Tag: tumors

Facial Skin Care Tips You Need To Know

Taking care of the skin especially the facial skin can be really tricky especially if you have the most sensitive skin. This can be a problem as sensitive skin gets easily irritated when in contact with harsh ingredients and abrasive objects. This makes choosing of facial products all the more difficult and crucial.

Still, there are basic tips that one must know in taking care of the skin.

1. Never ever sleep while still wearing your make-up

This is perhaps the most cardinal rule when it comes to facial care. Make-up that is left on overnight can clog the pores and trap the dead skin cells inside with the hair follicles. This may cause blackheads and even acne when not treated early. In addition, chemicals on the skin will prevent the skin from regenerating and breathing while you are asleep.

2. Use Sunscreen

This is another tip that one must not forget if one wants flawless and supple skin throughout life. Remember that the sun can damage the skin. It may not be visible when you are young but the effects will definitely by seen in later years. In fact, the sun is the number one reason for wrinkles and lines. It is also the one responsible for the appearance of brown spots, not only on the face but also on the shoulders and on the back.

There is also of course the danger of developing skin cancer from direct rays of the sun. As uncommon as it may seem, tumors can actually develop on the face. This is why putting on sunscreen whether you plan to stay outside for long or not, whether it is summer or winter, is highly recommended.

3. Always keep your skin clean

Although you would not really know for sure if your skin is clean or not, it is always a good idea to practice a little bit of hygiene just so that you can prevent your skin from the onset of acne.

Although some people may survive with only water as facial wash, most people would use soap or cleansers to help keep their skin clean. Experts recommend that people use mild cleansers on their faces. Remember that the face is very sensitive to irritations.

Women who wear make-up should also include toners, moisturizers and make-up removers in their regimen. These are essentials in keeping acne and pimples at bay.

4. Moisturize your skin

Although most people do not actually use moisturizer, this is another essential when it comes to taking care of your skin. This helps the skin regenerate and prevents the development of wrinkles and lines.

Treating Lymphoma: The Various Procedures

When you think about Lymphoma, what do you think of first? Which aspects of Lymphoma are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.

Cancer is a word that most of us dread to hear from our doctors. We know that its something that should not be prejudiced lightly, plus we cant even count how many times we have seen in the movies and television about the difficulties of the disease and more often than not the sad ending that follows. So hearing you have cancer of the lymph cells, which what lymphoma really is, is more than enough to give you and your family a scare. Treating lymphoma is never easy both physically and mentally for the patient. Having the full support of the family is a good thing to have in situations like these.

Lymphoma develops when the lymph cells begin to multiply quickly beyond what is normal. This abnormal growth soon forms tumors. These lymph cells are found in blood and lymph nodes thus with the grown of the cancer cells it is only natural that the lymph nodes enlarge and manifests as painless lumps in the neck, armpits or groin.

There are two main types of lymphoma. The most common one is the Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This type is distinguished from the rest by the presence of the Reed – Sternberg cell. The spread of the cancer cells in Hodgkin’s lymphoma is more predictable and often quite limited unlike the non – Hodgkin’s lymphomas situation cancer cells develop first in changed organs before spreading suspicion the lymph nodes. The non – Hodgkins types of lymphomas are classified according low – grade, intermediate – grade or high – grade lymphomas which basically is based on how quickly the cancer cells spread.

Because of the number of types of lymphomas, the treatments vary. Often the treatments are combinations of various therapies and procedures. It is normal to have a number of treatments for a single lymphoma situation. Once the type of lymphoma has been diagnosed and identified, the closest step is to determine what stage it is in now. The kinds and extent of treatment of the cancer is dependent on the age of the patient and the degree or advance of the lymphoma. The treatment methods are either through chemotherapy, radiation therapy, antibody therapy ( or biological therapy ) and bone – marrow or stem cell transplantation. Again, combining one or two of these treatment methods is possible to address the present condition of a patient.

