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Why Robotic Surgery Beats Traditional Methods

Just hearing the word surgery makes many think of the images on TV shows with doctors and nurses up to their elbows in blood, which makes surgery one of the scariest scenarios many will have to endure. But honestly, many surgeries aren’t that dangerous. Many surgeries today outdo the methods of old that have been in use just five years ago with all the advantages of robotic surgery techniques. Recovery time is a lot less painful and a lot shorter with the advancement of the current robotic techniques, which include smaller incisions and a lesser level of invasiveness.

Many processes for abdominal surgery that were painful and damaging in the past have been revolutionized by robotic surgical techniques. Small incisions in the abdomen are made to fit robotic tools instead of having to make larger incisions that doctors can fit their hands into. Invasive surgeries like gastric or pancreatic cancer can have a lot more accuracy with less invasiveness with these techniques. Robots can also handle complicated surgeries like thyroid and esophageal cancer, thus making even these less detrimental.

Many surgeries, such as thyroidectomies, can be done through an incision under the arm instead of cutting through the neck. The patient will not have a faster surgery, but it also can prevent scarring on the neck.  By being more accurate, esophageal cancer surgeries allow the doctor to prevent injury to vocal cords, the nerves that control them and the blood vessels around them.

With the minimal incisions and the precision of robotic surgery, Blood transfusions or other blood supplements won’t need to be used because of the precision and minimal incisions with robotic surgery. The pain of recovery is less extreme, recovery time is shorter because of the smaller incisions and there is a lot less scarring. You can get back to your life a lot sooner because of all the good results in a recovery time.

Talk to your doctor and see if robotic surgery or any alternative, like robotic prostate surgery, would be a good fit for you if the word “surgery” is in your near future. You will feel better, much sooner than with most conventional methods. No longer does surgery have to be a complicated situation. You can take your health to the next level with robotic surgery.

A Garden Parasol Can Help Dress Up Your Patio

When you decide to make the initial investment in your home, part of the reason you picked that particular home could have been the patio or the possibility of building one. After you get your patio the way that you want it by adding a grill or fire pit, chaise lounges and chairs and even patio tables to enhance your relaxation, one thing that adds that next level of luxury is having a garden parasol to protect you from the direct rays of the sun.

Granted, after the cold of winter has finally succumbed to the warmth of spring and summer, you’re grateful for the sun to come back. To be able to enjoy the fresh air and be outside in the heat of the day, having protection from that wonderful sunshine is a definite necessity. Having a large garden umbrella or shade platform for your patio allows you to enjoy the entire day instead of having to retreat indoors when the sun is at its zenith.

Finding that perfect over sized umbrella or parasol could be a real challenge. There are several things to consider in order to get exactly what you want from an outdoor umbrella. The great thing about umbrellas today is that there are plenty of styles and colors to choose from. They also use lightweight, space age materials, which makes them beautiful as well as sturdy. You’ll be able to get the style that you want, but you can also have the quality that you need.

Beach parasols are beautifully designed and crafted, too. With all of the great styles and colors available to choose from, you’ll definitely be able to find the ones that look great and that you’ll feel great about owning, too. You’ve made an investment in your home and its appearance so making the investment in a patio umbrella, garden parasol or shade treatment means you’re making an investment in your relaxation as well.

Regardless of whether you’re making an investment in your primary home or a vacation home, the point is relaxing in a scenario that is both beautiful and comfortable. By having a beach umbrella, garden umbrella or artistically designed poolside treatment, you’re making a statement to others, and yourself, that both beauty and functionality is important to you. Take a look at the designs that are available and see which ones fit your taste and which environments you would like to use them in. You’ll be amazed that everything you’re looking for in an umbrella or parasol is available right at your fingertips.

Looking at Some Myths & Facts About Cable and Satellite Providers

Both cable companies and satellite TV providers make lots of promises about how they will get you the most for your money. And there have been a lot of myths perpetuated about quality, about service and about value. However, if you will take the time, and do a little research, it is possible to get past the myths and hype and find out what is really going to provide the best value, the best quality, and the best service for your money.

