Question

Hello, I am Nicholas and I am 15 years old now. I have a problem I think you can help me out with. It's not easy for me to write about it, but I will have to. Two years ago, I tried to masturbate when I was once alone in my study room. I must admit that I liked it, and have been hooked on to it ever since. I began by masturbating thrice a week, and then increased the frequency as I grow older. In the vacations, I do it even as much as thrice a day. My erections were quite feeble when I was thirteen, but last year they were stronger. Now, I am fifteen, but I am observing that my erections are not as hard as they were last year. What is the reason for that? My reducing erections have caused me lot of mental tension. It really interferes with my study at school and I cannot even sleep at night. The result is that I am too worn out in school to pay any attention. I do not exercise. Can you tell me if what I am facing is really a problem, or a normal part of growing up? And if it is a problem, how can I get rid of that? - - - Nicholas

The Expert's Answer

Though you are very young and have begun masturbating only for two years now, you do seem to have a problem. And your problem is not strictly biological either; it has become an important mental problem. When you masturbate, your brain has to send in signals to your penis to become aroused. Signals are required for achieving the climax, which you must be knowing is called as the orgasm. All these signals are given by the brain by releasing hormones. Two of the important hormones required for this process are serotonin and acetylcholine. Due to this habit, the serotonin levels of your brain have gone too low. Let me tell you that serotonin is very important for your sleep. When you sleep, the pineal glands convert the serotonin to melatonin. This is not happening in your brain, and therefore you are not getting good sleep. Given your circumstances, there is only one reason why the serotonin levels have gone down – it is your habit of OM.

Your other problems can also be explained by the reduction of serotonin levels in your body. Serotonin is a stress suppressor. Because your serotonin levels are low, there is very less serotonin available in your body to relieve you from your stress. This is causing you anxiety and is thwarting your brain from focusing on your studies. So, both your daytime and nighttime problems – lack of concentration and insomnia – are linked to the reduced levels of serotonin. And this has happened because you yourself have brought this level down by doing it as much as thrice in one day, for a continuous period of time.

It is also difficult for me to prescribe a remedy for you, since you are so young. But, before prescribing a remedy, I would advise you to give your habit a rest. Make immediate efforts to stop this habit, or it could take a further heavy toll on your mental and physical balance. Let me warn you that if you continue with habit, then you may suffer from other problems as well as you are growing up, and these problems could be quite grave. A few of these problems are weak erections, impotence, PE, dripping of semen from the reproductive organ and shrinkage of the organ, among other problems.

If you seriously make an effort, you can get rid of this habit. Focus your mind on things that you really like doing. Join a club, play the sport you like or even involve yourself in a constructive hobby. Or you can make some friends and spend valuable time with them, like studies. You will find that will help you study better too. Whenever you feel the urge , try to control yourself and watch some television. At your age, this therapy works most of the time.

But, if you really want some medication, then I would prescribe you none other than herbal medicines. These medicines are extracts of plants and so they are perfectly safe for your age. You can take a remedy which involves Indian ginseng as the main ingredient. This is known as Ashwagandha also, and is available in most Ayurvedic shops. Along with being a sexual enhancer (which is actually not required of your age), Ashwagandha also helps in boosting the mental faculties. This herb can help you to improve your mind and wean it away from your addictive habit.

So, all the best then and do remember my advice. I hope it will do a world of good for you.

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