Do you know everything about sex? Think again for the more someone claims to know, the less they generally do know.

Alicia Stanton, a board-certified OB/GYN and the author of 'Hormone Harmony,' who specializes in treating men and women suffering hormone imbalances, has listed top nine sex-related myths and what the real scoop is about sex, desire, and making it all work, reports the Fox News.

Myth: Interest in sex decreases with menopause.

Reality: Many women maintain hormonal balance and interest in sex through menopause. And, pregnancy and menstruation are no longer a concern, spontaneity can reign. Also, they are typically more confident and knowledgeable about what they want, so sex has the potential to be better than ever.

Myth: The only hormone important for libido is testosterone.

Reality: Although testosterone is very important for libido and sexual function in men and women, other hormones play a part as well. Estrogen is actually very important for desire in both men and women. Also, a high level of cortisol, our "fight or flight hormone," works against libido. If your body thinks that you're running for your life, literally or figuratively, it is not going to be very interested in sex.

Myth: If you're truly in love, desire for sex and high libido should come easily.

Reality: Relationships and making a real connection with someone takes time and energy. Relationships require as much attention as anything about which you are passionate. Focus on keeping your partner and his or her interests high on your priority list and you will find yourself discovering new ways to connect and keep the passion alive.

Myth: If you're healthy, you should want sex all of the time.

Reality: A wide variety in sexual appetite or level of libido exists. The way you know if you're having the "right" amount of sex is if you and your partner are both happy with your level of activity. There's no need to compare yourself to others.

Myth: If you're connected with your partner, you shouldn't have to ask for what you need.

Reality: Even if you and your partner haven't previously spoken much about your sexual relationship, it might be good to start talking. This is especially true if you're entering a new phase of life, including childbirth, menopause, or andropause, often called male menopause. If you begin to notice changes in your body or sexual desire, be sure to let your partner know what's going on. And, remember, communicating about what feels good enhances the experience for both of you.

Myth: Your most important sex organs are "south of the border."

Reality: Although those places are lots of fun, remember that your brain is the biggest sex organ in your body. You always have the ability to choose how you feel and think about sex and your sexuality. The desirability a man or woman feels about himself or herself is a very potent aphrodisiac. If you feel irresistible, your partner will find you irresistible. Passion is contagious!

Myth: If you don't have a partner, there is no sense in having a libido.

Reality: Having a loving relationship with yourself is essential. Even if you don't currently have a partner, feeling sensual and desirable will add passion to many aspects of your life. It takes practice to learn what arouses you and what a potential partner finds arousing. Learning to pleasure yourself is an important skill that you can continue to enjoy on your own, or that you can teach to a partner one day.

Myth: Women are the only ones who have problems with low libido.

Reality: Although the sexual desire disorder known as low libido is more common in women, it occurs in men as well. Some physical causes include alcohol, various medications, stress, hormone imbalances (such as low testosterone), cocaine use, brain tumors that produce the hormone prolactin, diabetes, and other major diseases such as cancer.

Myth: Hormonal issues are the only cause of low libido in women.

Reality: There are hormone imbalances such as low estrogen, low testosterone, hypothyroidism, and high cortisol from stress, but there are many other potential causes as well. Physical problems such as vulvar or vaginal pain or dryness may cause an increase in frustration and reduced libido. Surgery or other major health conditions like cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure or arthritis can also reduce libido.

Also, relationship issues, psychological issues (including depression), alcohol, tobacco use, and weight issues may also contribute to low libido. (ANI)

THIS is the man who plastered towns in Essex with posters in an attempt to lure young women into the seedy world of sex parties and Pounds 100-an-hour "escorting".

Signs appeared across Chelmsford and Witham advertising for girls interested in making "huge earnings", stating: "No experience necessary".

The Chronicle called the phone number and invited the man, who called himself Freddie, to a meeting with an undercover reporter posing as an aspiring glamour model.

Private meetings During that meeting, which was secretly recorded, Freddie made it clear that he was attempting to take on girls for whom he would set up private meetings with men, in exchange for 20 per cent of their takings.

When pressed by our reporter on what the job would entail, he replied: "What? You've slept with fellas haven't you? "You want to make some money don't you? What are you going to do?" Freddie, who claimed to be from east London but said he had strong links with the Essex area, at first avoided answering questions about precisely what the job would involve.

But he eventually let his guard down during the hourlong meeting in Witham on Sunday.

He said: "I have hundreds of girls working for me all across London and Essex.