Cable companies would have you believe that their service is the best. They spend a lot trying to convince the consumer that they provide the best quality and reliability, and they point out they offer internet service and phone service all off the same cable. So, by offering service bundling and the initial discount offers, they try to make it look like cable is your best option. However, when you do your homework and look beyond what they say they are offering, you’ll see a different story.

Cable companies don’t always tell you everything up front. They don’t always tell you that you’ll be paying for every cable box installed for as long as you subscribe. They don’t tell you that you’ll even be paying for the remote for the length of your subscription. They don’t tell you that you’ll pay extra for HD programming. And they don’t tell you that all of the data going through that one wire to your house will result in the HD quality being not as good as it could be. And they don’t always tell you that after your initial offer, your combined phone, internet and cable TV bill can easily climb to around $175 a month. And it can go to more than $200 a month if you add in movie packages.

Satellite providers also make a lot of promises. They promise free equipment, and free installation. Dish Network promises free HDTV for life. Dish Network promotions promise free HBO and Showtime for 3 months. And some Dish Network deals even promise free DVR upgrades.

The difference between satellite TV providers’ promises and cable companies’ promises is that satellite TV providers keep their promises. And their HD quality is as good or better than any you’re going to get from any cable TV provider And with the satellite providers partnerships with internet and phone companies you can expect your monthly bill to actually be a very realistic one.

So, take a look at what satellite TV and cable TV providers promise versus what they really deliver. Take the time to look at the fine print and the extra charges. It’s your money and it’s important that you get as much value out of your purchase as possible. Check and you’ll find that satellite TV providers consistently give you more.

Custom Kitchen Design without the Fads

When it comes to getting a custom kitchen design, the first thing you have to do is unlearn some things. When you’re going through all the different designs, whether searching through plans on the Internet, sorting through design studios or flipping through plans and catalogs, keep in mind that many things you’ll see are just design elements and not functional elements. That means when you’re perusing through the latest kitchen designs you’ll see some things that are nice looking, but not very practical in the long run. These fads might make you “cool” and “hip”, but they can actually wind up hurting the overall design of the kitchen and even impact the value of your home.

While a lot of kitchen fads are in the appliances and tools that you can buy, especially the infomercial specials, there are design fads that come and go as well. One type of fad that should be avoided is the type where multiple appliances are included in a single unit. Conventional and microwave ovens in a single unit are perhaps one of the most overused and problematic appliance fads. If a problem occurs with the oven or the microwave then you have to determine whether it’s more cost effective to have it repaired or to replace the whole unit. Since both appliances are contained in the same unit, replacing the whole thing is very expensive.

Another fad to consider is the center island. You should examine your motives for including something that takes up floor space and restricts motion in the room versus whatever benefits you may be hoping to gain. Including a cook top in the island may seem like a great idea, but is that where it’ll provide the most benefit? Also, having a cook top on the island complicates ventilation because of the placement in the room. While including the island might provide additional counter space and cabinetry, is the benefit going to outweigh the hassle?

While having a cool kitchen design is one thing, having one that is actually practical is quite another. If you plan on creating your dream home, ensuring you’ll be happy with it 20 years into the future is essential. Including design fads in your home plans because they’re current and cool may seem like a good idea at the time, but if you’re living with these design elements, will they be something that will continue to provide benefits later down the road?

Take the time to study exactly what you’ll be doing in the kitchen and what makes sense to include. Don’t be led down the wrong path because something is cool and trendy, because it may not stand the test of time. While upgrading and replacing equipment is part of owning a home, including fads that just look cool, but that aren’t practical can wind up costing you more in the long run.

7 Excellent Spots for Custom Mini Blinds

When the time comes to redecorate and enhance your home, one easy way to make a noticeable difference inside is simply by replacing the curtains with new mini blinds. They are much easier to maintain because you never have to do anything more than hit them with a duster every now and then. And they won’t diminish over time the way curtains do. So ditching your curtains in exchange for mini blinds is a terrific way to update a living area. But in what parts of the house will window shades look best?

