Say no to circumcision - support intactivism. The following list includes blogs, articles, and websites of interest to Intactivists that were published in the past week. This is a running tally of the ones I found interesting.

This week has not had many intactivist related posts. NPR presented a very one-sided view supporting infant circumcision on All Things Considered. The blogosphere has been filled with similar posts that followed the NPR slant. Amazingly enough, the overwhelming majority of these comments supported genital integrity. It seem that intactivists are speaking out more.

On the bright side this week, the circumcision flow chart to the right popped up all over the internetz. The message is simple. Hopefully, it will become a meme and people will continue to avoid circumcision.
 

Sunday, August 22, 2010

npr: Study: Circumcision Rates Falling Fast In U.S.
A biased story that looks primarily at the cutting culture and discounts the reasons not to circumcise an infant. NPR does not present any information on the genital integrity side of the issue. But, there are many good comments supporting genital integrity. I guess the outcry against the biased story confirms that the majority of today's parents support leaving their children whole by saying NO to circumcision.

Say no to circumcision - support intactivism. The following list includes blogs, articles, and websites of interest to Intactivists that were published in the past week. This is a running tally of the ones I found interesting.

The drop in the male infnat circumcision rate to 32.5% in 2009 is finally hitting the news. The New York Times reported on the CDC presentation where the lower circumcision rate was first reported. Then, the blogosphere picked it up.
 

Sunday, August 15, 2010

MyMamaMojo: Intact
A mother describes how she decided against circumcision and to leave her son intact. Now that her son is 3-1/2 years old, she is still happy with her decision to leave her son natural and intact.

It has been two years since I had my HoLAP prostate surgery. I have gone from wearing a catheter to peeing like a teenager to sleeping all night long.

I am very happy with my current prostate status. I really enjoy sleeping all night long without having to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.

Before my surgery, I scored about 32 of the maximum 35 points on the American Urological Association (AUA) symptom index of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). That score gave me a rating of severe.

Currently, I score mild (5 points) on the index. The reason I have as many points as I do currently is that I think I have a weak stream. I had a much stronger stream a year ago. My stream is still much stronger than it was before my surgery.

Say no to circumcision - support intactivism. The following list includes blogs, articles, and websites of interest to Intactivists that were published in the past week. This is a running tally of the ones I found interesting.

Last week the buzz was that the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said that the male infant circumcision rate was 32.5% in 2009 in the United States. This week the buzz is that some intactivists are questioning the validity of that circumcision rate. Without having any evidence or contravening data, some are declaring that the 33% circumcision rate is false or unsupported. Unfortunately, the public paranoia has given some pro-circ advocates ammunication for their propaganda against intactivists and others fighting for genital integrity.

Until someone has DATA or FACTS showing otherwise, the intactivist cause is set back when some unreasonably question a result that can only help us persuade parents not to cut. Intactivists need to pick their battles. The 33% circumcision rate is not a battle we should be fighting. Use the new circ rate when it is helpful, ignore it when not, and move on.

Woohoo! This is my 2 year anniversary for restoring my foreskin.

It does not seem that I have been restoring that long. In these past 24 months I have seen significant changes to both my penis and my well-being.

When I started restoring, I had tight erections. My shaft skin was taut, which made my erections rock hard. Sort of like having a broomstick with a knob on the end. I am a grower and when flaccid, I did not have any skin mobility. Before restoring I never knew it was possible to pull your skin over your glans. My skin was not that flexible and mobile, then.

Now, after two years of tugging, my erections are not covered with tight skin. My skin moves along my shaft and I have that gliding action that I never knew even existed. I do not have full erect coverage, but that is not a big deal for me. The gliding action is a big deal. It adds a lot to my sexual pleasure.

Say no to circumcision - support intactivism. The following list includes blogs, articles, and websites of interest to Intactivists that were published in the past week. This is a running tally of the ones I found interesting.

The high point of this week is the announcement that the male infant circumcision rate has dropped well below 50%.  MD Consult announced that the infant circumcision rate in the US was 33% in 2009, down from 56% in 2006.
 

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Male Circumcision and HIV: BERKELEY: 11th International Symposium on Genital Integrity (Day 3)
Two statistics of the Day:
   1. 100% of circumcised men exhibited some form of complication from skin tags, skin bridges, twisting, or curvature to one side vs. 9% of intact men exhibiting curvature to one side in a small sampling of one physician's practice in New Mexico.
   2. Over 75,000 foreskin restoration devices sold from only one manufacturer.

Roland Clark is an inventor with several United States patents for foreskin restoration devices. Roland is a true innovator, working to bring foreskin restorers various kinds of devices for restoring foreskin.

Roland Clark received United States Design Patent Number D375,358 for his penis uncircumcising device (PUD). A design patent protects the aesthetic appearance of an invention. In Roland's case, the patent protects a two piece penis foreskin stretching instrument. A pdf file of the patent is available here or it can be viewed at the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) website.

In a few weeks I will have been restoring my foreskin for 2 years. If I had not been keeping track, I would not know how long I had been tugging. Tugging is such a part of my life that I don't really notice it. It is just something I do. I do not dwell on it.

As I get ready to write my 2 year progress report, I have been pondering my restoration efforts. During my two-year journey I have noticed many changes, and not just in the length of my foreskin. These changes are subtle and do not linger because, being subtle, you get used to them almost as fast as you notice them.

Say no to circumcision.  Support intactivism. The following list includes blogs, articles, and websites of interest to Intactivists that were published in the past week. This is a running tally of the ones I found interesting.

A recent development is the Whole Network, which has a page on Facebook. The Whole Network is a grassroots network aimed at keeping newborns WHOLE by providing accurate information about the foreskin and the benefits of remaining intact. First there was Intact America. Now, intactivists are starting state-specific websites for keeping babies genitally intact, for example, Intact Georgia.
 

Support genital integrity -No more circumcision. The following list includes blogs, articles, and websites of interest to Intactivists that were published in the past week. This is a running tally of the ones I found interesting.

The news this week is that the International AIDS Conference was held in Vienna, Austria. Unfortunately, too many are calling male circumcision a proven measure to combat HIV. But, there has not been any followup studies to "prove" that male circumcision has any impact on HIV infection rates. With all the men that have already been circumcised in Africa, evidence of the efficacy of male circumcision with respect to the HIV rate should be readily available. The evidence for any "proven" method should be mounting. The absence of such evidence is telling.