Recession Causing Trend Toward Facelift Quickies

More and more people are seeking minimally invasive cosmetic treatments that can be done in under an hour and have short recovery periods so they won’t jeopardize their jobs, a British plastic surgeon has noted.
   
“The average breast enhancement or facelift can see a person off work for a week or more,” said Ravi Jain, medical director at the Riverbanks Clinic in Bedfordshire, “yet there are a host of other treatments available which can provide similar results with radically shorter recovery times.

- Recession Causing Trend Toward Facelift Quickies video

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Expert Commentary: Irvin M. Wiesman, M.D. - 7/1/2009

The “liquid face lift” is a very in vogue term, but what is it and is it better than a face-lift? 

With the changes in the economy many patients are looking for cheaper less invasive treatments to improve their appearance.  Often my patients want to look as good as they feel. What I do hear a lot in my practice is that clients are working longer and often come in asking to look more youthful to keep up with their younger peers at work. 

- Expert Commentary: Irvin M. Wiesman, M.D. - 7/1/2009 video

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Tooth Enamel Gene Discovered; May Transform Dentistry

Scientists recently found the gene that governs the growth of the body’s enamel-secreting cells, a major development that may pave the way for the mending of damaged enamel, new approaches to cavity prevention, and the production of replacement teeth.
   
The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, discovered that the “transcription factor” gene, called Ctip2, plays the enamel-secretion role in addition to other roles that were already known. (Ctip2 is also involved in immune response, and the development of skin and the nervous system.)

- Tooth Enamel Gene Discovered; May Transform Dentistry video

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Expert Commentary: John J. Kelly, DDS - 6/30/2009

According to a recent research there has been a gene identified that makes our bodies grow enamel. This discovery now lets us see a clearer picture of how teeth form and could create new opportunities in dental treatments. 

Researchers and scientists have been looking for ways to strengthen or replace enamel for a long time. Currently, there are products in the form of pastes that try to repair enamel. These products proclaim to effectively promote the re-calcification of decalcified enamel to thereby positively suppress any dental caries. With these recent genetic discoveries it now seems possible that we may be able to completely replace enamel instead of just repairing it.

- Expert Commentary: John J. Kelly, DDS - 6/30/2009 video

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4 Natural Ways to Look and Feel Younger

As you get older in years, you don’t have to decline in body and mind. So ditch the drugs, lose the hormone replacement therapy, forget about surgery, and instead follow these tips from the Chinese medical tradition that help to provide energy, slow down aging and promote the body’s natural healing power.
   
-- Drink green tea. Studies have provided evidence suggesting regular green tea intake shields against Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, perhaps because of its many antioxidants known as polyphenols. Green tea’s best-known polyphenol, catechin, which is known to improve brain power, is found at a four times greater level in green tea than in black tea. An extra benefit of green tea is its potential to aid in the loss of belly fat, which studies have suggested.

- 4 Natural Ways to Look and Feel Younger video

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Expert Commentary: Sam Speron, M.D, FACS - 6/29/2009

In today’s fast paced world, people are often looking for ways to feel good about themselves while looking as young and beautiful as possible.  Recently, there has been a trend towards all natural treatments and remedies.  This is a great movement and it has extended to many branches of medicine.

There are many natural ways to look and feel younger.  They say that 40 is the new 30.  It is very true that how one feels about themselves often plays a big role in how they act every day.  People that feel good about themselves are generally more poised, confident and less stressed.

- Expert Commentary: Sam Speron, M.D, FACS - 6/29/2009 video

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Expert Commentary: John Q. Cook, M.D. - 6/29/2009

In recent years there has been an explosion of interest in ancient traditions of medicine and healing.  The cumulative wisdom of Chinese, Indian and other Eastern traditions stretches back for thousands of years.  Many of my patients are intrigued but also puzzled by claims of potential health benefits that come from drinking or eating various substances that have the potential to enhance our quality of life.

I have tried to help my patients when they come to me with questions about the benefit and risk of green tea, magnesium supplements and many other traditional substances.  It’s easy enough to do a Medline® search with the name of one of these substances, and out will pop a list of hundreds of studies, some of which claim to show benefit, some of which show no effect, and some of which raise the possibility of harm.  If you take the time to read these studies with a critical eye, it will quickly become apparent that many of the studies are poorly constructed and really don’t show anything.  It’s reminiscent of the debates over coffee, estrogen, and vitamin E.  Last week’s study made me run to the health food shop or the drug store and buy some new miracle food; this week’s study makes me want to throw it away.

- Expert Commentary: John Q. Cook, M.D. - 6/29/2009 video

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Using Frozen Embryos Increases Pregnancy Chances

The regular use of carefully chosen frozen embryos left over from fertility treatments dramatically increases the pregnancy success rate among infertile couples, a British clinic has found.
    
The new regimen holds the promise of sharply reducing the time a couple has to wait for a baby, and of alleviating the risk to women of repeated cycles of side-effect-ridden fertility drugs, which can lead to polycystic ovary syndrome.

- Using Frozen Embryos Increases Pregnancy Chances video

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Expert Commentary: Amos E. Madanes, M.D. - 6/26/2009

The research done at the Oxford Fertility Unit at The John Radcliffe Hospital in England continues to demonstrate the success of the advances that we have made in the last few years in fertility. The study discusses how freezing an embryo – a fertilized egg – and using it at a later time seems to increase the prospects for successful impregnation.  With these and other advances of In Vitro fertilization we now can offer assistance to many couples that previously could not achieve their dream of having a family.

While the latest research breakthroughs are interesting, it should not imply that one protocol is right for everyone. In our practice, at the Midwest Fertility Center, we believe that complete care of the patient should include a detailed evaluation of their fertility problems following which an individualized treatment plan can be designed. For example, besides In Vitro fertilization (IVF), the treatment could be hormonal assistance, surgical correction of tubal problems or Endometriosis.

- Expert Commentary: Amos E. Madanes, M.D. - 6/26/2009 video

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9 Benefits of Drinking Coffee

For people with sensitive nerves and stomachs, coffee can be an irritant. But for the 87 percent of Americans who drink coffee daily at an average of 8 ounces a day, there are many benefits. Here are nine of them:

Weight loss. Coffee stimulates the metabolism, so it’s hardly surprising that a study at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston found that serious coffee drinkers gained less weight over 12 years than less-serious ones, all other things being equal.

- 9 Benefits of Drinking Coffee video

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