You’d be surprised!  The answer to that question is easy. Here’s a quick glance at some rooms that can easily benefit from the change:

1. Bathrooms appear to be much more organized and clean with mini blinds.
2. Bedrooms feel significantly more roomy after replacing the curtains with them.
3. They tend to be far easier to clean in the kitchen and just look more crisp than the drooping curtains.
4. When upgrading the den, mini blinds are a good choice because they match any kind of décor.
5. Even formal sitting areas take on a neater, more clean look with mini blinds.
6. Home offices and personal studies look sharp with the help of some mini blinds.
7. Game rooms and curtains don’t go together. Mini blinds are more modern and more appropriate for the game setting.

Really, every room in your house could look better with new mini blinds. Not only do they easily simplify the lines of the space, making it look neater with one simple switch, they’re easier to maintain. It’s no longer necessary to pull out all those funny attachments to the vacuum cleaner hoping to get all the dirt from the drapes. All you have to do to maintain mini blinds is to run over it quickly with a duster — and you’re done!

In addition mini blinds do a much better job from being energy-efficient as well. They insulate better in the winter and block out the heat in the summer. What this means is that they not only look better than curtains, they are less hassle to maintain compared to curtains and they’ll help you save money on your power bill each month.

So make any space look great along with custom mini blinds and reap the advantages with techniques you might not have considered. Between the easy maintenance, the cash you’ll save and just how awesome the rooms will appear, you’ll strike the perfect balance with regards to creating a style update to your house. Any room looks better with mini blinds. And you’ll see it for yourself when you have them installed.

The Wobbler is the Future of Food Dispensing Dog Toys

Food dispensing dog toys are much more than a simple play thing to the dog, and much more important than a mere toy to the owner. Every dog owner knows that if you do not provide them with a great toy to chew, hunt and conquer, such as the Kong Wobbler, they will find their own! That is because for dogs, toys and treats represent so much more than play things. Chewing, hunting and destroying things is built into their DNA. As much as we love man’s best friend and consider them part of the family, dogs are after all, still animals and have instinctual needs that must be met.

When we fail to provide engaging activities that satisfy a dogs need to chew, we leave that job up to them, and sometimes we might not appreciate the choices that they make give to their own devices. If we do not provide an alternative form of stimulation, the dog is very likely to choose its own chew toy, like a seven hundred dollar table, or a two hundred dollar pair of shoes. Engaging in obtaining food means that they’re not otherwise engaged in ruining your property.

All dogs need and want to be working dogs. When they were wild, the challenge of getting food was stimulating and rewarding. Dog toys that dispense treats simulate that process. Rather than the food being given freely without any effort, the dog must work in order to be rewarded. Food stuffed dog toys provide stimulation as well as a reward.

Food stuffed dog toys increase activity, which is beneficial just like in humans. Even simple play in order to obtain a meal helps keep dogs healthy. The increased activity helps dogs live happier, longer lives.

When food is put out for a dog, the instinct is gobble it up quickly before some other animal comes to steal it from them. This tends to lead to rapid eating and overeating. A meal that provides a challenge not only helps to slow the eating process, it also encourages proper portion control and increased activity.

Sometimes dog owners tend to think that their dogs are as stimulated by their company as we are by theirs. While they very much enjoy our company, they still require activities that stimulate them intellectually and satisfy their canine instincts. Food dispensing dog products provide intellectually stimulating activity that keeps the dog busy much longer than the time it would take to simply eat a dish of food that has been put out for them.

Over all, fulfilling your dog’s canine need to work for their food is very beneficial to both your sanity and your wallet.

Custom Printed Presentation Folders for a Great First Impression

Preparing your presentation folders can be almost as important as preparing your actual content . It’s the finishing touch on any professional presentation. You put hundreds of hours into preparing for your meeting. Researching data, conducting comparisons, and drilling down figures will help you to know how to format them properly and in the way that they should be displayed. You’ve written and re-written multiple drafts for all of your documents making changes all the way up to the last minute. A PowerPoint presentation has been put together with statistics, graphs, charts and photographs to illustrate the points you’re trying to make. You’ve polished the data and formatting to the point that looking at it without sunglasses makes you squint. But the last part of the preparation is to package it so your audience will be able to follow along and understand everything you’re trying to get across. And that package is almost always in presentation folders.

