The most commonly used treatments for lymphoma are chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Chemotherapy involves the administration or application of drugs infused into the veins of the patients. Chemotherapy could also be taken in the form of oral pills. Radiotherapy uses high-energy light rays that are specially and strategically directed at the cancer cells targeted. This form of therapy could be delivered even over small body areas (involved field radiation) or over large areas (extended field radiation).

Such lymphoma treatments are quite toxic. They are designed to strategically kill targeted cancer cells. It is not impossible that during the process, several normal cells are also being damaged. Thus, there are inevitable side effects. However, rest assured that most side effects of lymphoma treatments are only temporary. Such unlikely effects are resolved soon following completion of the treatments. Here are some of the commonly identified side effects of treatments used to cure lymphoma.

Feeling sick. There are chemotherapy drugs that could certainly make you feel nauseous or sick. There could even be several episodes of vomiting especially when chemotherapy comes with radiotherapy for the abdomen. Nausea is often prevented through administration of anti-emetics drugs prior to every cycle of chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy. These days, there are even medicines that help control nausea and vomiting.

Hair loss. Chemotherapy usually leads to excessive loss of hair. The extent of alopecia could depend on the drug used in the session. There are other effective drugs that could lead to this problem. However, there is no need to worry because hair is almost always beginning to grow back a few months after completion of the treatment. In some cases, it may take more than a year before hair growth restarts.

Falling blood count and infection. During the course of the radiotherapy or chemotherapy, your blood count could fall below optimal or normal levels. Needless to say, your white blood cells are the most affected. You know that when white cell counts dip, the body could develop several forms of infections, often accompanied by fever. Contact your doctor at once when fever appears. You might need special treatment to boost your white cell count and take care of the infection. Any drop in red blood cells could easily be remedied through blood transfusions.

Loss of appetite. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy could alter your sense of taste especially during the duration of the treatment. However, like in hair loss, the sense of taste may return to normal following completion of the lymphoma treatment. Meanwhile, you should strive to take even small meals and drink plenty of water and fluids more frequently. Remember the importance of maintaining your overall nutrition during the treatment.

Sore mouth and sore skin. Lymphoma treatments could lead to sore mouth several weeks after the start of the program. Thus, you could feel difficulty or even pain in drinking and swallowing food. In most cases, doctors recommend temporarily switching to mashed foods that are much easier to swallow. Radiotherapy could cause soreness on the skin. However, such a problem is of no concern as skin sores easily go away immediately after radiation treatment.

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Lymphoma simply means cancer of the lymphatic system. However, as simple as it sounds the disease is quite complex. So it is only natural to begin asking your doctor about lymphoma right from the start. But it is essential that you ask the right questions as well. Never be shy about asking questions that you think sounds stupid. Your future health is on the line so it is imperative that you be properly informed.

We often ask our doctors what causes lymphoma. Unfortunately, the answer to this question remains to be a big fat unknown. Doctors and scientists have yet to identify the singular cause of the cancer. However, what they were able to do was identify the different risk factors involve that might affect the development of lymphoma. It seems that prolong exposure to hazardous chemicals, herbicides, pesticides and even drugs that suppress the bodys immune system have been tied to the high chances of developing cancer of the lymphatic system. Avoiding these situations would be a good life choice or at the very least if you work in the industry where handling chemicals or pesticides are necessary you should take the necessary precautions to protect our bodies from harm.

You need to ask your doctor what type of lymphoma you have. There are two kinds: the Hodgkin’s lymphoma which is immediately identifiable under the microscope due to the presence of a particular cell. This is actually the most common kind of lymphoma. The rest of the cases that dont adhere to the conditions and appearance of Hodgkins lymphoma are simply classified as non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Even though they have similarities, the two kinds of lymphoma use slightly different treatment procedures which are why it is important that your doctors are able to identify what kind you have.

How far the disease has spread and how serious is the condition? This is another pertinent information before treatment is implemented. There are basically four stages of lymphoma development. The first stage is where the cancer cells are just in one part of your body so far. At this stage the cancer cells are isolated in at least one lymph node. The second stage is more complex for the cancer cells are in two or more lymph nodes or regions. The cancer cells are located either above or below the diaphragm. This stage is also referred to as “locally advanced disease.”

