The digestive system comprises the digestive tract that includes the hollow large and small intestines. The tract facilitates the retention of water and nutrients from ingested food and elimination of feces. Ingested food or chyme is acted upon by enzymes within the digestive tract. This results in extraction of all nutrients, leaving behind only electrolytes and indigestible carbohydrates or dietary fiber. These solids mix with gut flora like mucus and bacteria to become feces.

The colon is an important part of the digestive system that ensures timely emptying of excreta, after extracting water and salt from the solid waste. This segment of the small intestine comprises four sections referred to as: ascending colon, descending colon, sigmoid colon and transverse colon. Dietary fiber is broken down by the bacteria in the colon, to release butyrate, acetate and propionate. These waste products are used by the colon as cell-lining nourishment. Any damage to this delicate symbiotic relationship results in a number of colon-related health problems and even colon cancer.

Colon Cleansing:

Colon cleansing or colon therapy involves the use of a number of medical alternatives to remove fecal waste and toxins from the colon. This helps to keep the intestinal tract clean. Colon hydrotherapy and other cleansing regimens rely on enemas to inject water into the colon. Cleansing therapy involves the mixing of special herbs and other enema-inducing liquids. Oral cleaning of the colon involves the ingestion of dietary fiber and supplements and laxatives. The main aim of colon cleansing is to eliminate the lining of accumulated putrefied feces from within the large intestine and colon.

Dangers of Colon Cleansers:

A study of the living human anatomy reveals that the colon is at no time dirty or clogged. However, indiscriminate use of certain drugs or certain diseases do result in the need to assist natural colon cleansing. But, colon cleansing if not monitored or adhered to within prescribed limit, does result in potential health hazards. Research reveals instances of damage to the rectum, amoebiasis, electrolyte imbalances and even heart attacks. Frequent and random colon cleansing is also known to interfere with normal bowel functioning, leading to a lifelong dependence on enemas and laxatives to defecate solid waste. It has also been observed that some of the herbs incorporated within the colon cleansing process interact with and greatly reduce the effect of prescribed drugs. Colon cleansers are known to cause auto-intoxication that manifests in the form of:
Headache.
Loss of appetite.
Fatigue.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Colon cleansing is known to disrupt the balance between natural enzymes and bacteria in the digestive tract. Gastrointestinal perforation, amoebic infection, dehydration, anemia, salt depletion and malnutrition are also associated with colon cleansing programs. It is important to address the colon cleansing detox trend that is being followed extensively today. The two ways of cleansing the colon, via detoxification supplements and induced-flushing, are both associated with health hazards. Both the detoxification processes involve varying degrees of body-shock, manifesting in symptoms such as anxiety, migraines, nausea, depression, constipation and diarrhea. Medical professionals believe that the colon is completely self-sufficient to handle regular cleansing, without any external intervention. Colon cleansing detox supplements are also known to trigger allergic reactions, stomach cramps and severe joint ache. The effect of the cleansing on the immune system and related body functions can be life-threatening.

Each year in the United States, strokes affect almost 900,000 people and their families. Among those who survive a stroke, the effects can be devastating and debilitating. Many risk factors contribute to your chances of suffering one. Arming yourself with knowledge about strokes may allow you to prevent one from happening to you. Read on to learn about stroke and stroke risk: 5 things you should know.

Strokes are the third leading cause of death each year in the U.S.

Only cancer and heart disease kill more people in the U.S. each year than do strokes. If you are lucky enough to survive a stroke, you may be debilitated to the point that you can no longer work or care for yourself, straining your finances as well as the emotional health of you and your family as you deal with the effects.

Stroke can make your life harder

Thy physical effects of a stroke can make your life much more difficult. After a stroke, many people have issues with mobility, often requiring full-time nursing care and wheelchairs for transportation. Paralysis, even if on only one side of the body, can make tying shoes, bathing, eating, and dressing without assistance difficult, if not impossible. Problems with vision or speaking, cognitive problems, sexual dysfunction, and incontinence are also common.

You can not control some risk factors

Some risk factors are beyond your control. If an immediate family member has ever had a stroke, your risk is increased. Men are also more likely to have a stroke, although women die more often from them. Those in the geographical southeast have a higher prevalence of stroke, as do African Americans and those suffering from diabetes. Also, with each decade after the age of 55, your chances for a stroke double.

You can control some risk factors

The good news is that you can control some of the risks that often lead to strokes. Living a healthy lifestyle is crucial. Do not smoke cigarettes, and if you do, quit. Limit your alcohol intake to one per day for women and two per day for men. Get off the couch and get some exercise each day. Even 30 minutes of exercise per day is beneficial. If you are obese, lose weight. Choose to eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, and healthy fats from nuts or olive oil, limiting red meat, animal based fats, and fried foods. If your blood cholesterol or blood pressure is high, see your physician for medications that will control the problem.

Preventive screening can reduce your risk

More than half of all people who suffer from a stroke had no symptoms beforehand. Occasionally, a person will have mini-strokes, called transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), before undergoing a larger, more devastating stroke. If you have temporary problems with a severe headache, blurred vision, numbness or tingling on one side of the body, dizziness, loss of balance, difficulty talking or understanding speech, you may be having a TIA.

Because most strokes are symptomless, though, preventive screening is crucial and can save your life. Mobile screening companies now make the process quick, easy, and convenient. Many set up screenings in local gyms, churches, or community centers. At the screening, a skilled sonographer performs an ultrasound of the carotid arteries, a process that is painless and is the best indicator of stroke and heart disease.

