Sunday, February 28, 2010

MEDICARE ON THE DECLINE

Beginning March 1, 2010, Medicare with cut all physician's payments by 21.2%.  Why has this happened - because Congress has failed to permanently repeal the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula.
This reduction in payments will force many doctors to re-evaluate their care of Medicare patients. The lack of action by the U.S. Congress will hurt our seniors who are some of the most vulnerable patients who  desperately need medical care. Call your senators and representatives and express your outrage!

LIFE SAVING BREAST IMPLANTS?

According to the Los Angeles Times, Lydia Carranza, a mother of three and a grandmother of two, was shot in the chest while at work in a dental office. On July 1st, she was sitting at the front desk of Family Dental Care in Simi Valley performing her normal duties.  The husband of one of her co-workers stormed into the office with a semi-automatic weapon and shot Ms. Carranza.  The intended target was his wife, who had recently asked for a divorce. Normally, this would not have made news beyond the local community. In Ms. Carranza's case, it is speculated that the the breast implant absorbed much of the bullet's impact, sparing her from injury to her heart and other vital organs. According to Scott Reitz, a firearms instructor and deadly-force expert witness with 30 years experience with the LAPD, it is plausible that the implant interrupted the velocity of the projectile.  However, Mr. Reitz further added "I don't want to say a boob job is the equivalent of a bulletproof vest, so don't go getting breast enhancements as a means to deflect a possible incoming bullet."

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

THE VI PEEL

The "Vi Peel" falls in the category of a "light" peel.  This is a office peel that is safe for all skin types.  There is little down time, and can be used on the face, neck, chest and hands. It will not remove significant wrinkling, but it does help sun damaged skin to include hyper-pigmentary changes. It improves skin tone and texture. The office procedure takes about 30 minutes and creates mild burning which can be controlled with a fan.  The peel contains Trichloracetic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Phenol, Retinoic Acid, & Vitamins.  The peel can be repeated every 2 weeks for severe sun damaged skin or more commonly, every 10-12 weeks for basic maintence.   Make up can be applied over the treated areas in 4-6 hours if needed. You will start the peeling process from day 2-4, which involves a slight sloughing of the skin. Moisturizers are used at this time.  By one week, you may resume your usual skin care products. For a light to intermediate peel, this product seems to be beneficial.