{"id":1004,"date":"2016-06-01T11:05:19","date_gmt":"2016-06-01T18:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.seasidemedicalpractice.com\/dev\/\/dev\/?p=1004"},"modified":"2016-06-01T11:05:19","modified_gmt":"2016-06-01T18:05:19","slug":"june-newsletter-circumcision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.seasidemedicalpractice.com\/dev\/june-newsletter-circumcision\/","title":{"rendered":"June Newsletter: Circumcision"},"content":{"rendered":"

Circumcision<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>
\na surgical procedure, simple in technique, but extremely complex in context.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 June is Men\u2019s Health Month- a time to cherish the health of our fathers, husbands, sons,\u00a0and\u00a0brothers.\u00a0 On this day, I want to highlight an important, albeit sensitive men\u2019s health issue, a subject so passionate to me;\u00a0the\u00a0circumcision of a newborn male child.\u00a0 As adults, we have come\u00a0to accept\u00a0that when children are voiceless and powerless, we have the authority\u00a0to take away their basic human right– the right\u00a0to decline permanent bodily change.\u00a0 \u00a0And no, circumcision\u00a0is in no way, shape or form\u00a0comparable to choice of vaccination. \u00a0<\/span>This is an elective procedure, not a life saver,\u00a0performed on perfectly healthy and normal population of newborns, to permanently change\u00a0their bodies. \u00a0A vaccine is none of the above. \u00a0Most other parts of the world find this practice\u00a0unacceptable,\u00a0if not barbaric.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nHistory\u00a0<\/strong> \u00a0 \u00a0The surgery we call circumcision has a fascinating history, in particular its evolution in the United States.\u00a0 In the late 1800\u2019s, then\u00a0famous orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lewis Sayre was asked to see a 5 year old boy who couldn\u2019t walk.\u00a0 He found the boy had contractions in his legs and just as he was about to operate on\u00a0him,\u00a0he diagnosed a case of phimosis or unretracted foreskin.\u00a0 As soon as the boy underwent circumcision, he was cured and began walking again.\u00a0 This revelatory story\u00a0gave birth to a nationwide\u00a0movement of\u00a0democratization\u00a0of\u00a0circumcision in America’s male population\u00a0such that we are now\u00a0the only industrialized nation in the world that routinely discusses\u00a0circumcision at birth. \u00a0In the\u00a01980’s\u00a0rates of circumcision peaked at 65%, and as of 2010 a staggering\u00a040.2% of healthy, normal infants underwent this surgery within 3 days of birth.\u00a0 A glimmer of hope is that its popularity is declining.
\n\u00a0Health Matters<\/strong> \u00a0Medical professionals and laymen alike claim circumcision has\u00a0many\u00a0health benefits, when in truth <\/span>none really exist.<\/em>\u00a0 I learned this during my prenatal courses in\u00a0UCLA. \u00a0As I sat contemplating like many other moms in the room whether I should circumcise my unborn son,\u00a0we learned\u00a0that circumcision has unsubstantiated health claims and many real risks, including infections, poor feeding, and long term\u00a0genital problems.\u00a0 The course instructor\u00a0spoke of the\u00a02012 policy statement by American Academy of Pediatrics which states:\u00a0the benefits are not great enough to recommend universal newborn circumcision<\/u>. \u00a0This\u00a0helped put an end to the debate, at least in my mind.\u00a0Doctors\u00a0who\u00a0financially benefit from this act, argue reduced rate of penile cancer, and that is because there is less of it in a circumcised penis. \u00a0They claim reduced rates of sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV or HPV. \u00a0We have similar rates of both compared to neighboring Mexico, where less than 20% of males are circumcised. \u00a0The <\/span>agony<\/em> of a child\u00a0undergoing a bloody, painful unnecessary surgery only two days after birth, is far more deleterious in my opinion than a cancer with an\u00a0incidence rate of\u00a00.5%. \u00a0Ladies and gentlemen, we are coming short of “health benefits” to justify its continued practice among American newborns. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nPurpose \u00a0<\/strong> \u00a0One of the essential purposes of the foreskin is to solidly protect the child from urinary tract infections, whereby only after\u00a0the age of 4 or 5\u00a0once he is toilet trained, the foreskin naturally\u00a0retracts. \u00a0The sensitive skin covering the glans penis\u00a0is comprised\u00a0of epithelial cells different in structure than its tough outer layer, the\u00a0foreskin, which imparts protection\u00a0from the outside world. \u00a0This in part helps\u00a0maintain its ultimate sensory capabilities. \u00a0In a circumcised penis, the\u00a0glans skin toughens over time and continuous rubbing against clothing and touch. \u00a0The transformation causes the glans to become less sensitive than an intact penis. \u00a0Additionally, in\u00a0its natural state, the penis\u00a0fits into a woman\u2019s body in such a way to\u00a0consistently lubricate during intercourse. In a cut penis, there is constant need for\u00a0artificial lubrication. \u00a0The purpose of the foreskin is to prevent infections, and most importantly\u00a0ensure both partners receive the highest sensory stimulation for\u00a0successful mating. \u00a0A definite purposeful design. \u00a0<\/span>
\nThe Decision \u00a0<\/strong> \u00a0I know there are many\u00a0people who are\u00a0passionate about circumcising their healthy newborn sons,\u00a0predominately based on cultural or religious reasons.\u00a0 To them I say, consider the sanctity of human choice. \u00a0Delay\u00a0the circumcision decision until the child reaches the age where he has maturity of decision making, a voice for himself.\u00a0 At least then, you have not taken the honor of bodily choice away from him.
\nThen, there are those parents\u00a0who\u00a0believe they want their sons to look like his father and peers, and to them\u00a0I say, \u00a0looking “different” will not matter given\u00a0declining rates of circumcision in this country and worldwide. \u00a0\u00a0Plus, children nowadays don\u2019t pay as much attention to their physical differences as they do their inward traits- a virtue we adults must take lesson from. \u00a0<\/span>
\nThe cries of millions of newborn males in the history of circumcision\u00a0deserve\u00a0a moment of pause in our psyche. To pause and reflect if we are to continue to promote, practice and democratize\u00a0this antediluvian\u00a0act, how will it serve us?
\nYazdani, M.D.<\/strong><\/em>
\nReferences<\/strong>
\n1. \u00a0Circumcision: A History of the World’s Most Controversial Surgery. \u00a0David L. Gollaher, 2000. \u00a0Google books<\/a>
\n2..\u00a0Human Papillomavirus-Related Disease in Men: Not just a women’s issue. \u00a0Joel Palefsky, MD
\nJ Adolesc Health. 2010 Apr; 46(4 Suppl): S12\u2013S19.\u00a0<\/a>
\n3. \u00a0U.S. Circumcision rate drops over last 3 decades. \u00a0Huffington Post, 4\/2014.<\/a>
\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Circumcision\u00a0 a surgical procedure, simple in technique, but extremely complex in context. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 June is Men\u2019s Health Month- a time to cherish the health of our fathers, husbands, sons,\u00a0and\u00a0brothers.\u00a0 On this day, I want to highlight an important, albeit sensitive men\u2019s health issue, a subject so passionate to me;\u00a0the\u00a0circumcision of a newborn male […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"The Circumcision Of A Newborn Male Child \u2013 Read Now!","_seopress_titles_desc":"Circumcision is a surgical procedure to remove the foreskin from a male baby's penis. Read about Circumcision and its history, purpose, & health benefits.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seasidemedicalpractice.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seasidemedicalpractice.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seasidemedicalpractice.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seasidemedicalpractice.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seasidemedicalpractice.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seasidemedicalpractice.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1004\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seasidemedicalpractice.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seasidemedicalpractice.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seasidemedicalpractice.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}