Breast Reduction - Cosmetic Surgery

Breast reduction procedures are becoming more and more popular these days. This surgery is known as mammaplasties.

Large breasts can cause various medical problems due to the excessive weight on the chest in addition to skeletal deformities and sometimes breathing problems. Disproportionately large breasts can also lead to extreme self-consciousness.

Breast reduction is designed for women with these problems. The procedure removes particular amounts of fat, glandular tissues and skin from each side of the breasts. This allows the breast to become smaller, lighter and more firm. The surgery also can reduce the size of the areola (the dark skin surrounding the nipple).

The goal of the breast reduction surgery is to give the woman smaller, firmer and better shaped breasts that will be more in proportion to her body.

Recovering from a breast reduction procedure is very similar to other breast surgery recoveries. After the surgery has been completed, you will be wrapped in an elastic bandage or a surgical bra. A small tube may also be attached in each breast to drain excessive blood and fluids.

Although this procedure is safe and has very few complications, you may feel some pain for the first couple of days, especially when you are moving around. General discomfort may last a week or longer, but your doctor will give you medication to ease the pain.

Most women can return to work and social events after around two weeks, granted they are avoiding strenuous activity.

Environmentally Friendly Head Lice Treatments

Head lice are awful things - when I was going to school, if you were unfortunate enough to have them, you were pretty much well ostracized by the other children. Some children who were afflicted with head lice wound up having all sorts of nasty chemicals applied or their heads shaved.

While the stigma of head lice appears to have relented, the incidence of head lice hasn't, nor has the use of environmentally unfriendly chemicals used in treatment.

Some head lice preparations (and shampoos for that matter), contain Lindane. Lindane is a toxin that persists in the environment, making its way into waterways after being rinsed off.

The US EPA classifies lindane as a bioaccumulative and toxic chemical and belongs to the same family of chemicals as DDT and PCBs. It can be absorbed through the skin and affect the central nervous system. It's also known to cause liver and kidney damage - so it's a good idea to check your head lice treatment for this chemical.

Nothing is as good as monitoring to prevent head lice infestation, but an excellent alternative to environmentally harmful chemicals is Tea Tree Oil. A capful of tea tree oil poured into a spray bottle then filled with water is said to send head lice scarpering and to keep them away.

Not only is this a more environmentally friendly option, but with Tea tree oil only costing a few dollars a bottle and being useful in many other applications, it's a much cheaper alternative. You can also add a few drops of tea tree oil to your shampoo as an easy ongoing preventative treatment.

Another alternative is to add a tablespoon of hair conditioner mixed with a small amount of hot water, plus 10 drops of lavender essential oil to a spray bottle, then top up with water. Spray your children's hair daily, followed by a quick brush through.

By the way, head lice combs can be a rather expensive item to buy - try a flea comb, which can be purchased from a pet store; you'll find it to be a much cheaper yet equally as effective alternative.

Cosmic Ray Storm Brewing

When you look up at the daytime sky, the first thing you notice is that the Sun is warm, and bright. The Sun's radiation is what keeps the Earth habitable. What often gets overlooked is flux in the Sun's magnetic field, which also has an impact on the entire Solar system, and on the earth.

Recent studies from space borne observatories show that cosmic rays are nearly 20% higher than they've been at any other time during the Space Age when we've had direct observation of them, and this increase is likely caused by the reduction in the solar magnetic field, which has dropped in intensity to about 4 nanoTeslas from a typical field strength of 6-9 nanoTeslas.

Cosmic rays are typically protons or helium nuclei (with a few other heavier elements thrown in) accelerated to near light speed by stellar processes and supernova explosions. Because they carry a charge, they get deflected by the Sun's (and Earth's) magnetic fields. When the Sun goes on a solar minimum (which is usually indicated by a lack of sunspots), the magnetic field of the sun weakens; this magnetic field weakening means that cosmic ray counts go up.

Now, this is all well and good from a pure science perspective, but this is an Astronomy blog. How does the cosmic ray count affect amateur astronomy?

Well, for one, it means that all the satellite observatories we have in orbit are more likely to have problems. It doesn't take much in the way of a cosmic ray burst (or a solar storm warning) to cause a computer glitch and a loss of data. It also means we don't get to see the glorious sunspots on the face of the sun through appropriately filtered telescopes.

Somewhat more controversially, cosmic ray counts are also accused of causing global cooling. Without the Sun's magnetic field, more cosmic rays hit the Earth's atmosphere, and when they hit the atmosphere with sufficient energy, they appear to trigger clouds. Clouds at the right altitudes (about the same altitudes that cosmic rays interact at) reflect sunlight back into space, increasing the albedo (reflectiveness) of the Earth's atmosphere. More clouds mean cooler temperatures...and of course, more clouds means fewer nights where you can watch the stars.

We do know that the last two recorded 'cold snaps' (the Maunder Minimum and the Dalton Minimum) corresponded to cooler global temperatures, a higher percentage of days recorded in almanacs as being cloudy, and failed crops around the world. Whether or not we're heading into another one is open to debate, but recordings of the Earth's climate have shown a drop of 0.7 C since 1998, as the solar cycle has wound down. Since 2008, we've had several months on the sun with no sun spots, a weakening solar magnetic field, and rapid cooling that falls outside of anyone's climate models.

Does this mean that Global Warming is a myth? We do know that running uncontrolled experiments on the amount of CO2 the atmosphere can have on the only habitable planet we've got isn't terribly wise. However, it does seem that there are more factors for global temperature than show up in the commonly cited climate models. This of course needs to be taken in context with the very real facts we know about anthropogenic climate change.

