Circumcisions: Are They Necessary For Good Health?

Circumcision is a process in which the foreskin on the penis is removed, a practice that has increased and decreased in popularity for thousands of years. In certain parts of the world, it is still a popular practice, such as in the Middle East and the United States, whereas in South America and Europe it has never been something men have done. In the Book of Genesis in the Jewish Torah, and the Christian Old Testament, we are told of God’s deal with Jewish patriarch Abraham – if Abraham his sons, his slaves and all descendants would practice circumcision, God would bless them with a kingdom on Earth. But this practice actually predated the even stated in religious scripts, and ancient hieroglyphs show that Egyptian men practiced circumcision. In fact, studies show that there are many cultures who have practiced this tradition; Mayans, Aztecs, Samoans and Ethiopians, to name but a few. For religious people, the reasons are clear. But why do people who are neither Jewish, Muslim or Christian continue to circumcise their offspring? It’s believed that as many as 75 per cent of non-Jewish, non-Muslim men in America were circumcised in 2007. For many people, it’s considered cleaner and healthier, but is this really the case? And shouldn’t a child be allowed to grow up with all of their parts in tact to enable them to make their own decision about such matters, without having the choice made for them?

There are valid reasons, medically, for circumcision; studies have shown that it can reduce the risk of contracting HIV by as much as 60 per cent. But if it’s so effective in reducing the risk of this health epidemic, why is circumcision more popular? Opponents of the practice rightly point out that basic safe sex practices will also reduce these risks, without young boys having to go through such a painful procedure. But while it isn’t a cure-all practice, it could work as part of a larger plan. It’s also been shown to reduce the risk of other sexually transmitted diseases, such as chlamydia and HPV. However, while there are arguments for the reduced rate of penile cancer with circumcision, this argument doesn’t take into account the rarity of penile cancer – there were just 1250 cases in the United States in 2008. The cleanliness factor is a common argument for circumcision, with the fact that it is easier to keep a penis clean and this encourages good hygienic practice.  In men who are not circumcised, keeping the foreskin clean is vital in order to prevent bacteria from growing.

 

Anti-circumcision activists claim that this practice causes unnecessary pain to infants, and it’s no secret that the process is painful. Modern pain relief and improved surgical procedures have reduced the pain to a minimum however. Circumcised men don’t have to worry about the painful maladies that can sometimes affect uncircumcised men, such as phimosis (which occurs when the foreskin won’t retract) or paraphimosis (where the foreskin, once retracted, won’t recover the tip of the penis). These conditions can often require circumcision in adult life, to help remove the related swelling and accompanying pain. There are a number of competing claims regarding sexuality as well, with some people claiming that sex is better with an uncircumcised penis, and vice versa. It should be left, however, up to each parent to decide what is best for their sons, and to weigh up the pros and cons on this issue. For boys who have been circumcised,  they will unlikely know or care either way, and the same with uncircumcised boys.

Categories: circumcision, foreskin, jewish, Pain, penile cancer, people, practice, sexuality, united states

Circumcisions: Are They Necessary For Good Health?

Circumcision is a process in which the foreskin on the penis is removed, a practice that has increased and decreased in popularity for thousands of years. In certain parts of the world, it is still a popular practice, such as in the Middle East and the United States, whereas in South America and Europe it has never been something men have done. In the Book of Genesis in the Jewish Torah, and the Christian Old Testament, we are told of God’s deal with Jewish patriarch Abraham – if Abraham his sons, his slaves and all descendants would practice circumcision, God would bless them with a kingdom on Earth. But this practice actually predated the even stated in religious scripts, and ancient hieroglyphs show that Egyptian men practiced circumcision. In fact, studies show that there are many cultures who have practiced this tradition; Mayans, Aztecs, Samoans and Ethiopians, to name but a few. For religious people, the reasons are clear. But why do people who are neither Jewish, Muslim or Christian continue to circumcise their offspring? It’s believed that as many as 75 per cent of non-Jewish, non-Muslim men in America were circumcised in 2007. For many people, it’s considered cleaner and healthier, but is this really the case? And shouldn’t a child be allowed to grow up with all of their parts in tact to enable them to make their own decision about such matters, without having the choice made for them?

