People used to believe that earth was the center of the universe and sun revolved around it. Those at the time who did not concur with this belief were declared heretics, tortured and burned alive. Over time we have come to let go of many outdated notions and no longer have a habit of setting our neighbors on fire if they happen to have an opinion that differs from ours, usually. There is a slight residue of that ancient mentality when it comes to understanding the complex biochemical organism that is a human being. Whether it is due to a strong belief in intelligent design or simply collective memory loss of how helpless humans can be in the face of nature, there is a worrying trend of abandoning the weapons that our ancestors wish they had. Increasing amounts of young parents, who are probably too young to remember kids in iron lungs suffering from polio, are deciding against vaccinating their own kids from the horrific diseases that are vaccine preventable. What is even more shocking is that it tends to happen in countries that have historically benefited the most from the development of medical science and responsible socio-political systems. Taking for granted relatively recently acquired security from mass killer bugs, young parents do not seem to recognize how damaging viruses can be.

One fact that for some might take a while to wrap their heads around, is that viruses, bacteria and microbes are living organisms. They might not have arms and legs, talk, walk or think, but if we suppose that Darwin was right, we can safely assume that they are also, just like humans, fighting for survival. They multiply at a much faster pace than humans reproduce, and there is countless number of them. As a species, humans have adapted to living with all sorts of visible and invisible stuff floating around, but on occasion there comes along a virus or bacteria that is simply not compatible with the human immune system. The virus itself does not have a grand plan to mass murder everyone that comes into contact with it (we hope), however because it is foreign to the humans’ immune system the effect on person’s health and well being can be catastrophic.

The first vaccine that proved capable of preventing an epidemic was developed against small-pox back in the late 18^th century. The philosophy behind it was relatively simple: by introducing the human immune system to a particular virus in a small dose, thereby allowing the system to comprehend it and figure out a defense mechanism against the virus which can be used in the future, should the immune system encounter the virus again. The progress in immune technology has been immense since then. Recently licensed HPV vaccine for instance, by immunizing against human papilloma virus types 6, 11, 16 and 18 (most widely sexually transmitted infection) prevents 70% of cervical cancers in women. The third generation vaccines also called DNA vaccines are currently undergoing pre-clinical trials. If successful we could see preventive vaccines against Alzheimer’s, herpes and a whole range of other unpleasant conditions that affect millions of people around the world. Hard not to believe in medical science after that.

Now lets go back to the anti-vaccine conspiracy theory individuals who choose not to vaccinate their kids. No, we do not propose to burn them alive. Instead we would like to investigate some predominantly stated reasons for choosing not to vaccinate.

Time and again articles that link vaccination to autism surface on the internet. We do feel for the parents who had the misfortune of having their kids diagnosed with autism, it surely is a great struggle for the family. After Andrew Wakefield’s statement that MMR vaccine causes autism, which was based on falsified research, there have been numerous studies done that investigate that claim. Many man hours and even more dollars have been spent to find the link between vaccination and autism and none were found.

From an emotional perspective, it is much easier to either find hope in, or simply to blame something tangible like the supposed connection between the MMR vaccine and autism, as it provides a focal point for frustrations and wishes for cures. In that regard internet in the age of information has simultaneously been the greatest blessing and a curse, as there’s still so much ‘proof’ still supporting the vaccine-autism link. At this point in time any Tom, Dick or Harry could type out an argument (pro or against vaccination for instance) and their argument could have as much reach and persuasive power as scientific research and the experience of medical professionals over several decades. Long gone are the days when in the family of 12 children only 5 made it into adulthood; there are no vivid examples or memories of children helplessly gasping for air while dying of measles in many modernized countries. Has the advancement in science and technology blinded us to how fragile we still are?

The impact of the anti-vaccinationists on public health is shocking. For example 2000 confirmed cases of measles in the UK over 2 years (more than over a previous decade combined) occurred among children whose parents decided against the MMR vaccine due to the fear of autism. Similar situations occurred in the US, where one unvaccinated boy passed on measles to other 137 unvaccinated children causing an epidemic. The State of California is seeing a terrifying return of vaccine preventable diseases that were though to have been eradicated.

Interactive World Map of Vaccine-Preventable Outbreaks

 The basic logic behind the mass vaccination of a population is referred to as “community immunity” or “herd immunity”; by minimizing the number of individuals susceptible to a particular virus the likelihood of an outbreak or an epidemic in the community remains low. Viruses are ultimately self-limiting – the infected person either recovers or dies. The main reason why we haven’t seen unvaccinated people dying right left and center is because the level of herd immunity is still high enough to prevent anything seriously tragic from happening like an outbreak of epidemic proportions.

