Saturday, September 29, 2012

Exploring The Four Main Risks That Are Associated With Skin Mole Treatment

Let us take this opportunity to learn more about the four associated risks to skin mole treatments. It is our goal to have a full grasp on the dynamics behind these risks, especially on how they came about. With that knowledge, we will be in a better position to look for ways to mitigate or even eliminate those risks as we go about the treatments. We will keep those risks at bay by employing some precautions and safety measures. It is worth noting that the treatment of skin moles tends to be quite invasive. We're still a long, long way off from the time when you can simply wash down a capsule or a tablet with water and your skin moles would fade away. When we say "treating the moles", we are talking about procedures such as excision (cutting) or cauterization (burning) of the moles. They are, unfortunately, both of them, invasive. Being invasive medical procedures, they naturally come with various risks.
Now the first of the four main risks that are associated with skin mole treatment is the risk of infection. It is a risk that is present even if you are careful in choosing which treatment to use between excision and cauterization. But, to be sure, the risk is higher in cases where the procedure involves simple excision. During the mole removal procedure, it is highly possible that bacteria and other pathogens gain entry through the openings made on the skin and start messing around inside the body, resulting to various illnesses. The risk of infection can be reduced by having the procedure carried out under hygienic conditions. Many people ignore this part, thinking it's just a minor surgery anyway. There would be lower chances of infection if the medical practitioner or the doctor who is performing the skin mole treatment undertakes it with the same amount of care and diligence he practices in major operations or surgeries. As with any other major surgery, it is important that the area or room be made conducive to surgery, and that the surgical tools and implements have been thoroughly sterilized beforehand. Proper post-operative care can also reduce the chances of infection.
There is also a risk of the person who had the mole removed experiencing anesthetic allergy. Since moles are rooted deep in the skin, it is a given that before they are taken out, the person has to be administered with anesthesia first. However, there are some anesthetic agents that can cause allergies when administered to some people. It would be difficult to mitigate this risk for the simple reason that it is also difficult to tell whether a patient is predisposed to be allergic to the anesthetic agent that will be given.
A procedure to remove skin moles is invasive, so another risk present is nerve damage. This can be mitigated if the medical practitioner carrying out the treatment is very careful. In the course of the procedure, some nerves could go all over the place without any provocation. This could be due to certain anatomical differences among patients.
And the fourth major risk associated with skin mole treatment is the risk of scar formation. Take note that there is a possibility of an uglier-looking scar taking the place of the mole that has been previously removed. Keep in mind that you'd have lesser options in scar removal than you do in mole removal. What you could do, however, would be to try to hide or mask the presence of these scars using various tricks and tips.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Functional Foods: The Lines Have Blurred

The line between food and medicine has blurred considerably in the last two decades. Today our grocery aisles are flooded with foods that promise health benefits beyond their basic nutritional value. These benefits range from memory lapses cured by herbs, to digestive disturbances cured by beneficial bacteria (probiotics), to heart attacks prevented by plant sterols. In between there are thousands of products that claim to promote health or prevent disease.
The market for these so-called "functional foods" has become one of the fastest growing industries in the US. Already a multi-billion dollar industry, experts predict annual growth rates of 7% or higher for the functional food market, but no one dares predict how far this new wave may carry us. The red wine "pill" has already been developed, and some researchers already foresee the day of edible vaccines.
While the trend is certainly good for the health of processed food manufacturers, environmentalists and health policy experts worry that as the clamor for functional additives provide a slippery slope for more genetically modified foods. Nutritionists and scientists also see hazards for the consumer that may outweigh the benefits. Chief among them is simple safety.
Regulatory authorities around the world tend to be years behind the companies introducing these products. Our own FDA requires nutrition facts only for those substances with FDA daily values, such as vitamin A or calcium. Amounts of ingredients such as omega-3 fatty acid and probiotics are not regulated, so consumers can't know how much they should be ingesting, but manufacturers are not required to disclose how much or little they are putting in their foods.
Another concern is the possibility of overdose, or hyper-vitaminosis. The combination of taking multivitamins and also consuming fortified nutrition bars, health drinks and cereals may be too much of a good thing. Vitamin A, for example, is required at low doses, but may be toxic at levels only 10 times those required to prevent deficiencies.
Studies have suggested that long-term intake of a diet high in vitamin A may promote the development of osteoporotic hip fractures in women.
(1) The Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has also warned about consuming too much folic acid from food. The HSPH doesn't suggest we give up our daily multivitamin-multimineral supplement, but that we avoid heavily fortified foods that deliver a full day's dose--or sometimes more--of folic acid.
(2) The most basic concern, however, is that these new prescription foods might encourage consumers to switch from a diverse, healthy diet to a basically unhealthy one - with an increasing reliance on functional: additives or modifications. The front package claim, "Fortified with essential vitamins and minerals," on products like breakfast cereal and drinks can be a powerful distraction from the fact that these products often contain high amounts of sugar. While enriched or fortified foods can make significant contribution to nutrient intakes, they do not have the same nutritional benefits as the whole foods for which they substitute. The whole food will always be superior.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

