Fact 1: Smegma has been wrongly accused as unclean or dirty. In fact, it is very clean. The antibodies in fresh smegma actually prevent bacteria colonization. It is true that if the accumulation of smegma goes unchecked it could be unhealthy but any penis that is not properly washed is at high risk of infection since dirt and bacteria can collect everywhere from your foreskin, scrotum and your pubic hairs.

Myth 2: Foreskin does not have any significant function in our body but to provide a place for germs causing UTI, HPV and HIV to easily invade our body thus circumcision serves as diseases prevention. It is minor surgery and not so painful.

Fact 2: The foreskin is a functional organ with a purpose, which is to protect the penis from bacterial infection, to provide lubrication during intercourse, and to enhance the sexual experience of the man.

The truth is that germs causing UTI, HPV, HIV and other diseases can be absorbed through membranes in the penis, whether circumcised or not. Another fact is that circumcision is very painful even when pain relief is administered to the patient; the penis is sore throughout the recovery time and very prone to infection.

Myth 3: Circumcision effectively prevents UTI (urinary tract infection)

Fact 3: There is no reason to recommend circumcision to prevent potential or recurrent UTI, as there is no indicator that having a foreskin creates a greater incidence of urinary tract infection.

There is not enough evidence for any pediatric organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics to recommend routine infant circumcision.

Myth 4: Circumcision can reduce cervical cancer rates

Fact 4: The above statement probably derived from an article in New England Journal of Medicine in 2002 that claimed that circumcision reduced the risk of causing cervical cancer. Despite the study being flawed and the conclusions exaggerated, many still cite it as “proof” that circumcision can reduce cervical cancer rates.

That fact is most medical institutions such as American Cancer Society, The Cancer Research UK, The American Academy of Pediatrics and Canadian Paediatric Society do not link non-circumcision to cervical cancer.

Consider this fact: 91% of American men born in 1970 and 83% of American men born in 1980 were circumcised and U.S is considered to have very high rate of circumcision rate but strangely U.S is also reported as country with highest cervical cancer rates compared to countries with the lowest rates of circumcision like Holland, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Scandinavia, the U.S.S.R., China, and Japan. It is obvious that circumcision rates do not affect the cervical cancer rates across the globe.

Myth 5: Circumcision may offer some protection against HIV for men.

Fact 5: It does not. A man has the same risk of getting infected by HIV whether intact or cut. There are many other factors may be involved in the likelihood of men to contract HIV. An even better way to protect oneself against HIV might be to practice safe sex than cutting off your foreskin.

Myth 6: Circumcision is more aesthetic look

Fact 6: Hmm…. why don’t we let the boy decide that for himself when he reaches adulthood.

Myth 7: Circumcision provides better sexual experience, stronger erection and bigger penis

Fact 7: Come on…Don’t be silly. You know it has nothing to do with it.

Author: eking
About the author:http://all-about-men.blogspot.com

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/elijahcalebtan/126385498/

From an article titled “No love for labor” found at www.DeccanHerald.com

“More and more women are opting for fast-track deliveries through elective C-section. Rising affluence, limited time and desire for pain-free birthing has spurred this unhealthy trend.

In keeping with Delhi’s dizzying urban growth trajectory, its would-be-moms are also rooting for fast-track deliveries. In fact, a first-of-its-kind childbirth survey, conducted by Delhi’s leading hospitals, reports an alarming and unhealthy spiral in the number of cesarean section (C-Sec) deliveries among the city women. They are up from 40 per cent in 1997 to 65 per cent.”

Click here to read the full article at www.deccanherald.com

Sheryl’s comment:
Should I be relieved or appalled that the United States is not the absolute worst place to give birth? What is truly depressing about these numbers is the fact that many of these unnecessary C-sections are elective. I can’t even blame the OB-GYNs for this one. The media and the medical community have done a bang up job in the last fifty years of convincing women that being gutted, filleted and butchered is somehow cleaner, quicker and more civilized than a natural birth.

What if the medical community decided they wanted a piece of the conception pie? I am not talking about the fertility challenged mind you. I am talking about those couples who are perfectly willing and able to conceive on their own. The medical community could push a new procedure called a T-section where rather than waiting for the rather messy and unpredictable act of ejaculation, they slice open the testicle and remove the sperm! What a fantastic and civilized way to conceive! Attempting an ESAT - (Ejaculating Sperm After T-section) would be considered very dangerous due to the risk of “testicle rupture” among other things. The few fools who attempt to ejaculate in their home after a T-section and suffered a testicle rupture would be widely publicized and ridiculed.

It would be wonderful! There will be no questions about conception! No waiting! No wondering if this is it! No fuss no muss. Some brave souls may attempt a “clinical natural ejaculation” while lying on their backs with their legs locked tightly in stirrups under the watchful eyes of the “ejaculation team” who will shout out orders to the ejaculating father in order to keep the process moving along. If the patient fails to ejaculate in a timely manner then the T-section team will be ready and waiting to slice open those balls!

