http://www.servingseattle.org Wed, 30 Jun 2010 02:25:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 http://www.servingseattle.org/lipodissolve-fat-melting-injections-under-scrutiny-in-kansas http://www.servingseattle.org/lipodissolve-fat-melting-injections-under-scrutiny-in-kansas#comments Tue, 11 May 2010 20:14:53 +0000 admin http://www.servingseattle.org/lipodissolve-fat-melting-injections-under-scrutiny-in-kansas

Recently, the State Board of Healing Arts in Kansas tried to ban PC/DC use state-wide. This was appealed by a commercial operator of lipo-dissolve businesses and is currently under review.
The safety of lipodissolve has been under scrutiny from consumers, physicians, and government agencies worldwide. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society of Dermatologic Surgeons have both issued statements against the use and practice of lipodissolve until there is an FDA approved product with data to support its safety and efficacy. Each organization discourages doctors from giving the injections and patients from pursuing the treatment.

The attempt by the state of Kansas to ban the lipodissolve treatment was the first of its kind, as it was the first state in the U.S. to attempt putting restrictions on the treatment, also known as lipo-dissolve, or mesotherapy. The ban, if it passes muster legally, would impact the most common form of lipodissolve drug, which is phosphatidylcholine and sodium deoxycholate (PC/DC), and is consistent with the FDA’s statement that PC/DC is a new drug requiring new drug approval. Brazil, Canada and the UK are three countries that banned lipodissolve treatments for cosmetic use.

Those who claim to have benefited from PC/DC question whether or not any ban is necessary. Critics of the ban, which is being appealed, argue that complaints from individuals who received the procedure from unlicensed or unskilled professionals are behind the ban of lipodissolve, and that it is safe when performed by licensed individuals in an appropriate setting.

At the heart of the debate over these treatments is the safety of the drugs that claim to melt fat. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to fully study or approve the drugs.

The treatments themselves are said to be minimally invasive, requiring the injection of drugs into specific areas of the body where fat loss is desired. Unlike liposuction, lipodissolve is a non-surgical treatment, which allows most individuals to resume normal activity within hours of having the injections. According to treatment proponents, the result of the injections is that fat melts away and is secreted in one’s urine over the course of several weeks.

Most who seek out the injections are trying to eliminate relatively small amounts of fat from their belly, under the arms, thighs, and buttocks. Again, where liposuction can remove many liters of fat, lipo-dissolve eliminates ounces from hard to exercise areas of the body. Some refer to it as ‘body sculpting.’

“While lipo-dissolve may seem like the miracle fat loss treatment, there is no evidence or scientific research that proves the safety or effectiveness of PC/DC,” says Mark Lu, senior staff writer for eHealthInfoLine.com.

The proposed lipodissolve ban by the state of Kansas is the first in the U.S., but without FDA approval in the near future, many more states could follow along with similar regulation.

People considering cosmetic surgery should do their homework before going under the knife — or needle in this case.

By: Mark Lu

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Can garlic stop Godzilla?

Godzilla, as you know is this monster. An unstoppable monster that rips up whole cities. Bombs, bullets and even missiles just bounce off his back like raindrops.

So what if you ran into a real-life Godzilla?

A Godzilla called MRSA

MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which is a dangerous bacteria that has exploded from 127,000 cases in 1999 to 278,000 in 2005. According to the CDC, this deadly threat was responsible for more deaths in the US than AIDS in 2005. Spreading across the world, MRSA is now found in 38 states, Canada, and 9 European Union Countries.

So will garlic help?

MRSA mutates quickly

A new variant of MRSA called MDR has been recently identified in the Jan 15th 2008 physicians journal called the Annals of Internal Medicine. Standing for multidrug resistant, MDR is the newest MRSA-zilla monster to be unleashed. Cases of this newest monster have been found in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston.

This strain has also shown the ability to resist almost every antibiotic. Without antibiotics, there are not many drugs that will protect you.

By: Greg Lee

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