Info to give to a family doctor?

[gridley13]

I have a great opportunity. I saw my family doc for something unrelated and while chatting, I told him he would be my perfect dr if I could just get him to go from being neutral on circ to actually speaking out against it.

He admitted he doesn't keep up with info, and actually ASKED me for information!!!!!

So far, I have 4 things from Doctors Against Circ. I don't want to give him a humoungous packet. But what points/info do you think I should focus on?

Thanks!

[calngavinsmom]

Ooh what an opportunity! What about giving him the sensitivity test to illustrate the sexual harm of circ?

http://www.icgi.org/touch-test/touch-test-article.pdf

Good luck!
Tara

[mamasophy]

I may want to do that our fam.practiotioner too - he was very neutral and unwilling to say anything publically (I have a radio show). But his nurse!! Circ'd her son because "his cousin 'had to' get circ'd at 18 mos. because the foreskin was 'too tight for an erection without pain'" and she said she "researched very carefully"... GRRR!
Good luck!

[glongley]

I would include these in packets to health care professionals:

Anatomy and physiology article:
http://www.coloradonocirc.org/files/...Physiology.pdf

Pamphlet on Informed Consent for HC professionals:
http://www.coloradonocirc.org/files/...ed_Consent.pdf

Care of the Intact Penis:
http://www.nocirc.org/publish/4pam.pdf

Things MDs need to know to avoid later unnecessary circumcisions:
http://www.mothering.com/articles/ne...uncircson.html

Correct info on age of retractibility:
http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcisi...0-2005-dan.pdf

New NOCIRC pamphlet on circ and HIV (might as well arm him ahead of time with this info, if he ever starts to think about this as a reasons to circ):
http://www.nocirc.org/publish/11-HIV.pdf

There are probably some other worthwhile ones, but that's all I can think of right now.

Gillian

[gridley13]

Those are all excellent suggestions, thank you!! I will let everyone know how it goes. He is a family doctor, but he definitely performs circ's. I know this for a fact. So I am quite excited about this.

[glongley]

If he performs circs, something that highlights men's unhappiness about being circed (http://www.noharmm.org/bju.htm) and risks/complications would be good to give him. There was a recent article by the Ontario Coroner's Office about a circumcision death, that points out that many of the more severe complications are not reported in the literature, or necessarily attributed to circumcision. It urges more careful monitoring of circumcision complications, so that doctors can adequately inform parents of the true risks. I'm not sure if it's on the web, but I have a pdf of it. PM me if you want a copy of the file.

Gillian

[Quirky]

Def. think you should go for the medical journal articles from the British Journal of Urology rather than stuff sourced from anti-circ organizations so he can't dismiss it as biased advocacy. I mean, WE know we're right but doctors like to read stuff by doctors, not by non-doctors.

www.cirp.org has a ton of medical journal articles, and in addition to the Sorrells BJU 2007 article on touch sensitivity, I'd look up the Taylor articles published in the BJU and print those out.

[glongley]

If you want a journal article debunking the HIV thing, instead of the NOCIRC #11 pamphlet, get Van Howe's HIV and Circumcision: Cutting THrough the Hyperbole (I think that's the correct title), available at: http://www.cirp.org/library/disease/HIV/vanhowe2005a/

Also, the article I mentioned at the NOHARMM site above on men's negative reactions to having been circed is actually from the 1999 British Journal of Urology.

As far as anatomy, the best direct journal article is "The Prepuce" by Cold and Taylor, BJU 1999. http://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/cold-taylor/

I do think Paul Fleiss' article Protect Your Uncircumcised Son is an important article to get to physicians to educate them on why most of the reasons doctors might think a boy needs to be circumcised later on are just not true. there is no other medical journal article that educates about this as well as this one, even though it is from Mothering, not a medical journal. Dr. Fleiss is an MD, and a clinical professor of pediatrics.

Gillian

[gridley13]

Originally Posted by Quirky

Def. think you should go for the medical journal articles from the British Journal of Urology rather than stuff sourced from anti-circ organizations so he can't dismiss it as biased advocacy.

That's a good point.

I was thinking DOC would be ok, though.. what do you guys think? They are obviously against it but are also dr's... thought perhaps he would relate.

[gridley13]

I have seen him three times since giving him the original info (I am seeing him every 4-6 weeks for medication issues). Here are the comments from each visit:


Visit 1:
He was very interested to see the differences between the U.S. and other countries. He also commented on how he had never considered the female vs male similarities. He said I had him thinking!!

Visit 2: He said I might be getting a convert.. that a parent came in with a baby who had botched circ. Again, he said, meaning he has seen this quite a few times. I reminded him about Do No Harm.. how that baby was born just fine, and now is not.

Visit 3: This was today, and wow... I am seriously on cloud nine here. He said I would have been proud of him because the topic came up a few weeks ago and he was talking about how unnecessary the procedure was, and then he went on to dispel all the myths they mentioned!!! THEN, he said... (please understand I know this dr personally a bit, it is a small town, I am sure he doesn't talk to everyone like this)..... So, basically, I think I am your Circumcision B*tch.




I can't believe how lucky I am!! I assure you I am not an incredibly eloquent speaker, or even a very persuasive person. I just happened to get a doc who is not so egotistical he thinks he can't learn something new.

Today I gave him the Times online UK article from a few days ago, and 2 others from Time (U.S.), I think those are on threads here. He made a little face when I explained about the "uncircumcising" because he didn't know about restoration. Pretty much same reaction I have gotten from others. I gave it to him and highlighted an area that talked about men being angry they were circ'd as infants, hoping it will stick in his mind if he ever decides to do a circ again.

Next appt I need to ask if he plans to continue to do them. He is a family doc, so doesn't do many but I am hoping he will discontinue the procedure altogether.

And now I need to get him to extend the info to the rest of the practice!!

*sigh*
Good day for me!! So happy!

[2boyzmama]

What an accomplishment!!!!!

I just chose a new ped for my sons, and I've heard very good things about him in all my criteria (breastfeeding, not so quick to medicate, willing to discuss vaccines, etc) but I do know that he performs circs. I don't know what his actual stance is on it. I've been assured that he'll "be okay" with me not circing... Well duh, a dr had better be okay with me not messing with my kid!! We have our first appt coming up, so we'll see!!

[gridley13]

Hahaha, "okay with not circing..." that is so... I don't know, pathetic that we even have to say that about docs! But it is the truth sometimes in this country. Hey, I live about an hour away from you btw.

[Quirky]

That's so amazing! Think of how much good you have done by opening this doctor's eyes.