“What does that mean?” I asked.
“I love you… it means I love you.” I stared at Jeremy incredulous. Was he for real?

We hadn’t spoken in four years and he says he loves me. I let go of the seatbelt and it snaps back into place with a loud smack. Jeremy was staring at me intently smiling. His beautiful hazel eyes focused on mine. I felt my cheeks begin to burn, so I turned to look at Sam, who still was asleep. I didn’t know how to respond to what he just said to me. I smiled and turned back around, my damp hair falling into my face as I did.

“You don’t mean that,” I said. “No one loves me… no one but Sam.” Jeremy reached over and with his hand lightly placed my hair behind my ear. Then placed his hand on my red cheek. I looked at him, he was still smiling, making me blush even more.
“That’s not true… I love you.” he said. “I’ve never stop loving you. Remember when I said I would be here when things didn’t workout with that other guy?” I nodded my head, still not believing this was all happening. “Well, I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”

Jeremy then leaned over and pressed his warm lips against my cold cheek, then gently to my lips. Again I was reminded of how good it felt when he kissed me. How great his touch made me feel, like nothing else in the world mattered.

“Wait,” I said pulling away. “I’m really not ready for another commitment, no matter how good that felt.” I said smiling, biting my bottom lip.
“Yeah, I’m sorry… I just couldn’t resist. You just looked too cute.” he said sitting back in his seat. I started to open the door when he stopped me, placing his hand on my forearm.
“Yes?” I said turning back around.
“Nothing… I just wanted to see your face again.” I smiled and climbed out the car. I walked around back and grabbed Sam and our stuff. I laid Sam on my shoulder and leaned back down, looking in the window at Jeremy.
“Well thanks for the ride, I really appreciate it.” I said.
“Here… so we can keep in touch.” Jeremy leaned over and handed me a piece of paper with a number on it. “I know you’re not looking for anything serious, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t still friends.” he said smiling.
I smiled back at him. “Right.” I said. I thanked him again, then went into the hotel.

Once the weekend was over Sam and I were back to our same routine. I rolled down the window, letting in some fresh air, as Giselle lit her first cigarette of the day. I clicked on the radio as we turned the corner onto Arms Ave. Leona Lewis “Better In Time” came on. That song was exactly what I needed to hear. Things did get better in time, I’ve learned that so many times before. My breakup with Kevin was just another one of those things that took time to heal. And maybe it will heal faster now that Jeremy’s back. As we passed Kimi’s house I noticed Jeremy standing on the porch in what looked like a jogging suit. He waved, but before I could wave back we were already past the house, pulling up in front of Kevin’s parents. I climbed out the car and walked Sam up to the door.

“Good morning.” Mrs. Heart said in a chipper voice.
“Mornin Grandma.” Sam said hugging her.
“I’ll be back to get you later, okay.” I said to Sam, rubbing her head. She nodded, then ran into the house. I smiled then turned to Mrs. Heart. “Call me if you need anything.” She nodded and I walked away.

As I walked down the walkway I noticed Giselle sitting in the car dancing. She must have been listening to that new song she was so obsessed with. I smiled then turned my head towards the direction of Kimi’s house, when I saw a tall figure running towards me. As the figure got closer I was able to see it was Jeremy.

“And so we meet again.” Jeremy said stopping in front of me.
“We are friends, we’re bound to run into each other.” I said smiling.
“Right, so to kick this friendship off, let me take you out to lunch,” he said. “we’ll just be two friends catching up over coffee.”

I didn’t want to seem rude, so I agreed. I gave Jeremy my work address, where he promised to pick me up at one-fifteen sharp. I climbed back into the car, where Giselle was eying me suspiciously.

“Who was that?” she asked as we pulled off Arms.
“Just a friend.” I said.
“Okay Jess, but that looked a lot like flirting to me.” she said. At that moment I knew she wasn’t going to let this go.

We pulled up into the parking lot of Gigi’s. Like everyday Giselle put out her cigarette and turned of the radio then got out the car. She came up beside me and put her arm around my shoulders, still humming that song she loved. We walked into the building together.

“Good morning.” Giselle practically shouted. Adrian came out the kitchen making a face at her.
“God, do you have to yell… it’s too early for that.” she said setting the tables. Giselle just smiled and kept walking to the break room. Chuck came out the door as she entered it.
“Morning Chucky.” she said smacking him on the arm.
“Morning.” he said rubbing it. “Morning Jessica.” he said to me smiling.
“Good morning.” I said. “How was your weekend?” I asked getting straight to work, helping Adrian.
“Boring… all work and no play.” he said. “How about you? Giselle said you and Samantha took a little mini vacation.”
“Yeah, but it wasn’t what I hoped it would be thanks to the rain.” I said.
“Well my weekend was great!” Giselle shouted as she came back out.
“Really, the yelling.” Adrian said in an annoyed tone, walking back into the kitchen.
“That stick up your ass is really tight today, huh Adrian.” Giselle said. Both Chuck and I quietly laughed.

As the day pressed on my mind kept wondering back to Jeremy, with the help of Giselle, who took it upon herself to inform everyone of my lunch date. Which she forced out of me on the freeway. I watched the hands on the clock slowly inch their way closer to one o’clock. Even though Jeremy had assured me that this was just a friendly lunch, I was still nervous. Especially after he told me he loved me. Giselle must have seen this because she couldn’t take her eyes off me.

