Clean your Body’s Drains: 11 Ways to Detoxify your Lymphatic SystemREALfarmacy.com | Healthy News and Information

The lymphatic system, or lymph system as it is also called, is a system made up of glands, lymph nodes, the spleen, thymus gland and tonsils. It bathes our body’s cells and carries the body’s cellular sewage away from the tissues to the blood, where it can be filtered by two of the body’s main detoxification organs: the liver and kidneys. This sewage is made up of the byproducts of our bodily processes, over-the-counter and prescription drugs, illicit drugs, cigarette toxins, other airborne pollutants, food additives, pesticides and other toxins.

The Fat Flush Plan author Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, estimates that 80 percent of women have sluggish lymphatic systems and that getting them flowing smoothly is the key to easy weight loss and improved feelings of well-being.
If you are suffering from injuries, excess weight or cellulite, or pain disorders like arthritis, bursitis, headaches or others, a sluggish lymphatic system may be playing a role.  Here are 11 ways you can get your lymph flowing smoothly.
1.  Breathe deeply. Our bodies have three times more lymph fluid than blood, yet no organ to pump it. Your lymph system relies on the pumping action of deep breathing to help it transport toxins into the blood before they are detoxified by your liver. So breathe in that sweet smell of healing oxygen. Breathe out toxins.
2.  Get moving. Exercise also ensures the lymph system flows properly. The best kind is rebounding on a mini trampoline, which can dramatically improve lymph flow, but stretching and aerobic exercise also work well.
3.  Drink plenty of water. Without adequate water, lymph fluid cannot flow properly. To help ensure the water is readily absorbed by your cells, I frequently add some fresh lemon juice or oxygen or pH drops.
4.  Forget the soda, trash the neon-colored sports drinks, and drop the fruit “juices” that are more sugar than fruit. These sugar-, color- and preservative-laden beverages add to the already overburdened workload your lymph system must handle.
5.  Eat more raw fruit on an empty stomach. The enzymes and acids in fruit are powerful lymph cleansers. Eat them on an empty stomach for best digestion and maximum lymph-cleansing benefits. Most fruits are digested within 30 minutes or so and quickly help you feel better.

Explantation - Healing Breast Implant Illness

TIMELY AND PROPER EXPLANTATION IS CRUCIAL TO RECOVERING YOUR HEALTH
Timely and proper explantation (removal) of breast implants is the most crucial step to your recovery from breast implant illness.  As soon as the implants are properly removed, you will likely notice a reduction or clearing of some of your SYMPTOMS.  However, some symptoms may linger until your body has completed a DETOXIFICATION process and had a chance to heal.   Good news is, we note a number of women who were symptomatic and had timely explantation and felt that they recovered their health within approximately a year after removal of implants.  Unfortunately, there are other women who do not ever fully recover their health or quality of life due to breast implants and some women who develop deadly disease and die prematurely due to breast implants.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT SURGEON WHO IS EXPERIENCED AT EN-BLOC EXPLANTATION
No matter what you read or are told from your plastic surgeon about explantation of breast implants, if you are symptomatic

ALL BREAST IMPLANTS SHOULD BE REMOVED EN-BLOC NO MATTER THE TYPE OF IMPLANT.   
En-bloc is a breast implant removal procedure first developed in France to deal with the earlier versions of silicone breast implants when ruptured and leaking silicone.  En-bloc removal means the surgeon removes the surrounding tissue capsule and the implant together, intact, as one unit, without disrupting either capsule or implant to avoid further contamination of the body tissues.  If you are symptomatic it should be obvious to you and your doctor that the tissue capsule around your implant is contaminated and En-bloc removal is necessary.  Proper En-bloc removal is your best chance at recovering your health.  Even if you are not symptomatic and you have silicone, cohesive gel or textured saline implants they should be removed En-bloc for your utmost health because there will be contamination in the capsule.

Recently, I have been hearing from several women who just got implants in the last few months and are reacting immediately and having them removed.  In the case that your implants are only a few months old, En-bloc removal would not be necessary as there would be very little capsule tissue built by your body in the first few months of having implants.

Learn more 

PIP ADVERSE INCIDENTS - Report YOURS

Adverse event reporting is supposed to help the MHRA identify potential problems. Not enough reports were being made all the time PIP were being used. The MHRA say they have been and are continuing to monitor Adverse event reports from PIP women. Most women have no idea they are able to report adverse events linked with their implants. But if we dont report our bleeds, ruptures, our lymph node surgeries the MHRA and the gov will continue to live in the parallel universe they currently inhabit, happily ignoring us and our symptoms. Experienced an adverse event you associate with your PIP? Please report it and ask your GP and/or surgeon to do the same. Lets do it everyone! Report Yours! xx ♡

So, get your PIP serial numbers out and report away!!!

