More on the Circumcision Debate

I've written before about the circumcision debate as San Francisco decides whether to ban routine infant circumcision.  I thought I'd break down my thoughts on the risk/benefit analysis, bearing in mind that I'm not medically trained.  I'll start by looking at the benefits that are often listed for circumcision.

- decreased risk of UTI.  From the studies I've seen, there does appear to be a decreased risk of UTI with circumcision.  However, the risk of the child contracting a UTI in the first place is rather small, so that over 100 boys would need to be circumcised in order to prevent 1 UTI.  Of those that do contract UTIs, very few will be serious.  I've seen some debate about whether the increased risk of UTI is more about lack of breastfeeding (which protects against UTI) and premature, forceful retraction of the foreskin, since the foreskin protects against infection when left alone.  It therefore seems like a miniscule risk of UTI, so I don't see circumcision as a necessity for that.

- HIV and other STDs.  There are conflicting data on whether circumcision decreases a man's odds of contracting HIV and other STDs.  Even if it does, though, abstinence and monogamy remain the only surefire ways of avoiding these diseases.  Abstinence and monogamy don't require anything to be done to the infant boy, either.  Once again, I don't see how this justifies a surgical procedure.

- cancer.  It's often noted that penile cancer seems to occur exclusively in uncircumcised men.  There's also information about partners of uncircumcised men having a higher incidence of cervical cancer.  Both penile and cervical cancer are often caused by HPV, a sexually transmitted disease.  Again, abstinence and monogamy are the best protectors.  It's true that I cannot guarantee that my son will follow Church teachings on sexual morality, but neither can I assume that he won't follow them.  I can't see justifying a surgical procedure on the chance that my son might not follow Church teachings, though.

- avoid phimosis and similar issues - Sometimes phimosis is actually caused by premature retraction of the foreskin, done by well-meaning family or medical professionals to clean or examine the penis.  This shouldn't be done.  Proper hygiene also decreases the risks of problems.  Rarely, circumcision will be needed later, but there are usually other treatments to try first.  Also, these issues are not unique to uncircumcised men, though they are rarer in circumcised men.

-hygiene - There seems to be a myth that circumcision allows for better hygiene.  But there isn't any special care needed for uncircumcised boys, and the foreskin should be left alone until it's retractable.  At that point, the boy can clean under the foreskin when bathing, but nothing else is required.  Given that we have access to clean water and modern sanitation, I don't see this as an argument for routine infant circumcision, either.

So just based on the stated benefits of circumcision, I don't see that the benefits are significant enough to justify any action.  So what about any risks?  I've read that risks occur in anywhere from 1-5% of circumcisions; while this number isn't huge, it's something to take into account, especially given that, as far as I am concerned, the benefits of circumcision are not great enough to warrant action.  I do think it's telling that the AAP also states that there's no compelling reason to circumcise, since the benefits don't outweigh the risks.  These are just my thoughts, of course.

Money Savers

Living on a shoestring budget means sometimes getting creative and just finding ways of doing things that save money.  Here are some things on my list, though I'm sure I'll forget some things.  Feel free to add to the list!

• Hang clothes to dry.  We don't even own a dryer any more, but even when we did it was rarely used.
• Get meat with bones in order to make your own stock.  We always get bone-in chicken pieces so I can make chicken stock.
• Dry your razor after use.  If you dry it off, it stays sharp a bit longer.
• Freecycle.  This is useful both for clearing things out and getting things you might need.
• Recycle clothes.  I'm finding it easier than I thought to turn old trousers into skirts.  I also have some older shirts and such that I'm going to try to cut down for clothes for the kids.  
• Forage.  For me this mainly entails picking the blackberries that grow by the train tracks, but there's also rosemary growing, as well as other plants.  I suppose I could also put all those nettles in the back garden to good use, too.  
• Real nappies.  While the initial cost is more, in the long run they more than pay for themselves if you get a quality brand.  My faves thus far are my trusty bumGenius 2.0s (still going strong!), Fuzzibunz OS and Lollipops.  
• Bicarbonate of soda & vinegar.  Seriously, these two things are amazing.  My showerhead looks like new after scrubbing it with a soda paste and rinsing with white vinegar.  I use bicarbonate of soda instead of shampoo (rinsing with cider vinegar), and also use a combination of bicarbonate of soda & cornflour instead of deodorant.  
• No TV service.  We have a television, but it's only used for DVDs and the Wii.  
• Make your own bread, rolls, crackers, and pasta.  Besides, it tastes better and the house smells great.  Not to mention that you can avoid unwanted ingredients in this way.

