How You Can Manage Lymphedema

Lymphedema is the abnormal swelling that is caused by a build up of lymph fluid and most commonly occurs in the arms and in the legs.

According to the World Health Organization there are over 170 million people world wide who suffer from secondary lymphedema.ย  It affects approximately 15% of all cancer survivors and an estimated 30% of those treated for breast cancer after surgery to remove lymph nodes.

The onset of lymphedema can occur during treatments, days, months or years after the treatment protocol is completed.

Unfortunately lymphedema cannot be cured but it can be managed by employing some or all of the following strategies to encourage movement of the lymph fluid:

โœ”Dry Brushing

โœ”Contrast Showers

โœ”Rebounding

โœ”Regular Exercise

โœ”Lymphatic Massage

โœ”Compression Bandaging

Dry Brushing

The benefits of dry brushing are many and include:

  1. Dead layers of skin being removed and pores unclogged
  2. Blood circulation increased to the internal organs and the skin, which promotes oxygenation and healing
  3. The detoxification qualities of the skin maintained
  4. Hormone and oil-producing glands being stimulated
  5. Nerve endings stimulated in the skin helping to maintain the health of the entire nervous system
  6. Muscle tone assisted and fat deposits more evenly spread

How to Perform a Dry Brush Massage
Use a natural bristle brush with a brush pad about the size of your own hand

Start with the soles of your feet. Brush in a circular motion as you move up your body brushing feet to legs, hands to arms, back to abdomen, and chest to neck. You don’t need to apply a lot of pressure.ย  Just enough to make your skin feel warm, about 5-10 minutes. The massage is best performed when you wake in the morning and before you go to bed at night.

Contrast Showers

 

Alternating hot and cold showers improves blood circulation, increases cellular oxidation, enhances immunity, strengthens the nervous system and flushes cellular toxins into the blood.

When we shower in hot water for less than five minutes, it has a stimulating effect on our circulation. When we have a cold shower for less than one minute, we stimulate blood flow and metabolism. Cold showers first constrict and then dilate blood vessels. When we finish with a cold shower the following physiological effects happen:

  • Increased oxygen absorption
  • Increased tissue tone
  • Increased white blood cell count improving immunity
  • Increased red blood cell count
  • Decreased blood glucose
  • Heightened metabolism

Rebounding

A rebounder a small trampoline. Jumping on a rebounder 5-10 minutes a day improves the circulation of lymphatic fluid. Muscular contractions push the fluid through the lymphatic vessels. When the muscular contraction is used in combination with deep breathing, lymphatic circulation is enhanced even more. This improves the bodyโ€™s cancer-fighting ability.

Additional benefits of rebounding include:

  • Gentle massage of the internal organs, including the liver and colon
  • Improved muscle tone
  • Improved digestion, elimination and body detoxification
  • Burning calories
  • Increased energy
  • Improvement in cardiovascular health
  • Stress reduction

Regular Exercise

Exercising, of all kinds, causes muscle contractions encouraging the flow of lymph fluid.ย  Exercising also:

  • Improves insulin sensitivity
  • Helps manage weight
  • Improves mitochondrial health
  • Reduces stress
  • Improves muscle tone

Lymphatic Massage

Lymphatic drainage massage stimulates the circulation of blood and lymph, moving tissue fluid into the lymph vessels from the tissues.

As a result, lymph drainage massage can help remove toxins and wastes from the tissues. Increased lymph flow will also help with immunity, reduce the risk of infection, and speed the healing of inflammation.

Lymphedema Compression Bandages

Compression bandages help to limit the amount of fluid building up in the limb. When functioning without limitation, there is a constant flow of fluid from the tiny blood vessels into the tissues. This fluid will then be drained by the lymph system. For those with lymphedema, wearing a compression garment reduces excessive or unnecessary flow of fluid from the bloodstream into the tissues.

Lymphedema compression sleeves encourage the fluid within the affected limb to move towards the body where it can drain away more easily. Compression sleeves have a graduated compression, with more at the hand or foot than at the top of the garment.ย  This directs the fluid to the root of the limb which is either the groin or armpit.

Finally compression garments provide the muscles with a firm resistance to work against improving the function of the lymphatic system and encourage the movement of fluid along the lymph routes.

