Health and Medical Information

Archive for February, 2009

There are many women who severely lack self esteem in the absence of fully grown beautifully curved breast. For these women undergoing a breast augmentation procedure is rather necessity than choice and most of them have confessed that a breast augmentation has brought significant changes in their lives.

Breast implants are used in the breast augmentation procedure for a fuller and enhanced beauty of the feminine breasts. The implants are used to repair the flaws of sagging breasts and to adjust the shape of the breasts. The breast implants—especially the silicone-gel-filled ones—-used in the breast augmentation procedures have always attracted fair share of media attention. They have faced both positive and negative publicities from time to time.

So what was the controversy all about? At one point of time, FDA was not ready to accept the use of silicone implants with the belief that they were susceptible to leakage which could be fatal for overall health. Some women with silicon implants and complained of chronic low-grade fever, fatigue and joint pain —-all of the disorders were attributed to their implants. This raised alarm among certain section of medical practitioners about a possible connection between silicone leaking into the body and the disorders such as scleroderma or rheumatoid arthritis. However, till then the saline implants were the only approved implants available in the United Sates are. It was based on the logic that saline is a natural product already found in the body and leakage of this substance will not possibly cause any health problem.

Now this decision was not welcomed by the patients as well as the surgeons who believed silicon implants resembled the natural breast tissues more than any other products. This forced FDA take up years long research and the outcome of research is:
FDA has now make silicone implants legal, and more women are opting for this implant with a more original look and feel.

The FDA concluded on the basis of its research that silicone-gel-filled implants would continue to be available. But the doctors were asked to use them only where saline-filled implants were not an option. This is the reason, why many cosmetic surgeons will recommend saline-filled implant over a silicon implant.

FDA has legalized the use of silicon implants only after stipulating a strict set of criteria. Patients using silicone-gel-filled implants are required to participate in a study designed to monitor their health for five years or more after surgery.

The other regulations relating to silicone breast implants as stipulated by the FDA are:

1.Replacement or revision of saline implants
2.Tuberous breast deformity
3.Congenital breast reconstruction
4.Breast augmentation to the opposite breast for symmetry
5.Augmentation with a breast lift (mastopexy)
6.Severe asymmetries of the breast
7.Breast cancer reconstruction

There are some other points to remember: the women below eighteen years of age are not entitled to get breast implant, the women having certain medical conditions or diseases that may affect wound healing also do not qualify for getting breast implants.

Before taking the decision you must be aware of the fact that breast augmentation procedure is not permanent. You may need to undergo one more surgery in about 10 years. There is no ground rules for the maximum duration of implants, but there are evidences that they sometime leak or rupture. In that case, you will need to have another procedure, either to remove or replace your implants.

Most importantly, if you are considering silicon implants, you must have discussion with your plastic surgeon about the possible side effects and expected result of the surgery. Also surf the internet to get information from various consumer groups and join the forums to connect to the women who have already had the surgery. Also study carefully the printed information that comes in the implant package.

Breast reconstruction with implants has become a very popular cosmetic procedure for millions of women of varying age group. Most of the women undergoing this surgery have reported their satisfaction and on the whole use of implants seems to be safe for health. Even then, keep the above mentioned safety guidelines in mind as added precaution and for best result and maximum satisfaction.

Find more Cosmetic Surgery and
Plastic Surgery info online.
For Lasik related articles: http://www.Lasik-fyi.info

Even a few years ago, cosmetic surgeries were largely associated with rich and famous who desperately wanted to cling to their glamorous image as long as they live! But what do you make out of the news that a fifteen years old girl demanded a breast augmentation cosmetic surgery package for her sixteenth birthday? Well, this indicates to the latest trend: plastic surgery is no longer a domain explored by those in their middle ages, who have significantly lost their youthful grace due to growing age. Today, it is the teenagers that significantly occupy the cosmetic surgery market. Be it a breast augmentation or a rhynoplasty, a lip job or a male breast reduction surgery—-you will encounter hundreds of young faces queuing up the plastic surgery clinics in anticipation of a new enhanced look.

If you are asked to define cosmetic surgery, you may probably choose these words to describe the procedure: a procedure aimed at improving patient’s appearance and self-image. Yes, this concept of self image is extremely important when you come to explain the recent craze of the teenagers about plastic surgery. According to ASPS, among the US teenagers, the numbers of cosmetic surgery candidates are on a constant rise.

ASPS also reports varying reasons for which the teenagers resort to a plastic surgery. For the US teenagers, being acceptable in the peer group is a major stimulus for plastic surgery. Then comes the factor of self image; most of the young people opt for the procedure from the belief that certain changes will make them more attractive.

While reconstructive procedures correct defects on the face or body including the physical birth defects like cleft lips, palates or ear deformities and traumatic injuries, cosmetic procedures involve altering the appearance of a part of the body that the person happens to have a strong disliking.

