Circumcision – Is it Ever Necessary?

I felt compelled to write this article based on a great lecture I heard recently and several conversations I had about the subject of male circumcision and more importantly, why it's still practiced. It's a little bit long for a post but if you find time to read it, please share your thoughts about this very controversial topic.

Circumcision – Is it Ever Necessary?
by Chyrene Pendleton

I had the privilege of listening to a very interesting lecture at a holistic event about something I never really thought about, the practice of circumcision on male babies in the U.S. I learned that doctors do this on a routine basis, charging anywhere between $150 and $300 per male baby to not only remove a large part of his penis, but do it in an inhumane way. The doctors generally reassure parents that this is the way to go, for cleanliness or the prevention of disease.

Now, I don’t believe a mistake was made when man was created, do you? Even if one doesn't believe in creation, nature just doesn't repeatedly make what doctors are considering to be faults in baby boys that must be fixed. I understand that those of the Jewish faith regularly circumcise the male child but according to what I have learned, they only remove a very small portion of the foreskin at the tip of the glans. Doctors in the U.S. remove the whole thing which is a lot of skin and amounts to approximately the size of a 3 x 5 inch index card in an adult male! Many times they accidentally remove even more skin than this and boys grow up with either painful erections or their erections are bent because the skin is stretched too tight. Both men and women usually believe that's just the way some penises look and never question it. There can be other complications also. Circumcised males grow up never knowing that they lost a natural function of the penis and lost a great amount of sexual pleasure.

Females are born with the same exact thing as males have, a foreskin called a prepuce and the same smega, which is just some dead skin. In the U.S., it would never cross the doctor's or parent's mind to cut off part of their baby girl's genitals for cleanliness. It just doesn’t happen. Some countries today practice circumcising and castrating female babies but cleanliness is certainly not the reason. I believe this practice is abhorrent and something needs to be done now to end it. During the lecture, the speaker said Clinton made circumcising female babies illegal in the U.S.

I heard and read about how the babies are circumcised in this country. Their arms and legs are strapped down to a restraint board and during the procedure, they scream in pain and terror. This makes my heart go out to all male babies in this country and elsewhere where this is practiced. I learned that only until recently in the U.S. did doctors begin using some kind of anesthetic for the baby but this is not a common practice.

What a way to come into the world! So I wonder, what affect does this practice have on males about themselves and their self-worth? How has this traumatic experience manifested in the male's life while growing up and as a man? And why is this still being practiced in America?

Fortunately, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The lecturer gave me a book written by Thomas J. Ritter, M.D. and George C. Denniston, M.D. called, “Doctors Re-examine Circumcision”. It seems that many physicians around the U.S. are now speaking out against circumcision.

"The United States is the only country in the entire world that routinely circumcises most of its newborn males for other than religious reasons.” [p. 16-1]

It contains pictures and diagrams of circumcision procedures, including pictures of mistakes with the procedure, resulting in a deformed penis or no penis at all. In the event of an accidental, complete amputation of the penis, which apparently happens, the doctor would just create a vagina. The book also has pictures of what a penis is really supposed to look like and all of the benefits an natural, uncircumcised penis has. It examines the many myths people have been told over the years of why circumcision is "necessary".

“What moral or legal right does any parent have to remove a valuable and normal segment of another human being’s body?” Would it be moral or legal to remove the tip of every male’s left little finger, or to knock out a front tooth, because it was fashionable and everyone else was doing it?” [p. 13-1]

The good news is that there is a movement of circumcised men around the country to grow their foreskins back! A man is actually able to regain a large amount of sensitivity after growing back what was taken from in the first place, without his consent. Our bodies are truly miraculous! More information is available in a book called, "The Joy of Uncircumcising: Restore Your Birthright and Maximize Sexual Pleasure" by Jim Bigelow, Ph.D. There is also a website called, Restore Yourself! A Handy Kit for Circumcised Men at:

http://www.restoreyourself.com

Here is a quote from the website:

"You should feel increased sexual sensitivity on the glans of your penis within 30 days. It may take three months to see new skin. Within nine months, you will probably find that you can use your new skin to stimulate your glans."

Since the lecture, I've shared this information with many men and women. I believe the more we examine and talk about this practice of circumcision, the more something can be done about ending it, not only in the U.S. but throughout the world.



© 2005 Chyrene Pendleton

Chyrene Pendleton, Metaphysician, Numerologist, Dowser, teaches several workshops on topics including prosperity and abundance, numerology and dowsing. Her articles have been featured in many mainstream and spiritual journals over the years and in her free, online Ezine called, The Isle of Light.