Oh, and give us a heads-up here when you are done;)

Thanks everyone ♥ together we can make a difference!

Pip Adverse Incident Report Yours 

PIP ADVERSE INCIDENTS - Report YOURS

Take action - Say NO to hormone disrupting chemicals

SAY “NO” TO HORMONE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS

TELL THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION THAT YOU WANT TO REMOVE HORMONE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS
FROM OUR LIVES TO PROTECT OUR HEALTH!
Hormone disrupting chemicals, often known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), are chemicals that can interfere with natural hormones, the chemical messengers of our bodies.
Our everyday exposure to these chemicals – in our food, cosmetics, homes, work places, schools, and hospitals, to name just a few routes, must stop in order to protect the health of current and future generations.

Scientific evidence links exposure to hormone disrupting chemicals to spiralling rates of hormone-related cancers such as breast or testicular cancer, fertility problems, diabetes and obesity as well as learning and behavioural problems in children. Exposure also disrupts the hormonal systems of wildlife. The World Health Organization (WHO) has called hormone disrupting chemicals a ‘global threat’.

Due to intensive industry lobbying, the European Commission has delayed action on hormone disrupting chemicals. However, a public consultation has now been launched to gather feedback on public concerns

Thyroid UK - Getting a Diagnosis and Starting Treatment

It’s quite possible that you have been ill for some time and have visited your General Practitioner (GP) on many occasions regarding some symptom or other.

If you have read our information and if you have a lot of the symptoms of hypothyroidism (Myxoedema/underactive thyroid) or hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid), think about making an appointment to go back to your GP and discuss some options with him. Your doctor will need all the information about your health that you can give him.  Give your doctor copies of anything you have written down so that he can read it and put a copy in your record. It’s better to be specific about your symptoms or your doctor may miss something.

For instance, if you have to have the heating up high in your house all the time because you are cold and people make comments about this, tell your doctor.  If you find yourself going to bed early, waking up late and sleeping all afternoon because you are so tired, tell your doctor. If you walk around all day in shorts and a t-shirt and have the windows open all the time, even in winter, because you are always very hot, tell your doctor.

ry to be clear and precise when you speak to your doctor.  It might be an idea to take someone with you if you can, not only for support but also so that they can remember what has been said.  How often have you come out of the doctor’s surgery and forgotten nearly everything that was said to you?  This person may also be able to confirm what you are telling the doctor.

Undiagnosed hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism can cause a great strain on the heart.   Hypothyroidism can cause coronary atherosclerosis (furring up of the arteries) due to high cholesterol levels.  Dr Rowan Hillson tells us in her book, “Thyroid Disorders”, “Lack of T3 and T4 alters fat metabolism… and this can lead to furring of the coronary arteries (coronary atherosclerosis) and reduction of the blood supply to some of the heart muscle.  This causes angina… - pain in the chest on exercising, which is usually relieved by rest. Coronary atherosclerosis can cause angina, a heart attack or coronary thrombosis.”

Hyperthyroidism causes the heart to beat faster and increases the risk of stroke as well as atrial fibrillation (fast and irregular heartbeat).

It is therefore very important not to miss a diagnosis of hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.

Thyroid UK suggest a step by step approach:

What is the Lymphatic System? (with pictures)

The lymphatic system is an extensive and interconnected system of vessels, spaces, and nodes in the body which circulates lymph, a fluid made from protein and other fluids. Lymph is initially part of the blood, but as blood flows through the body, lymph slowly leaks out, taking hazardous substances with it and filtering these substances through the lymph nodes, which trap these substances. Over time, the lymph slowly works its way around the body, eventually re-entering the heart so that it can be circulated all over again.

Damage or interruption to this system can result in a range of medical conditions. You may be familiar with lymphedema, a condition in which lymph pools in the limbs because it cannot circulate. Lymphoma is also related to the lymphatic system, as the name implies, and elephantiasis is also linked with disruption to the lymphatic system. You may also notice that your lymph nodes become swollen when you are sick, because your body is isolating the agent responsible to help you get better.
Picture Of the Lymphatic System ( shown in green )

Informing pilot breast implants registry Survey

We DEMAND a REGISTRY!

We were forced to wait 2 YEARS for the MHRA/ Department of Health to decide to inform UK women about the PIP implant FRAUD in 2011. Their hand was forced when a French woman DIED with BIA-ALCL (breast implant associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma which is CANCER) and ruptured PIP implants!! We did have a FULLY-FUNCTIONAL implant registry until 2006 but crucially the Department of Health scrapped it in 2006, under questionable circumstances!!!