“If this is just a friendly lunch, as you say, then why are you so nervous?” she said from behind the bar as I walked by.
“It is, and I’m not. Jeremy and I are just friends.” I said.
“You may be friends now, but something about the way your acting says otherwise,” she said. “Like there’s more to your relationship than you’re telling me. And here I thought we were friends.” I sighed and sat down in front of her.
“We are friends, but I know if I tell you what I’m about to tell you, you’ll blow it way out of proportion.” I said.
“No I won’t, just tell me.” she said smiling, trying to hide her eagerness.
“You remember what I told you about Chris?” she nodded. “Well the year after I had my abortion I started dating Jeremy. He was my first love.” I didn’t want to tell Giselle what Jeremy had told me. If I did she’d really go berserk and start making little assumptions about our relationship.
“I knew it!” she shouted, causing everyone in Gigi’s to look our way. Chuck shot her a look, she brushed it off and turned back to me.
“I knew there was something. But I still don’t get why you’re so nervous. You’ve loved two other guys since him, what’s the big deal?” she asked.
“Jeremy and I haven’t spoken since the whole Chris thing. It’s been four years now, so our friendship -at least to me- is a little rocky.”
“So you haven’t spoken in a few years, big deal. As long as he still feels you have a friendship what’s so wrong.” she said, shrugging off what I said.
“But he’s Kimi’s brother, and they’re like this.” I said crossing my fingers.
“Forget the bitch… you just think about rekindling that first love of yours.” she said smiling. But didn’t know if I was ready to start over yet.

The clock struck 1:15 and as promised, Jeremy was there to pick me. The lunch rush was in full swing, and I was thinking of breaking our date. But thanks to the very forceful Giselle, I was out of there by 1:19. My date with Jeremy was less awkward than I thought. As he promised we were just to friends catching up. I really didn’t have much to fill him in on, his life seemed more exciting, but he kept insisting I talk about the little things, like Sam’s first word “Shit”.

“She had heard Kevin say it once when he was watching a football game, and next thing we hear is a little squeaky “shit”. It was really funny.” I said. Jeremy roared with laughter.

I told him about Giselle and our friendship, not going into too much detail. She was the type of person who would tell you their life story in just one meeting. I knew he would see her again, so there was no need. Plus she’d kill me if I told him, she gets a kick out of peoples reaction when she says she’s gay. Jeremy told me all about college and the band he used to be in.

“What?! You were in a band?!” I said in dis belief. He nodded.
“Yeah, The Poseurs, we weren’t really good.” he said smiling.
“So what did you play?” I asked.
“I sang lead, we did mostly covers.” he said. My jaw literally dropped.
“You sing?!” I practically screamed.
“Not well.” he said.
“Will you sing for me?” I asked. I could see his cheeks turning red.
“Someday.” he uttered. All-in–all the lunch was great.

When I got back to work the lunch rush was over, and everyone looked exhausted. Except for Giselle, who seemed to pep up as soon a she saw me. I knew she wanted to know all the little details of the lunch, but I wasn’t going to tell her. At least not now. I told her I would once we were home. She agreed though she wasn’t happy, and decided to sulk for the rest of the night. Our biggest business hours were lunch and dinner, so the interval in between was slow. Time seemed to slow down, and boredom would start to set in. Giselle and her depressed mood didn’t make it any better. Every five minutes she would sigh loudly, just to let everyone know she wasn’t happy.

“Oh my gosh, will you stop!” Adrian yelled. Her mood was just as bad as Giselle’s. Only she had a pissy attitude.(That time of the month). “First you’re loud, now you’re depressed… either way you’re annoying the shit out of me.”
“Well at least I’m not in a week long shit mood.” Giselle said.
“Yeah, I’m a real bitch.” Adrian said sarcastically.
“You got that right… a real bitch.” Giselle said.
“Fuck you, Giselle.”
“You wish.” she said. I could see this was getting a little out of hand so Chuck and I decided to step in, before something really bad happened.
“Okay, let’s just all calm down.” Chuck said. “It’s been a long day and we’re all tired.” I could see Chuck wasn’t getting anywhere, I stepped in. I turned around and turned on the radio, and thank God, the one thing I knew that would pull Giselle out of her funk, and possibly Adrian, was on. Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” came through the speakers and everything stopped.
“Okay you two, fightings over. Now it’s time to do what the lady says and dance.” I started dancing my way over to Giselle, who was biting her lip trying not to smile, but as soon as I had her hand she was hopeless.

We started to dance, easing our way over to Adrian, who was also trying not to smile. My dancings not that bad, I thought. Then Giselle let out a loud laugh. Okay, maybe I am, I thought. But then Giselle turned me around so I was facing Chuck, who was also dancing. If you could call it that. I mean he wasn’t really bad, it was just weird. He was our boss and seeing him let loose like this was well… funny. Now all three of us were laughing, Adrian just couldn’t contain herself. Adrian walked over to Chuck and tried to help him, but just ended up looking just as silly. We were having so much fun, none of us had noticed the customer coming in.

“Whoa!” he said. We all stopped and turned to give our apologies, when I noticed I knew him. This tall blond haired, blue eyed guy wasn’t just somebody he was…
“Angel!”
“Chris?!”

Unless you have had a specific reason to learn about it, insulin is quite possibly a mystery to you. You know it directly affects the lives of diabetics, and can go up and down depending on your blood sugar levels, but perhaps you don’t know much more than that. How important is it for regular folks to know about? Should you be aware of your insulin levels, or is it affecting your life in ways that you’re not aware? In this article we’ll take a closer look at what insulin does, how your diet can affect its production, and the havoc it could be playing on your system.

