Main description:

Integrative Sexual Health explores beyond the standard topics in men's and women's health, drawing on a diverse research literature to provide an overview of sexual biology and sexual dysfunction, diverse lifespan, lifestyle and environmental impacts on sexual function, integrative medicine solutions to sexual problems, and traditional eastern and western treatment approaches to healing sexual difficulties. This comprehensive guide written by experts in the
field provides clinical vignettes, detailed treatment strategies for mitigating the side effects of both medications and sexual dysfunction associated with medical illness and poor lifestyle habits, and extensive further reading resources. Integrative treatment modalities not typically consulted in mainstream
medicine, such as traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, aromatherapy, and botanical medicine, are presented with the best evidence, in a clinically relevant manner. Part of the Weil Integrative Medicine Library, this volume is a must read for the specialist and non-specialist alike who wish to address sexual problems using an integrative medicine approach, and acquire tools to maintain lifetime optimal health and vitality that supports healthy sexuality.

Integrative medicine is defined as healing-oriented medicine that takes account of the whole person (body, mind, and spirit) as well as all aspects of lifestyle; it emphasizes the therapeutic relationship and makes use of appropriate therapies, both conventional and alternative. Series editor Andrew Weil, MD, is Professor and Director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. Dr. Weil's program was the first such academic program in the U.S., and its stated
goal is "to combine the best ideas and practices of conventional and alternative medicine into cost effective treatments without embracing alternative practices uncritically."

Contents:

Foreword by Andrew Weil
Preface: An Overview of Integrative Sexual Health

Section I: An Integrative Medicine Framework for Understanding Sexual Dysfunction
Chapter 1: Female Sexual Biochemistry
Madeleine M. Castellanos
Chapter 2: Mid-Life & Beyond: Female Hormonal Status / Menopause and Effects on Sexual Health
Janine A. Blackman
Chapter 3: Integrative Approach to Treatment of Female Sexual Dysfunction
Jacquelyn M. Paykel
Chapter 4: Male Sexual Function and Dysfunction
Jeffrey A. Albaugh
Chapter 5: Mid-life and Beyond Male Hormonal Status / Andropause and its Effects on Sexual Health
Geovanni Espinosa and Ralph Esposito
Chapter 6: Integrative Treatment of Male Sexual Dysfunction
Jeffrey A. Albaugh

Section II: Lifestyle and Environmental Impacts on Sexual Function
Chapter 7: Optimum Macro-Nutrition for Sexual Health
Ronald L. Hoffman and Leyla Muedin
Chapter 8: Sexual Dysfunction Secondary to Micronutrient Deficiency: A Common but Unrecognized Adverse Effect of Many Pharmaceuticals
Barbara Bartlik, Janet Mindes, and Sheila Sperber Haas
Chapter 9: Birth Control Pills and Hormonal Contraception: Effects on Female Sexual Desire and Pleasure
Barbara Bartlik, Amandeep Kaur, Chelsea Schoen, and Julie Kolzet
Chapter 10: Toxins: A Pervasive 21st Century Problem for Health and Sexuality
Adrienne Sprouse
Chapter 11: Sexual Dysfunction and Exercise
Keoni (John) Teta, Ralph Esposito, and Jade Teta
Chapter 12: The Obesity Epidemic and Sexual Health
Steven Lamm and Jonathan Bekisz

Section III: An Integrative Medicine Perspective on Psychiatric, Psychological, Physiological and Behavioral Disturbances Relevant to Sexual Function
Chapter 13: Integrative Treatment of Depression and Anxiety: An Effective Non-Pharmacological Approach that Preserves Sexual Functioning
Katherine Falk
Chapter 14: Inflammation and the Gut - Brain - Mood Connection: A New Perspective in Psychiatry and Sexual Dysfunction
Katherine Falk, Barbara Bartlik, and Janet Mindes
Chapter 15: Understanding Sexual Addiction and Hypersexuality: An Integrative Approach to Treatment
Monica Meyer
Chapter 16: Complementary and Alternative Treatments for Female Sexual Pain
Susan Kellogg Spadt and Jennifer Yonaitis Fariello

Section IV: Traditional Eastern and Western Treatment Approaches to Healing Sexual Problems
Chapter 17: Healing Sexual Problems in the Ayurvedic Tradition of India
Keesha Ewers
Chapter 18: Healing Male Sexual Function Concerns in Traditional Asian Medicine
Jillian Capodice
Chapter 19: Homeopathy in the Prevention and Treatment of Sexual Problems
Dana Ullman and Karen Allen
Chapter 20: Chiropractic: How Musculoskeltal Involvement Impacts Sexuality
Susan Eisen
Chapter 21: Aromatherapy in the Treatment of Sexual Dysfunction and Relationship Problems
Mindy Green
Chapter 22: The Benefits of Water Therapy for Sexual and Pelvic Problems
Alexa Fleckenstein
Chapter 23: Botanicals (Adaptogens and Others) that Support or Stimulate Desire: Traditions and Science
Eric Yarnell