Tag Archives: Medicine

Posts that relate to medicine in some way.

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The UCLA “Sissy Boy Experiment”

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Tonight (6/9/11) at 10pm EST, CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 will air Part I of “The Sissy Boy Experiment”, a videography that catalogues the life of Kirk Murphy and the dangerous anti-gay therapy that drove him to suicide.

Unfortunately, fringe religious groups — and associated so-called scientists and doctors that endorse them — continue to espouse and propagate the lies that sexual orientation is learned and can be changed. Many lives have been destroyed at their hands yet they pummel onward with their deadly crusade. An example of their misinformation campaign can be found in my post, Fraudulent Representation of Medical Opinion by Fundie Quacks. The truth is that the bulk of scientific evidence continues to demonstrate that sexual orientation is innate and

“The nation’s leading professional medical, health, and mental health organizations do not support efforts to change young people’s sexual orientation through therapy and have raised serious concerns about the potential harm from such efforts.”
-American Psychological Association

For more information, check out my simplified introduction to gender and sexuality, What everyone should know about gender and sexuality. If you are someone like Kirk who feels tormented by your gender identity or sexual orientation, please know that you are not alone, that you do not have suffer alone and that things will get better. Please, please, PLEASE reach out for help if you are feeling depressed or suicidal. I highly recommend the following resources:

  • The It Gets Better Project – Autovideography collection created to remind LGBT teenagers that they are not alone — and it WILL get better, http://www.itgetsbetter.org

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End genital mutilation now

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Ever hear about genital mutilation? Well it happens every day to babies and children around the world including the USA. According to the 2011 US bill, the Genital Mutilation Prohibition Act submitted to the US Senate and House of Representatives, “genital mutilation” is defined as circumcision, excision, cutting or mutilation of “the whole or any part of the labia majora, labia minora, clitoris, vulva, breasts, nipples, foreskin, glans, testicles, penis, ambiguous genitalia, hermaphroditic genitalia, or genital organs of another person who has not attained the age of 18 years or on any nonconsenting adult.” In line with the 2003 UK Female Genital Mutilation Act that protects girls only, this bill has been written so that all minors may likewise be protected.

Individual communities are also starting to recognize the fact that genital mutilation of children, regardless of sex, is wrong and should be stopped. The Huffington Post, Los Angeles reports that “A proposal to ban the circumcision of male children in San Francisco has been cleared to appear on the November ballot, setting the stage for the nation’s first public vote on what has long been considered a private family matter.” Even a comic book, Foreskin Man, has been created to raise awareness of this long accepted gross violation of the human rights of personal autonomy and self preservation. A pdf of the comic’s first issue can be found here or by clicking on the image above. Unfortunately, the second issue is considered by many to be anti-Semitic, which I do NOT endorse nor desire to be associated with, so I have not provided any other links.

Removing body parts without medical indication and without the consent of the person receiving it is tragic and should be criminalized. This is especially true of the sex organs given that at best, surgery permanently alters cosmetic appearance, sensitivity and sexual function. At worst, surgery can result in horrific disfiguration and/or death. Given these risks I strongly believe that non-medically indicated circumcision should be banned for all minors. Adults who choose to be circumcised for religious or other reasons, such as Jews and Muslims, can surgically alter their bodies after they have reached the age of consent.

David Reimer is one such infant victim whose penis was destroyed by circumcision in 1966. Following the medical advise of Dr John Money, a prominent psychologist and sexologist of the time, David’s parents elected for him to undergo sex reassignment surgery to raise him as a girl. Unfortunately, David never accepted his forced female gender role and began living as a male at the age of 15. He continued to suffer years of severe depression, financial instability, a dissolving marriage and eventually committed suicide in 2005. His tragic story is catalogued in the bestseller biography: “As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl” by John Colapinto.

Horrific medical complications of male circumcision are NOT a thing of the past. Review of peer reviewed medical journals reveals that present day complications continue to include poor cosmetic outcomes; excessive bleeding; necrosis of the penis and/or surrounding structures; lymphedema; keloid scar formation; skin bridges; buried penis; urethral stenosis, obstruction or fistula; penis shortening; decreased sensation; partial or complete destruction of the penis, amputation and death.

Doctors too should be wary of offering this “service”. Not only are surgical “mishaps” a legal liability but even culturally acceptable outcomes incur an ever increasing risk of malpractice accusation and lawsuit.

In conclusion, it is high time that we recognize infant male circumcision for what it is: a far-too-long accepted tradition of male genital mutilation. All infants and children deserve better than this. Click on one of the banners below to learn more and to find out how you too can help protect children and end genital mutilation now.

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MyPlate – the USDA’s new food groups symbol

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In line with her ongoing obesity campaign, first lady Michelle Obama has revealed MyPlate, the USDA’s new food groups symbol. It is much easier to understand than its confusing food pyramid predecessors. I mean, how much is a “serving” anyway? Apparently my bowl holds 2-3 servings of breakfast cereal if I measure it according to the box. Regardless, we eat off of plates for the most part anyway and few of us take the time to measure portions. Thus, the MyPlate design is fitting and visually depicts how much we should eat of each food group in order to be healthy.