First, let’s start with the basics. Insulin is a hormone that is produced in your pancreas to cause cells in your liver, muscles and fat tissue to absorb glucose from your blood and store it as glycogen for future energy needs. Glucose is a form of sugar used by your body for energy, and is derived from the consumption of carbohydrates (e.g. starch). So you eat a donut, your body breaks it down, glucose is released into your blood, insulin is released as a reaction, and triggers your liver, muscles and fatty tissue to absorb this donut-derived glucose as glycogen for use down the road when you need it. So the more carbs you eat, the more glucose goes into your blood, and the more insulin your produce. Also, not that when insulin is low, your body will turn from this glucose/glycogen energy cycle and start using your fat as an energy source.

Now, say you’re eating a ton of carbohydrates. Your body will react by producing a lot of insulin. The first problem we run into is that your liver, muscle and fatty tissue cells cannot store a lot of glycogen (about 400 grams total), so any excess glucose gets sent to the liver to be turned into fat. High insulin levels will also prevent your body from using this fat as an energy source, so it simply begins to accumulate. Eventually, if insulin levels remain continuously high, your cells will become insulin resistant, meaning that they will cease accepting any more glucose at all. In effect, they shut down, and stop caring about how much glucose is in your blood. What happens next is that the amount of glucose in the blood stream becomes unregulated, and all hell breaks loose in terms of blood glucose toxicity and insulin damage, which results in even greater risks for diabetes, heart attacks, blindness, the need for limb amputation and other disasters.

However, this is just focusing on the glucose levels in the system. Having consequently high insulin levels is even worse. Insulin is pro-inflammatory, and is now believed to cause atherosclerosis, the stiffening of artery walls, the rise in blood pressure, the blockage of your circulatory system–and you can figure out where all that takes you.

Finally, think about this: that ‘sugar rush’ you get after eating a candy bar or drinking a soda is your glucose levels spiking in your blood stream. Your brain uses glucose for energy, and the sudden excess makes it very happy, energized and upbeat. You feel great! But a few minutes later your pancreas kicks into overdrive, dumps a lot of insulin into your system, and all that glucose gets stored away, resulting in a ‘crash’ as your brain gets deprived. Suddenly you go from being high to being grumpy, morose, lethargic. Often people will try to fix this with more sugar—a terrible solution! The very worst though is if you no longer get ‘sugar highs’, because that means your system is so out of control that it’s on its way to becoming insulin resistant, and that’s where the real trouble starts.

A key way to help regulate your glucose levels and thus keep your insulin levels low is to exercise. Remember, insulin’s primary job is to store glucose as glycogen in your cells for future energy use. The problems really start when those cells get filled up and there’s no more room, so one easy, healthy method of preventing that from happening is to exercise. Burn up those glycogen supplies, and you will keep that glucose cycle clicking away happily without jamming up the works.

Further, realize that everybody falls somewhere on the range of insulin sensitive to insulin resistant, and that we all need to monitor not only how much exercise we’re getting, but also how much glucose we’re dumping into our systems. A diet high in refined carbohydrates will put a lot of stress on this glycogenesis cycle, so if you’re drinking a lot of sodas, eating a ton of pizza and pasta and white bread, and ordering sugary desserts, realize that you are causing crazy glucose spikes in your system, which leads to massive insulin generation, which upsets your whole system and forces it to work in overdrive to achieve homeostasis once more. So cut back on the carbs, cut back on the sugar, and enjoy the rapid improvement you’ll see in your health!

Perhaps, if everyone were really working hard to get a nice set of abs, plenty more people would have them by now. In reality, most people are hardly working out. They tend to do so when it’s convenient for them and doesn’t interfere with their TV schedule. One reason folks aren’t getting motivated is due to results. Or should I say lack there of? You see, when it comes to working out and getting fit, people want it to happen over night. Unfortunately that is not realistic. It takes proper dieting and a regular ab workout to get that chiseled six pack. Are you willing to do the work? I know you’ll love the results.

You should know that, if you’ve got weak and flabby abs, you’ll require the most carefully planned ab workout program. Your core strength is the most important component in your work out routine. It gives the rest of your body the strength to endure long workouts, and to bear the weight of lifting heavy objects. But, If your ab workout regimen is well structured and fortified with targeted ab exercises, you will surely be on the fast track to a lean, fit and healthy body.

Particularly, showing off muscles is something everyone likes to do. Yeah, it’s right that this is not for a guy but for girls also who enjoy strutting across the beach in their new two-piece and exposing their rock-hard abdominal muscles. It’s a great feeling to know you’re lean and strong. But, what is the best ab workout, and is there a little more involved? Well, it all starts with your diet. Think about what you consume each day. Do you focus on foods that are high in fat and sugar? This is a major no-no. If you want your abs to show and look amazing, you shouldn’t be consuming tons of fat and unhealthy calories.

Try a low-fat diet with plenty of exercise and water. In order to show off your abs, you need to remove the excess fatty tissue that covers them up. But not without adopting the right kind of diet. Then there’s the ab workout aspect of it all. This is just as important. You want to try exercises that put good strain on your abdominal muscles specifically. For example, sit-ups primarily work your sides, and not your abs. So this is not a good ab workout. Try crunches, but perform them properly. Lie on your back, place your legs up on a chair so that your knees point straight up to the ceiling, clasp your hands behind your head and clench you tummy. You should come about a third of the way off the floor. When you clench, hold it for a few seconds before you relax and start again. This will put better strain on the abdominals.

