Jelqing

By: Margarita Holmes

 

Dear Dr. Holmes: I am a lawyer: well educated and well read. At 39, I should know all the reasons to accept my penis size and accept sayings like “It’s not the size of the boat, but the motion of the ocean” and “It’s not the size of the dog in the fi ght, it’s the size of the fi ght in the dog” but I still would like a bigger boat and a bigger dog!! Any advice?

Insecure in Indiana

Dear III (Insecure in Indiana):

In the past, I would have unequivocally said “No.” Applying lotions, taking pills, praying to whoever you consider the God of Size does not work. Neither does “jelqing,” though many men swear by it.

If you google jelquing, you will get countless links giving step by step instructions to perform these stretching exercises which supposedly improve the hardness and size of the penis. The link I like best is “How to Do Jelqing Step by Step for Beginners” http://vkool. com/how-to-do-jelqing/

Not only does this link give very easy steps to follow, it also has the honesty to admit that “There is the lack of empirical studies and scientifi c evidence…to show that jelqing is effective.” It adds that there is anecdotal evidence to “prove” jequing works, but anyone who knows even a smidgeon about the scientifi c method knows that anecdotal reports can never be considered evidence.

Some men swear by vacuum devices, although this really doesn’t increase penis size, it merely ensures that as much blood as possible engorges the penis, thus helping men who have problems with their circulatory system. This is why vacuum devises are used primarily for erectile dysfunctions.

The only thing that seems to really work is penile enlargement surgery (http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/ 874.aspx?CategoryID=118).

Yes, it is possible to have an operation to increase the length or girth of your penis, but these can be unsuccessful for many reasons. Any surgery is complicated, and penile surgery is no exception.

Actually, surgery to increase length merely allows the penis to hang lower, which can make it look longer. It does not actually make the penis longer.

Surgery to increase its circumference usually involves injecting fat taken from elsewhere in the body into the penis. However, there are at least two cons to the one pro of a fatter penis. First, such an operation may make a penis look misshapen and scarred. Also, the injected fat can disappear over time.

Of course, there are also penile transplants.

Before Thomas Manning’s successful transplant in 2015, It had been attempted only twice worldwide — and only once successfully, in South Africa. For the foreseeable future, penis transplants will be attempted mainly for combat-related injuries. But it is early days, and Mr Manning’s reason was penile cancer.

At the moment however, it seems a rather extreme measure merely to add an inch or 2 to one’s girth or length.

So there you have it, III.

Frankly, I agree with philosopher and social critic Mokokoma Mokhonoana, author of The confessions of a Misfi t who once said “A man’s bank balance is the new penis size.” It also seems something a lawyer like you would be happy to embrace and convince other people to also believe in. Best of luck MG Holmes

Margarita Holmes, Ph. D. graduated with an AB Psychology degree (magna cum laude) and was awarded the Most Outstanding Graduate for 1972 by the UP Alumni Association. Dr Holmes took her MPH at the University of Hawaii and her Ph.D. at the Ateneo de Manila University, and is interviewed by the BBC, CNN and AL Jazeera to explain world events in the Phil and abroad. She has been a professor of psychology at the graduate and undergraduate level both here and abroad and has written 18 books, all bestsellers.

Dr Holmes is a pioneer in writing the fi rst books in Filipino sexuality and in clinical depression, hosting the fi rst show focused solely on psychological issues called No Nonsense with Dr Holmes and introducing courses at the UP Graduate school in neuroscience and spirituality. But what distinguishes her from other academics is her ability to straddle both the scientifi c and everyday concerns both populations deem important.