TresSugar

Are You Into Tattoos?

DearSugar — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 11:00:00 -0700

Tattoos hurt and they're permanent, and these are two very good reasons that I don't have any - but that's not to say that I don't appreciate them! I totally respect the fact that they often represent an idea, a person, a memory, a place, a special date, or are just an artistic design a person has a connection with or loves.

The fact still remains that I am a huge wimp when it comes to pain and needles -- I can't even deal with one shot of Novocaine -- so I'm sure I would go absolutely ballistic if I got a tattoo. I'll stick to showing off my individuality in other ways.

What about you - are you into tattoos? Do you have any? Are you attracted to people who have tattoos, or are they a huge turn off for you? Does it depend on what or where the tattoo is? Have you ever dated anyone with a memorable tattoo? I want to hear it all.

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5 Gays Talk Project Runway Fall, at Least One Blames Women

TresSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:00:46 -0800

From moving to the West Coast, to the influx of celebrity judges, to casting drama over talent, five gay men have offered their theories on why viewership of Project Runway fell 25 percent between the premiere of season six and its ninth episode. One faults having three female finalists (though that happened on Bravo's final season too) saying:

"I am all for diversity and playing to your audience’s demographic, but please. And not to sound completely misogynistic, but three women as finalists? No fags? Really? These women were probably the most talented, but obviously when you tell the Bunim/Murray casting juggernaut, 'This is Lifetime: Television for Women, not talented gay male fashion designers,' you get what you get!"

While he jests (mostly), women probably miss the Christian Sirianos who sharpen their tongues before even threading a needle each morning just as much as gay men do. But what do I know? I only watched the first three episodes.

Source: Lifetime

Dental Anxiety: You're Not Alone

DearSugar — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:00:00 -0700

Who likes going to the dentist? I don't like going whatsoever, and I even asked my dentist if she likes to go and she admitted that it's not always fun, but it is necessary. So we force ourselves to go, but many of us may not like it one bit.

Some people on the other hand have such severe fears and anxieties about going to the dentist, that they won't even go. Here are some common reasons people won't go to the dentist:

Fear of pain.

Fear of needles.
Fear of the Novocaine and going numb.
Fear of NOT going numb - what if the Novocaine doesn't work?
They're worried about what may or may not happen - fear of the unknown.
Fear of the drill and things near their mouth and brain.
The scraping and drilling sound.
Bad past experiences.
They're worried about receiving bad news.
They're embarrassed or ashamed of their teeth and worried the dentist will make fun of them.
Fear of gagging, choking, or throwing up.
Fear of panicking or crying.
The cost. Even with dental insurance, the bill can be excruciatingly high.

If these sound familiar, you're not alone. Many people suffer from dental phobia or dental anxiety so much that they refuse to step foot in an office. This can be detrimental to a person's pearly whites. Want to know how to get over your fears? Then read more

If you are paralyzed by the mere thought of going to the dentist, there are a number of things you can do.

Identify what your specific fears are and try not to dwell on them. Then you and your dentist can figure out ways to deal with them.
Find a caring and compassionate dentist that makes you feel comfortable. Explain all your fears and map out what your perfect dental visit would be like. Get recommendations from friends or co-workers for dentists they like.
Some dentists may recommend that you take anti-anxiety medicine (like Xanax) the night and or a few hours before your visit. It will help you to feel calm and relaxed.
Your dentist may also recommend Nitrous Oxide. It's a gas you inhale that puts you in a state of ultimate relaxation and contentment. Just like with the anti-anxiety meds, this method won't do anything for pain, so if you need to be drilled, you'll still need to get a shot of Novocaine, but you may feel less anxious about it.
Another option is IV Sedation. You basically get anti-anxiety drugs administered into the bloodstream. You'll remain conscious and be able to understand and respond to requests from your dentist, but you may not remember much of what happened while you were in the chair. Time will feel like it passes quickly, almost like you were asleep.
If you are literally crippled by the anxiety, you may be a candidate for General Anesthesia.

Being fearful of dental visits is not at all uncommon, but at some point you will need to face your fears. You can't go through your life not seeing a dentist, and the longer you put it off, the more problems you can have. I hope these ideas help.

Source

Obama Still Bans Needle Exchange Funding

TresSugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:00:00 -0700

Why were 26 anti-AIDS activists arrested yesterday at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington DC? Because the protesters chained themselves together at the landmark in protest of President Obama's ban on funding needle exchange programs as a part of federal HIV/AIDS prevention.

Despite promises made on the campaign trail that AIDS prevention funds should go to needle-exchange programs that help reduce infection among drug users (and the people who have sex with them), the Obama administration kept a previous ban on such programs in this year's budget. A spokesperson explained that the White House did not want a debate about the controversial program to slow down the budget process, so they left a ban in. In the meantime, support of needle exchange programs has been removed from the White House website.

Do you find needle exchange programs controversial?

Source: Flickr User Todd Huffman

What's Too Much? Are Safety Kits For Drug Users Worth It?

CitizenSugar — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:00:26 -0700

The back page of New York magazine every week is the Artifact feature, where they archive a tidbit of the city - this week was an annotated picture of the kit given by the city to drug users to ensure the safe usage of their substance of choice. I was more than surprised by its. . . thoroughness? I mean I have hobbies, but no government agency has ever given me a kit that contains not only every thing I need to accomplish said extracurricular - down to a nine-step info card of how to do so, but that's just me.

