, tea or honey."


Ah, what can be more heart-wrenching than unrequited love? As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. In the Philippines, we call love potions "gayuma," and I've heard many anecdotal stories on how men won the love of their lives using love potions. Quiapo is the famous place for buying these potions. Checking online, I found out that the use of "gayuma" is documented by the Beyer Ethnographic Series as part of the early Filipino medical beliefs.
'Sexercise' -"According to the NHS Direct website, 'sexercise' can lower the risk of heart attacks and helps people live longer. Endorphins released during orgasm stimulate immune system cells, which also helps target illnesses like cancer, as well as wrinkles, it states."


This one still needs more studies for validation. But this website says that given a 176-pound male and a 137-female doing a 'sexercise,' calories burned during kissing and hugging are 1.8 calories/minute for males, and 1.4 calories/minute for females. Sexual intercourse itself burns 2.4 calories/minute for males and 1.8 calories per minute for females. Wow.

Happy Valentines Day to everyone.

8 reactions:

ajay said...

so it's true, sexercise can prevent wrinkles?? kawawa naman (kaming) mga singles, haha.

i heard that the beauty business is also very big in thailand.

happy valentine's too doc. enjoy this day with soulmate:)

yusop said...

It is somehow nice to note that in China, a kind of place where individualism is such a foreign idea, women there are embracing the sweet arms of vanity through surgical cosmetics. It's sort of a positive thing for a country where Google can't search the word "activism" and "freedom".

eye said...

hahaha! interesting trivia. ironic lang, kasi di ba usually attractive ang mga chinito at chinita (the likes of zhang zhiyi and gong xiaobin). well, to each his own lang siguro talaga.

happy heart's day to you and soulmate, enjoy the celebration tonight. i'll be having dinner with my parents and brother ;)

nikki said...

Are bigger eyes prettier?

I asked that to a Chinese friend and she said that yes, bigger eyes are prettier. They usually have surgery to repair their eyelids para daw mas maganda tingnan kapag may eye make-up.

The things we do for love!

may said...

happy valentine's day din doc emer!

beajerry said...

I'm sure we burned more than 2.4 calories/min! ;)

tintin said...

Hek hek hek...Belated Happy V-day! Ang galing naman! Sexercise!

h. said...

Are bigger eyes prettier?

hahaha I agree with eye, mas gusto ko ang xingkit ;-)