They were not maintaining any form of record of breast implants in the UK since then!!! It has taken 3 YEARS for the Department of Health to come up with this SURVEY. PLEASE would everyone with or contemplating breast implants complete this survey. It,s a pathetic start but that,s what we have come to expect from the UK! We DEMAND a REGISTRY and it seems this is the only chance of getting one!!!

The survey is only being run until 15 December 2014 so PLEASE complete yours TODAY!

Informing pilot breast implants registry Survey

Thank you
PIP ACTION CAMPAIGN

This “Golden Honey” Mixture is The Strongest Known Natural Antibiotic

The Golden honey mixture is the strongest known antibiotic and now you can prepare it. Many people have already had some experience with turmeric. Some people use it as a spice, some for preparing the“golden milk“,butt here are also people that see the bags of yellow powder in the health food stores or supermarkets and wonder what it is for. But there are also those who know that turmeric combined with honey, can be a priceless natural remedy.

The anti-inflammatory activityis very strong, and it not only destroys the bacteria that causes the disease, but also boosts the natural defenses. This medicine has no negative effect on the intestinal micro flora,unlike synthetic antibiotics, which can be found in the pharmacies in abundance.

Turmeric contains polyphenol, identified as essential active ingredient and curcumin, which can reach up to 150 potential therapeutic activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cancer properties.

Consumption of turmeric and honey significantly increases the activity of beneficial flora in the gut and improves digestion.  There is certificied evidenced that can be found in scientific literature.  In Ayurveda a 5,000-year-old natural healing system that has its origins in the Vedic culture of India considers this remedy as a traditional cold remedy.

So do not run at the drug store at first symptoms of the disease, instead use the “Golden honey”, mixture of turmeric powder and honey. At the moment when the first symptoms of a cold kick in prepare yourselves a golden-honey mixture that will last 3 days.

See more

Make NHS Complaints Count! | Campaigns by You

Calling everyone!!!

PIP Action Campaign members made complaints about our treatment to the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman. We made a compelling case against the Department of Health and the MHRA our complaints were treated with contempt by the Ombudsman.

We join others who wish to hold the PHSO ombudsman to account!
PLEASE SIGN!

Make NHS Complaints Count! | Campaigns by You

How Stress Affects the Immune System | Psychology Today

“Mind over matter” is not simply a catchphrase. It is a truth based on what we know to be fact: that the brain, given the right set of directions, the right environment, and the proper stimuli, will always choose healing over disease.

The ability to fend off illness and disease depends on several factors, some of which are beyond our control, but the way we react to stress and the general health of our immune system are things we can influence. If we’re not able to change our response to stressors, we’ll find ourselves in a constant hormonal battle that will lead to serious health issues like hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. The brain and the immune system are in constant communication in this delicate balance that can be disrupted by any kind of physical or emotional stress.

Ongoing stress makes us susceptible to illness and disease because the brain sends defense signals to the endocrine system, which then releases an array of hormones that not only gets us ready for emergency situations but severely depresses our immunity at the same time. Some experts claim that stress is responsible for as much as 90% of all illnesses and diseases, including cancer and heart disease. The way it does this is by triggering chemical reactions and flooding the body with cortisol that, among other things, decreases inflammation, decreases white blood cells and NK cells (special cells that kill cancer), increases tumor development and growth, and increases the rate of infection and tissue damage.

Improve Your Knowledge Of The World Of Cosmetic Surgery | My Blog

Plastic surgery has become more popular solution used by a lot of people who are not satisfied with the advances in medical procedures.
Find out if your surgery.

TIP! Use the term reconstructive surgery if you are considering a cosmetic surgery procedure for health reasons. Stigma is still attached to certain kinds of plastic surgery, but you can avoid other people’s judgments by easily adjusting the vocabulary you use to describe it.

Look into whether or not your surgeon’s malpractice insurance coverage. You will need money to cover costs of a second procedure and to pay for your pain and suffering if something were to go wrong while undergoing cosmetic surgery.

Research a potential surgeon to discover if something go wrong. Some surgeons will perform corrective surgery without any additional costs for twelve months after your surgery is complete.

Look into different financing options at your disposal.

Make sure to review the credentials for the doctor and clinic you are working with. Just like it is important to research the actual surgeon, you shouldn’t accept a clinic or hospital without knowing the details about it. This includes any problems or successes.