"How it works is, once you are on my books, I will get work for you. You will go to the jobs and collect payment in cash, and put 20 per cent into my bank account."

He claimed to be able to arrange escorting work, paying Pounds 100 an hour, in addition to organising "parties", for which a girl would be paid Pounds 350.

He described these parties as "full-on parties - proper adult parties, swingers parties" and said they could involve one girl entertaining five men at the same time.

America does not have to depend on foreign sources for one of its most vital national needs. A move toward energy independence, in addition to creating as many as 14 million new jobs, could help rebuild our nation's industrial base and provide one of the most stable and secure energy supplies in the world. Best of all, this new domestic product can be both sustainable and renewable energy. Below are six ideas on how to start:

1. Invest in new infrastructure to process alternative fuels. There is little dispute over the feasibility of manufacturing liquid fuels from non-petroleum sources. Brazil is energy independent thanks to production of ethanol from sugarcane. Germany relied on coal during World War II and South Africa continues to tap coal and natural gas resources. The same technology is capable of producing fuels in the United States - and decades of research and the emergence of nanotechnology make energy produced this way much more affordable and economically competitive with oil-based fuels.

Gasification is the simple technology process of taking an organic material (such as coal or biomass) and converting it to a mixture of gases is the first step. There are already at least 20 plants in operation or under construction and multiple competing commercial technologies n the United States alone, mostly in the chemical industry. Using a separate but related technology, the manufactured gases can be converted to form a wide range of fuels, including those already most familiar to Americans and compatible with the existing vehicle fleet and infrastructure: diesel, jet fuel, gasoline components, and ethanol.

Fuel production in this manner can be profitable and economical. While the level of capital investment is significantly higher than a comparably-yielding oil refinery, the capital cost is spread over the long life of a plant, and savings show up in other places. Even with the cost of raw materials, energy inputs, and depreciation of the plant included, the break-even cost of producing fuel is around $1.25 per gallon, an amount notably lower than the current wholesale price of gasoline and other liquid fuels.

2. Use existing biomass to ease our transition away from petroleum use. While virtually any organic material (i.e. coal, natural gas and biomass) can be used to manufacture fuel, biomass offers a distinct advantage: Its use makes the entire fuel cycle carbon-neutral. (A carbon-neutral fuel cycle means that no matter how much fuel we consume, there will be no net increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.)

The federal government has done significant research into determining available biomass resources. An April 2005 joint report from the Departments of Agriculture and Energy ascertained that annual national biomass potential "exceeds 1.3 billion dry tons annually -- the equivalent of more than one-third of the current demand for transportation fuels." Of that amount, more than 300 million tons per year are already available, currently unused or underused.

Biomass comes from numerous ready-made sources: residues generated by traditional logging operations and clearing of timberlands; forest thinning for purposes of fire suppression; processing wastes (including primary mills, secondary mills, and paper mills); urban wood residues (such as construction and demolition debris; yard waste; and discarded furniture, cabinets, pallets, containers and scrap wood. In combination, these stocks comprise a formidable supply of biomass that could be refined to supplant a portion of the petroleum the United States currently imports.

3. Grow "energy" crops. Once we've exhausted the country's existing supply of biomass, we will need a consistent and sustainable source of additional biomass -- and that will require cultivating so-called "energy crops." The U.S. already produces ethanol from corn, making it the first crop grown here specifically for the production of energy. Unfortunately, the use of corn for ethanol has several distinct disadvantages, the most important of which is its relative land efficiency. To supplant all foreign oil using corn ethanol (currently the most popular non-petroleum fuel, by far), a total of 561 million acres would need to be planted in corn, an expanse that represents nearly 30 percent of the total land area of the contiguous 48 states.

The solution is finding alternative crops with much higher yields. There are quite a few varieties of grasses and a few types of trees that produce enough biomass material to make their growth substantially more land-efficient than corn. Two examples include Switchgrass and Arundo. Their use also negates one main argument against using corn and other energy crops for fuel: that their use could diminish the world's food supply. As long as productive food-producing land is not taken out of cultivation, the addition of Arundo and Switchgrass to the agricultural scheme should have very little effect on food production.

4. Implement government intervention wisely. Based on the capital cost of thermochemical fuel plants and the cost of establishing high-yield energy crops, the investment necessary to build infrastructure capable of supplanting all foreign oil could total $900 billion. The government is not going to fund this all at once, or ever, and experience has taught us that public expenditures aren't the ideal way to approach this kind of a challenge anyway. But encouraging -- and incentivizing -- private enterprise to make capital investments on this scale is the federal government's proper function.

