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Health

Circumcision and The Infection Myth

by Naida on November 12, 2013

We've all heard this line before- "A circumcised boy won't get infections."

I come to you this morning to discuss the aura of medical authority being used as a smoke screen by supporters of Routine Infant Circumcision. Undoubtedly, we've heard many a reason why circumcision is beneficial. "It's more esthetically pleasing." Parents can usually shrug off an excuse like this if they're unsure about circumcising their son. "It's more hygienic." At this point, some parents may be irked into considering it, but others may still be on the fence because they can teach hygiene. "It prevents infections." Boom. To any parent who hasn't done the proper research, this false promise of better health will win them to the side of circumcision.

I am here to dispel what is probably the most prevalent medical lie. Read more . . .

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Fixing my skin bridge

by John on June 18, 2013
Click to Enlarge
My skin bridge on the dorsal side between my foreskin and glans

I would like to share with you all my recent experience in having my skin bridge (a piece of skin from my foreskin attached to my glans penis) removed. My hope is that this information may help answer some questions others may have about correcting a skin bridge.

About me

I am a 36 year old male from Melbourne, Australia. For many years I have been living with a bit of my foreskin attached to the glans (head /knob) of my penis. The foreskin covered a larger portion of the left side of my glans.

I didn’t really know why I have a skin bridge. I did not even have any idea what it was called, until I came across this website, which has been my inspiration to have the problem rectified.

I have learnt that at birth all foreskins are adhered (stuck) to the glans of the penis and after a period of time the foreskin slowly detaches itself away from the glans.

Skin bridges mostly occur after circumcision when two ‘raw’ skin surfaces adhere (stick) together. But I am uncircumcised (uncut or, more correctly, intact). My skin bridge is not a result of a botched circumcision. My skin bridge likely occurred when my foreskin was trying to detach itself from the glans. Perhaps it happened due to a forced retraction when I was an infant and the detached skin reattached itself, permanently. Read more . . .

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I am a celebrity, sort of

by Tally on August 29, 2012

Famous in my own mindI was interviewed for an article by the Guardian, a UK website and newspaper. They even quoted me.

If the medical evidence is disputed, why is circumcision so widely accepted in the US? "I find it amazing," says Tally, a pseudonym for a 56-year-old American blogger who was circumcised at birth and is restoring his foreskin through non-surgical methods. He argues that "pecuniary gain" is one factor in its popularity in the US: circumcision typically costs $400 to $800. "I don't see the social conscience that you have in the UK or the Canadians have," says Tally. "We're driven very much by a sense of independence and profit."

Yesterday morning when I was getting ready for work I checked my e-mail messages. I had a request for an interview from Patrick Barkham, a writer for The Guardian, a UK newspaper and website. Patrick was writing an article about male infant circumcision in light of the recent revised policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics. He wanted to talk with me before his afternoon deadline. Unfortunately, afternoon in the UK is morning in the Eastern US.

I had to run some errands, but as soon as I got to my office I replied to Patrick with my thoughts on circumcision and why there is such a push in the United States to circumcise baby boys. I was surprised when I received a telephone call from him about two hours after his deadline. We spoke for about 20 minutes. Read more . . .

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How I am losing weight

by Tally on August 22, 2012

Amazon: The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram Your Genes for Effortless Weight Loss, Vibrant Health, and Boundless EnergyI recently posted about losing weight and its impact on my foreskin restoration.

For those that wonder what I have been doing to lose weight, I owe a lot to the Primal Blueprint at Mark's Daily Apple. Mark Sisson offers a free program on his website and he has a book (shown on the right). I just read his blog and downloaded his free materials. Either way, he offers a lot for those looking to learn a better way to eat and live.

After reading a lot of his material, the first thing I did was start doing his "lift heavy things" exercises. These exercises are simple, but effective. They use bodyweight for a whole body workout. The exercises are pushups, pull-ups, squats, overhead press, and the plank. I do them in my office after workhours. Two sets of the five exercises takes me about 30 minutes.

I thought I was in halfway decent shape. I was wrong. A person in shape should be able to do 50 pushups. I could not even do 20 without stopping. I knew I would have trouble with pull-ups. I never could do them well.