TIP! You need to carefully check out the facility where you will have your surgery. All surgery centers and clinics must have a license or accreditation, and usually will be required to be inspected on a regular basis

Respiratory Problems With Breast Implants - How Breast Implants Causes Respiratory Problems

Among the complications that arise out of breast augmentation surgeries, the health risks are the most important to be considered. Despite the definite health risks associated with the cosmetic process, there are millions who turn a deaf ear and undergo the process.
    The long term respiratory disorders that are associated with breast implants are severely life threatening and many women are unaware of the extent of damage it can cause on their body
Discussed below are some of the major respiratory disorders that are associated with breast augmentation.

RUPTURE OF IMPLANTS AND ITS CONNECTIONS WITH LUNG DISORDERS
The implants, whether it is silicone or saline, normally have a safe period of 12 years after which they can rupture at any time. Many women have also reported rupture within a year or two of insertion as well due to ill handling. Saline implants are not as dangerous as silicone implants as they can be absorbed by the body in most cases. However, silicone implants have been known to cause cancer of the lungs and pulmonary fibrosis, both of which are life threatening.

Cancers
Pulmonary Fibrosis
Lupus

Doing Your Research ?

Look for a qualified, experienced & registered surgeon

1. Check your surgeon is on the Register
This  provides information about the GMC on-line Register, which is the List of Registered Medical Practitioners in the UK. It provides a list of doctors and their status on the Register.
Show me the List of Registered Medical Practitioners

2. Is your surgeon highly qualified?   
It is hard for patients to judge a surgeon’s ability from his CV. Those who are not on the GMC specialist register are often an FRCS (Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons). This, however, is a basic qualification needed to train as a specialist surgeon in the UK. The gold standard, is FRCS Plast, which denotes a high level of training and proficiency in plastic surgery. 

3. Is your surgeon registered with an Association?
  “Prospective patients need to be aware that Aesthetic/Cosmetic surgery is not without risks and they must ask every surgeon they see about their experience, training and complications.  No treatment is risk free. Having surgery by a BAAPS member cannot guarantee an excellent result but the public and patients can be assured that their surgeon has been examined in aesthetic/cosmetic surgery and has been deemed by colleagues to be of sufficient standing to become a Member.”
        Many practitioners purport to be experts, but many are not even surgeons. Practitioners may boast impressive sounding qualifications, but these can have little meaning. Organisations associated with and preferably based in the Royal College of Surgeons will demonstrate acceptable standards of practice, i.e., those which you can reasonably expect of surgeons and doctors in general. Hospitals which have strong associations with NHS consultants and practice will also adhere to these standards and so offer some level of reassurance. 
The BAAPS can help you find a properly credentialed surgeon in your area.”BAAPS publishes a consumer guide which can be found here:

BAAPS consumer safety guidelines
Find a BAAPS member

The British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS)
 is a democratic, membership-based organisation for plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgeons working in the UK.  All Officers, Council, Committee and special interest group members are members of the Association and practising consultant plastic surgeons.
BAPRAS publishes a Patient Information Guide which can be found here:

Breast enlargement – patient information guide
Find a BAPRAS member



CLINICS & Surgeons to AVOID

Join PIP Action Campaign members on Facebook to discuss the track record of clinics & surgeons in the UK and Ireland. There are more than a few cowboys!!

Maintaining Breast Health Begins With Awareness: A How-To Guide

Tits, boobs, hooters, the girls, fun bags, flesh bags, high beams, jugs, racks, melons, knockers, and torpedoes. Did we miss anything? Breasts, and their many nicknames, get an awful lot of attention, and though they may be key to your female anatomy, most likely you think of them as just another part of your body, lovely though they may be. Quite possibly you see them as essential to your future since your, um, mammary glands — just kills the mood, right guys? — may someday feed your children. As the owner of a pair of glands, then, you understand you've been tasked with the important responsibility of maintaining their well-being, an often humdrum job at best. To help you fulfill your duty, we've outlined the accepted wisdom concerning breast health.

Self-Awareness = Self-Exams
      Healthy breasts begin and end with developing a sense of what the everyday reality is for your girls. The point? When you know what’s normal, you will be able to recognize what’s not normal. And when something's not normal, you can promptly call a doctor. For this reason, the very first and most important suggestion is you should consider doing regular self-exams.
     Now, there are all sorts of diagrams and demonstrations showing you a how-to self-examination — go to the American Cancer Society for the most up-to-date method — but the truth of the matter is a simple daily feeling of your own two breasts will help plenty. (Remember: Many lumps and tumors are first discovered by, not the woman herself, but by her sex partner.) If you make it a habit to touch and examine your breasts each morning while you’re getting dressed, say, or before you go to bed at night, you’ll soon enough learn how your breasts and nipples feel normally. You'll experience the increasing sensitivity as you get closer to your period, while you discover their natural bumps and lumps (many, many women have unsmooth breasts).