Bear in mind that, the techniques you use in performing in various exercise matters. Your ab workout can be extremely effective, or disappointingly worthless. Let’s say you start an ab workout that centers around crunches. If you are in a stationary position for the entire workout, you’ll eventually develop oddly, disproportionate muscles. While one section of your abs may bulge with strength and firmness, the rest might hang, retaining their original sad state. To avoid this, make sure you vary the positions and angles in which you do crunches. Instead of going straight back and forth, integrate a side-to-side twist every now and then. These type of ab exercises will ensure that your muscles are evenly developed and that your ab workout is not a waste of time.

Remember to those who have a back injuries or other medical conditions may be concerned about the safety of an ab workout. Always check with your doctor before beginning any ab workout program. Simple sit ups can bring a healthy tone to those muscles that have been dormant for so many years. And if you’re having an especial difficult time, have a friend hold your ankles down. You can also slide your feet under the bed and place a pillow on top of your feet for cushioning. This will make your ab exercises more effective.

In fact, one of the best ways to get all-over coverage during an ab workout is to bring your knees halfway up to your torso, with ankles slightly elevated. With hands folded behind your head, continue with your crunches until you feel a slight tingling, burning sensation in your muscle tissue.

While the midsection is crucial to whether you’re perceived as being either ‘fit’ or ‘fat’, all the ab training known to man will not prevail without the adjoining dedication to both strict dieting and considerable amounts of cardiovascular activity. If you keep your routine varied, you should ultimately achieve an ab workout that strengthens your core. Don’t forget, always check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.

For more information on how you can get six pack abs, please visit our web site.

Nutritionally unsound diets

If your weight loss plan is nutritionally unsound, it can leave you feeling hungry all the time, particularly if you are eating significantly fewer calories than you normally consume. It takes planning to provide fewer calories and avoid hunger pangs at the same time. By their very nature, diets place a lot of emphasis on food and you will be thinking more about food which exacerbates the feeling of hunger. Eliminating certain food groups from your diet is an example of a nutritionally unsound diet as is eating only one of two foods during the course of the diet.

Boring Diets

Diets which rely on only one food may sound like the pounds will melt away, but often, the dieter will last through only two or three meals of grapefruit or something similar that is touted as the latest ‘lose weight quickly’ fad. Instead, choose a weight loss plan that provides a variety of nutritious and filling foods and be sure to include some of your personal favorites as a treat. By reducing the size of portions and including healthy exercise, you can often take the pounds off gradually and never feel like you are bored or suffering from the results of monofoods during the course of the diet.

Unrealistic Expectations

If you prepare a weight loss plan that calls for losing lots of weight in a short period of time, you will almost certainly fail. The plans which show the best likelihood of success are those that use tested approaches to weight loss and set realistic intermediate goals. A weight control program that doesn’t allow adequate time to work is almost certain to cause discouragement, usually resulting in the dieter giving up in despair, well short of the desired weight loss goal.

Physical problems

Sometimes physical problems are the issue in weight gain, and even the best weight loss plan won’t result in dropping the pounds. However, if you review your diet plans with your physician prior to beginning the weight reduction program, he or she will be able to determine if there are any medical problems that should be addressed prior to altering eating habits. Certain diseases such as diabetes and thyroid problems can result in drastic and sometimes dangerous weight gains. By seeking medical attention, these issues are almost certain to be monitored and corrected through the use of medications, diet or exercise.

Make sure that your Weight Loss Plan is successful by gathering the best possible information about successful dieting. You can make use of the links at www.fastweightlossplantips.com.

Today more than 30 percent of Americans are overweight with a body mass index (BMI) of between 25 and 29 and another 30 percent are classed as obese with a BMI in excess 30. That means that more than 60 percent of the population of the United States is now classed as being either overweight or obese. This is worrying enough in itself, but the underlying numbers show an even more worrying picture.

Between 2000 and 2005 the proportion of those people classed as being obese with a BMI of greater than 30 rose by just under 25 percent. However, the proportion of those classed as being severely or morbidly obese rose by 50 percent in the same period and the proportion of those often referred to as being ’super’ obese with a BMI in excess of 50 rose by a staggering 75 percent.

At the same time there has been an explosive growth in the number of bariatric surgeries being performed in the United States. In 1998 bariatric surgery was performed on about 13,000 patients and, by 2006, this figure had risen to more than 200,000.

Today bariatric surgery is being performed in more and more hospitals and surgical centers and, in addition to tradition surgeries such as vertical or sleeve gastrectomy and the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, now encompasses a range of new techniques including such operations as laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding and even robotic gastric surgery. But, despite all of this, morbid obesity continues to rise and now appears to be virtually out of control.

With the well know and often fatal health risks of such things as diabetes and heart disease accompanying obesity one begins to wonder just what it is going to take to stem this rising tide.

GastricBypassFacts.info is a substantial resource center providing information on all aspects of gastric bypass surgery and includes a number of articles covering such things as morbid obesity.

Since people nowadays are so self-conscious, they resort to a lot options just to make sure they would look as pleasing as possible. Some would try all sorts of exercise, diet supplements, diet shakes and others just to get rid of those unnecessary fats. However, with the schedules that some of these people might have, they would want to resort to drastic weight loss instead. That’s why, for drastic weight loss approach, there is such thing as bypass surgeries.

