Grace 25968 Profile

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Hello there! My name is Grace and I am from Michigan. I live in the beautiful Upper Peninsula near Lake Superior. I reside on a lake in the woods where you can still hear the sounds of the loons.

It is a place of healing and enjoyment for me. I love the nature and wildlife and the moments of solitude. I like being one with nature. It takes me back to the very basics. This is what I need in my life now. I enjoy walks, hiking, photography and the fresh clean air.

Most of all I am enjoying my new found health and continue on a path to greater healing. I believe I can find truer healing in this environement. After having DC Silicone breast implants for almost 30 years and becoming ill, i had them removed in 2004 and have seen great improvement. I still have a ways to go, but am pleased with my improvement to date. Being here at the lake, I can let go of all the other trappings. I can just let go and be myself. I enjoy the stress free lifestyle here.

To date, I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, Connetive Tissue Disease, Silicone Related Disorder, Hypertension, IBS and various other ailments. They are complicated by back and neck pain. Since my explant of two years ago, however, I have seen many improvements. All of my bloodwork and high ANA have returned to normal. I no longer have rashes or fevers that were the norm. I still deal with chronic joint pain but some days are better than others. I thank God everyday that I had my implants removed. I have improved greatly since then.

These days I am an advocate for women. I want none to go through what I did because too little information was available to them. If any of you here, need any assistance at all, please join us at Implant Info Net. http://p077.ezboard.com/bimplantinformationnetworkWe are here to help as we can. We offer assistance 24 hours a day. We understand that this can be a daunting affair. I would be happy to assist you in any manner that I can. We have much information to share with any and all. We are not only dedicated to helping those who have had silicone or saline implants, but those also that have been harmed by other silicone devices. Please understand, however, we only offer our support. We will try to direct you to the proper network for help. Please check with a doctor for any problems you encounter. We can also try to direct you to a profeesional also. You must make the final decision on whom you want to treat you. We ultimately can only offer you our experience and hope you are on a route to better health and well being. In the meantime, we are wishing you WELL!

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not,but rejoices for those which he has. Epictetus

The Truth Behind Breast Implants!!
NOT A PRETTY PICTURE!

Lethal Saline Implant

Dr. Pierre Blais holds this Saline Implant after removal
from the body, and he stated that this Breast Implant
has enough bacteria to kill 20 people

Data shows that Saline Implants are badly designed and they leak and or rupture. These faulty products make an ideal breeding ground for bacteria and mold. See for yourself, the mold and bacteria can be seen in this picture.

Despite spending millions of dollars to portray themselves as defenseless "victims," the breast implant makers cannot deny that the real victims here are the thousands of women with implants who were deliberately lied to and who are now suffering debilitating illnesses.

The Facts Are:

The manufacturers' own documents reveal a calculated cover-up and campaign of deceit on the safety of silicone implants.
They have refused to comply with the law requiring them to prove that implants are safe and effective. Women were told that this product would last a lifetime, but the rupture rate is extraordinarily high. About 100,000 women have manifested illnesses, with the common link being that they all have silicone breast implants. Two recent studies could not disprove the link between silicone implants and diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. The studies failed to ask women uniform questions and failed to employ standard laboratory testing.

Manufacturers have Known for Years that Leaking Silicone Poses Health Hazards

Dow Corning, the leading manufacturer of implants, ignored doctors' complaints about leaking implants for years. A 1975 Dow Corning memo states that demonstration implants were "bleeding" and instructed sales staff to wash such implants with soap and water and towel dry before letting doctors handle them.

A 1977 memo relates how a Dow Corning employee told plastic surgeons "with crossed fingers, that Dow Corning too had an active contracture/gel migration study underway. This apparently satisfied them for the moment, but one of these days they will be asking us for the results of our studies." In fact, Dow Corning was not studying contracture, a complication that occurs when the scar around the implant contracts.

In 1983, Dow Corning's Head of Biomaterial Safety wrote top company management: "However, I want to emphasize that to my knowledge, we have no valid long-term implant data to substantiate the safety of gels for long-term implant use." This statement was made 21 years after Dow Corning first put silicone implants on the market and assured women that implants were safe.

In a 1987 study, the Medtox Project Report, Dow Corning acknowledged that the chronic reactions to silicone seen in test animals could trigger auto-immune-type diseases in humans.

