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The Snack With a Secret Side Effect

You know…what foods to avoid before sex: beans, onions, garlic and a huge helping of anything-chili, ugh! -that contains all three.

But…you might want to avoid less obvious treats like peanuts, cinnamon candies, pecans and tofu. All are high in oxalate, a substance that can exacerbate vulvar pain in women who are prone to it. This news may seem like a stretch, but it was life-changing for a patient of Lauren Streicher, MD, an associate clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s medical school. During an ob-gyn visit, the topic of diet came up, and the woman realized she was compulsively popping cinnamon hearts (sky-high in oxalate) all day long. As Streicher explains in her new book, Love Sex Again, when the patient gave up the candy, her pain disappeared.

 

The Medicine That Keeps You Going

You know…that antidepressants can boost your mood while sinking your libido.

But…other types of common medications can also make sex less pleasurable. Antihistamine allergy pills and cold medicine reduce moisture levels in the body, points out Streicher, and therefore have a drying effect on tissues from your nose to your…you know.

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