So the question is, why should one pursue body contouring?
Even if drastic ways or approaches could give a life-changing result, they also have some negative effects in the human body. If you are going to lose weight very fast, your body could have a difficult time catching up and this is really true for the human skin.

In normal conditions, the human skin is resilient and elastic. The drastic weight loss does not give the skin enough time to adapt to the changes the body would be going through. Also, oftentimes, the weight gain could stretch the skin which makes it less resilient due to stretch marks which comprises the human skin’s elastic properties.

This would then result losing a great deal of weight in just a matter of time. The result is better weight and better body health but also a loose, sagging skin that could sometimes make it difficult to see how dramatic ones weight loss actually is.

In order to effectively reduce skin, a cosmetic surgery needs to be done. It does wonders: could remove excess bagging skin left behind after the drastic weight loss, helps tighten muscles (mainly in the abdomen area) which has been stretched and lost its elasticity. In most cases, this type of excess kin could not be toned or eliminated through additional diet or exercise. However, cosmetic surgery could dramatically improve the contours of one’s body which gives one the look one truly wants.

Next question that needs to be answered is what type of cosmetic surgery procedures that could help? Well, there are some procedures that are very effective for body contouring after excessive weight loss and this includes:

Tummy tuck – If you have almost reached your desired weight, but still have loose skin and/or excess fat in the abdomen part, a tummy tuck would be the solution to this. A traditional tummy tuck has the ability to tighten skin and muscle via the entire abdominal portion, meanwhile a mini tummy tuck would help correct the area below the navel

Breast lift and/or augmentation- The elasticity of the breasts would surely get affected if one would lose weight. However, there is one way to recover those perky breasts and that is through a breast lift which could remove excess skin, reduce sag, and restore original appearance of your breasts.

Thigh lift – This could be done for excess loose skin and last bit of fatty tissue in the thighs. What it does is that it could tighten thighs.

Drastic weight loss can be beneficial for us especially for those that desperately need to lose weight because of health reasons. It is crucial that before you enter into drastic weight loss methods, you must know everything about the program, before and after.

Sure exercise also helps us lose weight, but if you dig deeper into weight loss programs, you will see that a good diet will take us even further into slimming. It’s like you can use your stationary bike for about an hour and all you lose is more or less 1000 calories whereas if you cut down on your desserts and carbohydrate intake, you are also saving your body from that 1000 calories. Join these two together, good exercise habits and balanced diet, and you are sure to find yourself on a weighing scale telling yourself you’ve just lost 10 pounds in just a few days!

No one can achieve a slimmer figure if you only exercise or the other way around, diet. Both go hand and hand. So while you are attending your gym classes, you can look at the lose stomach fat diet options like taking more fluids and eating fibrous fruits and vegetables. Fiber can aid your body in cleaning the linings of your veins and stomach of fat while fluids can flush everything out of your system. Maintain a good habit of eating more of vegetables and less of pork or other meat products. However, your body also needs proteins so don’t forget to eat lots of food with protein like chicken, eggs and milk. Yogurt and low-fat milk products can also help your body in digestion so get a lot of those as well.

There is a great weight loss product called Strip That Fat, and it helped me to lose 73 pounds! This is about the millionth product and diet I have tried. Most importantly it’s the last one. It worked. It taught me how to get rid of my stomach fat, and how to keep it off. Not one pound of the 73 pounds I lost came back, and I finally accomplished what I had been trying to do for such a long time. I have tried and tried, but couldn’t do it until I came across Strip That Fat. I was hesitant at first, but two factor helped me buy with confidence. The first was how affordable it was, 47 dollars. The second was the 60 day no questions asked money back guarantee. Any one would know if a weight loss product was working with in that time frame. In the first month I lost 23 pounds, and knew I made the right decision. If you follow it, it works and works well.

Remember, diet does not mean starvation. You need to eat but you should only eat those that has less fat. Meals that are taken on regular intervals can also bring about a change in weight as your body will have enough time to digest all the food you ate. This strategy will work particularly with a lose stomach fat diet. Strip That Fat will help you accomplish all your stomach fat goals, as well as helping you lose all the weight you need. It’s the best product I’ve ever used for to get rid of my stomach fat.

The Smoking Fetish.  There are several different aspects and reasons why a person can be excited by the act of smoking. Usually it’s by watching the act. The most predominant form of sexual fetish I’ve researched is the male watching the female perform the act of cigarette smoking.

In the last several years I’ve noticed a steady increase in a certain type of sexual stimulation known as the smoking fetish.

The question I posed to myself was of a different nature. What does olfactory stimulation, or the sense of smell, as related to exhaled cigarette smoke, have to do with sexual excitement?

For thousands of years it has been known that the sense of smell can stimulate sexual response in human beings and other animals.

Pheromones are chemical molecules secreted and fit specifically at olfactory receptor sites at locations in the nasal canal. These receptor sites, in turn, send signals to the brain. These signals usually cause a sexual stimulatory response in the opposite sex, and attraction occurs.

Millions of dollars are spent producing perfumes, colognes, and other various fragrances in the attempt to cause one human to attract another through the sense of smell. If the opposite sex likes the smell, an attraction can occur.  This attraction, in turn, eventually leads to some form of sexual attraction.  The long-term goal of the sexual attraction, of course, is to influence that person into some sexual encounter.

There has been scores of scientific studies researching the effects of pheromones and fragrances, that cause sexual attraction between humans.

There has been one scent, or smell, entirely overlooked by the scientific community.

