After years of being anti-anything-that-affects- my-brain-that-is-not-natural I was ‘turned’ when the symptoms of my ADHD –diagnosed 20+ years and 3 jobs late– were resolved in 2 hours with a little pill.

The only thing I can compare it to is my first pair of glasses. “Oh… so THIS is how other people see the world.”

Like that ‘once you go black…’ thing, I can no longer imagine my life without it. Non-pharma alternatives would never give me the quality of life I enjoy today.

Okay, on a more serious note, point taken. I’m sure that there are some women (and men) who genuinely experience low libidos. I’m not saying that it’s “all in their heads” meaning, you know, “imagined”. I’m just saying that, in general, when it comes to matters of the body, I’m not a fan of big pharma and I think most maladies can be rectified without doping.

If I have a slight headache, I drink more water instead of taking aspirin. If I’m feeling depressed, I call a friend (or see a therapist) or go for a run instead of popping prozac. If I’m not feeling in the mood, I tell the guy, “no, baby, not like that … like THIS. Touch / kiss / lick me here.”

Besides, I think the big pharma thing is a vicious cycle. A bunch of folks are on anti-depressants. What’s one of the side effects? Low libido. What can you take to cure that? Instrinsa. So, it’s like pill A kills your libido, but you can take pill B to rectify that. None of this stuff has been around long enough to know the long-term side effects. And, I’m just *not* convinced that any of this is healthy for anyone.

And, not to mention … I know that I’m slightly fatphobic but, hell, I’m gonna say this anyway … I think sex feels best when you love the way that your body looks naked. Low libido? Lose 10 pounds, buy sexier clothes and wear a bit of makeup.

Having said that, I do realize that the anti-pharma stuff has limits. If I were to be diagnosed with HIV, cancer or something else pretty major, I would *certainly* seek out a bit more help than a glass or water, a run in Central Park and a new shade of lipstick. And, who knows? If I were a 60-year old woman with a boyfriend who was 20 years my junior & he had a kickass libido but I didn’t, I might be singing a different tune. Somehow, I doubt it. But, you never know, I could be wrong.

Try being 30, with no sex drive. It does not exist. It is not mental, it is not psychological, it is purely nothing other than a complete disconnect in the body. It sucks, and the medical community has proven time and time again that testosterone is the factor. The reason P&G put it in the patch form was to lower the risk of heart disease, hair growth, acne, etc. It lower the amount of testosterone that was running free in the womans body dramatically, vs. taking it in pill form.

Again, if you think it is “all in their heads”, please think again. One day, it might be you in their shoes.

Hmmm, it’s a two-way street, not? Psychological processes determine physical/chemical processes and v.v. Breaking a pattern/vicious circle of failure to launch/lubricate with a little pill/patch IMHO beats years of therapy anytime (or IS therapy).

Speaking of vicious circles (and possibly sexless marriages)… I find that the more you ‘do’ it, the more you want it, etc. etc. It really compares to having a gym in your building vs. one 30 mins away… (”nah… American Idol is on tonight, I’ll just go go tomorrow…”)

I’ve been tempted to visit different gyms in the past, dreamt of the shiny equipment, new classes, different trainers, super-hot… showers… but alas I can’t, that would be cheating on my old one. :D

John: Great article. THANKS for that link! It reminds me of something that “The Great Sex Secret” author Kim Marshall said when I had him as a guest on Dating Roadkill. I said something like, “yeah, one of the difficult things about being single is that you don’t get sex on a regular basis.” And, he responded with something like, “It’s not just single people. A lot of married people don’t have sex on a regular basis; there’s a lot of sexless marriages out there.” Profound. I’d never really thought of it that way before.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17819304/

Whether this is true or mere fearmongering, I have no idea.