About Us

Lymph Notes has been providing lymphedema-related information, resources, and community online since 2003 and publishing books since 2005. Team and advisory board members frequently participate in professional conferences and support group meetings.

Audience

Our audience includes:

• Anyone with—or at risk for—lymphedema and related conditions. Persons at risk for lymphedema may have a family history of the condition, a medical history of cancer treatment, surgery, or trauma, or medical conditions that contribute to lymphedema such as obesity, heart failure, venous insufficiency, etc.
• Friends, family, and other lymphedema caregivers.
• Medical professionals caring for anyone with or at risk for lymphedema, including both lymphedema specialists and non-specialists.
• Researchers studying the lymphatic system, lymphedema, or related medical conditions.

Mission

Lymph Notes is dedicated to providing:

• Information that is objective, authoritative, clear, and understandable.
• Resources that are useful and easily located.
• Community and online connection with others based on shared interests.
• Support for research into lymphedema causes, treatments, and cures.

Consistent with our mission:

• There is no charge for membership, Lymphedema Directory or Lymphedema Professionals listings.
• We do not accept advertising or endorse any products or services. Sponsors can support our service under terms explained in our Sponsorship Info.
• Forums providing online community are moderated and new users must be manually approved before they can post.
• Licensed health care providers may request professional status (see My Pro Info) which provides access to exclusive “Medical Professionals Only forums.” There is not charge for this service but we do require documentation of professional licensure and specialist training related to lymphedema.
• Our Terms of Service reflect our commitment to supporting, not replacing, the relationship between our members and their medical care providers.
• Privacy is important to us as reflected in our Privacy Policy and practices.

Authors

All website contents are original to Lymph Notes and written by our staff, unless otherwise credited or signed.

Articles and stories were initially developed by a team that included:

• Ann Ehrlich, whose “day job” is a professional medical writer, has a very personal interest in lymphedema, which she developed following a mastectomy. Ann is a coauthor of Living Well With Lymphedema, Voices of Lymphedema, and Lymphedema Caregiver’s Guide.
• Alma Harrewijn, PT, CLT-LANA has been with the team since the beginning of LymphNotes.com. She provides valuable support, technical advice, and insights. In addition to her other professional accomplishments, Alma is a coauthor of Living Well With Lymphedema and a contributor to the Dutch lymphedema journal O2 (formerly Oedeminus).

Chuck Ehrlich, coauthor of Lymphedema and Lipedema Nutrition Guide, is responsible for website content (author, webmaster, and editor) as well as book publishing. Chuck has been involved in lymphedema research and medical writing since 2005. His background includes teaching, consulting, engineering, business, and bio-entrepreneurship. He received his MS from Case Western Reserve University and his MBA from the University of San Francisco.

Lymph Notes welcomes suggestions and volunteers. If you are interested in helping, please Contact Us.

Editorial Advisory Board

The Lymph Notes Editorial Advisory Board includes:

• Elizabeth McMahon, PhD is a clinical psychologist with more than 30 years of experience helping patients, many with chronic medical conditions, cope with anxiety or depression. She is the author of Overcoming the Emotional Challenges of Lymphedema and coauthor of Living Well With Lymphedema, Voices of Lymphedema, Lymphedema Caregiver’s Guide, and Lymphedema and Lipedema Nutrition Guide. See www.Elizabeth-McMahon.com.
• Emily Iker, MD is a cancer survivor with lymphedema who specializes in treating lymphedema and lipedema at the Lymphedema Center in Santa Monica (www.lymphedemacenter.com).
• Karen Louise Herbst, PhD, MD treats people with lymphatic issues including lymphedema and lipedema at the University of Arizona College of Medicine (www.lipomadoc.org).
• Linda-Anne Kahn, CMT, NCTMB, CLT-LANA, CCN has lipedema and provides lymphedema and lipedema therapy at the Beauty Kliniek Day Spa and Wellness Center in San Diego (www.pamperyou.com).

Authority

Unattributed medical articles on this site were written by professional writers and draw upon the writer’s knowledge and sources cited at the end of the article. Articles by medical professionals, or written in cooperation with medical professionals, include appropriate attribution and the qualifications of the medical professional.

Complementarity

This website provides information intended to support, not replace, the relationship between a site visitor and his or her physician or other health care providers. Medical articles are for information only and should not be view as providing medical advice.

Lymph Notes Forums Guidelines

The Lymph Notes Forums provide an online support group and a way to share medical information.

• Forums members and moderators must behave with respect and honesty at all times. We provide Guidelines for acceptable behavior in our Lymph Notes Forums.

• Forums are moderated by team members who are not medical professionals.

• Moderators typically visit the Forums daily but schedules may vary.
• New users must be approved by a moderator before being allowed to post or respond to posts. Please allow 3-5 business days for this process.
• Approved new users are notified by automatic e-mail. If you do not receive a notice, please be sure your e-mail address was entered correctly.

• Medical professionals who have documented their status have Pro Status in the forums and their posts are marked with this avatar. All other forum users should be assumed to be non-professionals.

• Moderators may remove posts or ban Forum users. Advanced warning or notification are optional at the discretion of the moderator.
• Forum Users may modify or erase their posts.
• We ask that Forum Users to cite sources for any health/medical information that it is not personal experience or general knowledge. Personal experience is any symptom, test, treatment etc. that the person or a close family member has undergone himself/herself. All statements about statistics, data, studies and new advancement in medicine should cite trustworthy sources.

Lymph Notes Scholarships

Lymph Notes Scholarships help address the shortage of lymphedema therapist by providing tuition support for medical professionals who would like to become lymphedema therapists. The Lymphatic Education & Research Network (LE&RN) administers these scholarships; please contact LE&RN for more information at www.lymphaticnetwork.org.

HON Accreditation

Health on the Net (HON). This icon is awarded to web sites that maintain high standards in presenting medical information. HON accreditation reflects our commitment to bringing you accurate information concerning lymphedema. Toward this goal, unless otherwise noted, all articles about lymphedema are written by a professional medical writer and include appropriate references.

Your feedback is important, please tell us what you think and how we can help you by using the Comments and Suggestions forum or Contact Us page.

LymphNotes.com is a service of Lymph Notes, 2929 Webster Street, San Francisco, CA 94123. Lymph Notes is a registered trademark and LymphNotes.com and the Lymph Notes logo are trademarks of Lymph Notes.

Updated: 2016-06-11