What Foods and Diets Cause Low Libido in Men

In another article I mentioned "the big 3" factors on how to increase sexuality in men. I want to get a little bit more specific now on diet. In particular, what foods and ingredients would destroy libido.
Soy is the first culprit here. Avoid this ingredient altogether! Yes soy is a bad thing and can increase estrogen levels in both men and women. Soy is everywhere in processed food so beware! Next time you are out shopping look at the ingredient labels and you'll see what I mean! Some will argue to me and say "what about food like tempeh?" Now here's a little bit of the difference. Fermented and unfermented soy are two different things. Fermented soy is actually fine. I personally wouldn't have too much of it but understand, fermented soy is a big process in preparing food, getting rid of things like phytic acids and such and such. Too much in depth information to cover in a small article. Unfermented soy is the former in which I mentioned. Soy is cheap, easily used as a filler for food and definitely bad for you. Throw away that tofu!
Trans fat is the next thing here. Maybe people will argue with me and say, even yes it is bad, it won't exactly lower libido. I say it does since trans fat clogs your arteries and clogged arteries mean less blood flow to any part of your body. It won't affect libido directly (at first) but it can affect it indirectly. Trans fat is not usually found in the label so you have to look at the ingredients again for this. However, trans fat won't be said on the ingredient label since it's not really called trans fat. To find trans fat just remember the word "hydro" If you see anything with that word then put it back on the shelf. An example is "hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" etc. Know the margarine on the shelf that stays there for 5+ years and ever wondered how that exactly worked? Trans fat, or that hydrogenated goodness is the reason.
Low fat diets actually cause testosterone to plummet. Our body needs fat and needs a lot of it from food. Saturated fat, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated fat, we need them! Trans fat is the only fat we should avoid. We also need cholesterol too since that is a steroid hormone in our body and our body, even if it produces 70% of its daily requirement still needs it from foods. Fat is what helps cell membranes function, helps hormones get regulated and is what keeps us alive.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Considerations Regarding Treatments For Facial Mole Removal

When you are in the process of looking for a treatment to remove your facial moles, there are sure to be many considerations to be made. We will name four of the most important ones here. It is our aim in this article to fully flesh out these considerations so we can have a better grasp of what we're up against. At a general level, we have to keep it in mind that the removal of moles (just like the removal of all other skin moles), tends to entail the use of certain surgical procedures. Facial moles can also be sometimes excised off the skin with a sharp surgical tool. Anesthesia would have to be administered prior to the actual excision, though. Aside from those, cauterization is also a possibility, as noted by many medical experts.
Now, the first thing you have to keep in mind when seeking mole removal treatment is that the treatment will almost certainly be invasive. We have already mentioned two of these options: excision and cauterization. Those who are looking for less invasive treatments would most likely turn to laser treatment. However, you have to know that laser treatment has not gained much success when it comes to deep-seated moles. Unfortunately that leaves us to make our choice between two highly invasive procedures: cauterization and excision. If you go for cauterization, we must warn you that some excision would still have to be performed before the mole is burned off.
Your next concern would be the cost that mole removal would demand from you, as it could be quite pricey. A health insurance would take care of this problem for you. But if your health insurer deems mole removal as a cosmetic procedure and does not have really anything to do with your health, you might not be able to rely on your health insurance.
The third thought would be: would the treatment leave a scar after the mole has been removed? You would have to think about your options carefully because even if you managed to get rid of the mole, you might be left with an uglier scar.
Next, you have to think carefully and assess if the treatment could possibly lead to you having infections. Remember that, in essence, you are undergoing a surgical procedure if you are having your moles removed. All surgical procedures have a risk of infection, and that includes the mole removal treatment, no matter how simple or straightforward you deem it to be.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Useful Information on In Vitro Fertilization Treatments

A mother is born the moment she gives birth to her child. Pregnancy is certainly a turning point in a women's life. In today's hectic world, consumption of contraceptive i-pills and eating unhealthy diet can affect the ability of a woman to conceive. This situation affects the physical and mental health of a woman. Unfortunately, there are thousands of women all over the world who are unable to give birth or conceive in the natural way. It is a tough situation for the couple. If you too are one of them, then there is ray of hope as now you can get in touch with a fertility clinic. These clinics help woman who are not able to conceive. Medical experts have introduced In vitro fertilization to help such women.
In vitro fertilization has earned great popularity in the recent years. If you are thinking about the treatment, you need to become familiar with the benefits and IVF cost. Babies conceived through In vitro fertilization are also called as Test Tube Babies. This treatment gives hope to those women who cannot have babies. It is an option for those women who have reproductive complications ranging from tubal blockage, uterine or tubal scarring, or infertility resulting from endometriosis. This treatment consists of the fusion of an egg and sperm in a controlled medical environment. The fertilized egg is then introduced into the uterus of the woman. A single round of IVF involves implantation of about 3 or 4 embryos, as the chances of failure of a single embryo are more. Because of the multiple embryos being implanted into the uterus, there is a greater possibility of the treatment being successful.
The main aim of In vitro fertilization is to help woman to become pregnant with safe treatments. Thus, in case if fertilization is not taking place in her womb, the medical experts fertilize the ovum and sperm in the test tube. After 3 to 5 days the embryo is placed in the woman's uterus. Thus, after the successful implantation of the embryo in the uterus there are better chances that a woman would get pregnant. Normally, IVF costs are about $12,500 a cycle. As the first cycle produces odds of about 25% effectiveness, it may take multiple cycles to produce a viable embryo. This treatment has come as bliss for many couples who can't have babies. It is a less invasive procedure that is a ray of hope for many couples. There are infertility clinic that provide this treatment.
Surrogacy procedures have benefitted a number of gay couples and it has helped them to have their own babies. This medical procedure has made gay parenting possible. If you are a lesbian couple who wants to have your own babies, then you can check for the best clinic that offers Lesbian ivf. The fertilization clinics make sure that you get the best medical treatment so that the chances of the development of the embryo would increase and you can become pregnant. The procedure is very easy if you opt for reliable and trustworthy medical experts. The rate of success depends on the age. You must give it a try now and not wait until it's too late.