Much more information can be found on the MyPlate website, but the major changes Michelle Obama wants us to make to our diet are the following:

Balance Calories

  • Enjoy your food, but eat less.
  • Avoid oversized portions.

Foods to Increase

  • Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
  • Make at least half your grains whole grains.
  • Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

Foods to Reduce

  • Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals ― and choose the foods with lower numbers.
  • Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

Related post: New FDA dietary guidelines (2/4/11)

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AIDSVu – HIV in the USA

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AIDSVu provides a high-resolution view of the geography of HIV in the United States, 30 years into the epidemic. It is an online tool that allows users to visually explore the HIV epidemic alongside critical resources such as HIV testing center locations and NIH-Funded HIV Prevention & Vaccine Trials Sites.

The data on AIDSVu come from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) national HIV surveillance database that is comprised of HIV surveillance reports from state and local health departments. AIDSVu will be updated on an ongoing basis in conjunction with CDC’s annual release of HIV surveillance data, as well as new data and additional information as they become available. A Technical Advisory Group was brought together during the development of AIDSVu and an Advisory Committee, chaired by Dr. Jim Curran, Dean of the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, is comprised of key stakeholders who provide oversight and guidance for the ongoing project.

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Norrie: sex not specified

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When a baby is born the first question people usually ask is, “Is it a boy or a girl?” Yet many babies are not so easily classified. Some babies have genitals that have both male and female features. Others may appear to be girls only to discover as teenagers that the reason that they are not menstruating is because the have testicles instead of ovaries. Similarly apparent boys may have ovaries and there are others who have a mixture of both.

Some people’s brains do not match their bodies; there are numerous accounts of children and adults who feel this way. Although the American Psychiatric Association (APA) labels these people with the diagnosis of Gender Identity Disorder (GID), it is the only “mental disorder” that is treated medically (with hormones and surgery) instead of with psychiatric medications. And evidence continues to mount that the brains of these individuals are both structurally and functionally similar to the brains of the gender they claim to be. In Westernized countries we label these people “transsexual” or “transgender”. Other cultures make room for a third sex and use other labels: “Hijra” (India), “Fa’afafine” (Polynesia), “Kathoeys” (Thailand) and “Two-Spirit” (Native American Tribes) are well-known examples.

In the distant past rigid gender roles may have been useful to delineate the expectations and responsibilities of individuals and to maintain order within their collective communities. On the other hand these gendered roles also created power differentials that have been used to disempower, subjugate and abuse women for millenia.

The roles of women in American society have undergone radical changes. During WWII, a shortage of male factory workers gave women an opportunity to leave the home and made Rosie the Riveter a cultural icon. When the men returned from war women were encouraged to return to the home by the promotion of the idealized homemaker exemplified by June Cleaver of the TV show “Leave It to Beaver”. While many women did return home many did not. Given that women continue to make less money than men for similar work and that they remain outnumbered in leadership roles today it is clear that inequality of the sexes is alive and well in modern society.

But what about all the individuals who do not neatly fit into these cultural boxes? A video interview with Norrie of Sidney, Australia by abc NEWS shows that Norrie is one such person who defies definitions and prefers the box “sex not specified”. The interview subtly suggests that if gender is really a continuum then perhaps we should reconsider the purpose that gender identification serves and consider its worth in context of the inequality that it propagates.

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New FDA dietary guidelines

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The FDA has released its new recommendations entitled: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. Healthy living begins with healthy eating.

  • Enjoy your food, but eat less.
  • Avoid oversized portions.
  • Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
  • Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
  • Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals – and choose the foods with lower numbers.
  • Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

Related post: MyPlate – the USDA’s new food groups symbol (6/3/11)

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U.S. hospital visitation discrimination is over!

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Obama’s Hospital Visitation Presidential Memorandum goes into effect today. No longer will hospitals that participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs be permitted to discriminate against LQBTQI patients and separate them from their loved ones.

 VIDEO: Lesbian’s death helped inspire Obama’s new visitation rule for same sex couples.

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Are you REALLY SURE you want your OB/GYN to cut your little boy?

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Circumcision remains highly marketed at the hospital I mentioned in an earlier post. Although there were at least 3 of us who did not want to perform circumcisions at the beginning of my residency, I remain the only one who has stood my ground. Many residents do not want to do them but do not have a “moral objection” and thus feel they must so as to not shift their work onto other residents. New medical students rotating through labor and delivery are expected to ask new mom’s if they want their sons to be circumcised and to chart it in their notes. There is no discussion about the controversial nature of this procedure nor the option stated that they have the right to opt out. Medical students in particular are less likely to rock the boat because they know that their grade depends on it. It is quite frustrating to me to see how resistant people are to change and how easily people cave-in to peer pressure.