I’m sure it will be a tough sell trying to convince all men that ejaculation is a dangerous and uncivilized procedure, one that is best left for the “clean and civilized” confines of a hospital setting but if the media and modern medicine work together then anything is possible.

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/tianderson/282363027/

Source www.PRweb.com

Moms: Do you really need that C-section or epidural? Registered nurse and midwife Breck Hawk, author of “Hey! Who’s Having This Baby Anyway?” reveals why these procedures are often unnecessarily prescribed during labor and shares how you can
avoid them.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) — Studies show birth is most common Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Is this just coincidence or is it a contrived effort by providers to control personal schedules?

Pregnant women are encouraged to welcome the chance to have their baby on a scheduled date for the convenience of their provider. But often they’re not told the risks and side effects involved. They don’t realize that some interventions – such as pain medications, epidurals, C-sections, or birthing the baby with forceps or vacuum extraction - may not only be unnecessary, but also dangerous.

“Moms-to-be may blindly trust providers, thinking everything suggested is good – but this isn’t always true,” says registered nurse and midwife Breck Hawk, author of “Hey! Who’s Having This Baby Anyway?” (Metropolis Ink, www.HeyAnyway.com). “Unless it’s anatomically necessary, women deserve and need to be told they probably birth babies vaginally and naturally.”

Hawk has over 27 years experience as a midwife, doula, prenatal instructor, and registered nurse specializing in maternity and neonatal intensive care. She has helped hundreds of women give birth. Here she reveals how to avoid common interventions and have a successful birth.

-Hire a doula or professional labor support person.

-Exercise during pregnancy. This strengthens muscles and prepares your body for the long stress of labor.

-Consider a birth center or having a homebirth with a midwife.

-Attend childbirth classes that teach non-pharmacological methods of pain relief such as yoga, HypnoBirthing, Lamaze, and others.

-In the hospital, ask to be assigned to the nurse who is the strongest supporter of natural childbirth.

-Before taking pain medication, ask for a vaginal exam. See how far your cervical dilation has progressed. You may be further along than you thought and decide to forgo the medication.

No matter what’s on your provider’s personal agenda, remember it’s your body and your baby and it’s your right to have the last word regarding your baby’s birth!

How birth-savvy are you? Take the 12 Question Quiz for Moms-to-Be or purchase your copy of “Hey! Who’s Having This Baby Anyway?” at www.HeyAnyway.com.

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/s4xton/1791633553/

Childbirth is like sex in that it is much more than a physical act and it requires privacy and intimacy. Childbirth is not just about a head coming out, just as sex is not just about a head going in. Sexual intercourse has medical risks as well (one of the partners contracting AIDS or gonorrhea, for example), but that doesn’t justify having a doctor in the room. In order for a woman to have a personal, private birth experience, it is essential to get her out of an institution that by its very nature is impersonal and not private—the hospital.

Women in the United States have become victims of a medical vision of female reproduction, and that needs to change. The most effective way to avoid this medicalization of birth is to stay away from where it goes on—the hospital.

Click here to read the full story at American Sexuality Magazine Another fantastic article explaining once again that if you want the best possible outcome and birth experience for the baby and family then you absolutely, positively cannot give birth in a hospital (unless you have a true medical need). We believe that you cannot have midwives or doctors in attendance at all (unless you have a legitimate high risk pregnancy) if you want to have the safest, most natural birth experience. Please remember that while midwives are often a much safer choice than obstetricians (from an intervention standpoint) they still engage in dangerous interventions such as routine pitocin shots after delivery, yanking on the umbilical cord, immediate cord clamping, invasive & painful pelvic exams, episiotomies, cervical manipulation and other unnecessary, dangerous practices. They do these things for the same reason that your OB-GYN will (to prevent a lawsuit because you didn’t deliver fast enough for the law, to keep you from transferring to the services of a medical doctor or (my personal favorite) because they are in a hurry and want to go home. (wow).

Although this is not a particularly traumatic hospital birth, any time a woman is on her back, she is positioning for the benefit of the hospital staff, not her baby or herself. Delivering a baby on your back (supine) is always the worst position for childbirth (other than standing on your head).

It is a shame that Jolie, such a prominent and well liked humanitarian was either unable or unwilling to have a natural childbirth but we always congratulate the family no matter how the babies arrived. Read more at ABC.com

Image Source: abcnews.com

This is a short, silent clip of another hospital birth video. Hospital childbirths are always disturbing and here is another great example. First of all, notice the birthing position. The poor mother is nothing more than a vagina to the staff. The modern medical model of childbirth is the ultimate objectification of women. Make no mistake about it. You see the poor mother’s head peek over her stomach once to see what is going on. Also notice the blood. You rarely see that in a homebirth.

The second thing you should notice about this childbirth video is the way the birth attendant holds the poor baby upside down by its feet while she deprives it of much needed blood and oxygen by clamping the cord prematurely. Are these people monsters? Are they just brainless? I just don’t get it!! Does anyone think about the poor baby? Who holds a baby by its feet? WHO?? What a welcome to the world.

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