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Saturday, January 10, 2009

Zimmer Durom Hip Replacement? You Can Sue

By Maxwell Schmickman

Joint replacement has become a normal fact of life for many people. As we get older, and our life expectancies grow longer, joints are subject to more wear and tear than they used to be. This means that in many cases, for continued activity and quality of life, these joints need to be replaced. Because this has become such a common opportation, most of us don't question the choice of manufacturer made by our doctor for ourselves and our parents, leading to serious issues that can cause injury. If you or someone you know has gotten a hip replacement, keep reading about a recall from Zimmer Durom, a manufacturer.

There are many reasons that you or a loved one may have received a Zimmer Durom hip replacement, leading to danger for yourself of your loved ones. Hip replacement, also known as hip arthroplasty, is a common procedure in which the hip joint is removed and replaced by a prosthetic implant. This can be done for a variety of reasons, which include the pain of arthritis which was affecting the joint, damage to the joint over a long life, or the treatment of a hip fracture, an injury common to the elderly.

There have been modern hip replacement surgeries for almost 40 years, leading most people to believe that it is a completely safe procedure, because it is so common place. There can be surprising complications however, like the recall involving Zimmer Durom. A normal hip replacement involves three parts, all designed to work for you like a natural hip joint. The first is a metal piece which mimics the femur bone. Attached to that is a piece that works as the natural hip joint would. Keeping it all in place are either metal screws or bone cement.

One of the most common issues with hip replacements is the need for revision, or a further surgery to correct issues with the implant. Unfortunately, this is something many elderly and even healthy young patients cannot tolerate. It is the focus of the Zimmer Durom recall. The Zimmer Durom device was used by doctors in younger patients that would normally need a hip replacement, as it was designed to be long lasting. However, almost 12 percent of these patients needed surgery again within two years, prompting an outcry.

Though Zimmer Durom has maintained that this high failure rate is caused by surgeon error, it pulled the replacement from the market in July 2008 after its own internal study found that 8 percent of the devices needed revision in two years. This has let many doctors and lawyers to believe the issue is with the replacement.

If you or a loved one received a Zimmer Durom hip replacement, something your doctor will know, you may have the right to join a class action law suit, even if your replacement has not yet failed.. Be wary of signing anything by Zimmer Durom, as that may be a release taking away this right.

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Skin Tips for a Beautiful Tan

By Tammy Worthington

Sun worshipers that cannot afford to be on a permanent vacation can now use tanning booths whenever they wish to maintain that golden brown look. However, with more and more research coming out on the dangers and the risk of skin cancer, some are now turning to alternatives to the dangerous skin damaging practice. One of these newer methods is called sunless tanning which can be carried out at specialist salons or at regular beauty establishments. Although there are many other methods, spraying seems to provide the most even and consistent tan available at the moment.

Although the popularity is still to be proved, systems using the new spray tanning technology have been designed for home use. Whichever method you decide upon there are some simple but basic steps needed to ensure the best effect. Exfoliation is the first step as this rids the body surface of the dead skin cells. Fake tan applications that have been done without this vital step are easy to spot as the recipient has light patches in the tan where the dead skin has fallen of.

To complete this part of the preparation, the skin needs to be moist and ready to accept the tan so a good skin moisturizer will need to be applied all over. Before applying a tanning agent, whether bottle or cream, ensure you are wearing gloves or the orange palms that will follow will give the game away. Lighter coats should always be applied to the joints and feet as they will appear darker, which is a dead giveaway that fake tan has been applied. The only possible problem that can occur when spray tanning is used is some streaking caused by excess fluid, so an old towel you no longer need should be used to remove it.

Once the tanning agent (whatever type you have used) has been applied you will need to have somewhere to relax and not move while the coating dries or small smear marks might occur.

Dark clothing is obviously the best choice as even if it does stain, it won't notice so readily and you won't have to throw the clothing out. With a little care there is no reason why you cannot have a golden brown skin color throughout the year while keeping the method you use a secret, if you just take note of the information provided here.

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Tooth Whitening: Determine Your Tooth Color

By Margaret Brandon

Have you ever been told about the exact colour of your teeth? Before you tell me, I would tell you with confidence that people might have given you some abstract description of your teeth colour. &, since their opinion matters a lot in your life but it is highly going to be negative than the best.

Although, there are some patterns according to which you can ascertain in which category your teeth colour falls, there doesn't exists a standard way to judge the colour of the teeth accurately.

Now, you would definitely like to know if your teeth are white, off white or yellow. & in case they are not sparkling, what needs to be done to get them totally white - Are there any tools available in the market which might help you out to identify your condition? The answer to these queries is YES and there being an established referencing technique that might help you out.

The referencing technique essentially involves the use of shade cards to determine the colour of you teeth. Shades cards give you a good starting point to begin your endeavour to get a set of sparkling white teeth.

There are generally four shades of teeth taken for reference by dentists all over the world. For example: A (reddish brown), B (reddish yellow), C (grey), D (reddish grey).

While 'A 'category teeth denote the dirtiest of teeth and those farther away tend to become whiter in appearance. Category 'A' requires intensive teeth whitening whereas 'D' requires less teeth whitening. Transition from dark to white needs some time and patience. Depending upon your teeth colour that the shade cards identify for you, you can go in for a customised teeth whitening after undergoing a proper consultation with your dentist.