Chyrene is the owner of The Isle of Light Inc., a spiritual, metaphysical online spiritual center dedicated to assisting all to become more empowered and enlightened in a wide variety of ways. She is a certified television show producer and co-produced and hosted The Isle of Light television talk show in Denver, Colorado, which continues to air biweekly. Chyrene is also the producer and host of The Isle of Light Internet radio talk show which airs 24 hours each day at Live365.

Chyrene Pendleton’s websites can be found at:

The Isle Of Light
http://www.theisleoflight.com

The Isle Of Light Internet Radio Talk Show
http://www.live365.com/stations/avalon22

Prosperity is a State of Mind
http://theisleoflight.blogspot.com

Welch's Grape Juice and Weight Loss

According to Edgar Cayce, know worldwide as the Father of Holistic Medicine, drinking two ounces of 100% grape juice in one ounce of water 20 minutes before meals will help decrease one's appetite and help reduce weight by causing a chemical reaction. He mentioned the Welch's brand but said any pure, unfermented grape juice can be used.

How does this work? Here is one of many readings by Edgar Cayce:

"... take grape juice before the meals and at bedtime - about an ounce and a half of Welch's Grape Juice with an ounce - or not quite so much - of plain water, taken just before the meals. This will tend to keep from so much rich foods. Doing these, we will reduce, as well as making for a more normalcy in the activities of the body. For it will reduce the excess sugar. Though this is sugar in the grape juice, it is a different character and will produce a better reaction through the alimentary canal. Do not take this just once or twice a day - take it three to four times a day, and EVERY DAY for a month! and then see the difference!" [case 1170-3]

If you want to do this, make sure it says 100% grape juice on the label. Many if not most of the grape juice concentrate (and bottles) are grape juice cocktails filled with sugar and/or corn syrup. I never understood why they add sugar to juice that's naturally sweet.

Read more about this in my article called, Lose Weight Without Dieting:
http://theisleoflight.com/Newsletter/Newsletter0103/Miscellany1-03.htm#Healing Habits

One of many great Edgar Cayce books to read is An Edgar Cayce Encyclopedia of Foods for Health and Healing compiled by Brett Bolton.

Is Drinking Diet Coke with Splenda Safe?

I saw a television commercial for the first time today on the new Diet Coke, now with Splenda, which is sucralose. Although I don't drink soft drinks, I have been noticing sucralose printed on bottles of flavored water, for example and elsewhere. Is it harmful? Is Splenda better than the aspartame that was in Diet Coke before? Is Coca-Cola jumping on the Atkins bandwagon?

This reminded me of what Dr. Janet Hull wrote in her newsletter about Splenda, in an article called, "Splenda - Here We Go Again":

"Sucralose (Splenda®) is a chlorocarbon and is more accurately compared to ingesting tiny amounts of chlorinated pesticides. The chlorocarbons have long been known for causing organ, genetic, and reproductive damage. It should be no surprise then, that the testing of sucralose reveals it causes up to 40% shrinkage of the thymus: a gland that is the very foundation of our immune system. Sucralose also causes swelling of the liver and kidneys, calcification of the kidney, fertility issues in male rates, and gastrointestinal problems in pregnant rats. If you experience kidney pain, cramping, swelling, an irritated bladder, or blood in your urine after using sucralose in Splenda, stop use immediately."

Below are links to more information about Splenda by Dr. Hull. There is also a lot of information available on the Internet on this topic.

If anyone is interested about artificial sweeteners, I interviewed Janet Starr Hull, Ph.D. on The Isle Of Light Internet radio talk show and this show airs continuously on Live 365. The next airing dates and times are June 21 at 4 AM, 12 PM (noon) and 8 PM EST and June 24 at 2 AM, 10 AM and 6 PM EST. The topic is called, Aspartame - Sweetener or Poison?

http://www.janethull.com/newsletter/0704/splenda-here-we-go-again.php

http://www.janethull.com/newsletter/0704/splenda-case-history.php

http://www.janethull.com/newsletter/0704/chlorine-in-your-pool-and-diet-cola.php

A Perfect Sweetener for Weight Loss

So what can we safely use that's natural, sweet and is not stored in our bodies as fat? Stevia has been used for over 1500 years and is widely used in countries such as Japan and in South America and China. I've learned the best tasting stevia is grown and used in Paraguay.

Stevia is a natural herb with many health benefits. It contains many vitamins, minerals and even protein. It can be up to 400 times sweeter than sugar so a little bit goes a very long way. It has zero calories and zero carbs. Stevia is great for weight loss since it helps reduce sugar cravings. It normalizes blood sugar which is ideal and safe for diabetics. Stevia is completely safe for the body.

