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An officer stood guard outside the home of Jean-Claude Mas while police searched the premises with Mas still inside. Apparently, French law requires that a policeman remain outside of any building being searched. Upon concluding the investigation the French implant inventor was arrested and taken into custody.
The 72 year old founder of PIP (Poly Implant Prothese) had been detained at his place of residency located in Six-Fours-les-Plages, according to police sources. France had previously banned PIP implants which were created using low-grade industrial silicone. This was prompted as a result of the fear that the implants could burst or leak, causing serious illness or even death to victims.
There have been as many as 400,000 women given these particular implants in over 65 different countries over the years. Mas’ attorney told the AFP news station that his client is not feeling well and is awaiting the arrival of his doctor.
It seems investigators have been looking into Mas since last year when he told police during an interview that the PIP factory workers had been under strict orders to hide the silicone should inspectors show up. One attorney who has been representing a woman who had been given the implants announced he was pleased that Mas had been arrested but only wished it had happened much sooner.
Mas has been placed in what is called “preventative detention.” In the hours to come it will become more evident as to what will happen, according to the interrogation and decision made by the magistrate. A spokesperson stated they are hopeful Mas will go under formal investigation to be certain he does not leave France until the investigation has been concluded.
Apparently, last year 72 year old Mas had told police that he had willingly deceived the European safety inspectors for a period of more than 13 years. However, he has continuously insisted that the implants pose absolutely no threat or harm to individuals and made a verbal attack on French authorities for being so bold as to offer payment for those wanting the implants removed. He claimed the attack was made due to the unnecessary risk of surgery the removal would put on women.
The risk of these implants has not been shown to heighten the occurrence of breast cancer but should one rupture, toxicity could occur. In one case recently a rare type of cancer, anaplastic large cell lymphoma was reported. Of course more studies will have to be done before that can be definitively blamed on the implants.
While many European countries are advising all women who have had the implants inserted have them removed, other countries are only suggesting this if there is a specific reason. The UK for example is only recommending that women who are experience pain, soreness or tenderness have them removed; siting the risk of a surgical procedure outweighs the risk of perfectly good and intact implants.
The company officially closed back in march 2010 but investigators believe women have been having them implanted since. The allegation is that Mas did not cease operations as ordered at the time the ruling to do so was made.
Research on a much more deadly strain of the bird flu was forced to come to a halt as a group of scientists who wanted to try and study the virus in depth were pressured to stop. This came after major controversial objection to the research. It seems some people in the medical community feared contamination and spread could result from such a study.
The scientists who are in question took a strain of the H5N1 Bird Flu and altered it in order to create an even deadlier form of the virus. This was apparently done in an effort come to some sort of definitive conclusion, and of course to determine something concise on the development and evolution of pandemics, according to spokespeople. The Bird Flu virus has already claimed the lives of 300 people in 600 cases which were reported since the virus was found in 1997.
The group of scientists has stated that they will wait two months and halt their studies in order to enable the global scientific community to vent and state the problems they have with the research. These scientists are making an unusual concession by agreeing to stop their studies as this is not something that is commonly seen. Suspensions on any type of scientific studies that occur voluntarily are almost unheard of. This shows a very good act of faith on the part of these researchers. Perhaps they recognize the value of reassessing their decision to alter the strain.
There are several key points of the study which are being called dangerous. For one a deadlier strain of the virus, should it somehow get released into the population could result in a world-wide pandemic that could lead to millions of deaths. In addition, some accusations have been set forth that scientists performing these types of studies could eventually use this information to actually assist future pandemics in spreading. While that may be unlikely it is certainly a valid concern.
The research has been receiving its funding from the National Institutes of Health and is being performed in collaboration with Erasmus MC located in the Netherlands, as well as with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In a letter published by the group of scientists participating in the study, they stated something to effect of understanding and recognizing that the entire scientific community does have the right to go over the study and the possible benefits and risks. In addition, the group seems to be willing to make sure that the whole scientific community is on the same page where safety is concerned.
It is believed we will learn more about this situation once the period of 60 says has passed. At this time the scientists will either resume the research or put an end to the entire study, the latter being less likely. The good news is that a time period of rest and thought will most certainly help everyone act in a much more responsible way on this matter, taking as many precautions as needed.
A new study has shown that the rate of women having abortions seems to be significantly higher in countries that do not allow the procedure. It also seems that at least 50% of abortions taking place globally are unsanitary and unsafe. Most of these are happening in countries which are just developing.
Experts were unable to pinpoint the exact reason for the lower number of abortions in developed countries but believe it could be a result of wide-spread access to a variety of birth control methods. This of course results in a lower amount of unwelcomed pregnancies.
Worldwide the rate of abortion remained quite the same during the years 2003 and 2008, at approximately 28 abortions per one thousand females between the ages of 15 and 44. The total number of abortions during this time frame was recorded and about 43.8 million. This information was released in the study which also shows the number of abortions has diminished since 1995.
There were about 47,000 abortion related deaths as a result of unsafe procedures in 2008. Additional 8.5 million women experienced severe medical problems as a result of abortions gone badly. Just about all the unsafe procedures were performed in underdeveloped countries which had very few resources in the way of contraception and family planning programs.
A senior researcher at The Guttmacher Institute, based out of the US stated that a typical abortion is actually, and should be a very safe and simply procedure. Additionally, the researcher, Gilda Sedgh claimed that the deaths and other complications could be easily avoided with proper medical care.
