Masturbation has since long been a taboo and associated with numerous myths. Perhaps it was believed that human beings are not entitled to have sexual pleasure unless some one else gave it to them.

With a paradigm change in perceptions and the acceptance of the biological need for sex, such myths have been exploded. Instead, masturbation as a tool for self stimulation and prostate health has become a subject matter of studies conducted all over the world. While there is an inherent risk of infections and sexually transmitted diseases during sexual intercourse, masturbation is a manual stimulation of the genital organs.

It was generally believed that masturbation led to an enlarged prostate. On the contrary, recent studies that have taken into account all types of ejaculation, whether during sexual intercourse, nocturnal emissions or masturbation, point towards a possible link between frequency of ejaculation and good prostate health.

The prostate supplies a major part of the fluid that is discharged as semen. Animal studies indicate that carcinogens found in cigarette smoke tend to accumulate in the prostatic fluid. Masturbation gives the same benefit as a sexual intercourse by allowing the prostate and the seminal vesicles to discharge any accumulated carcinogens in the seminal fluid. It is not a man’s ability to ejaculate that matters, but the flushing of the ducts and elimination of cancer causing substances that concentrate in the prostatic fluid.

Prostate medicine works by shrinking the tone of the thin sheet of muscle that encircles the prostate gland. If some one was to feel a prostate gland at the moment of orgasm it would feel as if the muscles around it had contracted causing the gland to shrink. And therefore, prostate medicine and an orgasm have a similar effect on the prostate gland.

The prostate gives a harrowing time to men after they cross forty. The symptoms related to its enlargement and the possibility of cancer can be a torturing experience. The therapy involves a life long treatment with medications and regular monitoring.

In the unfortunate event of prostate cancer, the treatment may involve radiation, chemotherapy and surgery or a combination of any of the three therapies. Substantial benefits can be derived from preventive measures like herbs for prostate enlargement and a diet that includes foods rich in lycopene, selenium and Vitamin E but they are not a cure in their own right.

Even today we do not know for sure whether frequent ejaculation by masturbating has any positive affect on prostate enlargement or prostate cancer or not. If at any time in future a definite link can be established between the two, prevention of prostate enlargement and cancer would be more pleasurable than it is today.