Another common conspiracy theory revolves around vaccines as population growth control. In 2003 Ibrahim Datti Ahmed, a president of Nigeria’s Supreme Council of Sharia Law claimed that polio vaccines were laced with a drug that causes infertility (by the USA of course) with an agenda to slow the birth rate of Nigerian people. In a country where people are typically economically impaired and where the government feels insecure about its domestic support and international position this conspiracy theory flourished, and a polio outbreak followed soon after. Before long the Government realized the consequences of the propaganda lie and soon dropped the anti-vaccine program.

Whether it is a mother who can not come to grips with her child’s diagnosed condition, a government leader trying to find a control tactic through imaginary enemies and weapons or individuals who are convinced that humans are nature’s superior beings - they all have something in common. Namely the passion and conviction with which they spread a view, just like a virus, that has potentially irreversible consequences for those they are supposedly looking out for and care for the most. Polio, if contracted, can lead to disability, muscle paralysis and deformities in the legs, ankles and hips. Complications from mumps can leave boys sterile, deafness in not uncommon as a result of permanent nerve damage. Measles may lead to serious eye disorders as well as nervous system problems.

For the sake of a balanced argument, fine-tuning the immune system doesn’t always go as well as planned. Pandemrix, a H1N1 flu vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKline is currently under investigation. After numerous cases of narcolepsy reported by the recipients of the vaccine, the European Medical Agency as of mid 2011 has advised against it. It was shown that those who received the vaccine were 6-13 times more likely to develop narcolepsy. The link between the condition and the vaccine has not been found, and representatives of the pharmaceutical company assure that the benefits of the vaccine largely surpass the risks.

It is important to point out the problems often encountered in the vaccine development process, in particular the issues that concern funding, investment and regulations around the development of vaccines. Up until about 1970’s, the procedure(development and distribution) was predominantly a governmental matter. The onset of postmodernist culture (often linked to departure from the international gold standard and rapid increase of the political and economical power of corporations) saw a new trend where healthcare matters such as medication, vaccine and medical device manufacturing and development have largely been taken over by commercial interests. The rationale being that this would provide an environment for healthy competition thus raising productivity and the quality of the healthcare products.

While it might have worked in certain areas, when it comes to development of vaccines the reality is that due to the lengthy development period and very strict yet understandable regulations around retention and distribution, often times pharmaceutical companies find it not profitable enough to continue on with the development or production of vaccines. For examples Pfeizer terminated its production of influenza vaccine Fluogen back in 1998 due to the above mentioned hurdles. Similarly the ongoing developments of two most awaited vaccines against cancer and AIDS are often running into barriers due to funding. As businesses aren’t typically interested in the greater good without a profit motive and no politician short of a dictator will be in power long enough to see the political pay-off, many potential vaccines and avenues of research often languish in development because of funding problems. At this point we should mention the recent news regarding the new Malaria vaccine. After development of the vaccine by GlaxoSmithKline came to a halt due to profitability issues, $200 million poured in by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation helped to revive the research. The vaccine is currently being tested, showing 50% drop in risk of infection after vaccination. 

Causes of Child Deaths in Low-Income Countries 2011

Human organisms while very similar are rarely identical. It is very difficult to foresee different micro variations in every person in a reaction to a particular vaccine, rather vaccines are designed as blanket prevention. One in a million might die from an unforeseen side-effect, and it is very sad. However, in the case of contracting that specific disease the person may have died anyway, but as a carrier of a virus could have infected many more. From the perspective of health in the broader human population, it is a minor cost. The Spanish flu pandemic in the early 20^th century took over 50 million lives world wide in the span of a year. There was no vaccine, people died in a horrible manner within hours of contracting a virus. As outlined above, problems with vaccines are not widespread, and tend to be limited to adverse reactions in a tiny fraction of humans or very rarely to production and distribution errors.

Thus before embarking the bandwagon of natural medicine only, afraid of contaminating a young body with chemicals and other unnatural components, believing that vitamin C cures all, think about the reason why so much time and resources have been spent to research and produce vaccines. They might not be absolutely safe in every single case (neither is surgery or chemotherapy), but they have been protecting us from far greater threats, in terms of both severity and size, to the health and well being of humanity as a whole.