Squats I thought would be easy. I love doing squats in the weight room. But these squats were different. An in-shape person should do 50 squats without a bar, just body weight. Deep squats. After 30 squats my legs were burning. After 40 squats my legs were on fire and I was panting. After doing 50 body weight squats I was breathing like a freight train going up a mountain.

When I started, I was pathetic at the 5 exercises. But I do them faithfully and I am progressing. Read more . . .

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Weight loss and foreskin restoration

by Tally on August 17, 2012

Everyone knows that losing weight is healthy and good for you. Right?

Seven years ago I started my own business. I was a little overweight at that time, and the stress of running my own business and the lack of time to exercise and play ensured that I stayed overweight. I even gained a couple pounds a year over the last five years. I was not satisfied with my sedentary lifestyle and my slowly increasing body girth.

This spring I found Mark's Daily Apple, a website that promotes primal living. I always liked eating low carb and high fat food. I felt full and satisfied eating that way, not at all like when I ate a low fat diet and was always hungry. I first started eating low carb, high fat about 13 years ago when I was on the Atkins Diet. I followed it for a couple years, but I grew lax about following the program. The pounds returned as my eating habits leaned more toward high carb and processed foods.

Reading Mark's Daily Apple inspired me to watch what I ate and to start exercising in earnest. I became better at strictly keeping my carbs low. Controlling my eating habits helped me lose weight and the exercise has made me feel more alive. I have been losing about 1 to 2 pounds a week for several months. Read more . . .

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Working out with beach shoes

by Tally on November 23, 2010

Beach shoe used for working out at the gym and lifting weightsI have been researching barefooting since I learned of it a few weeks ago. I read about some runners using aqua shoes to run in. I am not too sure what aqua shoes are, but I remembered that I had a pair of beach shoes. I dug around and found them. The sole is rubber. The heel is not raised like every other shoe I have. They fit me loosely, but stay on my feet well.

I am not yet up to running outside, so I thought I would wear the beach shoes to the gym for my workouts. Doing so would also help me transition by getting my achilles tendons and calves used to no heel lift.

Wow! That was a good idea. Read more . . .

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Barefooting!

by Tally on November 17, 2010

Barefoot feet ready for barefootin'Facebook is great. I learn about lots of new things from my many friends. A few weeks ago I read a comment from a facebook friend about running barefoot. Huh?

I never heard of running barefoot. Sure, kids do it all the time. But adults? On roads? On trails?

A quick Google search and a lot of reading taught me that there are many benefits to being barefoot.  There are even those that claim that modern shoes are over-designed. The cushy shoes, particularly running shoes, are more suitable for marketing than anything else. They are also claimed to be major contributors to injuries.

Since I am an alternative type of guy, the whole barefoot thing appeals to me. I ran track and cross-country in the early 70s. I continued to run after I went to college and after I began working. As I earned money, I could afford some of the "better" and more expensive shoes. As I worked more and more, my running dropped off.

I like this quote because, lately, running has not been fun: If you aren't having fun running, your technique is wrong. ~ Barehanded Matt Read more . . .

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I am still fat! Is there a pill I can take?

by Tally on November 4, 2010

Last week I wrote about realizing that I am overweight. So I started working out regularly, again. I worked out three times last week. I worked out twice so far this week and I am going to the gym this evening. I still have not been eating right, but I am doing a bit better than I had been. BUT I AM STILL FAT!

Seriously, I should be skinny by now. Isn't there a pill that works for this? Read more . . .

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OMG! I am getting FAT!

by Tally on October 28, 2010

I was at the gym Sunday. As I worked out on the elliptical trainer, I looked around. The aerobic room was almost empty. The mirror beside me showed some overweight guy on a machine. OMG. It was me!

Sigh. I knew I was getting bigger. But, seeing myself in the mirror really brought home how much bigger I had gotten.

I wear athletic cut shirts. My chest has always been larger than my waist and the tapered shirts fit me well. Standard shirts tend to look puffy on me with all that extra fabric around the waist. But, lately, my tapered shirts were getting tight. It is getting to be dangerous to stand in front of me. The buttons near my waist are nearing the pop-off limit. I am sure that it would hurt to be struck by a button flying off my shirt. Read more . . .

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