Dear Healthy Friend,

Everyone knows the old joke... women faking headaches to get out of their husband's lust for bedroom antics. But carnal desire isn't just the simplest form of 'animal instincts', it's a basic need... it's an absolute necessity to keep the human race alive... and it could actually keep you healthier too!

Dr Douglass reveals the heart-health benefits of bonding beneath the sheets...

In the name of good health,

Taryn Strugnell
Managing Editor of Nutrition & Healing

P.S. Low-carb diets are still the in-thing. And for many people they work. Without any headaches, side effects or lack of energy. But for some, this isn't the case and Dr Wright has a solution for when the card-crash hits...

Getting hot 'n heavy helps your heart
Dr William Douglass
Editor, Healthier News

If you want to gobble down aspirin because of some imaginary heart benefit, be my guest. But if you really want to aid your ticker, spend more time in bed instead - and I don't mean sleeping.

Go ahead... give that mattress a workout - because a new study shows why bouncing in the bed is the only form of steady exercise I endorse. Men who do the deed at least twice a week have half the risk of heart disease compared to those poor lonely souls who do it once a month or less.

And if you think the men who do it more often have a lower risk because they're healthier to begin with, then you're as innocent as a virgin. The researchers adjusted for risk factors like age, weight and blood pressure... and found that plenty of steamy sessions still made all the difference in the world.

Not exactly a stunner. It doesn't take a genius with a research grant to figure out that lovemaking is more than just a sweaty diversion. It's mankind's oldest wonder drug and men and women alike can share the benefits.

Steady intimacy can reduce stress, fight pain and energise the immune system, making the body more capable of fighting cold and flu. Forget flu shots, the best "injection" takes place in the bedroom!

The worst side effects: Happiness and physical exhaustion.

Just don't supplement with risky behaviour - and by that I don't just mean hookers. Avoid the drugs being pimped by pharmaceutical companies - you can get better results from good health, proper nutrition... and lots of practise.

So if you're married and healthy, no excuses. Stop reading and get busy - your life depends on it.

Going low carb without the blues

Q: I recently read your report on diabetes. I went to the doctor for insulin resistance tests. My results were positive and I tried following a low-carb diet, as you suggested. But my mood was so terrible I had to stop following the diet! I'd really like to go back to it, though, since it helped my blood sugar so much (not to mention that it helped me lose seven kilograms). Is this normal? What can I do about it?

Dr. Wright: Every once in a while, I come across a patient who clearly has the criteria for success with a low-carbohydrate diet, but who has developed depression - anything from mild to serious - while following it. Like you, some of these people are ready to quit the high-protein diet just to escape the depression, even though they feel much better physically. But I usually ask them to try another approach first - replacing something their body may not be getting enough of.

I'm sure you've heard the phrase "fat and happy". Well, it's not just folklore. The same carbs that make you fat (and contribute to diabetes and other problems) also make you happy. It's simple science: Carbs allow more of the amino acid L-tryptophan to penetrate your brain. The L- tryptophan triggers your brain to make more serotonin and the serotonin makes you feel happier. But if you're following a low-carb diet, it's possible that not enough L-tryptophan will penetrate your brain and you could wind up depressed.

The solution can be as simple as taking supplemental tryptophan so there's more of it to penetrate the brain. I typically recommend either 1,500mgs twice daily or, if that causes drowsiness (which is rare but possible), take all 3,000mgs at bedtime. Just make sure not to take it when you're eating protein. It's best to take tryptophan with whatever small amount of carbohydrates you do eat.

L-tryptophan has been available by prescription for two to three years now, but it also very recently became available over-the-counter once again (as it used to be until about 1989). At present, over-the-counter L-tryptophan is found in a few health shops and Health Works (011 325 5109). But if you have trouble finding the over-the-counter version, a physician skilled in natural medicine should be able to help you obtain a prescription for it.