There are valid reasons, medically, for circumcision; studies have shown that it can reduce the risk of contracting HIV by as much as 60 per cent. But if it’s so effective in reducing the risk of this health epidemic, why is circumcision more popular? Opponents of the practice rightly point out that basic safe sex practices will also reduce these risks, without young boys having to go through such a painful procedure. But while it isn’t a cure-all practice, it could work as part of a larger plan. It’s also been shown to reduce the risk of other sexually transmitted diseases, such as chlamydia and HPV. However, while there are arguments for the reduced rate of penile cancer with circumcision, this argument doesn’t take into account the rarity of penile cancer – there were just 1250 cases in the United States in 2008. The cleanliness factor is a common argument for circumcision, with the fact that it is easier to keep a penis clean and this encourages good hygienic practice.  In men who are not circumcised, keeping the foreskin clean is vital in order to prevent bacteria from growing.

 

Anti-circumcision activists claim that this practice causes unnecessary pain to infants, and it’s no secret that the process is painful. Modern pain relief and improved surgical procedures have reduced the pain to a minimum however. Circumcised men don’t have to worry about the painful maladies that can sometimes affect uncircumcised men, such as phimosis (which occurs when the foreskin won’t retract) or paraphimosis (where the foreskin, once retracted, won’t recover the tip of the penis). These conditions can often require circumcision in adult life, to help remove the related swelling and accompanying pain. There are a number of competing claims regarding sexuality as well, with some people claiming that sex is better with an uncircumcised penis, and vice versa. It should be left, however, up to each parent to decide what is best for their sons, and to weigh up the pros and cons on this issue. For boys who have been circumcised,  they will unlikely know or care either way, and the same with uncircumcised boys.

Categories: circumcision, foreskin, jewish, Pain, penile cancer, people, practice, sexuality, united states

Should You Consider Having Your Son Circumcised?

It’s a common occurrence but one which, obviously, you don’t give much thought to until you become a parent: would you have your son circumcised? Circumcision, or the surgical removal of the foreskin that covers the head of the penis, has been known to protect men’s sexual health against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) but the procedure itself also poses certain risks. Although circumcision is relatively simple as surgical procedures go, it’s not one you want to see go badly if you or your son are the patient.

 

Some people make this decision based on a strong religious or cultural belief. For most (but not all) Jews and Muslims, the decision to have their male children circumcised is less out of concern for their sexual wellbeing, and more for religious reasons. There are tribes in Africa that uniformly circumcise, while there are others that uniformly do not. Three out of five children born in the United States in the last 30 years were circumcised, but this wasn’t due to medical recommendations. According to the American Association of Paediatrics, parents should make an informed decision for themselves, and the Association won’t make a recommendation either way. So, if you’re not Jewish or Muslim, how do you make this decision for your son?

 

The foreskin provides protection for the tip of your son’s penis, also known as the glans. Without the foreskin, the glans is exposed to from undergarments, cold winter weather and dry air, so it’s good to have a protection policy in place. The foreskin is also home to many nerve bundles and blood cells, providing additional stimulation during sexual activities, as well as a lubricating function to assist in sexual intercourse. Plus, as the foreskin keeps the glans moist and soft, it too is more sensitive to touch. With all that in mind, you might be wondering who’d be crazy enough to get their son circumcised, but the foreskin can also cause problems.

 

Since the foreskin works to keep the glans lubricated, it’s very easy for bacteria to build-up in this area unless it is kept extremely clean. If your son does not maintain regular hygiene, a white cheesy discharge called smegma may accumulate beneath his foreskin, and this may lead on to infections and urinary tract infections. Plus, if your son’s foreskin is too tight and doesn’t properly retract from the glans, it causes a condition called phimosis. If it slides down from the glans but won’t return properly, this is a condition that causes swelling, also known as paraphimosis.