Once you have identified the color of your teeth, the next you need to do is visit your dentist. This will help you to plan a customised plan to whiten your teeth depending upon your current condition. For example, in case you happen to have teeth which come in category A the dentist might suggest an In-Office treatment which would involve you to take the whitening treatment in the dentists office. In-Office treatment may sound costly; however avoid going against it, which many seem to prefer, to save on costs.

In contrast if you have teeth which happen to come in category D, the dentist might very well suggest you to regularly use a teeth whitening toothpaste. Irrespective what customized plan your dentist fixes up for you, it is critical that you follow his advice thoroughly. This will allow you achieve an excellent result.

The point to be noted here is that there is a limit to which your teeth will get white. This is not a miracle but a technique & takes it's own time. People expecting too much in short span of time may get frustrated. the best advice is to take it steady as any carelessness might prove costly to your teeth. Lastly, every person has a natural colour of teeth. So if your teeth colour is little shady by birth then thinking ivory white is out of way.

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Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Bronchitis

By Amy Cheung

Sometimes, for an individual with chronic bronchitis, the physical manifestations will swiftly worsen all of a sudden. This is known as an acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, otherwise known as AECB. Many patients who pass away from this disease unexpectedly die while suffering from an attack of AECB, hence an individual experiencing sudden AECB should receive medical care instantly to increase his/her chances of survival.

What Occurs In An Attack of AECB?

Through a period of an AECB, the already irregularly constricted air passageways in the lungs become even thinner, and even more more profuse mucous is secreted. The condition will result in a person's regular breathing to become all the more labored. This may occur alongside a slight fever, chills and cold, as well as feeling weak in the knees. If the sudden AECB is due to bacterial infection, the mucus heaved during expectoration may potentially be speckled with blood, or tinged with a brighter than regular green or yellow. If the person is stricken with fever, and has found blood in their mucus, there is a good chance the attending doctor will take a chest x-ray to make sure that other factors such as pneumonia is not the underlying root of the problem.

What Are the Triggers of AECB?

Acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis are commonly triggered by a combination of these factors:

-Bacterial or viral infections (e.g. cold, flu)

-Air pollutants that irritate the lungs (e.g. smoke, fumes, dust)

-Weather changes

To avoid AECB, a chronic bronchitic is encouraged to avoid places with heavy air pollution, to seek flu and pneumonia shots, as well as to stick to a proper nutrition to strengthen the immune system against infectious agents.

If you are stricken with AECB, you must pursue medical treatment at once. This condition has been observed to trigger other conditions, as well as numerous cases are admitted to the hospital annually for AECB complications. If you are stricken by AECB, try to avoid panicking. Breathe as steadily as possible, and levelheadedly phone a doctor or physician for advice . Since this condition can come abruptly without warning, it is imperative to keep any inhalants prescribed by your doctor within reach in emergency situations. Remember to ask your physician, and ensure that such inhalants are okay to inhale during an attack of AECB, to avoid any problems. You may benefit from lying down with a humidifier turned on, or jumping in a warm shower to help you breath and decrease the problems of AECB.

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Panic Attack Relief - Things You Can Do

By M B Bryan

Many people who suffer from panic attacks today will find that their lives are dramatically affected by them. However there are certain panic attack relief techniques that they can do which can help them to cope with them far better. But before they can attempt to treat the problem they first need to identify what is actually triggering an attack initially.

Certainly when a person is able to identify what has actually resulted in them feeling like they do when they have a panic attack, then they can look for ways to cope with them. Also if you can learn of ways to relieve the symptoms felt from such episodes then a person will be able to hopefully help prevent them occurring in the future.

In order for a person to deal with their panic attack and so provide them with relief they need to look closely at the thoughts they are experiencing at the time. In most cases the thoughts that such people have are generally of a more negative nature and will tend to be things that are scary or depressing.

So the quickest way in which people can obtain panic attack relief is by actually helping their mind to create thoughts that are of a more positive theme. It is best that these people start to think about things that they have enjoyed previously or which they would enjoy doing now. Unfortunately the more negative thoughts you allow to remain then the more negative signals will be sent to your body and which it will then react to in order to combat them.

Along with you thinking thoughts that are pleasant and enjoyable you need to focus on other areas of you. It is important that you start to focus on your breathing and bring this back under control. So find somewhere that you can sit or stand quietly and just begin to inhale and exhale very slowly and very deeply. Doing this will help not only to focus your attention away from the negative thoughts but will also start to bring the chemicals in your body back to a normal level.

Also when it comes to obtaining relieve from a panic attack you need to accept the fear and panic you are feeling for what they are. So as you take in your deep breaths tell yourself that it is only natural to feel the way you do and so allow the course of the episode to run it naturally.

If you want you could make a list of those things that you feel are exacerbating the situation and ones that help you to feel calmer and more relaxed. Then as soon as you feel that a panic attack is going to occur take out your calming list and read through it. Again this will help to focus your mind away from those thoughts which could eventually result in your attack getting out of control.

Above we have offered you some panic attack relief tips you may find useful. When it comes to dealing with panic attacks there are plenty of things you can do and the internet is a wonderful source of such information. Certainly the more you learn about what causes your panic attacks then the better you will find that you are able to cope and deal with them when they do take place.

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