Of course, drainage for lipedema and lymphedema

What should I ramble about about the hot porridge. At this point I'll tell you how it is: For most of the topics I'll ever leave behind here as a doctor in the future, science cannot be combined with the personal charm and humor of a blog author who might otherwise be found here. After all, it's about medical facts, which unfortunately are not always presented so nicely and legibly without dry chewing gum. 

And those who hang around here on these pages regularly and have already quenched their thirst for knowledge here and there also know that a lot has already been said about various areas in the area of ​​lipedema existence. 

About the subject Lymphedema - Regardless of whether it is the primary cause or secondary (as with us lipedema girls) - and what can be offered to support the body to relieve it, but perhaps still insufficient. 

So this time I rush ahead without long words and get started with the technical chewing matrix.

LYMPHEDEMA - causes and consequences?

Let's start with a brief mental digression. So first of all, a LYMPHEDEMA is not just a lymphedema. In a very classic way, one first differentiates between its cause, ie genesis.

The reasons

for PRIMARY lymphedema: 

• due to a congenital disease, as the lymphatics and lymph nodes were not properly developed
• mostly on both sides of the limbs 
• from the bottom up of the body, from the toes to the thighs 

for SECONDARY Lymphedema:

• also triggered by blood pent up in the veins and (chronic venous insufficiency)
• also possibly through infections such as fungi or bacteria, parasites
• possible post-operatively through injuries to lymphatic tracts
• or in cancer, chemotherapy
• Trauma (injury, burn, etc)
• usually one-sided 
• Obesity (!): The lymph flow increases due to obesity and the pressure on the lymph nodes, which worsens the lymph flow
• from top to bottom, e.g. B. armpit to hand

The consequences

If the entire lymphatic system is not functioning properly, proteins and tissue fluid get stuck between the cells in the affected tissue. 

The tissue swells and the fluid can no longer drain off sufficiently. 

If the lymphatic congestion is not eliminated, secondary diseases such as tissue damage, inflammation or so-called wound rose can occur, which can lead to an infection.

More rarely, swelling of the neck, head, torso / chest or genitals can occur. Pure lymphedema is usually not associated with pain, but of course the consequences as mentioned above can be painful.

Draining the body and relieving it? Is that even possible?

During the very long course of a doctor's study with repeated subjects from human anatomy in every crack, to occupational and environmental medicine, however, one never comes across the disease picture LYMPHEDEMA in detail, let alone LIPEDEMA under the thick row of books. Naturopathy, at least during my time and at my dear university, just as little as a chicken lays ready-made Easter eggs. So if you want to think outside the box, you either have to get stuck in one or the other direction by chance or be pushed. Or, you inevitably have to develop self-interest. Or both together.  

As we already do in one my last article have learned, in addition to the bloodstream, another circuit transports fluids in the body: The lymphatic system. Viruses, bacteria and cell waste are removed in this way. A healthy lymphatic system is essential. 

If this is disturbed, fluid can collect and build up in the tissue. Edema develops and the affected part of the body looks swollen. 

Women are generally more prone to edema deposits than men because they have a different connective tissue structure. In addition, the female body also stores water in the body during the cycle. There is a constant up and down and a constant madness factor "Frustration chocolate" or "I only eat vegetables today - weeping" in the female bathroom during the monthly weight analysis.

In addition, drugs can also be to blame for lymphedema, which would be there: hormones, contraceptives, diuretics themselves (water tablets), anti-inflammatory drugs, cortisone in the long term and and and.

If I now suffer from chronic lymphatic congestion, the first priority is of course that the congestion in the vessels must be resolved. E should not only come to alleviate symptoms, but also avoid further consequential damage like the above.

So I not only need someone by my side who can even recognize that I suffer from chronic lymphatic congestion and that I have not just gained a few kilos of fat, and I need expert therapy. Best as soon as possible.

Possible signs of a chron. Lymphedema 

• Feeling of tension
• chron. Swelling of any part of the body
• later: hardening / fibrosis of the connective tissue

Of course, the next instance is always the so-called KPE, the complex physical decongestive therapywhich is most effective in treating lymphedema. 

But I won't go into that further in this article. Today we are interested in what people say as lovingly expressed at home in their everyday life or from the sofa self care can pretend to fight a troublesome lymphedema.