 

Then you have Balanposthitis, a swelling of the mucous surfaces of the foreskin that requires circumcision if it becomes a frequent problem. Circumcision may also be required to prevent the pain and worsening phimosis of balanitis xerotica obliterans, a skin disease that affects the foreskin, glans and sometimes the urethra. While circumcisions aren’t usually medically necessary, many parents do make this decision based on medical and hygienic grounds. The good news is that most circumcisions are performed with no serious problems or complications, albeit with a slight chance that your son may experience pain, bleeding, infection or irritation. However, the most likely scenario is discomfort during the healing process. If all goes as planned, your child will feel better (although probably irritable) in three to four days, while it might take a week or so for the appearance of the area. You can take your baby can be taken home the same day as the procedure, just make sure you keep his newly circumcised penis very clean and follow your doctor’s instructions.

Categories: circumcised, circumcision, foreskin, glans, medical reasons, nbsp, religious beliefs, sexual, son circumcised

Circumcision Provides Better AIDS Reduction Than Expected

Back in 2002, three separate sexual health studies began with the aim of assessing the link between circumcision and a lower risk of getting AIDS. The first set of results came in 2005 from a study conducted in Orange Farm township, South Africa, and the research revealed an amazing 63% decrease HIV infection in circumcised, heterosexual men compared to uncircumcised, heterosexual men. According to the French and South African scientists heading up the study, the research had to end on ethical reasons; they were so convinced by their results that they stopped the study in order to offer circumcision procedures to the men in the uncircumcised group.

 

In Africa, about 70% of men are circumcised either when they’re born or during puberty, although the rates of circumcision will vary drastically between regions due to differing cultures. The medical procedure involves the removal of the foreskin of your penis, be it due to religious or wellness reasons. However, the wide range of circumcision rates in Africa is what first tipped researchers off to the possible protective effect to your wellbeing that circumcision has, as rates of AIDS were much lower in regions with much higher circumcision rates. Although the results of the Orange Farm findings were exciting to the medical community, scientists still awaited the results of the other two trials before getting all worked up.

 

In the Orange Farm study, 3273 men had taken part, and all scientific controls were observed tightly, making this the first large-scale trial to report its findings. The second study, undertaken in Kenya, had 3000 subjects while the third, Ugandan trial had 5,000. In this latter research, the researchers found a 48% reduction in AIDS infection in the circumcised group, while that reduction was 53% in the Kenyan findings. Following on from these results, the researchers ended their studies early to offer the men in the control group the opportunity to get circumcised, just like the Orange Farm study. This is because the results were even more positive than the researchers had anticipated, as AIDS vaccine investigators typically aim for a 30% decrease in risk of infection from intercourse with an infected partner.

 

So why does circumcision offer such protection against AIDS? Your foreskin is delicate and very susceptible to tears during sex, providing an easy access point for the AIDS virus to creep in through the torn blood vessels. Moreover, in your foreskin there is a high concentration of a type of white blood cell known as the Langerhans cell, or the “sentinel cell” of the immune system. These cells, which are located in the skin (and on the underside of the foreskin in particular) are some of the first to detect and pick up an antigen or foreign substance for processing.

 

Because there are so many Langerhans cells in the foreskin, and because these particular cells seem to be excellent at binding to HIV antigens, these blood cells are very likely to contact and bind to the virus. Usually, Langerhans cells trigger your body’s antibody response to fight off viruses, but once HIV gets into your system, your body can’t seem to fight it off effectively. Therefore, by removing the foreskin in which these Langerhans cells reside, men lose that increased risk of blood exposure and the higher concentration of HIV-receptors in that blood. This is why researchers believe that encouraging circumcision and offering the procedure for little or no cost could put a serious dent in the spread rate of HIV and AIDS. Thankfully, following the success of the Kenyan and Ugandan studies the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief – the two largest AIDS-fighting organizations in the world – have agreed to begin funding circumcision procedures in Africa.