Citizens Advice - Complaining about the NHS

You may have several options to make a complaint about health services. One option is to use the complaints procedure, or you may be able to report your concerns to a different organisation, for example, an Ombudsman or the regulatory body of the professional involved. In serious cases, you might want advice about taking legal action.

Complaining About The NHS

• Where to start
• Deciding whether to complain
• Deciding what outcomes you want to achieve
• NHS complaints procedure
• Who you can go to when you have a problem

Taking your complaint to court

In most cases, making a complaint using the NHS complaints procedure will solve a problem. But in some cases, you might need to take legal action

Learn more

Your Rights Under The NHS Constitution                                                                   

Summary of the legal rights and pledges set out in the NHS Constitution, and what to do if the standard of health or adult care you recieve doesn't meet the promised standards

Learn more

NHS patients' rights

Complaints about GPs

Access to medical reports and health records

6 Signs It’s Time to Ditch Your Doctor

As patients with chronic illness, we’re well-accustomed to going to the doctor. Many of us have had great medical teams, but I know we’ve all had the experience of seeing a medical professional and leaving upset. Obviously, communication is a two-way street and we need to do our part as patients, as well as have reasonable expectations for our providers. Sometimes though, it becomes necessary to fire a doctor and move on.
Here are some hints it might be time to change doctors:
1)  Your doctor is unapologetic about a mistake. Doctors are humans and therefore mistakes are going to happen. If your doctor seems distressed about the error and changes how they operate to guard against another mistake, great! But if your doctor can’t understand why you’re upset, downplays the error or your feelings, and doesn’t make any relevant changes, it may be time to give them the pink slip

What Not to Do After Breast Surgery Video

One of the most dreaded complications after breast augmentation surgery is bleeding or hematoma. A Hematoma is a collection of blood within the pocket of the breast where the implant is placed. So the reason this is a feared complication is that when there is bleeding first of all another operation is required to evacuate the blood. However, more importantly we know that when bleeding occurs, the risk of capsular contracture around the implant increases. Capsular contracture is scar tissue that forms naturally around the breast if that capsule becomes thickens, it can actually contract or deform the shape of the breast or the implant and it can cause pain. 

So the risk of contraction of this capsule increases when there is bleeding after breast surgery. Because of this, I tell my patients to do everything they can to minimize any stress after breast surgery. I have people with them after surgery particularly in the first few nights after surgery. I ask them to have somebody help them out of bed. I don't want them to strain in any way. If the patient feels nauseous, I give them anti-nausea medication so that they don't vomit, because vomiting actually increases the blood pressure which can increase the chances of bleeding.

So all precautions are taken to minimize the chance of post operative bleeding and essentially those precautions include just keeping the patient calm. They can walk around and in fact I prefer they don't stay in bed; however, I don't want them to stress in any way shape or form. In addition to that, while the breast implant pocket is healing, I put restrictions on the amount of arm movements the patients can make. I don't allow them to bring their arms up past their shoulder height. They can however move their arm in this direction, however, the upper arm should not move past shoulder height. This again is to prevent any problems with the implant pocket while it's healing. Certainly patients cannot exercise for the first few weeks but in four to six weeks when things have completely healed, they can resume their normal activities.

How to Know What Your Normal Boobs Feel Like

You notice when your chest is swollen, sore, or squeezed into a probably-too-tight bra, but do you know what your normal boobs feel like? According to a new campaign from the U.K. charity CoppaFeel (ha, get it?), that's actually really important information.

The breast cancer charity is specifically aimed at raising awareness in young adults and encouraging women to get to know what their "normal" feels like so that they'll know when something is up.

With their hashtag #WhatNormalFeelsLike, they're telling women to get to know their breasts using whatever language feels right and familiar to them. Aside from the lumps or puckering your gyno has reminded you to look for, they suggest using your own descriptive words, whether it's "doughy," "firm," or "spongey.

An Open letter to anyone wanting a boob job

Of course, as a man, I have no knowledge of what it's like to live in that situation.  But there's one thing I do know: in our society, it's the norm for women to find fault with their bodies and the exception to feel like you're good enough, and that's true even for the most physically perfect people.  Isn't that basically insane?  If you look around at other people, you wouldn't proclaim that four fifths of them are defective and only a few are adequate, would you?  Yet that's how too many of us treat ourselves.

