Transform those handlebars to something more!

If you are looking for a more natural way to enhance your breasts than the typical silicone, a new procedure is out that involves removing fat from other parts of your body and placing it in your desired location, mostly breasts.

According to an article on msnbc.com, the procedure combines two of the most popular surgeries in America. In 2008 there were 307,000 breast augmentations and 245,000 liposuction procedures administered.

Dr. Roger Khouri, a Miami plastic surgeon, says that the procedure appeals to many women because it gives them a 2-for-1 deal : using lipo to take away fat from unwanted areas such as the stomach, or muffin-top area, and replacing it in the breats to give women a larger cup size.

I think that this a great concept because a lot of women react negatively to foreign objects that are placed in their body and reject, for example, silicone breast implants.

How do you feel about this form of procedure?

Gardasil for Men

HPV- the Human Papiloma Virus. The cause of 70 percent of all cervical cancer.

I'm sure everyone has seen the Gardasil commercials, with the girls who always say, "I will not be a statistic." Gardasil studies have show that it is nearly a 100 percent effective immunization treatment in preventing pre-cancerous cervical lesions from four different HPV strains.

According to an article from heathnews.com, the vaccine Gardasil had been approved in early October for males ages 9 to 26. But a study, from the British Medical Journal, the same month revealed the vaccine for males was not cost effective, and that cost outweighed the health benefits. The CDC has now voted against its use as a routine vaccination for men. However, they still recommend that males get the vaccine to protect themselves from the transmission and adquisistion of genital warts and HPV.

The study said "assuming lifelong protection among 75 percent coverage, the routine vaccination of girls who were 12 years of age was found to be a good value at less than $50,000 per quality adjusted life year. However, by adding boys of the same age, the cost-effectiveness ratio was increased to over $100,000 per quality adjusted life year."

I think it is absurd that they voted against Gardasil as a routine vaccination for males. In a case like this, where cervical cancer claims 4,000 female's lives alone, how can cost outweigh the health benefits. Males are carriers for HPV, and tranfer the STD during sex. If men were to get the vaccine it could potentially prevent them from contracting HPV and transferring it to others. I think when it comes to health, cost should never outweigh health benefit-- especially when it comes to saving lives.

Swine '09 Update

I was reading an online article from msnbc.com today about how this week is the deadliest week for children with swine flu.

According to this article by the Associated Press, swine flu has caused 19 more children's deaths, the largest one-week increase since the breakout in April (where since then there have been about 114 children's deaths.)

Although it may seem that swine flu has made itself comfortable around townl and people don't give it that much attention as when it first brokeout, it's still a subject matter that should be taken with precaution.

Healthy Halloween Snacks

The goblins, ghosts, pirates and Bill Clinton's all come knocking door-to-door with their pillowcases (because we all know that that kids with the pillowcases were hardcore candy hunters) for tasty sugar-filled candies on Halloween.

I went on a search for some healthy Halloween treats to counteract the cavity inducing candies that many people consume. At skinnychef.com, I found a great Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cookie recipe, made from whole wheat and molasses, which adds iron and fiber to your diet. Just buy a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter.

Ingredients:

• 3 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour or oat flour

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup trans-fat free margarine

• 1 cup peanut butter

• 3/4 cup brown sugar

• 2 egg whites

• 1 tablespoon molasses

• 2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

• Mix the whole wheat flour, baking soda and salt.
  

• In a separate bowl beat margarine , peanut butter and sugar until well combined. Beat in the egg whites, molasses and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture.

• Spread dough out onto a piece of wax paper about 18-inches long. Press another sheet of wax paper on top and roll the dough out so that it spans the entire sheet of wax paper. Fold in half.

• Refrigerate about 1 hour until firm. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 large cookie sheets with non-stick spray. Peel back one of the sheets of wax paper. Dip the cookie cutter into the remaining flour and cut out your shapes. Transfer to baking sheets.

• Bake 9-10 minutes until the pumpkins are firm to the touch.
  

Check out another SkinnyChef recipe, Coco Bat Cookies , if you want another tasty Halloween treat.

Vacations are no freebie

I'm walking down the street in Sydney, Australia, on my lunch break. I pass a gas station, and my eyes peer into the open door and zoom in on the chocolate candy bars and potato chips. I already had lunch, but I want something to top it off. Something salty or sweet. Inner dialogue: I do need some more energy and it will definitely hold me over until after work. An hour later, I am regretting my decision to eat that junk food.

Why is it that when I'm in a foreign country all of my regular eating habits disappear, and I feel that it is O.K. to eat anything and everything?

Granted, I give myself a little leeway when I go on vacations, but I was living in Sydney for three months. That's a long vacation of binge eating.

Vacation Smarts from MSNBC.com has some tips from health nutritionist Keri Glassman on how to manage to eat smart when on the go, or on vacation.

• If you know you will be away for a long period of time, bring snacks for about every couple of hours. Glassman said to bring something low-calorie and crunchy for when you feel like just picking.
• If McDonalds or fast food is an only option for a quick fix, choose a plain hamburger, even instead of a grilled chicken sandwich (lower calories in the burger).
• Or if you are on a lunch break and a quick stop at the newsstand is all you have time for, choose fruit, a yogurt or a low-calorie bar.

Next time I go abroad I will try more self-control.

The sting is worse than the bite

It was so quick that I didn't even feel the attackers leave their mark on me. It's the aftershock. The burning sensation in your skin that makes you look down. But you only see the swollen, red skin. They have already moved on.

Yesterday I was foolishly standing near a fire ant hill, when they found me. Now, I lay in bed trying not to itch the burning sensation that covers my right foot, but I eventually give in to the most glorious scratching-fest. I can't help it. When I have a scratch, I itch it. Bad move. Because after that one give-in, that one scratch, it's like Pringles: Once you pop, the fun don't stop.

After reading up on an article from the Medical University of South Carolina, I learned to process of the fire ant attack and why the sting is the worse part.

The ants will swarm onto a foot, for example, and after a signal the female ants will bite your skin, insert their stinger and inject the venom in, and quickly leave to a different spot to attack.
It is done so quickly that there is little pain, but the burn comes from the venom that is now flowing through your veins.

The article leaves some tips on how to treat fire ant bites, with the most important one : Don't scratch, because it can lead to infection and a slower healing process.

I wish I had stronger will power to resist the itch.

Almost Doesn't Count

Well, I tried. But trying doesn't always end up with the best results. I also tried on my finance test and got a D, with the curve, but that's besides the point.

I had plans to workout today, to finally break my standstill. To get back into the routine. I put on my workout clothes and gym shoes and had to make a stop at the store before.

During my time in the store I received a text from my boyfriend to come and cat-nap. From waking up for an early class, I was feeling pretty tired and decided to go nap. Three hours later I wake up and it's time for TutoringZone, and no time for my planned workout at the gym.

Lesson learned for the day: I can have good intentions, but it's actually going through with them that makes them count. Don't let distractions lead you off the path. Maybe if I would have gone to the gym before going to the store, I would feel a little bit better.