Do you think that infant male circumcision is a type of child abuse?

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 15:43:44 +0100

Is infant male circumcision child abuse? I have heard arguments about various aspects of this but, abuse has not been mention till I seen it here.

U.S. leads most countries with 60% of it's male population circumcised. Canada follows with 20% and Australia with 15%. In America more than 3,300 male babies are circumcised every day. That's one every 26 seconds. If this is abuse, we ,as americans, could be the most abusive country to our children. $250 Million health care dollars are spent on circumcision every year.

The practice of Circumcision was during the 19th Century by English speaking countries. Physicians (U.S.) Thought if they perform genital Surgery on both sexes to stop masturbation. Many religions also find Circumcision to be mandatory; Judaism, Muslim, Coptic Christian. It is usually performed on the eighth day of life. U.S. and South Korea Are the only countries that practice non religiously. South Korea where largely influenced by American culture and military after the Korean War.

There are many medical reasons for male circumcision as well. In cases of Phimosis (a very tight foreskin), or posthitis (an inflamed foreskin) circumcision is a very effective treatment. Circumcision may also be recommended for recurrent balanitis and urinary tract infections, balanitis xerotica obliterans and penile cancer. Most major medical societies and other countries do not recommend routine circumcision. Some organizations suggest parents should make an informed decision based on medical and other benefits and risks.

So there's some information and my decision would be to go ahead. It is a standard practice, not risky. I myself have been circumcised, though the circumcision or after care was not done properly. I live my life with a minor deformity. I would have still wanted my parents to do have it done. With my deformity I have to take extra care to ensure under the foreskin is clean. I would assume those with out the circumcision would have to do similar practice. if an uncircumcised male does not take the time to clean under foreskin it could lead to infection. This is not child abuse, it is a medical procedure. The circumcision of boys has demonstrated health benefits, mainly reduced risk of infection and some protection against H.I.V.

For Kids, Laughter Really May Be the Best Medicine

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 19:58:45 +0100

Scans show that humor activates parts of the brain linked to resilience, well-being in children
TUESDAY, Jan. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Specific areas of children's brains that are activated by humor have been identified by researchers in a first-of-a-kind study.

The findings, published Feb. 1 in the Journal of Neuroscience, will provide a base for understanding how humor and other positive emotions can affect a child's well-being, according to the Stanford University School of Medicine team.

"Humor is a very important component of emotional health, maintaining relationships, developing cognitive [brain] function and perhaps even medical health," senior study author Dr. Allan Reiss, director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research at Stanford, said in a university news release.

A strong sense of humor is an important part of positive emotion and may help children to be more resilient, he noted.

"In particular, we think a balanced and consistent sense of humor may help children negotiate the difficult period of pre-adolescence and adolescence," Reiss said.

The researchers used functional MRI to scan the brains of 15 children, aged 6 to 12, while they watched short video clips that were categorized as funny, positive or neutral. The positive clips were rewarding to watch but not funny. The neutral clips were neither rewarding nor funny.

The brain scans showed that the funny videos activated two regions of the children's brains that also respond to humor in adults. However, these circuits aren't as developed in children.

Humor activated the children's mesolimbic regions, which process rewards, and the temporal-occipital-parietal junction, which processes perceived incongruities. Incongruities are things that go together that represent opposites (for example, many clowns emerging from a tiny car).

The positive videos activated the reward-processing area but not the area that processes incongruity. This suggests that incongruity -- a surprise for the brain -- is an important factor in humor, the researchers concluded.

"Negative emotional states such as depression or anxiety are compelling to study, but you can't completely understand why a child has emotional stability or instability until you look at both sides of the coin," Reiss said in the news release. "This work is setting the stage for helping us look at how humor predicts resilience and well-being."

More information

The American Psychiatric Association offers an overview ofchildren's mental health.
source : http://health.usnews.com

kids-world

Do you think that infant male circumcision is a type of child abuse?

For Kids, Laughter Really May Be the Best Medicine