I don’t know if it is so much new, or just recently discovered. But there exists a smell that causes very strong sexual responses. At least in some people. Perhaps many people. This olfactory response, or smell, is simply the smell of exhaled cigarette smoke.

Don’t laugh. I’m totally serious.

All you have to do is conduct a search on the Internet of smoke fetishes, and you’ll find millions of web sites related to the subject of smoking and sexual excitement.

I wanted to know why, and why the smell of smoke is so sexually exciting to many, with the increasing political incorrectness associated with it.

The Smoking Fetish

There are several different aspects and reasons why a person can be excited by the act of smoking. Usually it’s by watching the act.

The most predominant form of sexual fetish I’ve researched is the male watching the female perform the act of cigarette smoking.

After researching this subject and being a little confused as to why this fetish even exists, I’ve obtained information that has not only satisfied much of my curiosity about the subject, but has also given me reasons as to why this fetish exists.

The male seems to experience a sexual tension, or high, watching an attractive woman light up and bring the cigarette to her lips to draw the smoke in. The act of drawing, commonly referred to as pumping, or double pumping the smoke is accompanied by hollowing of the cheeks. This is followed by a long, drawn out, exhalation of smoke into the air through pursed lips.

Some of us are more orally fixated than others.  It has been scientifically documented that people who smoke, moreover females who smoke, have greater oral fixations then people who don’t smoke.  I’m certainly not sexist, as I’m a woman myself. But there does seem to exist in the literature an association between oral fixation and smoking.

Even though I have gone over many of the visual stimulation affects that smoking has on people, which can be very stimulating to someone, I am not focusing on this subject right now in this article.

The focus of this article is more specifically on the actual olfactory response, or smell, of the exhaled smoke itself. First of all, I must state there is no problem finding many people who cannot stand the smell of smoke in any form or fashion. With that said and out of the way, let’s press forward.

Why does the smoking fetish exist?

Does the smell of the exhaled smoke play a part in the fetish?

There is certainly a visual sexual attractiveness to the act of smoking.  Watching a women bring a slim, long, white cigarette to her red lips, make contact with her lips, followed by performing the oral act of the cheek hollowing drawing in, inhaling and exhaling the smoke into the air can certainly cause sexual tension in some men.

But the focus of this article, again, is on the actual smell of the exhaled smoke itself.

When a woman exhales smoke into the air, with a sexual connotation, there is something sexually stimulating about watching the smoke roll through the air and slowly dissipate.  Now let us focus on the actual smell of the cloud of exhaled smoke.

For one thing, there is certainly a difference in the smell of exhaled smoke as compared to the smell of uninhaled smoke.  There are certain kinds of secondhand smoke.  There’s smoke that rises off the end of the cigarette.  There is the smoke that’s drawn in orally into the oral cavity and if not inhaled into the lungs, but blown out, is heavier and smells different than inhaled smoke.  On the other hand, when the smoke is drawn in, and inhaled into the lungs and blown out into the air, it certainly has different properties and a different smell.  The smell is different than any other smell of the cigarette.

I challenge anyone to have someone light a cigarette somewhere, and smell the smoke that comes from one end, and then smell the smoke that is inhaled and blown into the air. They will smell something completely different.

The smoke that’s been inhaled, followed by a long plume exhalation into the air is a much different smell.  I must admit, it’s a lighter, more fragrant smell. Even as this exhaled smoke dissipates into the air one will notice the different smell.  Many people describe the smell as not only better than the other smells of the cigarette, but actually a good, pleasant smell.  This perception of the smell of this kind of smoke is not only from smokers themselves, but from many nonsmokers also.

For example, I’ve had many people, even nonsmokers, explain to me that they cannot stand the smell of smoke in the air. The residual smoke and the smell of smoke on clothing, furniture, or in the room.  However, they have the different perception of freshly exhaled smoke, especially from the opposite sex as perhaps when experienced in a public place such as a restaurant or bar.

Let me share story with you.  One man came into my therapy session and explained that he had a smoking fetish.  He didn’t realize he had this fetish until recently.  However, he went on to explain that he’s never smoked and he could not stand the smell of smoke. However, he had a girlfriend who smokes.  They were in a restaurant one night and she lit up the cigarette and he was slightly offended at this act, but since he had a few drinks, he thought he was much more relaxed about the whole thing.

While watching his girlfriend’s smoking he noticed that he became more interested in the way she brought the cigarette to her lips, drew the smoke in and exhaled the smoke.

What really surprised him was before he got up to use the restroom his girlfriend took a long drag of her cigarette and blew the smoke into an area away from him.  As he walked to the restroom he ended up walking right through the cloud of her exhaled smoke.  As he walked through this cloud he could not believe he experienced the strongest sexual stimulation and urges he’s never felt in his life.  Following this, he was very curious about the whole experience.  So he asked his girlfriend to blow her plume of smoke toward him and eventually right in his face.

Wanting to experiment with this more, when they arrived home, he asked her if she wouldn’t mind if she blew more smoke in his face.  As she was smoking and she blew the plume of smoke into the air, the smoke slowly dissipated and made its way to his nose, he again experienced sexual sensations.

He admitted he was half embarrassed by the whole thing, but still curious. He asked his girlfriend to blow the smoke toward him every time she would exhale.  She gladly accommodated him.  The man explained that he was excited at not only the smell but the way the smoke slowly made its way to his face either through plumes rolling through the air or slowly making its way in waves toward him, like a lava lamp.  As this exhaled smoke made its way to his nose, again, it stimulated him in a fashion he could not explain.