In a Bristol-Myers Squibb document from 1985, a company employee states: "Polyurethane has no real history of implantation without deterioration and we know deterioration products of polyurethane are toxic and in some cases carcinogenic. Whether they are released in such low levels as to be no threat to the human body -- time will tell."

A 3M document from 1976 states that "It appears virtually no
documented safety and efficacy data exist on [Don McGhan's] implant products." McGhan's breast implant company, McGhan Medical Corp., was purchased by 3M.

Manufacturers Refuse to Comply with the Law

Dr. David Kessler, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, reiterated in testimony before Congress in August 1995 that "the law requires manufacturers to prove affirmatively, with valid scientific data evaluated by FDA, that their devices are safe and effective." Why have the manufacturers consistently failed to comply?

Dr. Kessler wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1993 that "the adverse effects data on silicone gel implants submitted by the manufacturers were so poor that the FDA could not determine whether these devices were safe and effective." He added that the manufacturers' documents suggested that there were inadequate quality control procedures to prevent safety problems and
that problems had been evident for years.

Breast Implants have an Extremely High Rupture Rate, and thus are Defective

Manufacturers told women that implants would last a lifetime and that ruptures occurred less than 1 percent of the time. But studies published in the American Journal of Radiology in 1992 and the Annals of Plastic Surgery in 1995 reveal a rupture rate of 5 to 51 percent. A third study, published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 1993, ties rupture to the age of the implant. Of implants aged one to nine years, 35.7 percent had ruptured. Of those aged 10 to 17 years, 95.7 percent had ruptured.

FDA Commissioner Kessler wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1993 that: "Even with a conservative rupture rate of 5 percent, some 75,000 of the estimated 1 to 2 million women with implants would be at risk for potentially serious adverse health effects. That is not a safety standard that the FDA can accept."

Thousands of Women Suffering Illnesses Constitute more
than 'Anecdotes'

Dr. Kessler of FDA states that studies have shown that silicone gel is a potent stimulant to the immune system and could generate antibodies that attack collagen, a component of connective tissue. In 1992, the FDA received more than 23,000 reports of problems with implants, including complaints of "bleeding" implants, connective tissue disorders that could lead to arthritis-like pain and swelling in the joints, fibrous tissue spreading around the implants, and swelling of skin and limbs.

Steven R. Weiner, associate professor of medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles, asserted in August 1994 that once you see these women, that's all it takes to be convinced silicone implants can make them sick .... There's no one who has seen a large number of these women who disagrees."

Safety concerns prompted France in May 1995 to halt the importation, manufacture, sale or use of silicone-gel breast implants. In May, the Ministry of Health stated that implants filled with any product other than physiologic saline could rupture and "result in grave danger." France will not allow implants back on the market "until they have been definitely shown without risk to the user."

Two recent studies are fatally flawed

One of the most-cited papers used to criticize the link between silicone implants and connective tissue diseases suffers from fundamental flaws. The "Mayo Clinic" study published in June 1994

(1) failed to ask women uniform questions or employ standard laboratory testing;

(2) failed to look for the "atypical" signs and symptoms suffered by women with silicone poisoning;

(3) admitted that the control group (749 women with implants and 1,498 without) was insufficient and that an accurate study would require 62,000 women with implants and 124,000 without over 10 years;

(4) suggested an implant failure rate in excess of 30 percent (of the 749 women with implants, 257 had surgical revisions); and

(5) concluded that "No statistically valid conclusions can be drawn from this study."

Further, the study is at least subject to question since it was
financed in part by the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation, the educational arm of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. This group has been given hundreds of thousands of dollars for research by implant manufacturers.

A study published in June 1995 -- the "Harvard" study -- suffers from similar flaws. Specifically, it
(1) failed to ask women uniform questions or use standard laboratory testing;

(2) failed to look for signs of "atypical" connective-tissue diseases, the symptoms of which do not fall into any clear diagnostic category;

(3) studied
too few women with breast implants (1,183 women with implants, 876 of which were silicone gel filled); and (4) failed to account for the fact that women with silicone implants may not manifest illnesses during the first eight years after implantation.