You want your presentation envelopes and folders to be as polished and professional as your main content. Your envelope or folder will be the first thing your audience sees and touches, so having them designed right and made out of high quality materials is extremely important. If you hand them floppy, flimsy folders that look like they were bought at a discount store’s school supplies section, they’re not going to be impressed. This means spending the time and incurring the expense to have folders and envelopes that are as high quality or possibly even higher quality than your main content.

Using higher quality materials is more expensive. However, if your audience, or potential clients, picks up a flimsy folder and all of the documents fall out on the floor, it is not going to bode well for the rest of your meeting But, a client that picks up a folder that is from either high quality cloth covered board and/or is embossed with the company logo and maybe even the topic and date, then they’ll not only have an easy time following along but will actually have something that makes a strong first impression. As everyone knows, first impressions are everything and sometimes your only chance to make an impression.

While first impressions might not be the bottom line, they certainly do set the tone for the beginning of the meeting. Having your presentation folders and report covers make that impressive first impression for you is one less wall that you’ll have to break down when your presentation starts. After your folders have helped you to break the ice, a well organized folder that is designed to help the audience understand and add emphasis to your key points will take your presentation to the next level. Make your presentation all it can be by using presentation folders worthy of the effort you’ve put into it.

What Are the Advantages to Buying a Used Car Online?

Buying cars online is something that most people would not have ever believed possible 20 years ago. While there are not a lot of people who actually buy cars online without visiting a dealership, the vast majority of car buyers at least do research online before even setting foot on a dealer’s lot. The Internet has leveled the playing field for consumers when it comes to buying new or used cars. Millions of websites now provide pricing, reviews, and incentive and rebate information. You can easily find out the options that are offered on a vehicle and possibly even the price the dealer paid for the car. Shopping and researching online before buying has become the best way to shop for a new car.

Researching

Possibly the biggest advantage the Internet provides to car shoppers is the ability to research the car they are interested in buying. Prospective buyers can thoroughly research various makes and models that interest them without leaving the comfort of their home. Prospective buyers can search for cars by make, model, body style and tons of other criteria. They can also read reviews from both experts and car owners. Lots of photos are available from a wide variety of angles and most often a 360-degree video is available. So, if you want to find out which manufacture has the best SUV, the capability is at your fingertips.

Pricing Information

Many websites offer the ability to build a new car that allows you to add whatever features or options you might desire. This will give you a good idea of what the car you want will cost with the exact options that you’re looking for already included. Often times, sites will offer listings of rebates and manufacturer incentives, which can help you find the best deal available. Invoice prices are also available, which can give you a good idea of what the dealer might’ve originally paid for the vehicle (this of course is only for new cars). All of this information can help you determine what is actually a fair price for the car that you’re interested in.

Shopping

Once you’ve completed your research and drawn up a short list of vehicles, you can begin actually shopping for your new care. Most major dealerships have their entire inventory online, including new and used cars, allowing you to search the cars by a variety of criteria. The car listings will usually contain all of the important information and details that you might require in order to make an informed decision. Features, mileage, options, pricing, and plenty of photos will be available.

Test Drives

The one thing that you can’t do when buying a car online is the test drive. Very few people will buy a vehicle without taking it for a test drive. When you’ve performed all of the research, it’s time to get behind the wheel and take the car out on the road. Drive the car on both city streets and highway. Make sure all of the controls are within easy reach and that the car is comfortable and suited to your driving style. This is especially necessary if you’re buying hybrid after you’ve been used to a gasoline car for years.

Negotiations

In most cases, the final negotiation can be done online by going back and forth with the sales agent via email. When you’ve decided on a vehicle, emailing the dealer your proposed offer and any supporting documentation that you might have for the price can get things started. Trading emails until you’ve finalized a price can be much more comfortable than sitting in a dealership undergoing a high-pressure sales pitch by a salesperson and their manager.

Researching and buying a car online provides many advantages. The two biggest factors are probably the convenience and the amount of time that can be saved. There’s no more driving around to a dozen different dealerships looking for the perfect car.

