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Let’s face it…if you are actually thinking seriously about having some kind of Plastic Surgery, you want the absolute best surgeon you can find.

Wouldn’t a website that’s purpose is to educate and provide resources and support for people desiring plastic surgery be a great thing to use if you are in this position? I surely would use a website like this. Information and education is the key to getting the desired results.

For the most current relevant plastic surgery news and information about cosmetic surgery and all other types of plastic surgery, this resource is the key to your level of knowledge about these procedures. They will also provide information about board certified plastic surgeons in your area. They feature only the most highly trained and qualified plastic surgeons that are members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and/or the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

So, what happens when you eat a piece of chocolate cake?

First, your teeth come into contact with sugary foods. Tooth decay affects almost every person in the U.S. Sugar in the diet influences the sort of organisms that can colonize and grow on tooth surfaces. Everyone has some of these organisms, but people who consume a high-sugar diet have much more dental plaque.

When your chocolate cake reaches the small intestine, the sugar content of the cake passes quickly through the intestinal walls. This causes a fast and dramatic rise in the body’s blood glucose levels… your blood sugar level. Glucose is blood sugar and is the energy source for each cell in our bodies. Every move of our muscles burns glucose and the brain needs glucose for all of its activities.

When this is working properly, we have a constant and even amount of glucose circulating in the bloodstream. Want to hear something amazing? This amount is only approximately 2 teaspoons! Your chocolate cake contains 10 teaspoons. Far too much for your bloodstream to absorb and use. Insulin, which controls the amount of glucose in your blood, is secreted from the pancreas. As it attempts to regulate this excessive amount of sugar, more insulin is issued. The insulin does its job, but frequently does it too well. Your blood glucose level will drop back to normal and will actually continue to drop until too much glucose has been removed from the blood stream. This means that now our muscles, tissues, brain, and other vital organs will not have enough glucose available to perform the necessary functions that they need to accomplish.

Your piece of chocolate cake disrupts the normal blood glucose levels and actually leaves you hungrier in the long run.

Over consumption of sugar has been directly linked to the following conditions:

Anemia, kidney lesions, fat deposits in the kidney, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, duodenal ulcers, asthma, common cold, obesity, gout, gall stones, inflamed gall bladder, allergies, tooth decay, pyorrhea, infectious diseases, indigestion, hypoglycemia, dermatitis, heart disease, and diabetes.

Scientists theorize that humans are born with a preference for sweet foods. This preference likely remains with us for our entire lives. However, there are healthy alternatives that do not wreak the havoc that sucrose does on the human body. The two most readily available and healthy alternatives to processed sugar are raw honey and pure maple syrup. Give your body a chance to wean itself off the drug of processed sugar and give either honey or maple syrup a chance in your diet. You will be thankful both in the short and long term!

photo credit: Mel B.We are encouraged to think of sugary foods as wholesome and desirable. Our children’s fairy tales and stories are filled with sugary references, Hansel and Gretel for example. Every special occasion and holiday has its own sugar icon. Birthday cakes for birthdays, candy for Valentine’s Day, Easter baskets for Easter, candy canes for Christmas.

Cookbooks call for cups of sugar for dessert recipes. Coffee breaks would hardly be breaks without sugared coffee and doughnuts. Bake sales are huge ways to raise money and Girl Scout cookies are a much-anticipated annual event.

We even equate sugar with goodness. Little girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice. They then grow up to be someone’s “honey” or “sugarplum”.

Question: Is America committing gastronomic suicide with our current rate of sugar consumption?
Sugar (or sucrose as it is technically called) is more a drug than a food. Foods are supposed to have vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, trace minerals and elements. Sugar has none of these elements that are essential for life.

Most people don’t know how much sugar they eat. Why? It’s not a matter of just keeping track of how many teaspoons you sprinkle on your cereal or pour into your coffee. 75% of the sugar we eat is already present in the prepared and packaged foods and beverages we buy.

Sugar is virtually invisible. Very few food items are sugar-free and sugar is the largest single ingredient in the American diet.

Part II - What Happens When You Eat a Piece of Chocolate Cake?

There is now evidence showing that domestic animals not only provide great companionship, but they can also help prevent illness.

A recent study conducted by the University of Minnesota has highlighted the importance of regular contact with pets. The study showed that having a cat for a pet can reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke by just under 50 percent.

The study included 4,500 adults between the ages of 30 and 75 years. The study participants were followed for 10 years. The conclusion was that cat owners had a 40 percent lower risk of a fatal heart attack.

The correlation between stress and anxiety and cardiovascular problems has been standard information for years. The conclusion is that owning pets relieves some of the factors leading to these health problems.

Another study published in 2007 concluded that dog owners had lower cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure. Again, the conclusion is that dogs (as well as cats) directly improve humans’ health by improving stress levels.

Owning a pet can also improve a patient’s chances of survival after suffering a life-threatening illness. The effect pets have on blood pressure is thought to be the reason. Pets also help cut rehabilitation time following a stroke.