Further, as with the Mayo Clinic study, author bias is at issue. Two authors of the Harvard study have admitted under threat of perjury that they are paid consultants to breast implant makers. Also, Dow Corning has donated $5 million to Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, which played a key role in this study. source: www.siegfriedandjensen.co...lants.html

If you or anyone you know has any further questions or problems ... please visit our forum
Implant Info Net
http://p077.ezboard.com/bimplantinformationnetwork

Campaign for Beauty

The Dove Self-Esteem Fund

Whether it's models that wear a size 2 or movie stars with exceptional curves, beauty pressures are everywhere. And when young girls find it hard to keep up, low self-esteem can take over and lead to introversion, a withdrawal from normal life, and a waste of potential.

For example, a recent survey in the United Kingdom indicated that 6 out of 10 girls thought they'd "be happier if they were thinner."

Find out what the Dove Self-Esteem Fund is doing about the problem of low-esteem in young girls - and how you can help.

Click on the questions below to learn what Dove is doing about the problem and how you can help.

Why Did We Create the Dove Self-Esteem Fund?
What Is the Dove Self-Esteem Fund (DSEF)?
What Is Self-Esteem?
What Factors Influence Self-Esteem?
Why Is Self-Esteem So Important?
What Does the Dove Self-Esteem Fund Support in the United States?
What Can You Do to Help Improve Self-Esteem Among Girls?
How Does the Dove Self-Esteem Fund Work Outside the United States?

Why Did We Create the Dove Self-Esteem Fund?

Low self-esteem leads to introversion, a withdrawal from normal life and a waste of potential.

Over 50% of women say their body disgusts them (Dove Internal Study, 2002)
The body fat of models and actresses portrayed in the media is at least 10% less than that of healthy women (British Medical Association, 2000)
6 out of 10 girls think they'd "be happier if they were thinner" (UK Teen Body Image Survey, January 2004)
While only 19% of teenage girls are "overweight," 67% think they "need to lose weight" (UK Teen Body Image Survey, January 2004)

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What Is the Dove Self-Esteem Fund (DSEF)?

We've created the Dove Self-Esteem Fund as an agent of change to educate and inspire girls on a wider definition of beauty and to make them feel more confident about themselves.

The Dove Self-Esteem Fund is a network of local country initiatives linked in strategy and direction by a global steering group. In each country, the DSEF supports a specific charitable organization to help foster self-esteem. In the United States, the DSEF partners with Girl Scouts of the USA to support uniquely ME!.

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What Is Self-Esteem?

As defined by the National Association for Self-Esteem, it is the experience of being capable of meeting life's challenges and being worthy of happiness. People who have healthy or authentic self-esteem trust their own being to be life-affirming, constructive, responsible, and trustworthy.

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What Factors Influence Self-Esteem?

Several critical factors influence the self-esteem of girls:

Good relationships with parents and family; a feeling that the important adults in their lives accept and care about them
Opportunities to participate in tasks and activities that offer real challenges
Experiencing success with schoolwork and extracurricular activities, such as sports, drama or music
Having the skills needed to cope during times of disappointment or crisis

[Excerpted from the uniquely ME! Guide for Adults, Girl Scouts of the USA, 2002]

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Why Is Self-Esteem So Important?

Experts from the National Association for Self-Esteem hold that self-esteem directly impacts the lives of adolescent girls.

90% of eating disorders are found in girls
58% of girls admit to dieting
1 million girls under the age of 18 get pregnant annually
1 out of 10 eighth grade girls smokes daily
85% of girls experience sexual harassment in school
30% of adolescent girls have thoughts about suicide

Experts agree that a key cause in all of these statistics is lack of, or low, self-esteem.

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What Does the Dove Self-Esteem Fund Support in the United States?

In the United States, the Dove Self-Esteem Fund is supporting the uniquely ME! program. It is a partnership between the Dove Self-Esteem Fund and the Girl Scouts of the USA to promote improved self-esteem among girls ages 8-14 in the US and Puerto Rico. Founded in 2002, this program reached over 70,000 girls in its first program year.