Herbal Nutrition Supplements Can Help You Lose Weight

For decades, nutritional supplements, such as Gaia Herbs, have been sworn by as a means of reducing weight and increasing health. There’s not much debate, especially amongst the health care providers, that having the proper amount of supplements and vitamins in your diet can make you feel better and possibly help you live longer. The debate is about whether these same natural supplements might be able to help you to lose weight as well. Nutritional supplements for weight loss have been the focal point of studies and discourses amongst professionals for years.

Granted, there is a certain amount of validity to the doubts that some experts have pertaining to natural health products, especially when it comes to weight loss supplements. While there is little argument about the benefit of vitamins, iron, fish oil for essential fatty acids and other supplements, weight loss pills and supplements have always been in question. That’s because there have been enough snake oil remedies in the past that anything labeled as homeopathic or all-natural have become suspect.

But there are health products that do help. Herbal dietary additives are capable of assisting in weight loss because of the added nutritional values they add to the diet. Weight loss pills will not work without exercise. However, changes in eating and other lifestyle choices and a desire to do what it takes to maintain the weight loss combined with weight loss pills will work.

All too often, people expect to find that “magic bullet”. That one pill, diet, drug or combination of any or all of those things that will help them to lose weight and they’ll never be overweight again. While many people are willing to change their lifestyle for 6 months to a year in order to lose 20 pounds, once they hit that goal, they generally relapse and revert back to their previous lifestyle habits and put the weight back on. That’s why fad diets and even “approved” diets usually state that lifestyle changes are necessary to maintain any weight loss permanently.

The great thing about supplements and herbal vitamins, such as Nordic naturals, is that they are good for you and will help you to lose weight. Adding the proper supplements to your diet helps to satiate cravings which your standard diet may not be fulfilling. Adding supplements to your diet to balance out your body’s needs will prevent the body from telling you it needs to intake food for dietary needs.

Part of good health is maintaining a healthy nutritional balance. In a perfect world, we could get all that we need from our regular diet, but in today’s world, without nutritional supplements to help us, that simply can’t happen. For those of us who have gained too much weight as a result of trying to obtain all of our nutrition from food, adding the proper nutritional balance through vitamins and herbs can help us to lose that weight. With the proper lifestyle changes, the weight will stay off.

Sandy Springs Apartments: Checklist for the Perfect Rental

When it comes to finding that perfect pad, you’ve got to have priorities. Many times we move into a place because it fits our budget, it’s available and we need a place to live. The question is when do we get the opportunity to pick where we would like to live on our terms? We want to pick where we want to live, what we want to live in and how we choose to live there. That makes looking for great Sandy Springs apartments, or anywhere else for that matter, a good place to set up a checklist.

First, determining where we want to live and the reasons for living there is very important. For example, an apartment in Decatur, Georgia would be located just north of Atlanta. With a lot of industry there like IBM, Cisco, AT&T Mobility and UPS, it should be a good opportunity to find a well paying job close to home. Also, being close to Atlanta means that you can go to Hawks, Braves, and Falcons games.

Let’s make a checklist of all the important features. Here are a few things to consider.

1.    Move-in incentives
2.    Bedrooms and washer/dryer hook-ups
3.    Easily accessible mass transit
4.    Close proximity to events and places of interest we want to go to
5.    Close to doctor’s offices and hospitals
6.    Amenities like pools, tennis courts and fitness facilities
7.    Not far from work
8.    Pets allowed
9.    Not far from schools
10.    Rent within our budget

There are probably many more things that you can put on your checklist, but that’s a good list to start with. Make sure that you find a place with enough bedrooms. The rest are all nice to have, especially if you have a pet and don’t really want to give it up. Amenities and move-in incentives are available at most apartments, but the hardest part will be deciding just which apartment will give you everything you want or at least the most things that you must have.

Fortunately, whether you’re searching for a rental in Sandy Springs, Decatur or even for an apartment in Atlanta, the available Internet tools makes finding them a snap. Instead of having to search through newspapers, real estate guides or sitting down with the phone book and calling apartment offices and real estate agents, spending ten or twenty minutes on the Internet can land you in that perfect pad. Online tools give you a way to search for what you need and where you want it with just a few mouse clicks. Get online and go find that perfect apartment. You’ll be amazed at just how easy it is.