I am especially frustrated that OB/GYN residents and providers continue to feel that they are competent to perform the procedure.The tradition of OB/GYN physicians performing male infant circumcisions began many years ago when they used to deliver babies in the homes of their patients and was born out of convenience; after delivering the baby it seemed appropriate to go ahead and perform the desired circumcision as well. Nowadays the vast majority of deliveries by OB/GYN physicians occur in the hospital with pediatricians and other specialists readily available so convenience is no longer an valid argument. Moreover, OB/GYN residents in general receive scant education in the anatomy and pathophysiology of the penis. Those that choose to perform circumcisions are essentially performing the “simple” procedure without the associated medical knowledge required of all other surgical procedures. And unlike other surgical procedures, the postoperative follow-up and management of complications are performed by pediatricians and other specialists instead of the OB/GYNs who performed them.

A recent article by Dr Brian Le, MD found that while the majority of 27 respondent obstetric-gynecology residents “planned to perform neonatal circumcision when in practice, 44% had no formal training in circumcision and most were comfortable performing routine neonatal circumcision. Overall respondents were less comfortable evaluating whether the a newborn penis could undergo circumcision safely. When presented with 10 pictures of penises and asked to determine whether the neonate should undergo circumcision, 0% of respondents correctly identified all contraindications to neonatal circumcision with an average of 42% of contraindications identified correctly.” (Le B. Mickelson J. Gossett D. Kim D. Stoltz RS. York S. Sharma V. Maizels M. Residency training in neonatal circumcision: a pilot study and needs assessment. Journal of Urology. 184(4 Suppl):1754-7, 2010 Oct.)

I recently performed a Medline Ovid search (looking for primary literature) and found that while there are over 50,000 articles in OB/GYN’s two most respected journals — Obstetrics & Gynecology (aka the Green Journal) and the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (aka the Gray Journal) — only 43 of these articles address male circumcision. Thus OB/GYN physicians write only 1.1% of the articles relating to male circumcision and represent only 0.076% of the articles they produce. Finally, the American Congress of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG) continues to reject exhibition of circumcision dissident materials by Intact America at their national conferences because ethical consequences of this procedure are apparently “beyond the scope of the practice of obstetrics and gynecology.”

In summary, while  OB/GYN physicians have a long tradition of performing male infant circumcision and many continue to be more than happy to take a whack at infant penises, there is mounting evidence that they are deficient in the medical knowledge required to do so safely, they are uninterested in learning how to improve their skills and they do not contribute to respected literature to perfect techniques. Are you REALLY SURE you want your OB/GYN to cut your little boy?

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Doctor and hospital sued for circumcision

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Doctors may think that parental consent is all they need to surgically modify the genitals of infant boys but they can still be held liable for malpractice when those little boys grow up. Leave our penises alone and end circumcision now!

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Fraudulent Representation of Medical Opinion by Fundie Quacks

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Tom Benton, MD and his flock of other quacks (American College of Pediatricians) have stooped to a new low in their attempt to confuse the public regarding LGBT youth: they recently mailed their innocuously appearing yet truly virulent “Facts About Youth” to school superintendents across the country under the guise of medical expertise. Contrary to the cohesive opinion of numerous reputable medical and mental health organizations Dr Benton peddles the snake oil ideas that same-sex sexual attraction is learned, pathological and treatable.

This counterfeit group of fringe fanatics should not be confused with the renown American Academy of Pediatricians which in fact completely disagrees with the assertions, misrepresentations and frank lies being perpetuated by Dr Benton et al:

“An estimated 2 to 5 percent of adolescents are homosexual, the same percentage as among adults. Scientists generally agree that several factors converge to form a person’s sexual orientation. But there is increasing evidence that human beings may be genetically predisposed toward heterosexuality or homosexuality. These tendencies may even be established prior to birth, just as gender, hair color and complexion are all preprogrammed. Contrary to what some believe, we do not choose to be straight or gay. Come adolescence, a person is innately drawn toward one sex or the other.” – American Academy of Pediatricians

For further reading about Dr Benton’s sleazy organization and its assertions I highly recommend the excellent 4/5/2010 Box Turtle Bulletin post by Timothy Kincaid: “Bogus ‘American College of Pediatricians’ distributes deliberately fraudulent anti-gay propaganda to schools.”

CNN anchor Kyra Phillips is another perpetrator of misinformation. Under the guise of “balanced” reporting, Kyra recently interviewed Richard Cohen (right), an unlicensed “ex-gay therapist”, in her segment “Homosexuality -is it a problem in need of a cure?” As evident in the photo, one of the ways Cohen “cures” is by encouraging men to hold each other in semblance of father and child and thus address the supposed childhood trauma sustained from being raised by an emotionally-distant father. First asserted by Irving Bieber, MD in the 1960s as the cause of homosexuality, this hypothesis has long since been debunked but remains central dogma of the anti-gay fringe.

Quacks like Benton and Cohen will always exist but the pseudoscience they espouse should be recognized for what it is: snake oil “evidence” that only appear on the surface to support their baseless beliefs. They do not represent the other side of the coin nor the counterweight to a mass in balance. They are in fact nothing more than angry flies buzzing around a mountain of scientific evidence they would rather ignore.

“The nation’s leading professional medical, health, and mental health organizations do not support efforts to change young people’s sexual orientation through therapy and have raised serious concerns about the potential harm from such efforts.” – American Psychological Association

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