Sedgh’s colleagues surmised that the number of unsafe abortions went up from 44% in the year 1995 to forty nine percent in the year 2008, this being the last year statistics were made available during the study. Sedgh also made it very clear that to date it is very challenging to get a concise number for the amount of unsafe abortions being performed. For this reason the numbers are being estimated modestly.
Sources which were used included national surveys, official statistics and of course records from hospitals. In order to get the approximate number of unreported abortions, other less reliable sources were used. These sources included surveys given to women and assessments by experts in the field.
The study also concluded that abortion rates were the lowest in West European countries, recorded at about twelve in one thousand women, and highest in the East European counties, at about forty three in one thousand women. In North America the rate was recorded at approximately 19 in 1000 women. The study showed a distinct link between a higher rate of abortions in countries which had less liberal laws concerning them.
The authors of the study have defined the practice of unsafe abortion as any procedure being performed by unskilled and/or unlicensed physicians. Unfortunately, the study also concluded that many women in Africa were going to extreme measures to abort their unwanted babies, including using strong doses of medications, herbal remedies, and even using broken bottles.
I was playing with different smoothies recently to figure out what works and what doesn’t work for me. So here is my list:
Milk, banana, protein – no heartburn but taste is so-so…
Milk, banana – no heartburn – but it is just a banana… Boring!
Milk, banana, strawberry – no heartburn and tastes very nice
Milk, banana, strawberry, peach – don’t overdo with peach, it can add nice taste pattern but also can cause minor heartburn. So experiment here.
Milk, peach, strawberry – risky one. But still worth a try if you don’t like banana. Try to start small on peach since it is quite acid.
I want to try to add some kiwi to my smoothies since they taste delicious. But they are the most acidic (not counting lemon probably)…
If you see any of the smoothies causing you constant heartburn stop it and try a trusted “no heartburn” one. Then slowly add very tiny pieces of fruit you like and see what happens.
Experiment and you’ll find it!
Here are some other methods on how to cure heartburn.
Chest pain due to heartburn is often confused with heart attack chest pain.
Below are typical symptoms of heart attack:
Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest lasting more than a few minutes.
Pain spreading to the shoulders, neck or arms. The pain may be mild to intense. It may feel like pressure, tightness, burning, or heavy weight. It may be located in the chest, upper abdomen, neck, jaw, or inside the arms or shoulders.
Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath.
Anxiety, nervousness and/or cold, sweaty skin.
Paleness or pallor.
Increased or irregular heart rate.
Feeling of impending doom.
So if you have symptoms similar to ones listed above seek emergency help immediately.
Below are typical symptoms of heartburn:
A burning feeling in the chest just behind the breastbone that occurs after eating and lasts a few minutes to several hours.
Chest pain, especially after bending over, lying down or eating.
Burning in the throat — or hot, sour, acidic or salty-tasting fluid at the back of the throat.
Difficulty swallowing.
Feeling of food “sticking” in the middle of the chest or throat.
Heartburn may cause chronic cough, sore throat, or chronic hoarseness
So use these two lists to distinguish between these different types of pains. Who knows maybe this can save you a life sometime.
This is a usual problem for all heartburn sufferers. No acid, no acid, no acid… But what if I want that strawberry, raspberry or orange in my diet?!?!
And how can you imagine living the rest of your life without eating fruits? Well there is a trick which can help you to get your vitamins without pills.
Take a couple glasses of milk put them to the blender, add banana or two add fruits or berries you want, blend them together and your heavenly smoothie is ready.
It is definitely not exactly the same as eating whole fruit but as close as it possible. Banana and milk in your smoothie will compensate for an acid in acidic fruit and entire drink will be neutral.
You probably will have to experiment before you’ll get an ideal combination.
Enjoy!
It looks like lots of people confuse what is Hiatus and what is Hiatal Hernia. Hiatus is translated from Latin as hole and in medicine it means a hole in diaphragm. When part of stomach moves through this hole it is called Hiatal Hernia (because it moves through Hiatus).
You can find much more information about Hiatus Hernia (oops… Hiatal Hernia!) at http://www.manageyourheartburn.com/hiatal-hernia-relief.php
Having heartburn sucks, but what sucks even more is not being able to relax with friends having a pint of beer or shot of vodka.
All web sites recommend completely avoiding alcohol when having heartburn. But at the same time they claim that heartburn is a life long condition. Well does it mean you will have to avoid alcohol for the rest of your life? No way!!!
We already know that wine in moderation is good for your health. But wine is the most acidic liquid you probably can find around except vinegar. And it will definitely cause heartburn in 3-5 minutes after consuming.
Many wine lovers with heartburn just try to stand the pain and take tiny pieces of pleasure before heartburn starts. But I doubt that it is really fun experience. So if you love wines you can try following.
For one month switch from usual red wines to sweet wines. Right, you probably never heard what the heck is that. No – it is not only ports (even though ports are nice  ). There are lots of sweet and semi-sweet wines which are very very popular in certain parts of Europe. And yes, it is not that hard to find them in US.
If you think that these wines taste like grape donut – you’re wrong! I personally respect such wines much much more than any sour ones. Good sweet wines taste better than lots of dry wines.
So if you want to get full list of such wines please go to “wine list page” where I have a list of wines which are very tasty and won’t hurt your stomach.
Please note that an alcohol is still an alcohol – so drink it in moderation. Even too much of sweet or semi-sweet wine could put your stomach on fire.
But just imagine – drinking glass of wine and not having heartburn. And if you won’t have it for a month – there is a very good chance you can start drinking dry wines in moderation too. Just don’t drink too much.
Check out more remedies from heartburn and heartburn safe food at my remedy database and food database
Very useful URL when you want to check how acid is the food you want to try. Check it out here
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