There is a charity that takes pets to patient centers to aid patients in their various recoveries. It is called Pets as Therapy (PAT) and was formed in 1983 by a group of pet owners who were sure that their pets could help others in need. Their initial goal was to help elderly patients who had been forced to give up their own pets to enter care facilities. The mission of PAT has grown over the years to now encompass the animals being used for desensitization in phobia patients, for aiding in stroke rehabilitation, for helping people regain the use of limbs again and to for relearning how to talk.

There are thousands of facilities that PAT animals frequent each year. After a slow start, there is now a waiting list. There are currently 3,600 dogs and 92 cats that work in the organization. The animals wear a brightly colored PAT vest and they are always freshly groomed to ensure sanitary conditions for patients.

Each PAT animal is carefully assessed prior to using them to make sure that they are properly behaved and will remain calm when they come into contact with patients.

Part of the benefit of pet ownership, especially among the elderly, is that a pet fulfills a need to be needed. Very often the emotional support given freely by an animal is far more meaningful than what can be offered by a human. Studies have also shown that children who have pets have higher self-esteem and are more emotionally secure and stable. Some teachers are even introducing pets into their classrooms to enhance the learning environment for children.

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Addendum:  I have an elderly neighbor that is a perfect illustration of this study and I am including it because it completely supports this study.  Last year, my neighbor’s adult children were going on an extended trip and they asked my neighbor to watch their two cats.  I believe the cat-sitting was approximately a month long - so there was plenty of time to watch what happened.

The change in my neighbor was astounding!  She suddenly had more purpose to her daily life and I enjoyed watching as she became visibly happier each day.  Basically, I can attest to the fact that this study just makes sense and I have actually seen this in action.  It really is true.  The end of the story?  My neighbor’s kids bought her a kitten and that cat and my neighbor are the best pair of companions!

Breast cancer kills women. In fact, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Lung cancer is number one.

It is estimated that 211,240 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. 40,410 have since died from the disease. These deaths should not have occurred. There is a potentially fatal flaw in our medical profession?s diagnostic procedure.

Could mammograms cause cancer?

The standard method for early cancer detection is mammography. A mammogram is a procedure during which an X-ray picture of the breast is taken that can reveal tumor growths that may be otherwise undetectable. Like all x-rays, mammograms utilize doses of ionizing radiation to create this image. The image is then analyzed for any abnormal growths. Mammography is now receiving sizable opposition because of high error rates and high radiation levels involved in the procedure.

The rate of false positives and false negatives is alarming. 70 to 80 percent of all positive mammograms do not show any presence of cancer upon biopsy. Additionally, mammograms have a high rate of missed tumors (false negatives). In the book The Politics of Cancer, Dr. Samuel S. Epstein claims that in women ages 40 to 49, 25% have their cancer missed by mammography.

Many women depend on an annual mammogram to diagnose breast cancer. Recent studies show, however, that an annual mammogram may actually increase your risk of developing breast cancer from 1 to 3 percent. This is because the breast is one of the parts of the body most sensitive to radiation exposure. It is second only to fetal tissue.

In addition, by the age of 50 approximately 45 percent of women will have cancer cells present in their breasts. These cells remain dormant in most women. However, if you are in this group of women, you are at an increased risk of these cells becoming active.

Research has uncovered a gene, called oncogene AC that is highly sensitive to even small doses of radiation. A significant percentage of women have this gene and this could increase their risk of mammography-induced cancer.

Since mammograms were introduced, the occurrence of a form of breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has increased by over 300 percent. Two hundred percent of this increase is thought to be due to mammography.

Mammography may also contribute to the spread of existing cancer cells due to the enormous pressure placed on the woman’s breast during the procedure. According to some physicians, this compression may even cause existing cancer cells to metastasize from the affected breast tissue.

Russell L. Blaylock, MD, estimates that annual radiological breast exams increase the risk of breast cancer by two percent a year. Over a 10 year period the risk will have increased by 20 percent.
Another estimation is that one rad increases the breast cancer risk by one percent and is the equivalent of one year’s natural aging. Hence, if a woman has yearly mammograms from age 55 to age 75, she will receive at least 20 rads of radiation.

The mainstream medical establishment is largely ignoring safe and effective alternatives to mammography.

One such option is digital mammography. This is a mammogram in which x-ray film is replaced by solid-state detectors that convert x-rays into electric signals. Though radiation is still used, this kind of digital mammography requires a much smaller amount. The electrical signals are used to create images that can be electronically manipulated. A physician can enhance, magnify and optimize different parts of the breast tissue digital image without having to take an additional image.

Mammography will extend at the most 2 lives for every 10,000 women put at risk. All to the benefit of physicians, the American Cancer Society, various bureaucrats, and other parties who continue to profit off the huge, highly efficient mammography deceit ? while safe alternatives exist!