Needless to say, that night he went on to have the best sex that he ever had with his girlfriend. He explained he had the most intense orgasm he had ever experienced.

When I asked him what he thought caused all of this, he could not explain.  The only thing he could explain was that the smell was more feminine and reflected a peculiar attractive smell.  He explained that the smell of her exhaled smoke was somehow a reflection of her own pleasure.  He also explained something very interesting to me.  He went on to say that since the smoke was inside her attractive, feminine body, and exhaled it was somehow altered by her femininity and sexually exciting.

Again there is a certain sexual connotation to this.  The man was referring to the smoke being inside of her, followed by being exhaled outside of her.  This could be compared to the sexual act of being inside the woman, followed by a release and ultimately being outside of her.

I’m not exactly sure how long this smoking fetish has been in existence.  I would suspect that it’s been around a long time. However, many people are embarrassed by it for fear of being ridiculed.

With all of the political incorrectness going on about smoking it certainly would be something that someone would wish to suppress.

However with all of the smoking fetish web sites, forums, and discussion groups, the smoking fetish can certainly no longer be denied as one of the strong, and more popular fetishes that exist.  The Internet has proved this.

In conclusion, even though I could partially understand why a man would be excited about watching the woman smoke because of the oral visual effects, I wanted to find out if there was actual stimulation from the smell of the exhaled smoke. Which, again, is certainly different than the smell of smoke not inhaled. 

In my opinion there is a difference. 

I have to admit that I enjoy smoking a Virginia Slim sometimes.  I, myself, have smoked and tried it both ways.  Taking a drag of the cigarette and blowing the smoke out both ways. After inhalation and after not being inhaled. Both myself, as well as my husband, agree that there is a difference.  When I drew the same exact amount of smoke in and inhaled, followed by an exhalation of a long plume of creamy smoke into the air, we both agree that the smell is very nice.  Even sensual. A smell we both like, very much.

I also must admit that my husband liked the smell even though he could not explain why.  By the way, the smell not only was enjoyed by both of us but excited my husband sexually.  This in turn, excited me as well. I have also, actually witnessed men in bars walking, or dancing right into the direct path of exhaled smoke blown by an attractive woman. They tried to be discreet. But they ended up staying in the exhaled smoke cloud as long as they could without being noticed.

Some of the women noticed this and were amused by it. One noticed it and whispered something into her girlfriend’s ear and repeated the act two additional times so they could both witness it. Her friend then did it herself to watch the man “discreetly” immerse himself in her exhaled smoke cloud. I’ve also seen other women who were uncomfortable after noticing men trying to smell their clouds, and moved to other areas. Not surprising. Some women are uncomfortable with this fetish, and don’t want to know about it. Others are either amused by it, enjoy it, and happy to accommodate you by blowing smoke either in your face, or at least, toward you.

Still not convinced?

On another occasion, my husband and I went to a very exclusive restaurant for a special evening together. We were dressed for the occasion. My husband wearing a suit and tie, and I was wearing a silky dress, with sheer overlay, and high heels. Very floaty. Being the analyst that I am, I noticed a few things.

One, most of the time as I drew on my cigarette and blew out the smoke, I noticed many male eyes watching.

Two, something very peculiar indeed. While the waiter was bringing back our drinks, I positioned the cigarette between my manicured fingernails away from the waiter, as to be polite, and blew my smoke out into the aisle way toward the floor. As my exhaled plume of smoke rolled toward the floor and pooled there, slowly dissipating, the waiter acted as if he didn’t notice anything. However, he actually went out of his way to bend down and position his head right in the midst of my exhaled smoke. He acted as if he was picking something up off the floor. However, nothing was there. For some reason he knelt and bent down as to bath his face in the cloud of my fresh exhaled smoke.

He then walked away in a nervous-like fashion.

I don’t know if it was the smell of my exhaled smoke mixed with the perfume I was wearing or what. But there was definitely something to it. My husband and I both noticed him doing this. I just smiled at my husband and the next time the waiter came back, I treated him to another fresh cloud higher up in the aisle-way for him to enjoy.

Again, he took the bait. He kept his face in the cloud until it was completely gone. It was as if he was completely absorbing it.

Even now, when my husband and I go to the mall, we both can identify the smell of freshly exhaled smoke in the air. We smell it, and look around. Sure enough, there’s a couple of women sitting on a bench conversing, enjoying a cigarette and cup of coffee. At this point, we can even tell the difference between exhaled female smoke and male smoke, and whether it’s a strong unfiltered cigarette, or one of the more feminine cigarettes.

Sounds crazy doesn’t it? But it’s absolutely true. In fact, as explained, I actually studied it over a three month period and documented my results. Confession, it has been one of my more enjoyable research projects.

I must admit, when studying the top of the line sexually attractive females out there, you know the ones ahead of their game, there is, and has been, evidence that taking a long drag of a cigarette with red luscious lips, followed by blowing long plumes of creamy smoke into the air certainly works in getting attention. All you have to do is watch any movie from the 1940’s or 1950’s to witness this. Perhaps the smell of this exhaled smoke had also played a role in the attraction. Perhaps it has gone undocumented until now.

Perhaps I’ll incorporate some of my therapy sessions to include blowing creamy plumes of smoke in the faces of clients who display sexual inhibitions. Perhaps they’ll benefit from it. Then again<img src="http://www.articlesfactory.com/pic/x.gif" alt="Free Articles" border="0", perhaps I will.

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