The program consists of an educational curriculum that integrates the latest research from the Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI) and offers hands-on activities such as mentoring, community service or sports. Three activity booklets, available in English and bilingual English/Spanish, guide girls through simple exercises that help them understand and build self-confidence. The booklets target two developmental age groups: 8-10 year-olds and 11-14 year-olds. Through sessions led by caring adult volunteers, and the uniquely ME! curriculum, the program includes exercises about recognizing one's strengths and best attributes, handling peer pressure, identifying core values and personal interests, eating disorders, the power of positive thinking, relationships and stress - on an age-appropriate basis.

Girl Scouts of the USA encourages over 300 local Girl Scout councils to form alliances with outside organizations to teach the uniquely ME! educational curriculum to other youngsters around the country as well.

(Please note that we cannot consider other worthwhile projects for funding at this time, as we have chosen to focus our support.)

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What Can You Do to Help Improve Self-Esteem Among Girls?

Let's Share Real Beauty
Stereotypically "perfect" beauty imagery affects some girl's (and some women's) perceptions of themselves. Dr. Susie Orbach (psychotherapist, London School of Economics) has discovered that spending just three minutes looking at fashion magazines lowers the self-esteem of 80% of women.

We can help girls to put "perfect" images of beauty into perspective. Let's face it, most of us are never going to look like the models we see in the media. But when we look at images in magazines and on the big screen, it's all too easy to forget the number of tricks that have been used to create them. But a small army of retouchers, camera operators, lighting technicians and props managers have created these artificial images. Let's show girls the reality behind the imagery!

Be Proactive
Based on their extensive research, the Girl Scout Research Institute has compiled key research findings and tips for adults to help improve girls' self-esteem. They include:

Girls want opportunities for leadership and to share in planning and decision-making. Empower girls as leaders and decision-makers by giving them opportunities to choose activities and giving them increased responsibility.
Girls want their voices to be heard now, not just when they are older. They want adults to listen to them and take them seriously. Actively listen to girls' voices, opinions and ideas and recognize their accomplishments.
Provide girls with a safe place where they can discuss real issues. Girls desire a trusting, confidential environment to feel emotionally safe.
Girls want to be able to choose from a full range of activities - from experience-based where they can learn by doing to those that address issues related to peer pressure and developing self-image. Create opportunities for girls to explore new things and to give back to their community.
Girls are experiencing teen pressures at younger and younger ages. However, they are not able to deal with these issues because their cognitive development is out of sync with their social, emotional and sexual development. Let girls be girls because they are dealing with adult pressures early.
Girls' self-images are determined not only by their self-perceptions but also the perceptions of others. It is imperative that adults be positive, honest and supportive. Girls also need to strengthen cultural beliefs and practices that enhance self-esteem; this includes a competent approach to dealing with body image and nutrition.
Girls are interested in expressing themselves through a variety of ways - through fashion, art, community action, getting outside, personalizing their space etc. Take time to find out what girls' interests are and help them be creative enough to think outside of the box and try new activities.
Girls want to connect with young women they aspire to be, such as young professionals and college-aged students. They also want to work with "experts" who can share their talents with girls. Offer girls opportunities to connect with a myriad of adults as role models.
Girls ages 8-12 are more worried about being teased and made fun of in the classroom, on the sports field and in their everyday activities than they are about being attacked with a weapon or being kidnapped. Show by example how important it is to respect girls' experiences.
In the company of other girls, girls can express themselves without the fear of being judged by boys. Girls can try out different ways of being and different activities without feeling like they have to excel at all of them. Give girls the opportunity to build on their strengths in all-girls environments.

You can also help by making an online donation directly to uniquely ME!

References
Reports from the Girl Scout Research Institute: The Ten Emerging Truths: New Directions for Girls 11-17 (GSRI, 2002); Paths to Positive Youth Development (GSRI, 2002); Girls, Families and Communities (GSRI, 1997); Feeling Safe: What Girls Say (GSRI, 2003); Teens Before Their Time, (GSRI 2000); Strength in Diversity: Toward a Broader Understanding of Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Girl Scouting: Final Report (GSRI, 1994); Weighing In: Helping Girls Be Healthy Today, Healthy Tomorrow (2004); The Community Connection (GSRI,2002)

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How Does the Self-Esteem Fund Work Outside the United States?

The Dove Self-Esteem Fund has been put to work in many parts of the world. Here are a few success stories.

