Archive for the ‘Quit Smoking’ Category

Tummy Tuck: What to Expect From Your Procedure

January 29th, 2010 admin

Tummy tucks are a common cosmetic procedure used to flatten and firm the abdomen. A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, can also repair weakened or separated abdominal muscles. Patients whom have had a child or multiple children or have lost large amounts of weight are often left with saggy, empty skin that will not tighten no matter what exercises are tried or creams are applied.

To be a good candidate for this procedure, you should be physically healthy and at a stable weight. You should quit smoking permanently and have realistic expectations about plastic surgery outcome. If you are bothered by the feeling that your stomach is too large and you are willing to go through with a permanent body alteration, you should set up a consultation with a plastic surgeon.

A tummy tuck can not take away stretch marks, though many of the scars below the belly button may be removed when the operation is performed. The procedure will flatten the abdomen significantly. Much of the excess fat and skin will be removed, leaving you with a much more attractive, youthful stomach.

An abdominoplasty is moderately to severely painful, requiring two to six weeks of healing time. Most patients can return to work after one to two weeks. During recovery, your doctor may give you a few tips to help you heal faster. Walk around every hour and be sure to flex your feet to keep dangerous blood clots from forming. At first, this may seem like torture, but soon, you will realize walking helps to ease the pain. Flex your hips gently as often as possible in order to keep your sutures from becoming too tight. Any activities that cause discomfort, such as bending, lifting or twisting should be curtailed.

There are safety precautions that should also be taken. Many doctors recommend not lifting anything over fifteen pounds for at least two weeks. Showers should not be taken until the drains have been removed. Baths are strictly prohibited for the first two weeks post-op.

The biggest factor when deciding whether or not to get a tummy tuck is pain. It will be sever enough that you will require help doing almost everything for at least a week. You may not be able to stand upright fully for up to two weeks. But once those two weeks have passed, you will stand straight with pride and a beautiful body contour. Most patients who have had a tummy tuck will tell you that the pain is well worth it.

When deciding whether or not an abdominoplasty is right for you, keep in mind that your surgery will only be as good as the surgeon. Your selected surgeon should have proper certification, hospital privileges, malpractice insurance and an excellent reputation. There is a high concentration of plastic surgeons in Los Angeles. Many well known surgeons, such as Dr. Jay Calvert, practice in Beverly Hills. Dr. Calvert has been featured on the Tyra Show and can be reached for consultation.

Dr. Jay Calvert is a well known, board certified plastic surgeon specializing in aesthetic surgery. His work, including philanthropic cases, has been featured on the Tyra Show numerous times. He is currently accepting new patients and can be reached through his website.

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Penis – Hygiene, Women's Perspective And Benefits of Penis Pumps

January 29th, 2010 admin

Penis is one of the most important organs of the human body. It’s of paramount importance that you know about the various aspects of the penis like penis hygiene, r penis size and the various benefits and side effects of penis pumps.

Maintaining penis hygiene

If you are facing some sex health problems, the reasons might be closer to home than you initially suspect. You might not be taking proper care of your penis in terms of hygiene, which is affecting its erectile capabilities. Apart from cleaning and washing the penis other aspects of maintaining penis hygiene include:

A healthy and well-balanced diet

Nothing can take the place of a nutritious diet when it comes to maintaining the health and internal hygiene of the body. A diet rich in fibres and low on saturated fats prevents the accumulation of fatty deposits that clog arteries and reduce penile blood flow.

Quit those cigarettes

Smoking leads to a constriction of blood vessels, leading to a formation of arterial plaque. This decreases blood flow to the penis, resulting in impotence

Stay away from drugs

The intake of narcotics will put you at the risk of erectile dysfunction. Addiction to alcohol is also detrimental to the general health and the prospects of getting an erection.

Exercise and nutritional supplements

Regular exercise is the key to maintaining body health. You need to exercise for at least half an hour every day. It would also be a good idea to start off on a regular intake of nutritional supplements like Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin B complex. There are also specific herbs like Ginseng, Wild Yam and Saw Palmetto that are known for their positive effect against weak erection or impotence.

Penis size and its importance for women

It seems there’s always been a debate around whether penis size is important for women. There is a debate, because there is no conclusive proof either way. There is no doubt, however, that it is men who are more obsessed about the size of their penis. Women just want the size of the penis to be adequate. Most women don’t select a partner based on the size of his penis. It’s important to not be insecure about your penis size just because you think women consider it important. Also, if you do want to enlarge your penis or increase its size, you can take the help of various devices; the penis pump being one of them.

