THE TRIUMPH OF MRS. KRAVITZ

From: Let's talk about sex, for good heath (Maria Cheng, The Globe and Mail, February 1st, 2007)

Doctors shouldn't shy away from asking patients about their sex lives, a new research paper advises.

Researchers say problems in the bedroom can translate into serious medical conditions, and ignoring sexual dysfunction may mean missing early indicators for heart failure, depression or other ailments, according to a paper published in Friday's issue of The Lancet.

“Sex is a legitimate part of medicine, but it has largely been kept separate from the rest of medicine,” said Dr. Rosemary Basson, the paper's lead author. Dr. Basson is based at the British Columbia Centre for Sexual Medicine in Vancouver.[...]

Doctors are being increasingly advised to take the initiative to ask patients about their sex lives, including basic questions about who they have sex with, how frequently and if they engage in potentially risky behaviour.

“People aren't going to volunteer that kind of information unless they're specifically asked,” said Dr. Jonathan Zenilman, chief of the infectious diseases division at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Centre, who was not involved with the research.

What patients often fail to realize, physicians say, is that sexual dysfunctions are often a symptom of something more serious.

From the Archives: Let’s Talk about Sex, to Save Souls (L’Osservatore Romano, February 1st, 1880)

Priests shouldn’t shy away from asking their flocks about their sex lives, says Pope Pius IX. (“Pio Nino”)

Theologians say problems in the bedroom, and especially problems in the wrong bedroom, can translate into serious spiritual disorders, and that ignoring biblical injunctions can lead to extra time in purgatory--if you’re lucky, according to a papal encyclical published this week.

“Sex is a legitimate concern of the Church, but it has been largely ignored because of excessive respect for personal privacy and individual choice," said Cardinal Giovanni Rossini in announcing a reversal of the Rome's longstanding “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Cardinal Rossini is director of The Vatican Office of Morals, Health and Sacrilege.

Priests are being increasingly advised to take the initiative in asking their parishioners about their sexual activities, including basic questions about who they have sex with, where, when, how, what they were wearing, whether the candles were lit and most importantly, whether they enjoyed it.

“People aren’t going to volunteer that kind of information unless they are threatened with eternal damnation”, said Fr. Petro, head of an austere self-flagellating Trappist retreat in the mountains near Assisi. Fr. Petro wasn’t involved in the original research, but was consulted on sanctions.

What people often fail to realize, theologians say, is that excessive sexual activity is often a symptom of a soul in danger. "That’s why the boobies need us to tell them exactly what their problems are and what and what not to do."