Categories: aids, circumcision, circumcision procedures, circumcision rates, farm study, heterosexual men, langerhans cells, orange farm, Research, study

HIV Prevention v/s Pain: The Pros and Cons of Circumcision

Over the years, parents have been faced with a sexual health issue right in the early stages of their child’s infancy; circumcision. While proponents tout the wellness benefits of circumcision, opponents argue that the barbaric nature of the procedure does no good to a boy’s wellbeing. Now, the latest to join the fray is an anti-circumcision group in San Francisco, who are pushing for a ban on the practice. Unsurprisingly, those in favour of the procedure disagree with the proposal, citing the procedure’s history as a religious ritual, as well as its sexual health benefits, as some research suggests that circumcision helps prevent the spread of HIV. The debate that rages on is, therefore, “Is circumcision a good idea or not?”

 

We can date the process of circumcision as far back as to the Ancient Egyptians in 2,500BC, but the ritual later became more associated with Jewish people. Reasons for this included marking a boy’s passage into manhood, marking to distinguish those of higher social status, male “menstruation” or sign of the onset of puberty, and a way to discourage masturbation. Now, however, circumcision is not just a Jewish ritual but the most common surgery performed on males in the United States. According to a recent survey by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between the years of 1999 and 2004, 79% of men reported that they were circumcised.

 

The main health reason to be circumcised is that the process is believed to prevent diseases, such as HIV, and some research suggests that circumcision reduces the risk of male-to-female HIV transfer. This is possibly due to the fact that, when you are circumcised, the Langerhans cells in your foreskin are removed, and these cells are more susceptible to HIV infection. Langerhans cells are equipped with special receptors that may allow HIV access into the body. In 2009, three studies published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews – which included data from more than 11,000 men in South Africa, Uganda and Kenya between 2002 and 2006 – showed that circumcised men were 54% less likely to get HIV than their uncircumcised counterparts.

 

However, while HIV prevention is becoming a well-supported argument for circumcision in developing countries, it is not as strong of an argument for the United States or for us here in Britain. A report from the CDC notes, ‘A number of important differences from sub-Saharan African settings where the three male circumcision trials were conducted must be considered in determining the possible role for male circumcision in HIV prevention in the United States.’ It continues, ‘Studies to date have demonstrated efficacy only for penile-vaginal sex, the predominant mode of HIV transmission in Africa, whereas the predominant mode of sexual HIV transmission in the United States is by penile-anal sex among [men who have sex with men].’

 

Still, is that a reason to ban the practise, especially considering the fact that there’s a lack of strong evidence showing negative side effects? Proponents of the San Francisco ban have now delivered more than 12,000 signatures to the Department of Elections, and, if enough signatures are deemed to be valid, this ban will appear on the ballot in the November election. Under the ban, circumcision of any male under the age of 18 would carry a fine of up to $1,000 and jail time of up to one year. Lloyd Schofield, the leader of the proposal, comments that circumcision is ‘excruciatingly painful and permanently damaging surgery that’s forced on men when they’re at their weakest and most vulnerable.’ However, Scott Bryan, a spokesperson for the CDC, argues, ‘Data has shown that with anaesthesia, the majority of infants have no objective pain reaction.’

Categories: ban, circumcision, HIV, HIV prevention, hiv transmission, langerhans cells, male circumcision, predominant mode, research suggests, san francisco, sexual health, united states

Does Circumcision Make Sex Better or Worse?

Circumcision has a big impact on men’s sexual health and wellness. While some research suggests that the practice of surgically removing the foreskin reduces your risk of STDs, HIV and other infections, circumcision has been suggested to negatively affect your sexual wellbeing; reducing the pleasure you feel during sex. Let’s take a look at some of the questions surrounding circumcision.

