By Pieter De Wet
www.thediabetesdoc.com

The main objective of a diabetic patient is to control his sugar level. The food and beverages that we consume will have an effect on that control. Some food and beverages have even a bigger effect. Alcohol is one of them, and has a direct influence on diabetes management.

Alcohol should be wisely used. Alcohol has a dehydrating effect on the body, so keep that in mind. Alcohol is very high in calories, which can lead to increase in bodyweight and blood fat levels. People with poorly controlled diabetes should not drink alcohol altogether.

It is recommended that those with diabetes avoid drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. Guidelines for diabetics and alcohol consumption are as follows: one to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. Those over 65 should also only allow themselves one drink per day.

Alcohol moves through the bloodstream quite easily without ever being metabolized in the stomach. Without giving the liver the proper amount of time to break down the alcohol, it will move to other organs in the body and eventually build up in the bloodstream. Your body can only break down one ounce of alcohol per hour.

Many times people will drink more beverages on a party, than eating food. Diabetic patients can develop hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in such situations. Alcohol tends to lower blood sugar even more.

By Danna Schneider
www.cosmeticsgalore.com

Full lips never seem to go out of style. Even in the eighties, when full lips were not necessarily all the rage, we saw Hollywood beauties like Kim Basinger and Kelly LeBrock as the epitome of female beauty, and guess what, they both had those enviable "pillow lips" that women pay money to achieve in a doctor's office today.

But what if you were not born with pouty, full lips, and you feel like you were given the short end of the stick when it comes to this particular beauty asset? Sure, you could go to a plastic surgeon and have your lips injected with any number of available fillers like collagen, hyaluronic acid, restylene, and even a newer filler that is derived from cadaver tissue (ick).

There is also a newer option of permanent lip augmentation, where a small implant is put into the lips. This procedure is even further from being perfected than lip injectables, and often comes out looking very unnatural. Women complain the implants also do not feel "real", and there are also complaints that the implants feel "hard", by the patients, and by their partners.

However, these types of lip filling procedures really haven't been perfected yet, in my opinion, and many times what women come out with are what those in the beauty industry like to call "fish lips". Basically, too much collagen or too much of many other fillers on the market today will make the upper lip curve up, and look unnatural, created a look that's more like a clown, than femininine and delicate as is it's intended purpose.

By Sarah Summers

Most women have one thing in common: We all want to look taller and slimmer. And while you cannot change your height, and it is more or less hard for you to shed some pounds, there are easy ways to achieve a taller and slimmer look instantly. It is all about the clothes you wear. Try any of the following tips and notice the difference when you look in the mirror:

• Go for the right fit, not the size tag of a garment. Try on different sizes, as all brands have their own size charts. Buy the size that fits you best, not the size you wish you were. A piece that is too tight will always make you look heavier than a piece in the next bigger size that fits you right.

• Wear heels. Don’t worry, there is no need to walk around all day in 5-inch stilettos and get swollen feet that hurt (although they would surely make you stand tall!) A 2-inch heel will give you extra height while being comfortable to wear for most women in their daily life. You will get the longest line by wearing pointy toes in the same color as your pants or hosiery. Avoid ankle straps that cut your leg line.

• Your pants have to be long enough to cover at least half of your heel. A straight leg or slight boot cut elongates your legs. Don’t wear French pleats or cropped pants. Your pants should fit snugly, but not too tight. Check for unwanted excess fabric in your butt area making you look shapeless.

• Accentuate your assets. Emphasizing your best features distracts from the ones you don’t like that much and makes you look slimmer overall. If you have a slim waist, wear a belt around it or a shirt with a cinched waist. Got nice legs? Wear a knee-length skirt. If your arms are slim, go sleeveless or try cap-sleeves.

• Wear garments with vertical lines. It is true, they are elongating and slimming. It does not matter if the lines are created by seams, pinstripes, topstitching, prints or anything else. They all have the same effect. Vice versa, horizontal lines add unwanted volume to your silhouette.

Cancer is a scary subject and comes in many forms. Skin cancer is one of the more prevalent versions and, unfortunately, one most people do not take seriously enough.

Imagine sitting in a doctor’s office and being told you have cancer. Although cancer treatment has come a long way, it would still be a devastating moment. Are you going to die? Is it curable? Why you? These are the types of questions that will undoubtedly come to mind immediately. With many forms of cancer, there is a certain luck of the draw element as to why you get them. Skin cancer, however, is one you can take steps to avoid.

What is skin cancer? It is a malignant growth on the skin, typically forming on the epidermis or outer layer of the skin. It is often associated with repeated sun burns or extensive exposure to the sun over time. It is also becoming more common due to increased ultraviolet radiation penetration in the atmosphere.

Skin cancer typically can be categorized in three ways. Malignant melanoma is the worst and is fatal if not diagnosed and treated early. It is, however, the least prevalent of the categories. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common, has a hereditary element and is rarely fatal. It tends to be isolated and is often treated with surgery or topical chemotherapy. Squamous cell carcinoma is a form of cancer that occurs on both the skin and internal organs. It can be caused by many things including exposure to the sun and can metastasize or spread through the body.

By Ron Swerdfiger
www.ecanadanow.com

The rate of people affected by breast cancer in the United States fell 7 percent in 2003, a year after millions of women halted hormone replacement therapy, a study has revealed.

The decline was even more noticeable in older women who are more sensitive to estrogen, according to the analysis of National Cancer Institute data presented yesterday at a symposium in San Antonio. The decline in women between 50 and 69 years of age fell a remarkable 12 percent.

The research, conducted at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, discovered that 14,000 fewer women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003 than in 2002, when an estimated 203,500 cases were reported. Researchers link the decline in cases to the mass halt on hormone replacement therapy after a study proved that the added estrogen increased the risk of developing breast cancer.

“Something went right in 2003, and it seems that it was the decrease in the use of hormone therapy,” said Peter Ravdin, a professor at M.D. Anderson and the study’s co-author. He went on to caution that researchers are not able to prove a direct cause- and-effect relationship at this time.