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One difference in the early days between the lap Band system and the Swedish adjustable lap band is that the SAGB didn't have a self-closing mechanism and had to be closed with sutures. An American company, INAMED Health, designed the BioEnterics lap-Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System, which was introduced in Europe in 1993. The Swedish adjustable gastric band differs from the lap-Band because it wasn't designed for use with keyhole laparoscopic surgery.

An allergic reaction to materials contained in the band or for people who have exhibited pain intolerance to implanted devices are contraindications for lap band surgery. Failure of dietary or weight-loss drug therapy for more than one year can make one eligible for the adjustable gastric band procedure. In order to be considered one must have the comprehension of the risks and benefits of the gastric band procedure and willingness to comply with the substantial lifelong dietary restrictions required for long term success.

Inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract like ulcers, esophagitis or Crohn's disease don't make one a good candidate for lap band surgery. It's usually contraindicated if the surgery or treatment represents an unreasonable risk to the patient.

As the upper part of the stomach believes it's full the message to the brain is that the stomach is full and this sensation helps the person to eat smaller portions and lose weight over time. The surgeon uses a specialized needle is to avoid damage to the port membrane. When fluid is introduced into the stomach the lap band expands, placing pressure around the outside of the stomach; this decreases the size of the passage in the stomach and restricts the movement of food.

The band is inflated and adjusted by way of a small access port placed just under the skin subcutaneously; then radiopaque isotonic solution or saline is introduced into the band via the port. lap band or gastric band placement, unlike the traditional malabsorptive weight loss surgery (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, biliopancreatic and duodenal switch) does not cut or remove any part of the digestive system. The adjustable gastric band or lap Band is an inflatable silicone prosthetic device which is placed around the top portion of the stomach using keyhole laparoscopic surgery.

Post surgery the patient should consider eating less, eating more slowly and chewing food thoroughly. The patient may be prescribed a liquid-only diet, followed by soft foods and then solid foods for a varied length of time; each surgeon and manufacturer will vary. The lap band may remain deflated during pregnancy and once breast feeding or bottle-feeding is completed the band may be gradually re-inflated to help with postpartum weight loss if essential.

The World Health Organization recommendation for monthly weight loss is approximately 1.1 to 2.2 pounds per week and an average gastric banded patient may possibly lose this amount. Weight regain can happen with any surgical weight loss procedure including the more radical procedures that initially result in a rapid weight loss.

Complications of gastric band surgery include: ulceration and irritated stomach tissue. Some mechanical malfunctions that can occur post-surgery are port leakage, cracking of the kink-resistant tubing or disruption of the tubing connection from the port to the band, port site pain and port displacement.

Some of the adjustable gastric band post-surgery digestive complications are nausea, vomiting, gastroesophageal reflux, stoma obstruction, constipation, dysphagia, diarrhea, and abnormal stools. Occasionally, the narrow passage into the lower part of the stomach may become blocked by a large portion of unchewed food.

The amount you pay for your surgery will vary; there is not one set price for lap band surgery. It's important to discuss post-surgical care and diet plans with your weight loss doctor if you are considering adjustable gastric band or lap band surgery. Mexico is one of the top destinations for adjustable gastric band surgery outside of the United States, where the cost for lap band surgery is usually about $8,000 to $10,000.

For more information on lap band weight loss surgery and lap band surgery complications visit http://www.Lap-Band-Surgery-Info.com a nurse's website offering tips and information on lap band surgery, adjustable gastric band surgery, medical travel for low cost lap band surgery and cost of lap band surgery

# posted by 26146 : 10:12 PM  0 comments

These days, the demand and market for voip Service is growing at an exponential rate, and for good reason. Voice over IP technology has come quite a long way over even just a few years ago, and voip has grown up into a reliable, cost effective alternative (even replacement) for calling services.

As a disclaimer, I will say up front that most industry pros still recommend having one POTS line (i.e. traditional land line) as a backup for emergencies (911.) To clarify, this is not to imply inadequacy of voip 911 directory services, since they have vastly improved in the recent past, and are federally mandated. The recommendation to keep a land line is more about having a back-up alternative for 911.

Sounds almost like a contradiction to our statement above ("...reliable alternative") but it really isn't. If you think about it, there are many reasons that an interruption in power could occur more easily, while land lines are more likely to remain in service, electric storms being one example. And, along with the practical implications of keeping an inexpensive land line along side of your voip service, it also makes strategic financial sense. The reason is, the cost of a basic local access line, in addition to your voip service bill, still represents a considerable savings over the cost of traditional calling plans. The bulk of those savings are realized in the low cost of toll and international calling with voip.