Penis pumps – Benefits

Penis pumps bring to people suffering from erectile dysfunction various benefits.

Better erections

The suction action of penis pumps brings about an erect penis. This erection is better and can be sustained longer than the normal erection of somebody suffering from erectile dysfunction.

Increasing size of penis

The use of penis pumps has been seen to increase the size of the penis. What they do is that they actually help you use your penis size in the best possible manner. By pumping as much blood as possible into the penis, your penis becomes filled with blood and enlarges to the maximum possible size.

Pleasurable activity and makes penis more sensitive

Many men who have used penis pumps have experienced a pleasurable tingling sensation that has aroused them and which they make use of during masturbation. Also, the use of penis pumps makes the penis more sensitive.

Penis pumps – Possible side effects

If penis pumps are used by following all the instructions to the T, there is very little or no danger of side effects. If due care is not taken then the side effects could include a numbness that permeates the penis due to a lack of blood circulation. Going overboard in its usage can lead to a bruising of the penis and also leads to intense pain. Misuse of penis pumps could also lead to vascular damage.

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Preventing Diabetes

January 29th, 2010 admin

Even if you do not suffer from diabetes (which can be a very difficult condition to manage) it is very important for your well being to take the right measures in order to remain healthy and to prevent it. There are some easy steps you can take in order to achieve this, such as adopting and maintaining a healthy life style. Not only will this reduce the risk of developing the condition of diabetes, which can come in many forms, but it can also prevent other serious conditions such as a heart disease. Adopting a healthy lifestyle can mean many things, but the good news is that there is really no need to exaggerate anything to achieve this. It just basically means eating healthy (maintaining a healthy diet), keeping your weight to a normal level for your height (you can find lots of information on this on the web, such as charts), undertaking exercise and sport (even if you are not very fit as a person, a simple everyday walk can mean a lot for your health!), quitting bad habits (such as smoking or excessive drinking ) and reducing your exposure to stress (this means trying to fix and addressing any aspect of your life that causes stress for you, within the limits of possibility of course!).

It is also OK for your new and healthy lifestyle to continually change, improve and adapt (depending on your knowledge, requirements, resources and time) as you learn how to properly make changes for the better. However don’t start something and then quit (or not stick with the plan). New technology advances and new health discoveries will help surely help you with this (if you choose to go down this path). It is crucial that you learn anything you can about different aspects of positive lifestyles and adapt to it! Like we said in the beginning, do not exaggerate anything and only do things that you feel comfortable with.

Eating healthy foods is an easy step to start with. This means that you should minimize fast-food, junk-food, and not too many sugary sweets please; they can have a nasty effect on your health and blood sugars (glucose) if they are consumed over a long periods of time. Medical research has shown that by adopting a healthy diet you greatly reduce the risks of developing various conditions, especially the chronic diseases such as diabetes. Choose a healthy diet that includes a large amount of fruit and vegetables, which contain the important fibre you need to lower the rate (or slow down) sugar (glucose) absorption from the gastrointestinal tract, so your blood glucose levels don’t rise too quickly! It is also very important to consume vegetables as they are (raw) and try not to overcook them as they lose all their wonderful healthy nutrients. A good healthy diet is also one that contains low fat, low salt low cholesterol and low saturated fat (less than 6 g per 100g). The cholesterol is a major factor for heart disease not helped by too many fast-food type of meals. Always be well informed of the nutritional content when consuming new types (and old types!) of food; again there is a lot of useful information on this topic out there.

It is equally important to maintain a normal healthy weight for your body. It is proven and you surely know this by now, that excess body fat often times leads to heart (cardiovascular) conditions and other health problems, such as Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

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New Puppy Advice – The Don'ts Of Adding A New Puppy To The Family

January 29th, 2010 admin

Endless books, magazines, and Internet articles have addressed the basics when getting a new puppy. But regardless of just how simple and repetitive puppy care information may become, like anything else in life, always refer back to those basics for timeless advice.

Check out the following “Don’ts” when a new puppy has arrived in your home:

1. Don’t strike at your puppy, no matter how heinous the crime may be. All you will do is frighten the little guy and possibly injure him in the process. You have to keep in mind that he is a complete stranger to your home and your entire world. Remember that he has just been separated from his mother and as far as his little mind is concerned, you look nothing like her!

