When I was just a young lad of 29 or
so I was a married "career military man" and came
down on orders to go to Vietnam, an assignment to a combat
zone which meant my wife and I would be separated. I had been
married only 4 years at this time and still qualified as an
idealistic, as well as naive, young married man. So....I
determined that I would abstain from sex for the time I was
gone, being totally faithful to my wife.
By the time I had been in Vietnam for 6 months several
things had happened. I wanted to get out of the service and go
to college, so talked it over with my wife: decision? To stay
in service. Now faced with being a "career solder" I
extended my tour of duty for a chance at a promotion which
would be relatively easy to get in Vietnam and much more
difficult elsewhere. I also began experiencing some
"twinges" and "shooting pains" in the
groin area - mostly like there was a needle inserted and
someone "gave it a twirl"! They happened maybe once
a week, twice a week, at first, and very mild.
Time passed. I remained not only physically faithful to my
wife, I also abstained from masturbation. And the pains both
increased in intensity and in frequency. By the time I had
been in Vietnam for 10 months I was having severe pains many
times a day and I had received a letter from my wife asking
for a divorce because "she was pregnant and wanted to
marry the other guy!" I dealt with it as best I could,
finally talking it over with my Commanding Officer who put me
on immediate Emergency Leave to go home and try to persuade my
wife to stay with me.
I got home in mid-August. And, just as a precaution, I went
to the local military hospital and had a complete checkup,
explaining in particular the shooting pains in my groin area.
I returned later in the week to see the doctor and get the
results of the tests. That morning my wife announced, when we
woke up, that she had decided: she wanted the divorce
because.... The doctor said 'you are just fine, there's
nothing wrong with you at all."
I said "Doc, I understand that there's nothing wrong with
me. You have run all the tests and they came back just fine.
But I keep having these pains, and they are very real!"
and I described them and how long I'd been having them and
their increasing severity and frequency.
The doctor replied "Oh, That! Not to worry, it’s just
the old Hawaiian disease, 'lack-a-nookie'! You say you are
home from Vietnam? (confirmed) Well, the solution is simple,
what you've got is prostatitis. You're young, so just regular
sex a couple of times a week should take care of it and it'll
go away with no permanent damage."
To this day the doctor probably doesn't understand why I
cracked up laughing at his explanation? I had just been cut
off from sex with my wife - we were in fact getting a divorce
- and I was returning to Vietnam for a second year. But I was
returning to Vietnam a much wiser person.
I had, it turned out, made a serious mistake when I originally
determined to remain "faithful to my wife, to include
even no masturbation." Oh, being "physically
faithful" was not a bad decision, but carrying it to the
point of not even masturbating had been. Once a man becomes
accustomed to regular sex he cannot just stop for an extended
period of time. As I have learned over the years, the
long-term results can be devastating. This happened in
1965-67, and its now 40 years since it started. Over those
years I have learned a lot about that decision.
First, I had years and years of bouts of prostatitis, blockage
of the prostate accompanied usually with an infection that
took medication to get rid of. And in my later years it has
led to near-total impotence.
Being separated from one's spouse for an extended period of
time is a very good reason to remain celibate; but it is not a
reason to become stupid about male health and the possible
adverse results of both no sex and no masturbation.
I'm not telling men to have all the extra-marital sex they want
whenever they get the chance! I'm saying "just be aware
of possible ramifications of total abstinence". Nor am I
telling women to forgive their men if they have an
extramarital affair. I'm saying "If you are going to be
separated from your husband for an extended period of time
make sure you both understand what he has to do to maintain
male sexual health."
Disclaimer:
This article in no way should be taken as “medical
advice” on any product, condition or course of action, nor
does it constitute in any way “medical advice” endorsing
any specific product, specific result, nor any possible cure
for any condition or problem. This article is meant as a
source of information upon which you may base your decision as
to whether or not you should begin using any vitamin, mineral
and/or herbal supplement for better health, or begin using a
“greens” product as a dietary supplement.
If in doubt, or if you have questions, you should consult your
physician and, if possible, consult a second physician for a
possible different opinion. The author does not bear any
responsibility for your decisions nor for the outcome of your
actions based upon those decisions.
