Sexual Health Care for Adolescents
Sexual Health Care for Adolescents
Adolescents are in a phase of physical growth and development, brimming with energy and strong sexual function. Some believe there is no need for sexual health care, thinking sexual health preservation is unnecessary. This is incorrect. Without proper sexual health care, excessive sexual activity can harm kidney essence, cause excessive fire, damage the body, or lead to sexual dysfunction. The "Four Essentials of Health Preservation" states: "In youth, qi is abundant and prone to overflow. At this stage, with robust blood and qi and youthful longing, unchecked sexual activity is like a flower blooming too early—it wilts prematurely." This emphasizes the importance of sexual health care and moderation in sexual life during adolescence.
Sexual health care for adolescents primarily involves late marriage and late childbearing, moderation in sexual activity, and adherence to sexual ethics. Due to asynchronous development of sexual physiology and psychology, adolescents often lack self-control. Some cannot resist Western sexual culture's influence, adopting Western sexual freedom as a modern ethical standard and imitating it casually, seeking temporary pleasure without regard for consequences. Adolescents should understand that sexual relations are grounded in love, embodying social responsibility, moral integrity, respect, and happiness. In interactions with the opposite sex, they should set behavioral standards: during friendship-building, maintain self-respect, self-love, and self-worth; during romantic stages, cultivate a correct view of love and strengthen control over sexual urges—never engaging in sexual activity. Sexual behavior must be constrained by social morality and confined to legal marriages; otherwise, it invites moral condemnation and legal consequences.
After reaching sexual maturity, unmarried young men and women, driven by instinctive desires, are curious about sex and eager for satisfaction. Yet in real life, fulfillment is hard to achieve, leading to frequent sexual fantasies—normal physiological and psychological phenomena. However, if one becomes addicted to sexual fantasies, it may result in spiritual emptiness, passivity, daydreaming, and negatively affect work, study, and health. Instead of suppressing these fantasies, elders should guide them positively—encouraging participation in sports and cultural activities to redirect thoughts and release surplus energy. Qigong practice can also help calm the mind and spirit, overcoming sexual fantasies.
After marriage, some young adults, relying on their vigor, engage in frequent sexual activity, eventually exhausting kidney essence and harming health. Especially on the wedding night, due to exhaustion from festivities and pent-up sexual desire, they may engage in intercourse repeatedly without allowing sufficient recovery, risking fainting. Modern medicine explains this as increased catecholamine secretion during sexual activity, stimulating the heart and increasing cardiac load. Reducing sexual frequency appropriately and easing cardiac burden prevents such occurrences. Moderating sexual activity benefits sexual health and promotes harmonious future sexual life. Sexual activity consumes substantial energy—some estimate it equals climbing five floors at medium speed. During orgasm, heart rate can increase to 140–180 beats per minute, and systolic pressure may rise by 30–80 mmHg. The "Essential Readings on Hygiene" states: "When young and strong, why live alone? But practice moderation, cherish your spirit, and avoid reckless indulgence."