Updated informed consent info on birth control meds

 Check this before you decide to take birth control meds!

Before you decide to take the Birth Control pill, you might want to view the following updated information about the risks. And even with all these risks, birth control meds are only 60% effective. Whereas Natural Family Planning is 98% effective and 100% safe. (Billings Ovulation)

1. Estrogen/progestin combination in birth control and HRT, was declared a class one carcinogen by the World Health Organization in 2005. All class 1 carcinogens have been found to cause cancer in both lab and human studies.


2. There are 12,000 lawsuits pending because of serious complications (and death) from the birth control medication, "Yaz", a 4th generation progestin (drospirenone) which has been linked to blood clots, gall bladder disease, stroke, heart attack and death in young women (ref: www.lawyersandsettlements.com)


3. With even low dose birth control, the risk of developing CVD (hypertension and stroke) is 1.9 times greater than those not taking the medication. One study found the risk of thrombosis to be 5 times greater in birth control medication consumers than in non birth control consumers. ref: (BMJ 2009;339:b2921) (British Medical Journal)


4. The birth control patch delivery system causes similar risks to the pill - Ortho McNeil the manufacturer of the patch has paid out so far, 68.7 million to settle more than 4000 lawsuits. Ortho-Evra (the patch) has also been blamed for 20 deaths.
   
   
5. And finally, "Plan B" the so called "emergency contraceptive" delivers a dosage of birth control meds which is 10 times higher, the equivalent of a month's worth of low dose birth control meds. (Polycarp Institute)

And all of this in addition to an up to 25% break through ovulation rate which will abort the embryo because it may not implant in the uterus.  Billings Ovulation (Natural Family Planning) is so easy to learn that it's taught to women in 3rd world countries and other than abstaining a few days a month, there are no pills to remember etc... it's also a mutual choice between you and your spouse which seems more the way it should be ---and safe for you and your future progeny!  Sounds like a win-win to me!

The Fountain of Youth?

A recent study in the UK involving 300 people  suggested that exercise was as effective as medications in the treatment of stroke, and heart disease.  The researchers were conservative in their conclusions and ended up stating something to the effect that folks should not quit taking their meds but it might help them a bit to exercise also.

Studies from the Cooper Institute which have been largely ignored except by exercise afficionados, are more to the point.  In comparing folks who exercise and folks who do not exercise, and specifying this to be cardio exercise (or aerobic exercise in which the individual raises the heartrate to aerobic level and keeps it there for at least 20 minutes - this includes walking, bicycling, skating etc), Cooper and others found that doing cardio exercise for 30 minutes at least 5 days a week, not only reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke and thrombosis by 40% but also can add 10-15 years to lifespan if the person keeps it up for years.

That's huge but doing cardio seems to be something many people dread doing.  They do it on and off so not consistent with it and obviously feel it's about as much fun as having a root canal.

Truth being that cardio exercise is the type of exercise that does not hurt, and includes fun activities like bicycling and skating.  Even a brisk walk can invigorate a person.

Experts tell us exercise is a habit we must work at but actually, it's more of a commitment. I feel certain that if folks knew how much of a health benefit exercise is, they'd work to do it. Unfortunately, few of us hear anything about cardio from our medical providers and when the exercise fad of the early 1990's ended, so did any mention of exercise on TV end.

Bottom line - our muscles want to be worked, our bodies not only enjoy exercise but thrive on a regular exercise program.  Exercise is the closest thing to the fountain of youth I've found.  It may not be good for causing a weight loss but it's certainly good for most anything else to do with our health.

So dust off that bicycle or those skates or your walking shoes and get some exercise in this week.  Your body will love it and so will your heart!

Tattoo's and body piercings - a good idea?

Tattoos are very much in vogue now. Years ago, they had a negative connotation and were mostly found on prisoners and merchant marines but these days, it's quite respectable to have a tattoo or two - most of the Olympic athletes have the 5 Olympic rings tattooed in a prominent place to show the world their participation in these prestigous games. And body piercings and tattoos are common in High Schoolers and young adults, who consider them "cool" - ever more so because many of the older adults around them disagree with them.

What has helped sell tattoos, are the many shows on TLC which "sanitize" them, not showing the pain sometimes lasting many hours, it takes to get one or infected tattoos or even folks who change their minds later on in life.

Just because the practice is acceptable or even stylish, is it a healthy thing to do?  

The jury is still out on whether tattoos are a good idea or not.  For example, there is no data about the long term repercussions of either body piercings or tattoo's - could either raise the risk for cancer, for example?  No one knows.  

We can't really get the answer from history although both practices are very old and were practiced in ancient societies - simply because people didn't live long enough in those societies to experience lifestyle repercussions - most died of infectious disease, most children never made it to adulthood.

One thing which should cause us to think twice about these decisions,  is that many folks when they get into their 30's and 40's either regret their tattoo's or actually dislike them to the point of seeking removal - removing a tattoo is a long, painful and somewhat risky process, involving several lazer treatments.  It also can get expensive.


At present, there are no guarantees that the artist who applies a tattoo to your anatomy, is working under totally sterile conditions (unless he/she is a medical professional) - and even if done under sterile conditions, you can still get a nasty infection from a tattoo or body piercing.  On TV the shows, the artists tell the clients it can take two weeks to heal totally from a tattoo.  Infected tattoos are not pretty (to put it mildly). (see photo above)

As one article puts it:

Infections from tattooing are nothing new. Hepatitis, staph infections and even the superbug known as MRSA have been tied to tattoos. Dirty needles and unsanitary conditions are often to blame.

 

Recently a rash of infected tattoos in the New York area were traced to the ink used (the tattoo artist did wear gloves and worked under sterile conditions).  The infections were traced to the water used to dilute the ink.

Infections of tuberculosis have been reported from tattoos also.

"Even if you get a tattoo from a facility that does everything right, it's not risk free," said Dr. Byron Kennedy, deputy director of the health department in New York's Monroe County. He was lead author of a report on the Rochester cases which was released by the New England Journal of Medicine in August 2012.

 Body piercings can be troublesome that way also. I've know folks who got their tummies pierced and had to remove it due to infection or inflamation.

Christians may want to give thought to the fact that tattooing is prohibited in Leviticus: 

"The Old Testament law commanded the Israelites, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:28). "

I typically call those rules found in the O.T. a set of good health rules and generally speaking, they still are a wise plan - even in our modern society.

A writer answering issues about tattoo's and body piercing for Christians in Yahoo answers went into this in more detail.

Tattooing and body piercing is pretty and a definite form of art but personally for me, there are too many questions about the safety thereof, to take the risk.  Life is risky enough without adding risks, I'm thinking and there are many other ways to enjoy art.