Eating Disorders - Mens Sans, Corpore Sans

An eating disorder is a mental illness in which the affected person eats in an unusual and unhealthy way. This ends up in affecting health. The eating may either be excessive, insufficient, or wrong choices of diet. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the two most common eating disorders. Anorexic people eat very little to nothing, and bulimic people have enormous eating binges and then vomit up the food. People with eating disorders sometimes have both disorders.

Most ill people have severe mental depression along with their eating disorder. Orthorexia is also considered an eating disorder. Orthorexia is when a person is overly obsessed with what the "right" food to eat is, so they end up eating too much Vegan food, raw food, etc., and become nutritionally unbalanced. A bizarre yet not unusual eating disorder is Pica, in which the ill person consumes what is not generally considered food, such as hair, wood, glass, metal or rubber.

The Purging disorder is when a person takes laxatives and vomits excessively without having eating binges. This person usually wants to maintain a certain amount of weight and not gain any more. Scientists suspect that more people have the Purging disorder than anorexia and bulimia combined.

The physical symptoms of a person with an eating disorder can vary, but they are all equally deadly. Starvation caused by Anorexia Nervosa can make most of the organ systems defective. Along with that comes constipation, very low heart rate, dry skin, hypotension, body hair can become thinner, and periods can became scarce or simply not come. Anorexia causes cardiovascular problems, anaemia, brain structure modification, juvenile osteoporosis and kidney dysfunction.

Bulimia and other eating disorders that involve vomiting can cause salivary glands to swell, the tooth enamel to erode, and disturbances to electrolytes and minerals. The Purging disorder, along with the abusive use of laxatives, can bring a long period of bowel dysfunction. Esophagus tearing, stomach ruptures, and deadly irregularities of the heart beat derived from these disorders are other complications that may result.

It is usually difficult to tell when a person suffers from an eating disorder by simply looking at them. They might be people just a little overweight, they can be of normal weight, they can be very thin, they can be very obese. Judging by the appearance of someone with an eating disorder can be very misleading, for their physical appearance might not correspond to their real health.

Eating disorder treatment, nevertheless, can be very effective and the person can go back to normal if they follow the treatment until the end. The sooner the patient is detected as suffering from an eating disorder, the more effective the treatment will be. Yet, the mental complications of a person with such mental illness can lead to thorough psychological and psychiatric treatment in the long run. Anorexia treatment follows three basic steps: 1) restore the weight lost, 2) psychological treatment, 3) achieve long-term remission. Bulimia treatment is first concerned with ending eating binges and purging. In order to do this, nutritional rehab, psychosocial intervention, and medication are all used.

Even though there are many effective ways of treating eating disorders, the most difficult step is the first one: admit that you have an eating disorder. If the person who suffers from an eating disorder does not recognize their illness, treatment will not be effective because they will resist it. So, the most important thing while approaching an anorexic or bulimic is to maintain personal contact and to be open-hearted so they can feel as comfortable as they can to talk about their problems.

The UK Trademark Application Procedure

In order to register your Trademark in the UK, you must file an Application at the UK Intellectual Property Office (also known as the UK IPO). The Trademark Application can be filed by post, fax or on line using the electronic application form.

Your Application should include the name and address of the Applicant (this is the person who will own the Trademark and have all the rights associated with it), a list of the goods and/or services for which you want to register the Trademark and a representation of your Trademark. Once the Trademark Application is filed a filing receipt is issued and the Application proceeds to Examination. The Examiner will consider the following: -

"Relative grounds" - that is earlier Trademarks that are identical or similar to your Trademark and also cover identical or similar goods and/or services to those in your Application; and

"Absolute grounds" - this includes considering if the Trademark meets all the criteria to be registered, including that it is distinctive, non-descriptive and not customary in the trade.

If an objection is raised under absolute grounds then discussion can be entered into with the Examiner to try and overcome those objections. If the examiner finds any earlier Trademarks, owners of the earlier UK Marks will be notified and have the opportunity to oppose your Application, if they are concerned.

If the Application is accepted by the Examiner, the Application is published for two months. During this time concerned third parties may oppose the Application. If no opposition is raised, the Application will be registered and a Registration Certificate issued.

A UK Registration remains in force for ten years. A Trademark may remain in force indefinitely, provided that the renewal fees are paid every ten years.

Commercial Liability Insurance Can Save Your Company

If you are the owner of a business, than odds are, you should have commercial liability insurance. This will protect the assets, and the property of your business, if you where to be sued by a person for any property damage, or any alleged injury that may occur. Not only should you have it, but there are things you first need to know.

The type of package that you purchase for you business, depends on what level of risk the business produces. If you are of a low or moderate risk, you can get a commercial liability insurance plan, as a part of a combined Business Owners Plan. This package will then include your liability insurance, and also your property damage into one. If you are a high risk company, you are going to want more coverage than that package offers. This all will be determined by the type of business that you run, and also the demographic location of your business.

You are going to be obligated, through the liability insurance policy that you obtained, to compensate for any legal costs, and for your legal representation, during the process of a suit, or a claim. This could be injuries related to any property, personal injuries, or advertising. Any damages that aren't punitive, your insurance provider is going to be forced to pay, due to your policy. There is an amount that will be stated in the policy, that will be the maximum amount that the company your policy is through will pay, at the end of the case. If your costs exceed this, you will pay out the difference out of pocket.

Everyday, minor accidental encounters turn into lawsuits. This is why it is very important that you take precautions to avoid these problems. Be sure that all of your current employees are properly trained for the jobs that they are working, and that your standards for quality control are set high. Also make sure that all of the necessary paperwork that you need is always current, and never behind, and get recommendations from your policy provider, about what else you are able to do.

You legally cannot go with out commercial liability insurance, and you want to make sure that you get the best policy that suits your business. If you don't feel comfortable at first, try getting a few different quotes, to see what different companies have to offer. That way you will able to go with the policy that is best going to benefit you.