There are a lot of at-home remedies people try to shake up their sexual escapades. Whether it's slurping oysters to up your libido, standing on your shoulders after sex when you're trying to conceive, or staying away from pineapple for fear of having your spunk taste funky – humans are weird when it comes to trying things to make sex better.
This one guy tried a decidedly more extreme home experiment in order to increase his testosterone levels. Ben Greenfield wrote about his experience using red light therapy on his testicles, claiming he's "never felt better" and that on date night, he was a "rock star"...
Ben investigated red light therapy after indulging in a bit of nude sunbathing while on a camping trip, thinking about whether it was doing his crotch any good to finally have a bit of UV light shining down on him there.
"To my surprise, some studies have actually demonstrated that exposing the torso or the testes to light can potentially increase testosterone," he wrote. "In fact, studies on the effects of light on the testes go way back to 1939, when researchers exposed various parts of men's bodies to UV light." The study found that men's testosterone levels went up by 200% after the genital area had sustained UV exposure.
However, Ben realised it was neither convenient nor appropriate to go out in the nude every day in order for his parts to catch some rays, so he consulted with a Finnish professor on how to best reap the benefits of light therapy. Dr Olli Sovijarvi confirmed that light therapy worked, adding that a special form of light called 'red light', was known to increase testicular function.
Where "regular" light can inflame and damage the skin (no-one wants sunburnt balls), red light is known to stimulate ATP production. This essentially kicks the cells into action with increased energy, thus upping production levels of the cells producing testosterone. And we all know, more testosterone equals a higher sex drive. But also, it boosts confidence and motivation levels, and helps reduce fat while increasing muscle mass. We can see why this guy wanted to try it out.
He bought a special "JOOVV" red light lamp (one that wouldn't fry his balls) for an eye-watering amount of $995. "When my JOOVV arrived the next week, I hoisted it downstairs to my office, leaned it against my stand-up desk, pulled down my pants and flipped it on," he said.
"I simply stood there, naked. I replied to a few emails, then checked my watch. Five minutes. That should be good."
He said his crotch felt "warm" and "alive", and when he had sex with his wife later that day: "I felt – well – a unique heavenly, warm, tingly glow in my crotch. Nice."
He continued using the light, gradually working his way up to 20 minutes per session. In the meantime, he would check his emails, call his mom and read blog posts to kill the time.
Ben says he's been using it daily for 20 minutes for the past seven months, and claims he can tell a difference. He described an evening spent with his wife, saying: "That night was date night, and I was a rock star."
"I sat at dinner, horny, my penis pulsing, staring across the table at my wife and feeling as though I’d popped a couple Viagra. Later, I blew the biggest load I could recall in recent memory."
Well... would you be willing to try it for those results?