I once listened to a talk by a guy named Dr. Stan Dale, who told a story about how he was once, many years ago, hired by Hugh Hefner of Playboy.  Hefner's problem was that he'd recruit these gorgeous women to pose for his magazine, but they were often so ashamed and inhibited about it that it was a big difficult effort to get any photo shoot accomplished.  So he asked Dale to work with them and see what he could do... and Dale gave a bunch of these playboy models a questionnaire to investigate how they felt about their bodies.  He asked them, how do you feel about your hair, your forehead, your eyebrows, your eyes, your cheekbones, your nose, etc etc all the way to their toes.  And what he found is that almost every one of these women found a way to despise almost every part of themselves.  The only body part that didn't come in for intense negative criticism was their teeth.  And these were women who had already been selected to be in the most perfect-looking top tenth of a percent of the population.

Isn't this crazy?  Why do this to ourselves?  (I say "ourselves" because this is not rare among men either and I've certainly felt ashamed of my looks sometimes.)  When so many people fall into this kind of fault-finding, obviously the cause is not that everyone's body has so many faults.  This means the problem is in the way of looking at the body, not in the body itself. Read more

48 reasons not to get a boob job. -

1)  According to the National Institute of Medicine, 25 to 40 percent of people who get breast implants end up needing another operation to correct something wrong with the first one.  (The rate varied in particular studies, depending on things like how long women were monitored, the typical time being five years.)

2)  A study by a maker of saline breast implants, Mentor, found that 27 percent of implants put into breast cancer patients had to be taken back out again within three years, due to side effects.  Another 13 percent had to have lesser corrective surgeries.  The competing manufacturer McGhan/Inamed/Allergan has similar numbers.  Even for healthy patients, both were forced to admit that "most women experienced at least one complication over the three year period".

3)  In general, breast cancer patients have complications with implants far more often than healthy people do.  Many of the complications are about three times as likely for mastectomy reconstruction patients as for cosmetic augmentation patients.  We regard this as socially the most acceptable and necessary time for implants to be used, but medically it is the most risky and unjustifiable time to use them.  If you don't have a healthy body at the start when you're getting the implants, the odds of keeping healthy with them in place plummet.

4)  Up to 9 percent of saline implants end up deflating within just three years, according to the Food and Drug Administration.  The FDA also found that complications become more and more common for each year implants spend in the body.

5)  Another FDA study found that even among women who had not complained of any perceived trouble with their implants, MRI scans showed two thirds of them have ruptured implants on at least one side.  The rate was actually higher in 10 to 15 year old implants than with 20 year old ones, because the older ones were made with thicker containers.  In 21 percent of women in the study, significant volumes of silicone were found to have migrated elsewhere in the body.  Doctors removing implants often claim that they ruptured at the time of removal.  This study makes me suspect, as some patients long have, that many doctors are lying about this for some reason, perhaps to avoid liability. Read More

Even More Reasons Not To Get A Boob Job

In the time since I put up my "48 Reasons Not To Get A Boob Job" page, even in the early days when there were only about 27 reasons, quite a number of people have written to me in response to it, and many of these correspondents had gotten breast implants themselves.  Though some wrote just to say that they were happy with their implants and had not experienced any problems with them (and, in some cases, suggested that I should therefore shut the hell up), many others had unfortunate experiences with them.  Others have written to me who have not gotten implants, but have strongly considered buying them, offering a different perspective.  I have also sometimes heard from friends and partners of those with implants.

Among these different points of view are many more reasons not to get a boob job that I could never have expressed myself.  So here they are, in the correspondents' own words with minimal editing.  Of course, I have kept all quotes as anonymous as possible.  (Emphasis in boldface or italics is my own, not the original writer's.) Read More

25 Reasons Not to Get Breast Implants

Take a look at the list below and decide if you would let someone you love take these risks with their health ... just to have a bigger boobs ... What price are women willing to pay? Why are women so unhappy with their breasts? Do we really think we will be loved more if we have a bigger bra size? Maybe men could let us know how lovely small breasts really are. Hey guys ... step up to and save some women's lives. Tell us we are beautiful and you love us with any size breasts and that you would rather have us healthy than sick, alive, not dead.
   Now I agree, a breast cancer survivor is justified in wanting her disfigured body restored to symmetry and wholeness. But does she really want to risk another cancer and more surgeries? And what about healthy women who go under the knife willingly?
     Stop, take a breath and understand the real risks and the possible complications. Get educated. Get smart. Look before you leap.Read more

Fibromyalgia

Basics

• What Is Fibromyalgia?
• Fibromyalgia in Children and Teens
• 
  

Causes

• Fibromyalgia Causes
• Fibromyalgia and Depression

Symptoms

• Fibromyalgia Symptoms
• Fibromyalgia Health Check
• Fibromyalgia Tender Points
• Fibromyalgia Pain
• Fibromyalgia and Fatigue
• Fibromyalgia and Sleep

Diagnosis

• Diagnosis and Misdiagnosis
• Finding the Right Doctor
• Common Misdiagnoses of Fibromyalgia

