No 1 Treatment for Lymphoedema in UK
What is Lymphoedema?
Lymphoedema is a chronic (long-term) condition that causes swelling in the body’s tissues. It can affect any part of the body, but usually develops in the arms or legs. Other symptoms of lymphoedema can include an aching, heavy feeling in affected body parts and difficulty moving them.This content will be shown in the summary on the main blog page.
What causes Lymphoedema?
Lymphoedema is caused by a problem with the lymphatic system. This is a network of vessels and glands distributed throughout the body. Its major functions are helping to fight infection and drain excess fluid from tissues.
Abnormal development of the lymphatic system, damage to it, and/or an increase in fluid in the body tissues can all lead to lymphoedema.
There are two main types of lymphoedema:
primary lymphoedema – caused by faulty genes affecting the development of the lymphatic system; it can develop at any age, but usually occurs in early adulthood
secondary lymphoedema – caused by damage to the lymphatic system or problems with the movement and drainage of fluid in the lymphatic system, often due to an infection, injury, cancer treatment, inflammation of the limb or a lack of limb movement
Who is affected?
A recent study has suggested that over 200,000 people in the UK may be living with lymphoedema. Secondary lymphoedema has been shown to affect approximately one in five women after breast cancer treatment. Primary lymphoedema is less common than secondary lymphoedema, and is estimated to affect around one in every 6,000 people.
How lymphoedema is treated?
The NHS says there is no cure for lymphoedema, but it is usually possible to control the main symptoms using techniques to minimise fluid build-up and stimulate the flow of fluid through the lymphatic system.
These include wearing compression garments, taking good care of your skin, moving and exercising regularly, having a healthy diet and lifestyle, and using specialised massage techniques.
However here at Advanced Healing Therapies we have had great success treating lymphoedema using our incredible technology which is explained further down.
Read more about Lymphoedema here at the NHS website http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Pages/hub.aspx
Can Lymphedema be a result of breast cancer treatment?
Lymphedema is a potential side effect of breast cancer surgery and radiation therapy that can appear in some people during the months or even years after treatment ends.
Lymph is a thin, clear fluid that circulates throughout the body to remove wastes, bacteria, and other substances from tissues. Edema is the buildup of excess fluid. So lymphedema occurs when too much lymph collects in any area of the body. If lymphedema develops in people who’ve been treated for breast cancer, it usually occurs in the arm and hand, but sometimes it affects the breast, underarm, chest, trunk, and/or back.
Why does lymphedema happen? As part of their surgery, many people with breast cancer have at least two or three lymph nodes removed from under the arm (sentinel lymph node biopsy), and sometimes many more nodes (axillary lymph node dissection). If the cancer has spread, it has most likely moved into to those underarm lymph nodes first because they drain lymph from the breast. Many people also need radiation therapy to the chest area and/or underarm. Surgery and radiation can cut off or damage some of the nodes and vessels through which lymph moves. Over time, the flow of lymph can overwhelm the remaining pathways, resulting in a backup of fluid into the body’s tissues.
Left untreated, lymphedema can worsen and cause severe swelling and permanent changes to the tissues under the skin, such as thickening and scarring. Most common suggestions for helping to treat lymphedema is to adjust your eating and exercise habits to live a more active healthy lifestyle.
Read more at http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/lymphedema
What do we do here at Advanced Healing Therapies?
Here in our clinic we stimulate the lymph node using our award winning technology. The treatment involves electrical stimulation to flush out the toxins from the blocked lymph node, by applying gel CEL – 0105 to the primary lymph node and a point specific probe that delivers an electrical current. This then allows fluids that are trapped under the skin to move freely and the swelling is reduced.
What our clients say about their treatments
“I had a 1 hour treatment with Sue on the 9th March. My left arm was 2 ½ inches larger than my right. I had been in pain for the last few months.
After the treatment, my arm had gone down 1 inch and was free of pain for the first time since my breast cancer operation.
To day is the 23rd of March. My arm is still free of pain and only 1 ½ inches larger than my right. To me it has been worth every penny of it. As well as treating my lymphoedema with fantastic results my asthma improved during the 15 minutes on the headbands and earclips. When I got home I took a reading for asthma and my output had gone up 50%.
I feel a lot better being pain free and being able to breathe easier. I would recommend this to any lymphoedema sufferers and am grateful for the technology we now have in England to help us. ”
Dotty B
Tagged as: Lymphoedema
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