Lymphomas are cancers of the lymph system which ironically is part of the bodys defense mechanism to fight off infections and diseases. But sometimes the abnormal growth of the healthy lymphatic cells causes the tissues to mass up creating tumors and eventually becoming cancer cells. If left untreated, the cancer cells can easily break away from the tissues and begin infecting other parts of the lymphatic system and eventually moving to other organs of the body. There are essentially two kinds of lymphomas, the Hodgkins lymphoma and non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Hodgkins lymphoma is characterized by the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells. Other lymphomas do not contain these cells so the rest of the lymphomas were classified as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma or NHL. There are a number of sub-types of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Each are quite distinct targeting specific age groups aside from having unique forms.

One kind of NHL is the lymphoblastic lymphoma or LBL which commonly occurs in children. In fact about 30% of documented cases of lymphomas in children have been classified as lymphoblastic lymphomas. LBL is very aggressive kind of NHL and has caused quite a number of deaths in the past. But because of modern medicine and treatment techniques, LBL patients have better odds of surviving the ordeal.

Unlike LBL, the diffuse histiocytic lymphoma type or DHL is a slow growing cancer. And because it is slow-growing the cancer is quite hard to detect. Also, there are times where the cancer reappears after treatment.

Another kind of NHL appears closer to the bodys surface. The cutaneous T-cell lymphoma or CTLC is a kind of lymphoma that affects the skin. What happens is that the white blood cells of the skin become cancerous. At first, the signs are dry, scaly skin with red or dark patches. These areas of the skin also itch a lot. But as the cancer cells continue to grow, the skin will develop highly noticeable tumors. Eventually the cancer cells enter the blood stream and spreads all over the body which soon infects other tissues and organs.

Although not common, the mantle cell lymphoma is another kind of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This cancer borders on being rare since only an estimated 5% of people diagnosed with NHL have it. It seems that the cancer is more likely to occur in men 50 years old and older. The cancer starts off as a slow growing lymphoma but can suddenly become aggressive in later stages.

Doctors have made 4 classifications or stages of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma which basically indicates how fast and how far the cancer cells have spread. Stage 1 is when the cancer cells are grouped in lymph node or organ of the body. In stage 2 the cancer has spread to two or more groups of lymph nodes or organs on the same side of your diaphragm. Stage 3 is where the cancer cells have infected organs on both sides of the diaphragm and finally stage 4 is when the different types of non-Hodgkins lymphoma have gone beyond the lymphatic system and infecting other organs like the liver, bones, and lungs.

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Spiritual Science as applied to medicine is widely known as Anthroposophical medicine, and is being used by many physicians all over the world – more frequently in certain parts of Europe and North America. This methodology in medicine draws its practices and knowledge from the teachings of Rudolph Steiner, a founder and philosopher, who has founded the school of Anthroposophy.

Anthroposophy is a school of thought that relies on scientific approach in spiritual discernment. Anthroposophical medicine, despite its leanings to spiritual aspects, still relies on established facts and the systematic approaches to modern medicine. It uses fundamental principles in ancient medicine, such as Chinese medicine, Tibetan medicine and Ayurvedic medicine. In a nutshell, it is a more holistic approach, which puts emphasis on the spiritual well being, as much as it does on the physiological one.

The systematic model of AM (Anthroposophical Medicine) relies on the “four-foldness” of being. This means that there are four parts of what decides the general condition of an individual. The first one is the physical body, which is the vessel. The life/etheric body, which is the same as the Chinese idea of chi, embodies the second, while the third level is the soul/astral body. Finally, the fourth one resides in the spirit. In this model, the physician ensures that all these four levels are put under careful scrutiny, and he applies his knowledge of modern medicine and spiritual science in their treatment both in separate levels and as a whole. AM physicians use diagnostic tools, but also rely on intuition and understanding of the patient’s psyche and overall personality. The medicine often used in AM is homeopathic and medicinal, which makes it non-toxic and less risky.

The only drawback is that there are side effects. These side effects are often referred to as the “healing crises”, which results to the temporary worsening of symptoms – such as fever, headaches, nausea, muscle soreness, and many others. This is in harmony with their belief that modern medicine suppresses illness, and not beneficial to a patient’s health in the long run. So the rule of thumb is to draw out the illness in order for the patient to get rid of it completely and thus, pave the way to complete recovery.

Anthroposophical medicine also relies on allied therapies, which include massage therapy, eurythmics (otherwise known as movement therapy). Eurythmics is the science and art of harmonizing our inner spiritual movements. Psychotherapy is another branch of allied therapies, which helps in dealing with sickness and disease on a psychological level. During the first visit, an AM physician makes it a point to educate the patient in the overview of Anthroposophy, since it’s impossible to make any progress with a treatment that involves the mind and spirit without the patient’s conscious awareness. This is in the form of questionnaires and instructional materials, which are given to the patient before the first stage of treatment.

While some fundamentalists in modern medicine have abhorred the practice and made conjectures that it is synonymous to “voodoo”, studies have shown promising results. Whatever the case, Anthroposophic medicine continues to improve our spiritual and physical well being, and is definitely here to stay.

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