So, you might have no kids, yet you are still reading this article which to us clearly indicates that you are interested in masturbation. Who isn’t? Here we will tell you what your school teachers should have told you at some point, but was too shy or uptight to say. This article concerns sexual health, a topic that often times seems to be neglected by educators or misrepresented in the mainstream media.

Before we get the bible thumpers on our back let us clarify here that we are not merely talking about genital stimulation among young boys in their adolescence. We are looking at sexuality in a holistic sense, its perception and development through the lifespan. When we mention masturbation we again imply wider stimulation of erogenous zones (genital organs are just one of them).

Very little constructive educational dialogue has been dedicated to understanding the aspects of pleasure and desire (and pleasing one self involves just that). As it still largely remains a taboo subject, people are left to guess and figure out things on their own when it comes to understanding the body. Think of how you came to discover it. It probably wasn’t Mrs. Jones or your mum explaining why it feels nice when you touch yourself, giving pointers on what you could try, let alone ask you to go to your room and explore your body a little. Most likely it happened just before you hit full-on puberty, rubbing against the pillow in the middle of the night with an ear out for anybody who might be awake at the odd hour. In all likelihood you didn’t tell anybody who would have been able to give you any positive reinforcement or informed constructive advice.

When it comes to sexual education at school we hear the tail end of it. What is considered a more or less comprehensive sexual education at schools concerns the proper use of condoms and other contraception, an array of all sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) one could possibly get and to top it off they talk about family planning, if you’re lucky. If you’re not, you’re probably stuck listening to an ineffective speech on how abstinence is the only way to prevent STDs and pregnancy. While this would technically be at least part true, is about as helpful as being told the only way not to get food poisoning or an upset stomach, is to not eat food.

Where do you start?

It starts from the misleading premise that children are asexual beings. Stemming from genuine concern for children, yet with tainted perception of sexuality (”sex as evil/dangerous/physically and emotionally harming/only for adults”) and with the “help” of the legal system, much of society has completely convinced themselves that people below a certain age lack the ability to holistically understand ones own body in relation to sexuality. The first and arguably most important sexual partner (ourselves) has been silenced and eliminated from sex education. Inability to provide adequate materials for learning of masturbation have long term and at times life lasting impending impacts on sexual behavior.

The point can not be stressed enough - a person is their own first and most important sexual partner. There is a school of thought in sexual philosophy that adds “only” to the above description, nothing perverted or abnormal mind you, just a matter of perception and approach. Another important fact to keep in mind, is that a number of sexual behaviors in humans start even before birth. Recent developments in technology have allowed doctors to follow the development of the child in its mother’s womb very closely. One of the things they discovered was that male fetuses are capable of having an erection and are not reluctant to touch it.

Lets not beat around the bush, but get to the point, below are arguments why as a parent your child’s bodily explorations and curiosities (plainly masturbation) should be encouraged. If you disagree with any of the points made below, we would love to hear from you why (with alternative suggestions, please).

1. It’s the safest sexual experience one can possibly have.

It might seem as plain common sense, but how often have you thought about it (or heard your teacher say that in a sex-ed class). Like it or not sex is a very strong drive, and no amount of convincing, threats or scare tactics can completely get it out of the system. If not addressed the issue could be profoundly damaging to an individual. After all, Norman Bates wasn’t a psycho because his mother had a reasonable outlook on sex.

Think about it, when engaging in a sexual activity with oneself , the person is highly unlikely to catch any STD (depending on your hand washing habits), and it is physically impossible to get pregnant or impregnate someone. There is no need to use condoms or contraception. Because it’s a solitary action, there is no necessity to compromise or do something that does not feel good or right. Nobody is likely to harm your child or cause any emotional damage. The issue is addressed and everybody is safe and happy.

2. In the adult life a healthy approach to sexuality that has been instilled since the childhood can dramatically reduce a large number of health problems and sexual dysfunctions.

Open attitude

To gain a wider perspective, let us go back in time a little bit. Consider the case of hysteria - a disorder not exclusively linked to sexual dysfunction, diagnosed primarily in women.

Starting from the mid 19th century this condition was treated by massaging the genitalia and pelvic area of the patient, bringing her to a climax that stimulated blood flow in the body (today we simply call it an orgasm). By the end of that century, the advent of electricity allowed the construction of a machine (basically an old school vibrator) that sent strong localized vibrations that effectively relieved the symptoms of great amount of women diagnosed with hysteria. Many poor souls were headed for asylums if they hadn’t been treated with something modern women have access to everyday, sometimes several times a day. I’m sure almost anyone would take a day of sexual stimulation over a Victorian mental asylum.

