Blindness? Hairy palms? Both guys and girls may feel the need for the release of an orgasm regularly, and masturbation is nothing to be ashamed of. Forget the old myths and get the facts from Michael F. Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., authors of YOU: The Owner’s Manual for Teens: A Guide to a Healthy Body and Happy Life.
None of the myths about overmasturbating are true (like hairy palms or going blind), but you are going overboard if you’re masturbating in public or have rubbed yourself raw. Usually people prefer to masturbate in their beds or in the shower.
Mutual masturbation means touching another’s genitals and having yours touched, to give and receive pleasure. Some people feel this is much safer than sexual intercourse, which is definitely true with respect to avoiding pregnancy and many sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV.
Human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause genital warts (and, in women, cervical cancer), can be found under fingernails, so it is possible that HPV transmission can occur from fingertip to vagina, or fingertip to penis and testicles, via touch after exposure to HPV on your own or someone else’s genitals. This is yet another good reason to get immunized against HPV, whether you are male or female.
LEARN MORE
- Browse more books by Michael F. Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D.
- Browse more books about teen health
this article is helping me with the questions i have about masturbation. like what not to do or what to do as far as with or without a friend. where would you recommend i find this info.
thank you for this article. I mean not all people can talk about masturbation especially in countries that are still conservative. :)
I am a registered nurse who worked on a special unit for sex offenders in a psychiatric hospital. Sex addictions destroy people’s lives, ask Tiger Woods and David Duchovny. Masturbating is like taking one hit of heroine, it leads to another and another until your life is obsessed with it to the point of death, it killed David Carradine. There was one guy who masturbated so much that he developed permanent nerve damage in his wrists and lost the function of his hands. Live the law of chastity, keep our thoughts pure. Refrain from watching any movies, internet sites or books with any suggestive material. Sex is for marriage only, where there is safety from STD’s and HPV. Master our thoughts. Remove ourselves from debasing behavior. Even in marriage we must keep our thoughts clean and only have thoughts for our spouse. It’s the only way to go…or we’ll end up divorced, in the poor house, or DEAD.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. There is a big difference between sex offenders and your average teen; Dr. Oz is not addressing abnormal sexual behavior such as that addicts may display. This article is purely about everyday health and masturbation is a normal part of that, so he would like to address questions and dispel myths.
Wow Kellie, you are one sick puppy!!