In this regard, don’t use any objects to spank your dog either. Justifying such punishment by using a rolled up newspaper instead of your hand will not suffice. Refrain from ALL physical hitting.

2. Don’t leave any items around the house that you cherish. It may be an old saying, but it’s certainly true: Puppies eat EVERYTHING! If you want to keep those new socks free from holes then put them up. Still haven’t quit that smoking habit of yours? Guess what? Your new puppy would love nothing more than to chew on those cigarettes that are lying around the house. And just because your new iPod cannot be torn up like an old sock, your new puppy will spend plenty of time trying to gnaw his way through it.

3. Don’t allow every visitor that comes by the house to handle your puppy. In fact, you should even restrict some family members from handling the new puppy, at least for the first week or two. If too many human hands pick him up then he may become a nervous dog that could have negative socialization issues.

4. Don’t pick your new puppy up by his forelegs. Children are the first to commit this crime as they are not as careful with small dogs as adults are. A puppy’s legs are not strong enough for someone to lift him up by. When this happens you will hear your puppy shriek in pain. The injury may be so severe that his appetite is lost, he runs a fever, and grows listless. When this happens, be sure to contact the veterinarian as soon as possible.

5. Don’t leave any holes uncovered inside of the house. Like cats, puppies are insanely curious and would literally kill themselves if nobody was watching out for them.

6. Don’t leave any electrical wires where your new puppy can reach them. These little guys love to chew on wires if left out. There have been hundreds of stories of little dogs who died from electrocution simply because their owners neglected to puppy-proof the inside of the home.

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Understanding Social Anxiety Symptoms

January 28th, 2010 admin

Social anxiety disorder occurs when you become very anxious and overly self-conscious in what could be considered a normal social interaction. And, as a result, you suffer great emotional distress because you think that you are being judged and evaluated by other people. Social anxiety symptoms are likely to manifest themselves in the following situations: 1) you meet someone for the first time, 2) you get teased or criticized, 3) you are aware of being watched while you are doing something, 4) you become the center of attention for an extended period of time, 5) you are introduced to someone who is in a position of authority, 6) you participate in an ice-breaking activity that requires you to speak, or 7) you are involved in some type of interpersonal relationship. Now, while this list is pretty descriptive in giving you a general idea of what social disorder is, this list is by no means exhaustive. Most of the above situations will give rise to physical symptoms. You may sweat profusely, breathe fast, feel your heart pounding in your chest, and so on. As a result of the above, you may find yourself practicing the following behaviors so that you remain ‘safe’: 1) Speaking quietly or mumbling so no-one can hear you 2) Speaking quickly so you can “get it out of the way” 3) Not wanting to say anything that disagrees with anyone else because everyone will then look at you and you will feel embarressed 4) Avoiding eye contact because you know you will go red (and if you go red everyone will notice which will make you blush even more!) … and so on. If you seek professional medical help in dealing with your social anxiety symptoms, you may very well get prescribed either some type of medication and/or some type of psychotherapy or psychiatric therapy. The medications that are likely to be prescribed to you include, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (such as fluoxetine; tricyclics (such as imipramine); monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) (such as phenelzine); high-potency benzodiazepines (such as clonazepam, and azapirone); and beta-blockers (such as propranolol).

The psychotherapy that is usually prescribed is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) which is a very active and focused type of mental treatment. This particular therapy has been proven to be very successful in treating those who suffer with social anxiety. When you suffer from social disorder, it is not recommended that you force yourself to experience the types of social interactions that cause your distress. At the same time, it is not recommended that you avoid them altogether either. Instead, you should take your time to slowly and gradually work yourself up to the place where you really see yourself being eventually. One of the ways to do this is to find a way to re-think your interactions. Next time you find yourself in a social situation and you are feeling a little anxious, change your thoughts. Look at the first situation above. If you are about to meet someone, instead of thinking ‘they will find me boring and uninteresting’, change this to ‘I am going to give this person a warm smile and firm handshake. They will soon see what an interesting person I am.’ If you keep this up, these kind of positive thoughts will soon become second nature. Also, you can help yourself deal with your social anxiety symptoms by using the following self-help strategies: try to avoid or limit your caffeine intake, moderate your alcoholic beverage intake, quit smoking, and get yourself adequate amounts of sleep.

