Hi there to all of you out there wishing to remain anonymous. There have been more than 500 hits on this one-liner & hence its safe to presume this is an important topic for the public & relevant enough for all the views attained. I note there are physicians of all specialities commenting on the same as masturbation is a universal topic. I note with interest that our gynecology friends shy away from this topic. Masturbation had its origins as a coined word from latin..manu (mannus..hand) + stuprare (defilement)...this underwent further modification over the years to its current accepted form from about the 15th century AD. An earlier technical word for it was Onanism ! This latter term is derived from hebrew after Onan who was the second son of Judah & who after his older brother s (Er) death was ordered by his father to impregnate Er s wife to continue the family line...but for reasons best known to himself, withdrew while ejaculating & spilled his seed on the ground. Make of it what you will but this probably led to his being killed for it & the act of spilling seed deemed henious! The Kamasutra refers to masturbation & its technique & i quote... Churn your instrument with a lion s pounce: sit with legs stretched out at right angles to one another, propping yourself up with two hands planted on the ground between in them, and it between your arms Masturbation is practiced in women as much as men & i often wonder why not as many women ask about it as men. It is not the sole domain of men. In fact, given our particular indian culture, it is a far more useful tool for women to achieve orgasm & for their well-being & the great Sigmund Freud in fact used it as a medical treatment for hysteria in women with great results & probably was the advent of the vibrator ! Closer home to the question at hand, Yes i can understand your subjective feeling of fever after masturbation & this is well documented. It is on account of a raise in BMR (Basal metabolic rate) & a purely physiological response & normal. Sometimes, it may even be accompanied by giddiness & feeling of light headedness more in women & is a normal feature & related to the parasympathetic nervous system & again, purely physiological ..so you have nothing to worry about. I do hope i have given you a brief insight into masturbation; convinced you there is NO harm; Good for BOTH Men & Women & does have its advantages; Better, Safer & more Discreet than actually seeking out sex when in need & does NOT require any protection & comes Free of the Fear of any Infections. Good Luck people & please feel free to ask any queries or doubts or technical questions in person or discretely if you so wish (especially women) using the ASK-A-Doctor premium feature or in person (either from yours truly or any other specialist nearest you whose address & nos. you may get from our healthcaremagic website). Cheers! Dr Praveen Rodrigues MD Dermatologist, Cosmetologist, Venereologist Vikram Hospital & Asian Skin Institute Bangalore, India