Everyone wants the best medical care possible. This involves more than scheduling a doctor's appointment. A good patient is an informed one who finds a good doctor and medical facility, does independent research using reliable sources, and asks detailed, relevant questions. Each patient is ultimately in charge of her own health. This article offers tips for becoming proactive patient.

A companion to the Guide to Being a Proactive Patient article, this is a printable checklist to bring with you to your doctor's appointment and chart your progress.

The lymphatic system is an essential part of the immune system, which helps the body fight infections or cancers. Whether the lymph nodes contain cancer cells is an important factor when staging breast cancer, determining treatment, and predicting survival. Though breast cancer has the potential to spread to other regions of the body first, it most commonly spreads first to the axillary, or underarm, lymph nodes. This article explains how the lymphatic system works, why the lymph nodes are important in staging breast cancer, when lymph nodes may appear
enlarged, and more.

The Invited Articles section on of the Imaginis.com features articles by physicians, healthcare professionals, researchers, activists, survivors and others who have important messages to share about cancer and women's health issues. Articles on cancer typically deal with the "human" side of the disease-coping with treatment, insurance issues, impact on family members, minority issues, etc. Other features may include information on upcoming events, newly published books, or other helpful items that may help cancer patients, survivors, and friends. While Imaginis.com is committed to bringing a variety of different voices to our readers in an effort to inform and empower the community, we do not specifically endorse any of the opinions in the articles.

Submitted by Julie Penfield, on behalf of Facing the Mirror with Cancer

Make up article Lori Ovitz coaches cancer patients one-on-one, teaching women, teens, children, and men how to camouflage and minimize the appearance and side effects of cancer treatments. Recently, Ovitz reached out to millions more who battle daily to regain some semblance of their ordinary lives with Facing the Mirror with Cancer: A Guide to Using Makeup to Make a Difference (June 2004), a beautifully photographed, 200-page book for cancer patients and survivors, illustrating step-by-step tips and techniques for dealing with appearance issues during cancer treatment and beyond.