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Swine Flu: The Commerce of Fear

January 28th, 2010 admin

While the “epidemic” begins to look more and more like a media fabrication as pieces of a larger, horrifying truth begin to slot into place, it is more important that you protect yourself and your loved ones from the flu vaccines than influenza itself.

Let’s look over some rather interesting facts about this year’s attempt to scare the bejeezus out of us.

The swine flu is simply a flu. It is not even a particularly deadly and is milder than the normal seasonal flu. But, oh boy, has it been hyped up in the press!

This year will be the first time both seasonal and pandemic flu vaccines have both been administered. Each flu requires two inoculations. We are told the reason for that is single inoculations have failed to produce sufficient antibodies, which is an admission that prior flu vaccines were virtually useless. So, were we conned in previous years and how then can we trust what we are told this time?

Adjuvants are added to vaccines to boost production of antibodies ( an adjuvant is an agent added to a vaccine to stimulate the immune system and increase the response to the vaccine) but there is evidence these can trigger autoimmune reactions. Some adjuvants being used are mercury (thimerosal), aluminum and squalene – all toxic substances. Mercury is even more brain-toxic than lead.

The vaccine, also known as “Swine Flu Goo,” also contains, as a matter of interest, antifreeze. This is very thoughtful what with winter coming on but a list of its ingredients reads like something scraped up from the bottom of a skip outside an abattoir and as a responsible parent I will not be giving it to my kids.

This is the first year that mock vaccines have been used to gain FDA approval. In other words, the vaccines that have been tested and approved are not the same vaccines your children will be given.

In many countries, particularly the United States, over-vaccination has become an epidemic in itself, albeit a profitable one for the pharmaceutical manufacturers that appear to have taken over our governments. American children, for instance, are administered an incredible 29 vaccines by the age of two! Even veterinarians have backed off from over-vaccinating dogs because of observed adverse effects.

Autism is on the rise and modern medicine still has no explanation for this very modern disease. Interestingly, it appears to be more of a problem in countries that heavily vaccinate. The Amish on the other hand do not vaccinate and there is no autism reported among their children.

Quite aside from the physical complications brought about by excessive use of vaccination, many researchers warn that over-use of the flu vaccine and anti-flu drugs making the virus more likely to mutate. Indeed, most seasonal influenza virus strains are now resistant to Tamiflu and it has become nearly worthless against them.

Public health authorities meanwhile exhibit astonishing negligence in that practical ways to strengthen immunity against the flu are consistently neglected, with no options outside of vaccines and anti-flu drugs being offered the citizenry. There is a general decline in resistance to disease due to compromised immune systems and this has been the cue for pharmaceutical corporations to step in with a highly profitable culture of vaccination against everything in sight. This is despite the very strong evidence that vitamins C, E and D, chlorophyll, beta carotene and the trace minerals zinc and selenium boost the immune system. However, educating the public on boosting their immune systems, while it might save lives, increased the quality of life and slash the national health bill, would be of no use to the pharmaceutical corporations who would find inhibited their opportunities to profit from the sale of drugs and vaccines.

There is by the way a strong suspicion in some quarters that the Swine Flu virus is man made. Virologists do admit that this unusual part swine flu/part avian flu/part human flu virus must have taken time to develop. But it somehow wasn’t detected by hundreds of flu monitoring stations across the globe before it suddenly popped up in Mexico. On April 24, 2009 Dr. John Carlo, Dallas County Medical Director, hinted that the H1N1 strain of the Swine flu may have been engineered in a laboratory. He is quoted in the Globe & Mail, Canada, as saying: “This strain of swine influenza that’s been cultured in a laboratory is something that’s not been seen anywhere actually in the United States and the world, so this is actually a new strain of influenza that’s been identified.”

Cast your mind back to the previous swine flu scare in 1976 when the swine flu suddenly appeared at a military base. Read the newspapers from that time: the scaremongering then was remarkably similar to the scaremongering taking place 33 years later. In 1976 also, a vaccine was produced and millions of Americans were vaccinated. But it is a matter of record that the vaccine did more harm than the disease, causing hundreds of cases of Guillain Barre syndrome and several deaths.