Chemotherapy uses various drugs to kill the tumor or cancer cells. The drugs can substitute taken orally or through injection. The advantage of using chemotherapy is that the drugs do not cause that much damage to the nearby normal and healthy cells. Radiotherapy, on the other hand, uses X – rays to kill the tumor cells. The rays damage the DNA of the cancer cells and because the DNA is damaged the cancer cells are unable to multiply which halts that growth of the cancer. Nearby healthy cells are damaged from the radiation bombardment so the goal in radiotherapy is minimize the damage to nearby, healthy cells. That is why those who undergo radiotherapy is scheduled to receive small doses of radiation at a time to lessen the damage to the cells.

Another treatment is the antibody therapy which uses antibodies which target unique molecules of a cancer cell. This attack from the antibody will eventually kill the cancer cells. And finally, the last way of treating lymphoma is by bone marrow or stem cell transplantations. These are medical procedures where the stem cells that were destroyed by high doses of chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy are replaced buttoned up surgery.
Of course, it’s impossible to put everything about Lymphoma into just one article. But you can’t deny that you’ve just added to your understanding about Lymphoma, and that’s time well spent.

MASSAGE THERAPY AS COMPLIMENTARY ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Massage therapy is a broad term that encompasses a wide variety of procedures and methods of pressing, rubbing and manipulating muscles and other soft body tissues such as tendons, ligaments, skin and connective tissues. The main objective of massage therapy is to relax the soft tissues while promoting an increased delivery of blood and oxygen to the areas being massages and, therefore, to decrease tightness and pain. Massage therapy is most often accomplished by utilizing the massage therapists fingers, hands, arms, elbows and/or feet. Occasionally, however, mechanical and electronic devices may be also used.

As a matter of fact, there are more than eighty official types of massage therapy treatments but some of the most widely known are the following:

* The Deep Tissue Massage. This technique uses a combination of strokes and deep finger pressure applied way down under the skin and into the muscles at the painful sites in order to breakup knots and loosen tightness.

* The Trigger Point Massage. This procedure is also known as the Pressure Point Massage and it is more focused on specific myofascial trigger points with a stronger force than the Deep Tissue Massage. The goal here is to dissolve the painful knots that were formed in the muscles as well as to relieve additional symptoms in more remote areas of the body.

* The Swedish Massage. This system utilizes oblong smooth strokes, kneading and friction of the muscles as well as movement of the joints to increase their range of motion and flexibility.

* The Shiatsu Massage. Using altering rhythmic pressure, tapping, squeezing and rubbing along the meridian and on various other parts of the body, the main objective of this Eastern massage therapy is to enhance the flow of a fundamentally important energy called gi. And this energy, in the ancient Chinese medicine is believed to be the life force that regulates a persons spiritual, emotional, mental and physical wellness that is easily affected when subjected to the rival forces of yin and yang.

Whether the four most often practiced massage therapies I mentioned above are used as complimentary alternative medicine (also known as CAM) or any one of the other recognized eighty which are available to a lesser or greater extent, there are important points to be considered:

* No massage therapy should ever be used in place of regular or ongoing medical care.

* Massage therapy should not be the cause or the excuse to postpone visiting a medical professional for existing medical issues.

* The massage therapists schooling and credentials must be verified as well as his or her experience with specific health and medical conditions.
* Any additional complimentary alternative medicine (CAM) such as herbs, supplements, special diets or other treatments which are suggested by the massage therapist must first be reviewed with a medical professional.

* Although the subject of massage therapy (how it works and why) has been studied for many years and continues to be studies, much of it still remains within the realm of a mystery.