Let voip save you Money

Probably the greatest attraction to voip for the consumer is in the potential cost savings. Many voip providers are offering unlimited local and long distance calling for as low as $19.99 a month. On top of that, with voip service, toll service charges are eliminated, and International calls are significantly lower on average than with traditional telephony. Common estimates of yearly savings range from $350 to $500 annually.

Say Goodbye to Hidden Charges

Everyone knows the frustration of combing through your phone bill and seeing charges associated with acronyms you've never heard of, and wondering what exactly you're paying for and why your phone bill is always a few dollars (or more) higher per month than the package you signed up for. With voip, that all goes away.

Free voip Features are standard

This is another big reason why people love voip. You get many standard features with a typical voip plan that would prove cost prohibitive with your traditional phone company. Things like call waiting, 3 way calling, and even voicemail are completely free and standard with voip. I recall a couple of years ago paying $29 a month JUST for digital voicemail feature on my land line, in addition to the monthly service charges, tolls, long distance, etc.

Freedom and Flexibility

Since a pre-requisite for voip is broadband internet connection, there are a few benefits built into your decision to integrate voip service into your home. Namely, you'll most likely be using a multi port router, which allows you to place more computers and devices on your home's network.

And ideally, you would opt for a wireless router, which gives you the greatest flexibility of all. Besides providing broadband access to multiple computers without the headaches of hard-wire connections, you will also have options for using SoftPhone voip service on multiple devices such as your PC and laptop, and your voip phone. Another perk is that with a wireless router, you can configure other devices to function wirelessly on your network (like the printer in the basement connected to laptop in the livingroom.)

Speaking of voip phones, many of those are inherently more flexible by design. For example, you can buy a voip phone system that includes a "base station" handset with speakerphone, keyboard, etc. and additional wireless handsets with independent docking/charging stations. This is a great way to supply multiple rooms within your home with wireless phones that are built to be totally "feature friendly" i.e. to accommodate the many and varied voip features commonly available, as mentioned above. This even includes "Videophone" in some cases, which is real time video transmission that is delivered via broadband and uses the same software/protocols as voip phone service.

Summing it Up with voip

voip is a valid (if not revolutionary) telecommunications technology that is well supported and standardized within a now-exploding industry. It may soon completely replace POTS (plain old telephone service) calling. voip can definitely save you a significant amount of money, while providing ease, flexibility, and features that traditional calling couldn't touch.

Doug maintains the voip blog at 5PCom, a VoIP Service provider offering exceptional quality, savings, and pricing for Residential and Small Business VoIP services.

# posted by 26146 : 10:11 PM  0 comments

I am often asked how one goes about choosing the right laptop. Obviously because of the technological understanding required as well as the plethora of brands out there, it can be very confusing and daunting.

So here is some brief advice on how to go about it:

Firstly decide what you are going to use the laptop for. For example, if it is just to be used for internet, email access and documents then your requirements are very different from someone planning to run processor and memory intensive applications such as games, media applications or CAD. An entry level laptop may be more than adequate for your needs! So why pay for more?

Dont buy a laptop just because it has "lots of features". This is because you will most likely end up paying for features that you dont need. A good example of what I mean by "lots of features" and where this happens a lot is with cell phones. Most people just use them for calls and smss, yet end up paying exorbitant prices for fancy phones that have a million-and-one features, they never use.

Rather carefully consider the specifications and features of various models and decide what is important for your needs. I.e. wireless (mostly standard nowadays), bluetooth, harddrive size, processor spec, memory size, built in camera etc.

When comparing models which have similar specifications go for the one with the highest performance processor (dual processor preferable) as well as the maximum amount of ram you can afford (minimum 512Mbytes). The better the processor and the more ram, the faster the laptop will be. While one should not buy IT based on "lots of features", it is worth ensuring that you get the best "value for money" with features that are important.

Weight and battery size can also be a deciding factor. If you travel frequently, then a light laptop with a 12 screen may be preferable to lugging around the world with a dead weight.

Choosing the laptop brand is always a personal thing. Sometimes you just like the look and feel of a particular brand. Other times it's a recommendation from a particular person. The brand you choose can also make a huge difference in price. For example recently, I was comparing a Lenovo Z61p against a Mecer E81 with identical performance specifications and the Lenovo was +- R6000 (South African Rands) more expensive. Also the Mecer had more inbuilt features such as a camera and TV tuner. However despite the price difference and extra features, the customer still went for the Lenovo because he loved the "look and feel" of the Lenovo brand over the Mecer.

My favorites brands in order of preference are: Lenovo, acer, Mecer and HP.

# posted by 26146 : 11:36 AM  0 comments