Treatment

• Fibromyalgia Treatments
• Medications
• Cymbalta
• Lyrica
• Savella
• Physical Therapy
• Medical Marijuana

Complementary Treatment

• Herbs and Supplements
• Complementary Treatments
• 
  

Diet

• The Diet Connection
• 
  

Exercise

• Fibromyalgia & Exercise
• 
  

Coping

• Tips for Coping
• Fibromyalgia and Sex
• Fibromyalgia and Pregnancy
• Work and Disability

How to Recognize Breast Cancer Symptoms

17 Amazing Uses for Epsom Salt… Some You Won’t Believe

Epsom salt, which is not really a salt at all but a mineral compound comprised of magnesium and sulfate, gets its named from a saline spring at Epsom in Surrey, England.
Epsom salt has been used for centuries as a natural remedy for a number of ailments, and also has many beauty, gardening and household uses.
Both magnesium and sulfate are readily absorbed into the skin, which makes their health benefits readily accessible. Over 325 enzymes in the body are regulated by magnesium, which also helps reduce inflammation, alleviates hardening of the arteries and improves muscle and nerve function. Sulfates improve the rate at which nutrients are absorbed and help to flush out toxins.

Here are 17 of our favorite uses for this versatile compound – we hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

1. Soothe sore muscles
An Epsom salt bath is a great way to soothe sore muscles, cramps, bruises and joint pain. Because of this, it is a great after-workout soak. In addition, soaking in an Epsom salt bath is a wonderful way to relax and relieve stress. Add 2 cups of salts to a warm bath. Mix the salt in so it dissolves in the water. Soak for 10-15 minutes for best results.

Pregnant Women: You'll Want To Avoid This Chemical In Your Drinking Water

There’s something in the water for moms-to-be to be afraid of because it’s causing stillbirths and other pregnancy complications. Researchers from the Boston University Medical Center found a dangerous chemical in drinking water, and published their findings in the journal Environmental Health.



The pregnant women of Cape Cod, Mass., were experiencing some abnormally high rates of pregnancy complications and researchers set out to find what was making them twice as likely to have a stillbirth, and 1.35 times more likely to have a placenta abruption and high risk of vaginal bleeding. It wasn’t until researchers looked into their drinking water that they found the cause; a sickening chemical called tetrachloroethylene (PCE) was harming moms and their unborn babies.

Read More 

Doctor, Are You Listening? The Silicone Catastrophe

by Susan E. Kolb, M.D., F.A.C.S., A.B.I.H.M.

What happens when a new disease is emerging that cannot be pigeonholed into any existing diagnosis?
What if this disease mimics other diseases but fails to consistently fit into a pattern, or worse yet, is variable over time? Sometimes lab tests are normal and sometimes they are abnormal. What if it takes years to develop this disease, as it is slowly progressive, and the main symptoms are nonspecific such as fatigue, muscle aches, joint aches, and increase of susceptibility to infection?
What if symptoms do not occur until implants leak or rupture ten to 15 years after placement so that studies that do not target the ruptured population fail to show an increased incidence of disease?

Does it make any sense to wonder why these women are ill, given the facts?

1. Most silicone–filled breast implants leak or rupture within 8-15 years.
2. The implant companies never intended for silicone to move out of the breast implant, and indeed Dow Corning stated in its
brochure that the implants would “last a lifetime”.
3. Some series1, 2 report a significant number of positive bacterial cultures around leaking and/or ruptured implants in patients with systemic symptoms. Pathology reports also show fungus or mold species around and in some implants. Investigation of the role of subclinical infection presenting as pain around an implant3 and the relationship of this infection to
abnormalities of the immune system4 is also being investigated
Read more 

Ladies, Cosmetic Surgery is Rarely Sexy (A Man's Perspective) |

Its snake oil, ya’ll, and it doesn’t work worth a damn.

Maybe you’re out there. Maybe you're moving past me at the mall or walking past me on the street, your re-constructed face looking all-natural and glowing, and I have no idea about it. I look at you as we pass and I say to myself, ”Now THERE is a beautiful woman who hasn’t been knifed or needle-d!"

But I doubt it.

The truth is (and I hate to be harsh but harsh is all we’ve got sometimes): this whole epidemic of plastic surgery and Botox and whatever the hell else people do anymore to try and hold on to their youthful tones, it’s all a con/a sham/a money grab. Its snake oil, ya’ll, and it doesn’t work worth a damn. Read more: 

Brain Fog

The brain is the crowning organ of the human being.  Therefore, dysfunctions involving it are always important.  Brain fog is one of the most important symptoms today, even though I have not seen it listed as a diagnosis or recognized health condition in most medical or psychological texts.