* If and when massage therapy is performed by a well training and experienced professional, few risks are involved and the worst of them may be temporary pain or discomfort, bruising, swelling or an allergic reaction to the massage oils. The small number of serious injuries which have been reported were triggered by untrained hands that were not aware that certain medical conditions should not be massaged. It is, therefore, essential to consult a medical professional before undergoing massage therapy, particularly under the following circumstances:

* Deep vein thrombosis
* A bleeding disorder or when taking blood thinners
* Damaged blood vessels
* Weakened bones from osteoporosis, a recent fracture or cancer
* The presence of high body temperature
* Open or healing wounds, tumors, damaged nerves, an infection, a severe inflammation or fragile skin
* Pregnancy
* Heart problems
* Dermatomyositis or any other skin disease
* History of physical abuse

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THE DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE

The deep tissue massage is a kind of massage therapy which centers its attention primarily on the ailing, the sore, the painful and the distressed deeper layers of muscles and connective tissues. Its therapeutic benefits are particularly beneficial for chronically tight and constricted areas such as in cases of stiff necks, tightness of lower backs and aching shoulders. The strokes of the Deep Tissue massage are not very different from those of any other types of massage therapies but they are slower and with more pressure applied to reach deeper while focusing on troubled areas.

The Deep Tissue massage is so important in certain painful contractions and spasms due to stress, strain or injury because that is the only way to get to the root of the problem as it is embedded deep under the surface where adhesions which are the causes of the pain and rigidity in muscles, tendons and ligaments are found. Left to their own wills, adhesions obstruct circulation in the affected areas to limit the blood flow which leads to the pain, the restricted movement and, ultimately, to the inflammation. By applying firm pressure and direct friction across the grain and fabric of the muscles, the Deep Tissue massage aims to break down those troublesome adhesions to restore proper blood circulation, reinstate full movement and heal the inflamed tissues. The therapists performing the Deep Tissue massage may use fingertips, knuckles, hands, elbows and forearms during the therapy session and alternate them during the various stages. Clients are frequently asked to take in deep breaths as the therapists dig deeply into a particularly tense area.

Because the Deep Tissue massage is somewhat intense, it should not be applied under the following conditions:

* Infectious skin disease, rashes, bruises, inflamed skin, tumors or open and unhealed wounds.
* Immediately or soon after surgery or recent fractures.
* Immediately or soon after chemotherapy or radiation treatments, unless approved by the clients physician.
* Osteoporosis patients, unless approved by the treating doctor.
* Clients who are prone to blood clots.
* Heart disease patients, unless recommended by their cardiologists.
* Pregnant women should get their massage treatments from professionals who are certified in pregnancy massage.
* Abdominal hernia.

The good news is that Deep Tissue massage really works and it usually works very fast. Often, clients will walk into a session with excruciating pain and walk out a couple of hours later with smiles of relief on their faces. The bad news is that, depending on their tolerance level to pain, most clients experience it to one degree or another at certain point during the session. In addition, there is usually some measure of soreness immediately after the treatment which can last up to an entire day. However, the pain of the Deep Tissue massage therapy and the lingering soreness afterwards is nothing compared to the pain before the treatment and it comes with the knowledge that it will all be over very shortly. The massage therapist may suggest applying an icepack to the sore area but it is rarely severe enough to warrant it.

When most massage therapies are aimed at relaxation of the body and mind and the massage is generally applied to the entire body, the Deep Tissue massage sets its sights on precise problematic areas such as those afflicted with:

* Chronic or acute pains
* Diminished mobility or limited range of motion.
* Healing areas after traumas or injuries caused by falls, sports injuries, whiplashes from car accidents and so on.
* Strains from repetitive motion such as the carpal tunnel syndrome.
* Pains due to incorrect posturing of the body.
* Pains from osteoarthritis. According to a study conducted and reported by the Consumer Reports magazine, over 34,000 people classified Deep Tissue massage therapy as being more effective in alleviating osteoarthritis pain than physical therapy, exercise, prescribed or over-the-counter drugs, glucosamine, diets, acupuncture or chiropractic treatments.
* Fibromyalgia. Statistics have shown that Deep Tissue massage is more successful in easing symptoms of Fibromyalgia than any other available curative remedy.
* Muscle tension, contractions or spasms.

To flush out metabolic waste from the massaged tissues, clients should drink plenty of water after the Deep Tissue massage therapy and enjoy the fact that they are as good as new again.

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