The next stage is the advance disease which is the third stage already. The cancer cells at this point are already on both sides of the diaphragm. The final stage or stage four means the cancer cells have already spread to other parts of the body.

The next series of questions would be concerning the treatment. What are the treatment recommendations and what are the procedures for the treatment. There are a number of treatment options available. Among them is biologic therapy which uses methods like monoclonal antibodies, radioimmunotherapy, interleukin 2 and vaccines that boost the bodys capability of protecting itself from lymphoma. Other treatments include the conventional chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Asking your doctor about lymphoma means to get all the information about the disease in order for you to be prepared physically, mentally and psychologically on the next steps that you would need to undergo.

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Whenever you get sick, whats the first thing that you do? Know what you have. Either its a simple fever or a complicated illness, the very first thing that you do is to gather information to find out your current condition. The same thing with lymphoma, whether you research things on your own or go to a doctor (although this should always be the case since self diagnosis can bring you only so far) for advice, your target is to get all you need know about the disease.

Lymphoma is basically a cancer of the lymphatic system. The system is composed of various nodes or glands situated in different places of our body. These glands are connected by vessels that carry the lymph fluid or the white blood cells which help fight diseases. As you might have remembered in your high school biology class, the white blood cells help fight the bacteria and diseases that enter our body. And because these glands are connected to each other, once lymphoma hits a gland, theres a good chance that the cancer cells spread throughout the body via the lymph vessels. You should know this fact out front: no cure has been discovered yet that would eliminate the disease. Nonetheless, there are new techniques, medicines and medical procedures that have brought more positive treatments for people with lymphoma.

There are two kinds of lymphoma, namely Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Non Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). The first one, the Hodgkins disease owes its name to Thomas Hodgkin (1798-1866). He was the first one who published a paper about the disease. This kind of lymphoma is capable of spreading from one lymph node to another. It is also observed that people diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma has the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells which can only be detected by the aid of a microscope.

The other kind of lymphoma is the non-Hodgkin kind. This kind is described as having larger than normal lymph nodes and is accompanied by fever and weight loss. There are about 16 sub-types which do not fall under the conditions described by Hodgkins lymphoma. These sub-types are grouped according to aggressiveness which basically means the cancer cells are fast-growing. NHL lymphomas include chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL), Burkitt lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and immunoblastic large cell lymphoma.

Treatment is either radiation therapy or chemotherapy. The age, sex and stage of the cancers development plays a role in determining the kind of treatment patients will undergo. Early detection is crucial. Most of the patients do survive the treatment especially if they have been diagnosed during the early stages of the lymphoma.

Some of the more common symptoms of lymphomas include painless swelling in the lymph nodes of the neck, underarm, or groin. People with lymphomas also might experience fever, tiredness, weight loss, itchiness, red patches on the skin, nausea, vomiting and sometimes abdominal pain.

Those with low-grade lymphomas will encounter a very slow growth of the cancer cells and will experience very few of the symptoms. The problem with low-grade lymphomas is that even though they respond well to chemotherapy, they oftentimes return and is considered incurable unlike high-grade lymphomas. With the latter, treatment involves chemotherapy, with or without radiation therapy.

Admittedly, the information above is not all that you need to know about lymphoma. There are more facts that you need to find out for yourself especially if you have been diagnosed with having lymphoma.

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Eye Health – 9 Simple Ways to Keep Your Eyes Healthy
Tanya Turner

Do you eyes feel tired and sore by the end of the day? Modern life puts a lot of stress on our bodies and eyes are among the first things to suffer. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Learn simple things you can do for your eye health and your eyes will feel and look much better in only a few days.

Have your eyes checked every 12 month

Uncorrected vision problems can progress, and wearing corrective contact lenses or glasses that are no longer right for you can cause vision problems and severe headaches.

If your contacts don’t feel right in your eyes, it is probably time to visit an eye doctor, even if it hasn’t been a year since your last visit.

Go for the best quality contact lenses

Not all contact lenses are equal. Some are safe for you, while others put you at risk of damaging your eyes.

See reviews of quality contact lenses. Knowing what the modern contact lens industry has to offer will help you make an educated choice, not just blindly follow what your doctor says.