Over $9 billion has been allotted by the federal government to develop and deliver an unproven and experimental flu vaccine and, just as in 1976, the US Federal government is heavily involved in promoting the swine flu vaccine with highway billboards and plans to conduct military-style mass inoculations. This is wonderfully remunerative for the pharmaceutical corporations in whose interests President Obama’s White House seems to have some as yet undisclosed investment but why this massive mobilisation of resources over a flu that is not a particularly bad one? After all, the wholesale drugging of US troops in the Middle East with psychotropic medications has killed more Americans through suicide than the flu virus in the homeland but there has not been the same vast mobilisation of resources to prevent further deaths.

It should also be pointed out that rapid mass inoculations will mean that if side effects from these untested, fast-tracked vaccines do occur, it will be too late – adverse effects will emerge only after vast number of people have already been injected. Of course, if this nightmare scenario does occur, I am confident that governments with weak allegiance to the truth and even weaker allegiance to their own citizens will be equal to the task of shifting the blame.

Will we ever be told whether the current flu vaccine is deadly? Well, if it turns out to be, it will not be the first time. In 1993 in the US, the government hid a flu vaccine that killed thousands of nursing home patients. The vaccine-related mortality was so high that it set back the average life expectancy of Americans for the first time since the 1918 Spanish flu! Mortality reports take a year or two to tabulate and the federal government may choose not to reveal the true mortality rate and whether it was related to the flu or the vaccines. “Oh that couldn’t happen!” you say. Well, it did in 1993!

In the US, the federal government looks set to coerce Americans into submitting to vaccination: a further erosion of traditional freedoms in mimicry of the more authoritarian France, which has already ordered enough vaccine to inoculate the entire population and has informed a bemused populace that vaccination will be mandatory. The US government appears meanwhile to be less confident of the meek acquiescence of her citizens and will wait until disinformation campaigns have thoroughly terrified the populace before acting against its own population.

It is a matter of record that public health authorities have cried wolf every flu season to get the public to line up for flu shots. Remember the Bird Flu epidemic? In the US they regularly publish the false figures of 36,000 annual flu-related deaths so as to frighten the public into submitting to flu shots. Yet the truth is that figure is disingenuous, being is based on the combined deaths from pneumonia in the elderly and the flu. Probably 5000–6000 or so flu-related deaths occur each year, although very few h
ealthy people die from it. Most of those who perish already have other serious health problems that leave them weakened and vulnerable. Swine Flu by comparison has so far killed just a tenth of that number.

The news media, as if under orders, has acted more like a propaganda machine in its stunningly irresponsible stirring up of unfounded fear over this flu season. One of the tactics in this scaremongering has been to luridly report every swine flu death. When many more die of the seasonal flu annually with few if any individually reported at all, why choose to loudly trumpet each and every of the fewer swine flu deaths – unless the intent is to frighten the public and get them to submit to the vaccine?

Some Tips: Protect Yourself Without Harmful Drugs

Follow these simple guidelines and keep your health and immune system in tip-top working order so that you’re far less likely to catch the flu to begin with.

Take blue-green algae as part of a healthy diet. Having tried it myself and become enthused by its benefits, I have written a FREE book that will tell you all you need to know about this wonderful natural product. You can pick one up by visiting the website at the bottom of this article.

Take lots of vitamin D. For exactly how much, consult a nutritionist. Vitamin D deficiency is very likely the real reason we have problems with flu – not the flu virus itself.

Avoid sugar and processed foods. Sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately.

Get enough rest. If your body is overly tired it will be harder for it to fight the flu.

Exercise. When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow.

Increase your intake of healthy and essential fats like the omega-3 found in krill oil or fish.

Avoid processed food.

Wash your hands to decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people.

Eat garlic. Garlic works like a broad-spectrum antibiotic against bacteria, virus, and protozoa in the body and it is an absolutely safe product to use. But if you are allergic, avoid as it will.

Avoid hospitals and vaccines. Stay away from hospitals if you can: they are prime breeding grounds for infections of all kinds, and could be one of the likeliest places you could be exposed to flu bugs of all kinds.

Quit smoking if you can. I know it is not easy – I’ve been there. But trust me, you’ll be amazed at how much getting off the dreaded weed can boost your health!

If you or your child catches flu, assist recovery using more traditional cold and flu remedies, such as hydrogen peroxide solution in the ear, zinc lozenges, high quality raw honey, or a homemade cough syrup.

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