United Kingdom: BodyTalk
There are 1.1 million people with an eating disorder in the U.K. and young women aged 14-25 are most likely to be affected. The Eating Disorders Association (EDA) knows that building self-esteem and a positive body image can help reduce those risks.

With the aid of the Dove Self-Esteem Fund, EDA has developed BodyTalk, a workshop designed to help young girls (and boys) understand and deal with feelings about their physical appearance, and learn how "ideal" images of beauty are created.

Over 3 years, BodyTalk aims to:

Address the National Curriculum framework in Personal, Social and Health Education for 12-14 year olds
Reach over 8,000 pupils through workshop sessions
Give more than 200 teachers the skills and educational materials to continue the BodyTalk workshops in their schools

Canada: Beyond Compare Photo Tour
Photographers from around the world were recently asked to participate in Beyond Compare - a photographic show that would raise money for the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC). The result? Sixty-seven photographs were donated, raising a grand total of $21,000 Canadian. The Dove Self-Esteem Fund has helped make the tour possible and, in total, is responsible for already raising over $50,000 Canadian for NEDIC in 2004. NEDIC plans to use some of these funds to build an e-module with self-esteem information and guidance for 12-14 year old girls.

The Netherlands: Beyond Compare Photo Tour
The Beyond Compare Photo Tour has made its way to Netherlands and, since June 2004, has already raised thousands of Euros, via donations, for Kenniscentrum Eetstoornissen Nederland - a leading charity in the fight against eating disorders in the Netherlands.

http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/dsef07/t5.aspx?id=7373

Fall_Fairy--large-msg-117287471003.jpg picture by grace25968

Mind Heart Body and Soul

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not,but rejoices for those which he has. Epictetus

Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower ~

The Promise

Paths Taken

My Media

To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance. - Oscar Wildehttp://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/dsef07/t5.aspx?id=7373

Some of my Favorite Things

The Ocean

"Singing in the Ocean"

Between the crystal wind and the vibrant waves,
surfs my consciousness.

These waves,
these thoughts,
are caused by life's tides.

Individual thought interactions among the amber waves of time.

Life's crimson experiences create the earthquakes,
the wild volcanic activity,
the chaotic atmospheric disturbances
which play to the surface waves of my mind.
My conscious thought playing field.

The longer my wonderful blue life,
the more distance I travel
(be it mental or physical),
the harder the winds of time blow
creating sizable waves for my consciousness to ride.
All the while I gather data,
sifting,
sifting,
concluding?

As the cool wind blows over the water of my mind,
dragging the surface of my thoughts with it,
my consciousness rises.
The waves become my thoughts...
Gravity pulls my thoughts in a new direction,
back,
back,
with the momentum of experience
below the surface of these new thoughts
creating the massive waves upon which insight develops.

Exhilaratingly I sing during the tug of war,
created between the gravity of experience and the pressures of life,
I dance within the nuances of life,
Laughing,
while riding a tsunamis at five hundred klicks per hour
with new thoughts breaking the Richter scale.
I think therefore I am...
Singing in the ocean.
`

My Yeller Feller

Observation Point

Friends are the flowers in lifes garden

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Autumn Reflections

09/25/07 10:35:51 | 0 Comments

Autumn is a favorite time of year for me. It lends itself perfectly to reflect on what I've accomplished and what is left to tackle before.... to be continued

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My Direction

03/25/07 12:16:58 | 4 Comments

Hello to All, I am on a path of healing. I have hope, sunshine, awareness, and a new zest for life. I have come a long way, but still have far to go. I had implants for many years, and after ten years or so, I finally realised they were playing havoc with my health. I had headaches, low grade fevors, rashes, chronic infections, brainfog, and other symptoms too many to mention. I have moderate to...

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DAILY CHAT: Sunday, November 22nd - Saturday, November 28th	New Topic	11/22/09
DAILY CHAT: Sunday, November 22nd - Saturday, November 28th	New Topic	11/22/09
Re: DAILY CHAT: Saturday, November 14th - Saturday, November 21th	Reply	11/21/09
Re: DAILY CHAT: Saturday, November 14th - Saturday, November 21th	Reply	11/19/09
Re: Happy Birthday to Joy!!	Reply	11/19/09

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Grace 25968

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Observation Point

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Friends are the flowers in lifes garden

Grace 25968 156

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