I honestly don't know where to stand on this conundrum, but I have some questions:

If someone is a habitual drug user, what are the chances that they will actually use all of these items as they're intended? The kit contains 10 different doodads, including capsules of sterilized water for mixing the drugs (see, I had no idea this was necessary) itsy-bitsy cotton balls to trap dirt and debris from getting in the syringe, a bottle of bleach, and an empty bottle to use to clean the needles in. Oh, and the needles come from a whole different location. Will the complexity stop these goods from actually getting put to use?
At what point is the line between encouraging drug use by making it so much safer, easier, and government-sanctioned? If drug users aren't exposed as easily to diseases and live longer as addicts, what kind of future societal health problem could we be creating?

I'm just getting started - we haven't even considered money yet. To see the rest, read more.

Then there's the question of harm reduction. Is it more harmful to not provide clean paraphernalia and have drug users potentially spreading more deadly diseases? If drug addicts have to come in to exchange needles, is it a valuable opportunity to also give out education and condoms, aiding the cause even further?
And then there's the money. Preventing people from contracting HIV does save public health money. According to the Lancet if needle exchange had been implemented in early 1997, by 2000, 11,000 fewer HIV infections would have occurred saving over $600 million. But then there's the reason this kit was featured this week: New York's $300 million budget cuts are impinging on the centers that distribute them. Do you spend money to save money?

Is giving out kits like this the answer? How much support is too much? Where do you stand?

Source

What's the Deal With Freezing Your Eggs?

DearSugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:00:00 -0700

Many women in their 20s and 30s are most likely thinking about meeting someone, getting married, settling down, and starting a family. It seems easy enough, but as a woman creeps into her mid- to late-30s, getting pregnant can become difficult. Just to be safe, many women are thinking ahead and freezing their eggs. I always thought this was a spectacular idea, but apparently egg freezing is still experimental. The procedure is mostly used for young cancer patients who may have issues with fertility because of chemo treatments. Lately, though, since women are starting families later in their lives, more and more clinics are offering egg freezing to women who are worried about growing older and not being able to conceive. Unfortunately, the procedure is very expensive - around $15,000 to $20,000 - and the chance of being able to conceive using the eggs later on is pretty slim, especially if you're older than 35. The good news is that many women have had success, so for some, egg freezing is worth it.

Freezing your eggs sounds like a complicated process. To hear all about it, read more.

After a woman decides that she wants to freeze her eggs, she first has to get her body ready. That involves injecting hormones to boost egg production. A doctor then uses an ultrasound-guided needle to remove the egg(s) and bathes them in an antifreeze solution before freezing. When the woman is ready to get pregnant, the egg is thawed out and then injected with a needle containing one single sperm. After the fertilized egg develops into an embryo, it's implanted into the woman's uterus with a catheter.

I'm not sure if I could go through all that, knowing the success rate is so low, but if it came down to it, I bet I'd try anything if I was having a tough time conceiving. What about you? Would you go through the process of freezing your eggs? Have you thought about it before?

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Dead Mouse in Hot Dog Bun or Hardened Dough? You Decide!

GiggleSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:00:00 -0800

Just in time for lunch! I'm often straining my brain to find ways of squeezing the funny out of everyday things. But this news story about a possible dead mouse baked into a hot dog bun kinda writes itself, especially when a "Master Baker" (say that 10 times fast) is quoted as saying that what looks like a dead mouse is in fact hardened dough or "pan accumulation." And then another person says in response, "Everyone thinks this is a mouse, but you." I guess we'll all have to wait on pins and needles for the lab results.

Add It Up and See - Are You a Swing Voter?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 06:00:52 -0700

"I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of. . . Pennsylvania?" It seems that way anymore, with all attention being lavished upon that holy grail of voter, the Swing Voter. Because like it or lump it, the Electoral College system means the presidential race is decided really by 15ish states - those with the big enough electoral "score" to make a difference in the race to the magic winning number of 270. PA's hefty score makes those votes more attractive and potentially a bigger deal than others.

Want to find out how "swingy" your own vote is? Slate has put together this handy calculator to figure out that very thing. Slot in six easy facts about you and see both your "pull" and swing factor. The tool weights the state you're voting in higher than any other factor, and then adds in key demographics about race and education, finishing off with how many people there are like you in your state. The guts of the calculator are based purely on polls, so it is only a close facsimile of voter behavior - but with a week left, if the needle points sharply to one side or the other when you put in your info, clear off the sofa. You can bet one of the campaigns will be paying you a visit.

Source

Botox: It's All About Expressing Yourself!

GiggleSugar — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:00:00 -0700

Sarah Haskins has a lot to say about ads targeted to women. Take Botox. What is it really? Well, it's needles in your face releasing botulism and paralyzing all human expression so that asking, "Does this make my ass look big?" doesn't look any different on your face than exclaiming, "The house is on fire." That's all! Express yourself, ladies - by asking your doctor about Botox cosmetic.

Best "Sorry We're Closed" Sign Ever

GiggleSugar — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 04:00:00 -0700

Talk about re-writing history! I hope they continue the story when they re-open. I'm on pins and needles waiting for the conclusion!

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