Thankfully the Victorian era is over, although sexually repressive mindsets persist in many places. With more liberal attitudes towards the body, its needs and expressions, more women have gained happier, healthier lives compared to their counterparts back in the 19th century. Of course one does not need a machine to satisfy oneself, in fact more skillful practitioners don’t even need the assistance of limbs let alone a doctor, its all about brain activity, muscle contraction and lots of practice. How’s that for a goal to aspire to?

Dysfunctions that stem from conditioning

Continuing on the help of hands and other limbs, when it comes to men there are plenty of dysfunctions that stem from wrong ways of masturbation. When experiencing erectile dysfunction (the inability to get it up) first thing is to do a full medical check-up, the causes might lie with internal organs such as the kidneys, liver, prostate etc. If the tests come back clean then its time to go and see a sexual therapist. The therapist will need to know every detail about a patient’s sex life. Important data points includes ways of masturbation, when, in what manner, how many times per day/week, under what conditions, what pornographic materials are used, attitudes towards sex and masturbation in the family, personal attitude. When, how often and under what circumstances does the dysfunction occur - the professional will go digging deep into the past and present.

The issue often times is that by conditioning oneself to a tube of lube, box of tissues and a computer screen the brain (that sends signals to the rest of the body) might not recognize a flesh and blood woman as a cue to pop an erection. Through therapy the patient eventually expands his excitement and arousal data points. The root of the problem often lies with feeling of shame and guilt that is associated with sexuality and its expressions.

Similarly a lot of women are incapable of reaching climax for the same reasons. An important factor in all of this is the attitude towards sexuality and sexual expression. A lot of times people are incapable of talking about issues simply because they have never been taught how to in an adult manner. In this case family and upbringing plays a crucial role.

Comprehensive material on masturbation education would simply advise the learner to make the experience resemble sexual intercourse as much as possible. A room with pleasant light, comfortable temperature, creating ambiance through music, scented candles or anything else that tickles your pickle. A relaxed state of mind and naked body are highly encouraged. Follow through all four phases of the sexual response cycle: excitement, plateau, orgasm, resolution. It’s as simple as that.

3. Lack of Body Awareness and Its Image in the Media

Not the most obvious reason, yet valid nonetheless. Attitude towards sexuality directly correlates to the body image and perception. While casually flipping through an average Hong Kong tabloid, one cannot help but to notice the amount of ads that target young women, offering them variety of slimming programs. It is pointless to blame media for body image distortion that it presents and trends that it supports, after all the (media) market follows a supply and demand curve and everyone needs to make a living. What now seems as a deeply ingrained notion - that a certain body type is perceived as sexually appealing - makes little sense, given that sexual appeal is a sensation and not a body type or part thereof. Because there has been little attention to appreciating your own body from very young, herds of women and men falsely believe that attaining a certain body type would be sexually gratifying.

After staying with us thus far, you might be burning with curiosity, on what is the least awkward way one can teach healthy masturbation habits to their children. Contrary to what many of you might think, as a parent you don’t need to necessarily demonstrate, your kids wont understand it as they haven’t reached your level of sexual development yet. What is essential to do however is to keep an open conversation, laying the foundation that interaction with ones own body is good and healthy. When and where appropriate, of course. It should not be shamed, hushed away or given a judgmental look or a comment. However embarrassing a question might be for you a child is simply curious and deserves the most sincere, informative and well meaning answer. The key is not to set the list of rights and wrongs, but instead from day one provide the individual with a safe environment where exploration and play are supported, self-love is encouraged, leaving no subject that can not be discussed. Do ask questions. It is important to make sure that terms are well defined and understood. Given that the trust foundation is there you will be the first one to know of any possible plans of delinquencies that the media and other “educators” warn us about. You will also be ensuring that in their adult years, your offspring will be more informed and confident about his/her preferences, avoiding a full list of sexual, relationship and self image issues and disorders.

You might have a different view, experience or belief and that is entirely your prerogative. We do not mean to offend anybody, but feel obliged to share something that is not widely known or accepted yet could prove enormously valuable and beneficial in the long run. Health (in the case of this article on sexual health) is often thought of only when an issue arises. Just as brushing your teeth everyday might save you a small fortune on dental care bills down the road, a better understanding of your body will help you conserve on medical and therapy fees. Thus before you even think of initiating the talk about the birds and the bees, remember to ensure that your child is familiar with their own bee’s knees.