9 tips for naturally draining lipedema and lymphedema

Drink enough water

Same as point 1, who would have thought, the well-known "Drink enough water" -Sayings! Heard it X times, sounds strange and already annoying? But it helps! If you drink enough water, you will change the water retention in your body. If, on the other hand, you drink too little fluids, your body tries even more to store the water. Rule of thumb: approx. 30 ml of liquid per kilogram of body weight / day! More in case of heat or fever!

Don't get too salted!

Keep the balance with the amount of salt you consume. Pay particular attention to hidden salt in finished products, butter / margarine, vegetable mixes, etc.! If the concentration of sodium in your body is too high, you will store it up to a certain threshold and it will attract water. This can also lead to high blood pressure in the bloodstream and thus to other health problems. 

Slightly reduce your intake of (bad) carbohydrates

Carbohydrates, especially too much of them and especially simple, inferior carbohydrates instead of high-quality, complex starch and fiber-containing compounds are always simply further processed as a form of sugar and stored in the form of glycogen in the muscles and liver as an energy supplier. Unfortunately it is also the case that this nutrient carbohydrate also binds an enormous amount of water. Namely, believe it or not, 3 grams of water per 1 gram of carbohydrate, or rather glycogen building block!

But good, complex carbohydrates aren't bad per se. As I said, it depends on what food it is and whether you are a person prone to lymphedema. Then you should reduce the amount of carbohydrate-containing foods to relieve your body. This is also the reason why people on a so-called low carb diet lose weight and volume so well at the beginning. They store less glycogen and therefore less water! 

Get rid of alcohol

Even alk-free, olé! Apart from that Alcohol is a pure cell and nerve toxin, it initially dehydrates the body. Depending on the amount, you work up a sweat and it promotes the urge to urinate via messenger substances. Alcohol ensures that you excrete fluids faster and the body tries to keep the vital fluids for lymphatic transport, blood transport and for the upper room with itself and fights for every drop. The liquid is only too happy to migrate to the abdomen and face, which is why we look wonderfully swollen in the morning. And on top of that, the peripheral lack of fluid in the blood adds a hangover headache, yippie. And as if that wasn't stupid enough: the toxins in alcohol disturb the kidneys, which are busy excreting the alcohol. They have little energy left to regulate the actual water balance in the body.

Magnesium

How so? Because of PMS! Huh? Well, because women who struggle a lot with water retention during their cycle have technically benefited from studying if they also consumed a moderate amount of magnesium during their period or preferred foods containing magnesium. Interesting right? (I'll name them right away: whole grain products, cabbage vegetables, legumes, soy products, pure cocoa ...) 

Sleep and stress

Yes that is also a thing and demonstrably poison, throat ... Now it's getting even smarter: when we sleep, our body activates so-called sympathetic nerve pathways in the kidneys, which regulate the water and salt content in the body. Just as too little and bad sleep makes us look like a bloated curd bag in the morning, too long a slump is not good for us either. And with the nasty stress that is more and more omnipresent, it is no better. Stress increases the cortisol level, from this the rat tail follows with an increase in the antidiuretic hormone (ADH) and consequently, as the name suggests, (really "anti", man ...) there is no diuresis, so no "water march"! 

Sport is (not) murder

Exercise increases the blood flow and improves breathing, and thus also the lymph flow and if things are going well, you still sweat, great! Water gets into the muscles to drive the blood flow and the muscles need the fluid to function, wonderfully simple actually! So hops, hops!

Massages

There are so many points why massage is great for us. But I am only saying that this also improves the lymph flow, among other things, and that it is best to submit to a kneading cure every two days. And in this case of course z. B. in the form of the proven MLD, but alternating showers also have a similar effect, as does the form of the cupping massage for at home.

If you are interested, take a look at mine Account over, where I present the massage cup under the point “Lymph massage” in the highlight.

Thank weeds

Have you ever seen various products with stinging nettles or green oatweed while walking past a drugstore range? These contain not only plant-based power substances, the flavonoids, but also vitamins, potassium, iron, magnesium and silica and have a flushing effect through urination, detoxifying and cleansing through tannins and enzymes. Therefore, you can regularly treat yourself to a cure with fresh, unsweetened tea made from these great plants for one week at a time. Only permanent long-term use in high doses is not recommended.

So! Now I hope that you enjoyed and enriched the article "Naturally draining lipedema and lymphedema" once again and I congratulate you on reaching the end of the article! 🙂

All the best, your Doc_Gerlach

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