Well, I'm sure I've omitted some things, but that's my list for now.  I welcome any more tips!

Full-Term Breastfeeding in Public

Time to combine two topics that are sometimes seen as controversial in and of themselves: full-term breastfeeding (sometimes called extended breastfeeding) and breastfeeding in public.  If you know me, you know I fully support breastfeeding in public, and I'm still breastfeeding my 3-year-old because he's not ready to wean completely yet, and I'm not going to force him.  I think both of these things should be more widespread, yet I'd given little thought to the logical step of full-term breastfeeding in public as well.  One reason given for promoting breastfeeding in public is to normalise breastfeeding, since the more it is seen, the more it will be accepted.  Would this not also apply to full-term breastfeeding?  I think it would, personally.

I was thinking about this yesterday when Kieran wanted me to come outside with him while he played with his friends.  He then added that he wanted milk outside.  At first I tried to put him off, to tell him that he could have it later, but then I questioned why I was telling him that.  Did I have a good reason?  Not really.  I simply wanted to avoid any comments from the other adults out there (or even from the other kids).  Now, I've breastfed him in public fairly recently, but usually it's around others who are like-minded about breastfeeding, so I've not been nervous.  Yesterday I was a little nervous, but I went ahead and fed him because I reasoned that I couldn't let my nervousness adversely affect him.  I don't want him to think that breastfeeding in public is taboo, because it shouldn't be.  I just hadn't thought about how my attitude and nervousness would affect him like that before.  Perhaps now I won't be so quick to say "no" if the only reason behind the "no" is because we're in public.  And if someone comments or questions, hopefully I'll have the presence of mind to answer respectfully, and with the relevant information on the continued benefits of full-term breastfeeding.

I might never go back

to using deodorant.  Now, before you step away holding your nose, let me explain.  Years ago, I think I was a teenager, I'd heard that the aluminium in antiperspirant was bad for you, so I started using just plain old deodorant that didn't have antiperspirant in it.  Seeing as I was a teen, I didn't research to see if that was true or not, but figured I'd rather be safe than sorry.  I got used to doing that, and in fact it's still rather ingrained in me to do that.

So over the years I've used deodorant, but have never been all that pleased with the results, since it sometimes irritated my skin and of course I still had to deal with the wetness from perspiring.  Nevertheless, I continued with that until recently, since I figured I needed to use something.  Unhappy with this, though, I started seeing if I could find something else that would work.  To that end, I searched online for a natural deodorant, and came across a site that suggested using 1 part bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to 6 parts cornstarch.  I mixed that up and put some on using some cotton wool, and it works great.  In all honesty, it works better than the store-bought deodorant I was using, and the cornstarch acts as an antiperspirant.  Even better, it doesn't irritate my skin at all.  I'm sold.

On a related note, I also might never go back to using shampoo and conditioner.  I stopped regularly using shampoo a while ago, actually, and started just using conditioner.  Shampoo isn't the best for curly hair.  Once my bottle of conditioner ran out, I decided to try something else, and started using bicarbonate of soda instead of shampoo, and then rinsing with diluted cider vinegar.  So far it's working great, without making my hair feel bad or causing any build-up.  Who knew baking soda was so handy?