A clinical definition of brain fog.  Brain fog may be described as feelings of mental confusion or lack of mental clarity.  It is called brain fog because it can feel like a cloud that reduces your ability to think clearly.  It can cause a person to become forgetful, detached and often discouraged and depressed.  It usually is present most of the time, meaning it does not come and go, although it may become better or worse depending on what a person eats, or one’s state of rest and hydration.

Brain fog is not recognized as a clinical diagnosis because it is not easy to test for it.  It is quite subjective, in other words.  The person just knows that they do not function well, and the mind often seems foggy or cloudy.  This is not the same as dementia, mental retardation, anxiety, depression or other common mental symptoms.  I hope that medical doctors will soon expand their diagnostic ability to assess brain fog, but for now it is a subjective condition, though it is very real.
            Brain fog is quite common.  It affects thousands of people, including children as well as adults.  It contributes to school and work problems, low self-esteem, accidents, unhappy relationships and often is a factor in crime and delinquency because it can cause intense frustration and inability to function well in society. Read more 

Natural Anxiety Cure | Panic Treatment | Self Help With Anxiety Attacks

Do you suffer from panic and anxiety attacks? If so you are NOT alone, it is said that just over 10% of the population will suffer at some point in their life. I suffered for 10 long years, until I finally found the answers I needed to be able to cure myself. So, yes, anxiety is treatable and no matter how many false dawns you've had so far, you don't have to "just live with it". I am not going to ramble on about how easy it is and offer you the latest miracle cure, I will leave that to others. What I do want to offer is help and advice from someone who went through it and came out the other side, someone who went on to study the subject way beyond my own recovery, so I could go on to dedicate my life to helping others.

This site was set up to help others and is packed with free help and advice. The only products on here are my own book 'At last a life'and the accompanying Anxietynomore app, which the purchase of is totally optional.

Welcome to FibroAction's Healthcare Professionals web section.

FibroAction is committed to providing up-to-date evidence based information to help healthcare professionals of all levels and specialities assist their patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome to better manage their condition and so improve their quality of life.
Whilst historically Fibromyalgia Syndrome has been much misunderstood, science has started to unravel its mysteries and in doing so, much is being learnt about chronic pain and the way the brain works. It is our hope that as knowledge of Fibromyalgia Syndrome advances and awareness of the condition spreads, more money will become available for research and more healthcare professionals will realise what a fascinating and rewarding speciality Fibromyalgia Syndrome can be.

Our new guide : YourSurgeryChecklist

GET SUPPORT PRACTICAL & EMOTIONAL SUPPORT

By far and away the best emotional support for women struggling with PIP implants is from other women who understand just how it feels. Facebook Forums and Groups provide valuable support and help build lasting friendships. Groups provide an opportunity to discuss the issues and decisions we are facing, to share information and experiences.

PiP Action Campaign Facebook Page

New PRACTICAL SUPPORT  We have prepared a new guide to help all those preparing for Surgery. YourSurgeryChecklist  Pdf download 


Here are a couple of extra links for  post-op bras ;

Bra Clinic 

Pack of 2 White Comfort Bra – Ideal For Post Surgery and Mastectomy




New bra developed to aid healing after breast surgery




Frances post-surgery bra

The PIP Action Store

Strength & Unity Charms

New in store 
Buy your beautiful yellow Strength & Unity Charm here and support PIP Action Campaign. Every purchase includes a £3.00 donation to group funds.  We know you will love them, they are beautifully hand-made and they have a special significance when you wear them. Support us in our campaign for justice for all the victims of the PIP implant fraud.

Strength & Unity Charm CG      

Soft yellow suede, Fully adjustable

Strength & Unity Charm AJ    

Yellow cotton Macramé Fully adjustable

Get Yours Here 

Five natural antibiotics that fight illness and promote health

There are many herbs and foods that can treat and prevent a wide variety of illnesses and diseases. Many people are beginning to use natural antibiotics and remedies for these illnesses rather than relying on traditional Western medicine with risks and side effects.
   Natural antibiotics can be powerful treatments for illnesses, preventing disease and keeping the body's health in balance. Natural antibiotics, such as honey, ginger and Echinacea, among others, are powerful remedies to a wide variety of illnesses and diseases.

Local honey
Honey has natural antibiotic properties. Spreading it on wounds and burns can fight infection and promote faster healing. Using locally sourced honey can also combat seasonal or environmental allergies. Since bees use local pollen to make their honey, people with pollen allergies can find relief by consuming local honey. As a natural sweetener, adding honey to tea is an excellent way to get its health benefits