Lymphatic Vascular System: Briefly Mentioned But Seldom "Talked" About

Unfortunately, the lymphatic vascular system is a grossly understudied area of the human body. Therefore, we know very little about the interworkings of the human lymphatic vascular system. It is the starting and ending place of many diseases, such as Primary Lymphedema and cancer. Speaking with several US medical school gross anatomy professors, the lymphatic vascular system is pretty much ignored in teaching. This is not a knock at US medical school education, it is just that there is little known about it and it is not visible on the surface of the human body like the blood vascular system. Upon dissection, its anatomy is not easily visible even with the use of colored dyes. So one can understand how easy it is to gloss over this system. To be fair to medical schools, the lymphatic vascular system is also glossed over in biomedical graduate programs in the US. Even those programs that focus on the lymphatic system as the core of their program, basically ignore the vascular component of the system. Again, this is not to knock US biomedical graduate programs. For those of you who are in or teach non-US medical and biomedical programs, how is this system being addressed?

For more information about the Lymphatic Vascular System please click here.

Primary Lymphedema: Signs and Symptoms

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/

Primary Lymphedema is a horribly debilitating condition. It causes swelling in the extremities, most commonly the arms and/or legs. The swelling is variable. It could be a couple of days a month or every day. It could be seasonally dependent i.e. some people experience more swelling in the summer than in the winter or vice versa. The extent of the limb that is affected is also variable. For example, it could be swelling in the entire left leg or just swelling of the foot. People have mentioned itching in the affected limb (especially the legs) during any type of exercise or even simple walking. Apparently the itching is so severe that they have to immediately scratch it. People have said that if they are driving a car, they actually have to pull over and scratch because the itching is so bad. After the area is scratched it forms whelps and is hot to the touch. People have mentioned that the swelling is worse in the afternoon than it is in the morning. People have also mentioned that sitting or standing for long periods of time makes the swelling worse. Apparently raising the affected limb above the heart, propping the limb up, or lying down have been mentioned to not help with the swelling. Primary Lymphedema is extremely uncomfortable condition. It is difficult to find shoes and clothing to accommodate the fluctuations in swelling. It is difficult to find therapeutic options that really help to bring down and keep down the swelling. If you are a Primary Lymphedema sufferer, are you experiencing any of the symptoms above, and do you have other symptoms?

To learn more about Primary Lymphedema please click here

Human Ingenuity

Ingenuity is the process of creating and applying ideas to solve problems and initiate change. Ingenuity involves complex human thought processes that allows and depends on thinking and acting individually and/or collectively to solve problems. Human ingenuity has led to many positive technological developments and advances. Have you ever wondered what would happen if we could harness all the energy, the knowledge, and creativity of our collective intellects to create something purely for the betterment of the global society? We have designed an Ingenuity Wiki through our Human Ingenuity portal as part of our Realm of Possibilities section. The Ingenuity Wiki is an exciting innovative section that provides an avenue to help improve and preserve life on our glorious planet Earth. This Human Ingenuity section provides an opportunity to appreciate and reflect on the human capacity to produce positive technological advances to make life-changing transforms and improve the quality of life. Please get involved and help us to promote change and sustainability. Check out IngenuityWiki right now.