 

1. How does circumcision affect the sensitivity of your penis?

According to Men’s Health Physician and Medical Sex Therapist Dr Vijaysarathi Ramanathan, “Circumcision in infants and youngsters (who’ve never experienced having a foreskin) shouldn’t be much of a problem because they’ve programmed their mind and penis to be sensitive without the foreskin. However, if a person has experience having a foreskin and has to lose it later in life, they may feel it’s different and they are not getting the same pleasure as before.” Dr Ramanathan adds that, for the same reason, there’s nothing to suggest that circumcision makes oral sex any different.

 

2. Does circumcision prevent or cause STIs?

‘There is some protection against infections but there is still a big debate on whether it adds more benefit than wearing a condom,’ Dr Ramanathan explains. However, he warns that hygiene is a key concern for men who are not circumcised. Dr Ramanathan advises, ‘if they can retract and clean with water, then it shouldn’t make any difference. Remember, cleaning with water is more than adequate and DO NOT use soap as it alters the pH and can cause some fungal infections.’

 

3. Is there ever a medical reason to get a circumcision?

Dr Ramanthan says that circumcision is only warranted if your foreskin is infected and you’re unable to pass urine, but a routine medical procedure it doesn’t have much value. He adds, ‘The history of circumcision goes long back and one of the key reasons to do circumcision was to discourage boys from masturbating. This was a time when medical professionals were convinced that masturbation is the cause for infections like syphilis and that circumcision is the cure. [This] is now seen as unethical and it breeches the sexual rights of that person. Each individual must be able to make an informed decision whether or not they want to circumcise.’

Categories: circumcision, dr ramanathan, foreskin, Infections, Medical, pleasure, ramanathan, STI

HIV Snipped: How Does Circumcision Reduce Your Risk?

If you’re circumcised, you may have guarded your wellbeing against HIV infection by changing the bacteria ecosystem of your penis. This is according to a new study published in the journal mBio, which found that the foreskin-snipping procedure causes a significant drop in bacteria in the area that used to be under the foreskin, which may explain why circumcision reduces your sexual health risk of HIV infection.

The researchers noted that a year after men received circumcisions, their anaerobic bacteria, which thrive in limited oxygen, declined most dramatically, whilst some aerobic bacteria, which need oxygen to live, increased. Study researcher Lance Price, a genetic epidemiologist at George Washington University in Washington, DC, said in a statement, ‘It’s dramatic. From an ecological perspective, it’s like rolling back a rock and seeing the ecosystem change.’

The wellness pros and cons of circumcision are heavily debated. Those against the procedure argue that that the removal of your foreskin reduces your sexual sensitivity. This is complicated by the fact that studies on adults who are circumcised later in life, as opposed to the majority who are snipped as babies, have found little to no difference in terms of sexual sensitivity. However, many of those men are circumcised for medical reasons, confusing the issue even further. The American Academy of Paediatrics concluded in 2012 that the health benefits of circumcision outweigh the risks.

In the new study, Price and his colleagues investigated men circumcised as adults in Uganda, finding less biodiversity in the microbes, or microbiome, living in the now foreskin-free area of the penis. Price commented that the bacterial die-off may be a good thing as some of the species that decline are known to cause inflammation. The researcher plan to explore the possibility that Langerhans cells, which are thought to be the culprit behind HIV infection, are more activated in uncircumcised men.

If the researchers find this to be the case, it won’t necessarily mean that every man should get circumcised. According to Price, ‘The work that we’re doing, by potentially revealing the underlying biological mechanisms, could reveal alternatives to circumcision that would have the same biological impact. In other words, if we find that it’s a group of anaerobes that are increasing the risk for HIV, we can find alternative ways to bring down those anaerobes.’

HIV Snipped: How Does Circumcision Reduce Your Risk?

Categories: Bacteria, circumcision, Research