In summer, always wear sunglasses

It is proven that UV rays can seriously damage your eyes, but good sunglasses can prevent this damage. When buying sunglasses, make sure that they block at least 98% of UV radiation. Contrary to popular belief, light sunglasses can block UV as well as very dark ones, even though dark glasses usually offer more protection against bright sunlight.

By the way, did you know that you need sunglasses on cloudy days as well? Clouds might provide shade, but they are no barrier for UV light. Clouds are basically water, and water is UV-transparent.

Finally, remember that you would need sunglasses even if your contact lenses offer UV protection. Even a very high quality lens can only protect the area it covers, but the entire surface of your eye needs protection.

Eat what is good for you and your eyes

The good news is that there are no foods that would be harmful for your eyes. Most foods don’t affect your eyesight at all, although the right vitamins and minerals are helpful. Recent studies have shown that vitamins of the antioxidant group can prevent, or at least slow down, age-related conditions like macular degeneration and the development of cataracts. So a healthy diet won’t restore eyesight that is already lost, but it can definitely slow down the process of the disease, or prevent one from starting.

Vitamins C, A and E, folic acid, selenium and zinc are definitely beneficial for the health of your eyes. The effects of the other vitamins and minerals aren’t determined yet, but it seems likely that they affect your eyesight as well. Thousand-page books have been written on the topic of nutrition for eye health but, to summarize, it is known that whatever is good for your body is good for your eyes, too. So put a carrot and a bunch of grapes into your lunch box.

When you read or work on the computer make sure that the light is right

It is a common knowledge that working with poor light can cause eyestrain, but light that is too bright can do as much damage.

Keep your blinds down on sunny days and switch off half of the household lights, if possible. The best lighting for working on the computer is a soft desk light, coming from the side. Also, you can try decreasing the brightness of your monitor. The colors won’t be so vivid, but your eyes will feel much better by the end of the day

Give your eyes a health break

The great invention of the 20th century – computers – is not so great from the point of view of health. Almost everybody feels discomfort in their eyes after peering at a computer screen all day long. This is because people blink about 25% less often then usual, while working at the computer, which causes eye dryness.

I won’t advise you to blink more often – it is almost impossible to control natural reflexes. One thing you can do, though, is close your eyes and count to 5 before opening them, whenever your computer decides to take its sweet time doing something. Another thing is to look away from the screen and focus on some faraway object, as often as possible. If you train yourself into the habit, your eyes should feel much better at the end of your working day.

If you wear contact lenses, take proper care of them

Contact lenses don’t require a lot or fuss, but you can’t neglect their cleanliness. Every time you put your lenses in or take them out, rinse them. You should also take care to change the solution, when you are putting your lenses to rest for the night.

Wear your contact lenses to the recommended schedule

Daily disposable lenses should be replaced daily, two weeks replacement lenses should be replaced every two weeks, and so on. Some people try to save money by wearing their lenses for much longer than is intended. This isn’t a good idea. Even though the quality of the lens itself might not decline, protein build-up will make your vision less clear. Another thing to consider is that the longer you wear your lenses, the higher is your risk of eye infections.

There are other ways to save on your contacts without risking your eye health. See suggestions on how to get discount contact lenses.

Try not to wear your contact lenses from 6 in the morning until midnight. Most lenses aren’t designed to be worn for longer than 12 hours. If this doesn’t suit your life style, though, try using extended wear lenses. You can wear Acuvue contacts for a week without removing them, or Focus Night and Day lenses for up to 30 days.

If you want to change the color of your eyes, choose only top quality color contact lenses

Color contact lenses are great fun. If you didn’t try them yet, maybe you should. But only high quality color contacts, like Freshlook or Acuvue 2 Colors, are as safe and comfortable as they are beautiful. Many beauty salons, however, sell color contacts lenses of questionable quality, and these can do serious damage to your eyes.

If you follow these simple rules, your eyes should feel much better. They will look better too – you might notice that your eyes shine and their whites are actually white, again.

For more information about eye health visit http://www.1-contact-lenses-consumer-guide.com/eye-health.htm

About the Author

Tanya Turner is a contact lens expert and a founder of www.1-contact-lenses-consumer-guide.com/, where you can find unbiased information about eye health and all types of contact lenses with reviews and pictures.

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