Some brands of stevia taste better than others -- the higher the quality, the better. My favorite brand is made by Sweetleaf called, Wisdom of the Ancients (made in Paraguay) found in most health food stores and at: http://www.wisdomherbs.com I also like the NOW brand of stevia (always get the white extract) which is widely available. The NOW brand also comes in little green packets which has the intensity of the sweetness cut down for easy usage. I took a picture of what I have right now in my kitchen, a pretty good tasting brand at Vitamin World called Herbal Authority (usually on sale) and the NOW green packets I carry around in my purse.

If you decide to try stevia, start out with a very small amount. Dip a toothpick or edge of a spoon into it until you know exactly how much to use in your tea, coffee, lemonade or even Kool-Aid for the best taste. It's also great for baking and cooking since it doesn't break down from the heat (like artificial sweetners do). Stevia doesn't taste like sugar but it's delicious. It's extremely sweet with the hint of a licorice taste. Stevia is an acquired taste - some love it right away while others get used to it over time. I've been using it for about 10 years now and I can't imagine not having it.

Share your experiences with stevia - I would love to hear them!

More on Diet Soft Drinks

I replaced "fat" with "gain weight" in my previous post title to be more accurate - diet soft drinks may not necessary make one fat but one can certainly gain weight by drinking it. Aspartame (also known as NutraSweet) is in almost every sugar-free product these days and it causes people to crave carbs. Aspartame is in the blue packet called Equal and in the product, Spoonful.

Here some information on what I'm speaking about:

"There is the Bressler Report, the FDA audit of the horror of the original studies that approved aspartame, the FDA's own report of 92 documented symptoms from coma to death triggered by aspartame, the damning CDC investigation and even the protest of the National Soft Drink Association, showing that Coke and Pepsi knew aspartame breaks down into a witches brew of toxins at 86 degrees before they ever put it in pop. They also knew it was not a diet product because it is a drug that makes you crave carbohydrates (last page of report) and misrepresented this to the public. If you want to get fat NutraSweet is where its at!"

In the early 1980s, I was walking in downtown Denver and was approached by a woman giving away free sugar-free bubble gum made with the new NutraSweet product. I accepted it and after chewing it for only a minute or two, I had such a major migraine I had to immediately go home. I usually never get headaches so I knew it was the gum.

I didn't think about it again until a few years later when I heard Dr. Janet Hull on several radio talk shows talking about this poison called aspartame. Although this information has been out now for many years, I meet people all of the time who do not know. I find it very interesting that Japan has used the healthy, very sweet herb Stevia in their diet Coke and diet Pepsi for many years now while the U.S. uses what is now a known poison called aspartame in theirs.

Diet Soft Drinks Can Make Us Gain Weight

And get sick. You may have heard soft drinks being referred to as "liquid candy", because of all the sugar it contains. I've learned that the consumption of soft drinks is one of the major causes of obesity in this country. So are diet soft drinks any better? Most diet soft drinks are made with aspartame which is not only a poison with numerous and sometimes deadly side effects, but it can also contribute to obesity. Diet soft drinks in this country are made to keep people fat.

I interviewed Dr. Janet Hull, nutritionist and author of Sweet Poison, on The Isle Of Light Internet radio show. Sweet Poison is about the dangers of aspartame which she almost died of. She was diagnosed with Graves disease by her doctor of which there is no known cure. Dr. Hull eventually decided to find out just how she got this disease by examining her diet, which she said was a pretty good one. She eliminated everything and finally came to her diet Dr. Pepper. Once she stopped drinking it, she began to recover quickly and soon had no signs of Graves or any other disease.

Her experience led her to research aspartame and her book is a result of eye-opening discoveries she made, including why this poison is being allowed in our foods, gum and soft drinks - mainly in the U.S. Her websites are: www.sweetpoison.com and www.janethull.com .

Drinking Water Has Way Too Many Benefits

Many of us still don't drink enough water, even after learning the importance of drinking 8 - 10 glasses of water each day. Since we are made up of mostly water, it only makes sense to keep our bodies hydrated, with water, not just soft drinks as many do.

I've learned it's important to drink at least 1/2 our body weight in ounces of water each day.

For inspiration, here are some of the great benefits water will give us:

Water keeps us looking young

It moisturizes our hair and skin from the inside out

It flushes out impurities and fat.

It keeps our blood supply clear

Drinking water helps us keep our ideal weight

I have much more to list here but in the meantime, here's a great link about water:

http://www.watercure2.com/