There are many steps government can take to grow and protect an alternative-fuels industry. For starters, one immediate risk to such a nascent industry is a counter-attack from powerful predators, such as oil exporters and multinational oil companies. It is essential to the long-term survival of the industry that it be protected from a reactionary drop in prices.

One potential mechanism for protection is the establishment of a price floor for crude oil. The floor price could be set to ensure that domestic alternatives, including fuel produced from biomass, could compete with foreign oil even in a falling market. There are many ways to achieve this effect, but one straightforward approach would be an import tariff, which would help support not only alternative fuels but also the domestic oil and gas industries that have higher extraction costs than its overseas competitors.

5. Develop more fuel-efficient cars. CAFÉ standards, which were implemented after the oil embargo in the 1970s, have proven remarkably effective in driving fuel efficiency. From 1978 to 1985, a period of continuous increases in fuel economy standards, U.S. oil usage steadily declined. The mid-1980s saw a significant and sustained period of low worldwide oil prices, however. Cheap oil meant a decreased interest among Americans and their political leaders of both major parties in continuing to push conservation measures, particularly fuel economy. CAFÉ standards became a largely forgotten method of promoting increased fuel efficiency.

It wasn't until December 2008 that the federal government finally increased them again, updating the law to require U.S. automakers and importers to increase the average fuel economy of their cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon by the year 2020.

It's time for a serious new focus on developing more fuel-efficient vehicles. Incremental steps are important, and improved fuel efficiency is essential, but the next measures must be revolutionary innovations in vehicle design that will radically impact fuel demand. Hybrid and plug-in electric hybrid vehicles are some of the most promising options.

6. Renew efforts to develop new nuclear power. Nuclear plants have proven remarkably safe in the United States, and they offer power-generating capabilities at competitive prices without any discharge of greenhouse gases. For this reason and because power demands in the United States will continue to increase, the construction of new nuclear plants should be encouraged through legislative policies.

A good talk is a great aphrodisiac
Many women find talk a great turn-on. For them, talking and feeling loved are very important. Good conversation during walks or while the couple is relaxing can be a great aphrodisiac. A man could tell his woman how much he loves her, which acts as a reassurance that he is with her mentally during those intimate moments.


Many women are anxious about their looks
For a couple that has been together for long, sometimes it is natural that women may feel that their partner may find them less alluring. Because of this some women undress only under the cover of darkness. Caring men can sense such anxieties. There is no need to lie and say she's gorgeous if she isn't, nor is there a need to say that she is not attractive anymore. One can always appreciate and praise what you do find attractive.

For a woman sex isn't separate from rest of her life
On the other hand, men tend to compartmentalise, feeling that stressful aspects of life can be parked mentally and separated from sexual activity. Women need good feelings and experiences during the day to have satisfying sex. How her lover treats her out of bed, greatly influences her response in bed. Inattentiveness, harsh language, rude tones, hurtful words, and criticism can make it difficult for a woman to get involved, feel enthusiastic and be passionate during sex.

An orgasm is not a necessity
Many men feel that a good lover is one who can bring his woman to climactic sexual culmination. It is great to have such moments, but aren't always essential. Many women feel pressure from partners and even from themselves to reach an orgasm. Sometimes instead of having orgasms, women prefer to engage in just foreplay.

Sex need not be a serious act
Playfulness is a great quality. Many men are far too serious about sex. They forget to laugh, be romantically mischievous, have fun. Playfulness and light-heartedness can make intimate moments enjoyable and relaxing. This takes performance pressure off from both partners.

Women cherish non-sexual touching and tenderness
Women love romance, cuddling, hand-holding and kissing. But many women complain that their men never do this except during foreplay. A woman should make her man realise the joy of touching. As you give him a relaxing massage and stroke his face and hair tenderly, he starts experiencing the joy of this kind of non-sexual touching. Tell your man what makes you feel loved.

Warm attention after sex is important
A woman's need for tender moments goes beyond the actual lovemaking. Some women complain that men fall asleep immediately after the act. It is true that when a man is having sex, his endorphin level is very high. Almost immediately after ejaculation, he goes through a refractory phase where he loses his erection and all his systems gear down. In females this phase happens gradually. However, if you don't like him falling asleep immediately, tell him without putting him down. Alternatively, let him sleep in your arms for a few minutes and gently wake him up afterwards.