The cosmetic procedures chosen most commonly by the teenagers include nose reshaping, ear surgery, acne and acne scar treatment, and breast reduction for boys and breast augmentation for girls.

Here are few things a teenager should remember before jumping into decision:
1. You should not take up surgery as an option just to please somebody else.

2. If you are too self conscious at this phase of your life just because the smallness or largeness of some part of your body, you must be informed that this is only a passing phase of your life and there are enough time left to your body taking just the right shape.

3. Never choose plastic surgery as a means to weight loss at this point of your life—instead try healthy diet and physical exercise.

4. There are certain cosmetic procedures that are not performed on the young patients. They include: Breast enlargement (not under 18), Liposuction and ultrasonic liposuction, Cheek implants (not under 15).

5. However, nose reshaping, ear pinback and removal of Gynecomastia are the commonest procedures that are commonly performed on the teenagers.

However, many cosmetic surgeons believe, that cosmetic surgeries can dramatically improve physical and emotional health of some teenagers. If you have taken your decision in favor of a cosmetic improvement, take your parents into confidence; visit the plastic surgeon along with your parents to get an overview of the expected results and possible complications or downsides to the surgery. In a nutshell, cosmetic surgery is not a subject that a teenager should jump into abrupt decision. Go for the surgery only when you know you have all the necessary facts.

Find more Cosmetic Surgery and
Plastic Surgery info online.
For Lasik related articles: http://www.Lasik-fyi.info

If you’re physically dependent on a drug the sudden stopping of the drug may result in serious consequences. The treatment options for pain killer addiction include: medications, such as methadone and LAAM (levo-alpha-acetyl-methadol), and behavioral counseling; usually, the patient is medically detoxified before any treatment approach is begun. There are quite a few effective treatment options to treat pain killer addiction to prescription opioids and to help manage the sometimes severe withdrawal symptoms that can accompany the sudden stopping of pain killers or drugs.

More than 415,000 people received treatment for pain killer abuse or addiction in the past year. Although detoxification isn’t a treatment for pain killer addiction, it can help relieve the withdrawal symptoms while the patient adjusts to being free of pain killers or other prescription drugs. Opioids should never be taken when drinking alcohol, which is also a drug, or when alcohol may still be in the system.

Many chronic pain patients may be under-treated as a result of doctors who are trying to gain control over pain killer addiction, it’s reported. An opioid-dependent pain patient has improved function with the use of the drug while an opioid-addicted patient does not have any improvement. 2.2 million people aged 12 and up first abused painkillers within the past year. This is more than the number of people who started using marijuana and has overtaken the use of cocaine.

Addiction to pain killers is a rapidly escalating problem today, especially the abuse of opioid pain killers. The less common side effects and adverse reactions of pain killers are: confusion, hallucinations, delirium, hives, itching, hypothermia, bradycardia (slow heart rate), tachycardia (rapid heart rate), raised intracranial pressure, ureteric or biliary spasm, muscle rigidity and flushing. The common side effects and adverse reactions of pain killers are: nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, dry mouth, miosis (contraction of the pupil), orthostatic hypotension (blood pressure drops upon sudden standing)- which often happens when arising too fast when getting out of bed in the morning, urinary retention, constipation and fecal impaction.

Pain killer addiction includes the terms: opiate dependency, opiate addiction, narcotic dependency, narcotic addiction, and pain killer dependency or painkiller dependency. Opioids that are used as the doctor has prescribed are supposedly not dangerous according to some well-established medical groups; but if this is the case, why are so many people addicted to them? When you’re addicted physically to a drug, like pain killers or alcohol, etc., it’s because you’ve suppressed or shut down your body’s production of endorphins, which are natural opiate pain killers. When this happens you start craving the drug that you replaced the endorphins with whether it’s alcohol, any of a number of drugs or pain killers.

All the other demands of children, a job, school, or any other responsibilities may make inpatient treatment seem like an intrusion but it’s not. If you can’t do an in-patient rehab, find out how you can do outpatient rehabilitation and pay for it under your insurance plan. Check your insurance policy to see if its covered. There are many pain killer addiction treatment facilities located throughout the United States, Canada and other parts of the world.

Many insurance plans do cover inpatient detox. Check your policy if you have insurance. The longer you wait to get treatment the worse it’ll get so take action now. It’s important to get help. Don’t try to get off pain killers on your own.

Try to do things that make you feel good for an endorphin release as long as it’s natural. A patient being treated with a pain killer can become dependent, but with controlled and appropriate use of the medication, the patient can return to some level of normal living and normal activities following discontinuing of the drug. Researchers are working hard on different ways to optimize pain relief while reducing the risk of drug abuse, including reformulating certain drugs.

For more information on pain killer addiction symptoms and pain killer treatments go to http://www.Pain-Killer-Addiction.info specializing in pain killer addiction with nurse’s tips, help, quiz, blog and resources including information on pain killer treatment centers and natural addiction treatment