Summary

Your routine for lymphedema management:

ย 1)ย ย ย  Make a daily practice out of dry brush massage

2)ย ย ย  Have a contrast shower daily

3)ย ย ย  Use a rebounder four hours weekly; 5 โ€“ 30 minutes once or twice daily

4)ย ย ย  Exercise approximately 4 hours per week

5)ย  ย  Routinely go for lymphatic massages

6)ย  ย  Wear a compression bandage daily

References

Why You Should Start Dry Brushing Today

Health Benefits of Rebounding

The Benefits of Lymphatic Drainage Massage

The Benefits Of Wearing A Lymphedema Compression Sleeve

 

Basic Recipe for Energy Balls

No bake energy balls are the perfect little pick me up when your energy is low or your tummy is a grumblin’!โฃ

And once you have the basics in place you are only limited by your own creativityโฃ.

The basics of a good energy ball include:โฃ

โ˜‘๏ธOatsโฃ

โ˜‘๏ธNut or seed butterโฃ

โ˜‘๏ธA sweetener like honey or maple syrupโฃ

โ˜‘๏ธBoosters and Tasters.

And this my friends, the Boosters and Tasters, is where you set your energy balls apart from the rest.ย ย Boosters and tasters include hemp seeds, chia seeds, cacoa nibs, coconut, chocolate chips, dried fruit and flavourings such and vanilla and mintโฃ.

So here is your basic recipe:

๐Ÿ”…1 cup rolled oatsโฃ

๐Ÿ”…1/2 cup nut butterโฃ

๐Ÿ”…1/4 cup honey or maple syrupโฃ

๐Ÿ”… 2 Tablespoons of a Booster like hempโฃ

Directions:

Blend the oats in your food processor until a flour consistency then add the rest of your basic ingredients and your choices of Tasters. Form in to balls, place on a cookie sheet and then place them into the freezer for 10 minutes to set their shapeโฃ.

**๐’ฅ๐“Š๐“ˆ๐“‰ ๐’ถ ๐“†๐“Š๐’พ๐’ธ๐“€ ๐“‰๐’พ๐“….ย ย ๐’ฎ๐‘œ๐“‚๐‘’๐“‰๐’พ๐“‚๐‘’๐“ˆ ๐“Ž๐‘œ๐“Š ๐“‚๐’ถ๐“Ž ๐“ƒ๐‘’๐‘’๐’น ๐“‰๐‘œ ๐’ถ๐’น๐’น ๐’ถ ๐“๐’พ๐“‰๐“‰๐“๐‘’ ๐“Œ๐’ถ๐“‰๐‘’๐“‡ ๐“‰๐‘œ ๐“‚๐‘œ๐’พ๐“ˆ๐“‰๐‘’๐“ƒ ๐“‰๐’ฝ๐‘’ ๐“‚๐’พ๐“๐“‰๐“Š๐“‡๐‘’ ๐“‰๐‘œ ๐“‰๐’ฝ๐‘’ ๐’ธ๐‘œ๐“ƒ๐“ˆ๐’พ๐“ˆ๐“‰๐‘’๐“ƒ๐’ธ๐“Ž ๐“‰๐’ฝ๐’ถ๐“‰ ๐“Ž๐‘œ๐“Š ๐“Œ๐’ถ๐“ƒ๐“‰โฃ

I keep a food journal when I make my energy balls to keep track of mixes that I like and those that I don’t.

Keep your energy balls sealed in a glass container or freeze them.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

What is a Cancer Coach?

Cancer Coaches are Health Care Professionals that work to fill a void in cancer prevention, treatment and recovery.ย  Cancer Coaches believe in healing the whole person, not just the disease.ย  Many Cancer Coaches themselves have been through a cancer diagnosis, myself included.

To be honest, I am a Cancer Coach now because I was a cancer patient before.ย  As a cancer patient I incorporated both conventional and complimentary approaches into my treatment plan therefore I have an intimate understanding of how both the allopathic and integrative worlds can work together.ย  And I understand the emotions tied to a cancer diagnosis.

Because of our unique professional backgrounds, each Cancer Coach will have a different spin on their answer to “What is a Cancer Coach?” however we all hold the same core truths.

Here are 5 of them.

Cancer Coaches can help you work through the shock of a diagnosisย 

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can often leave people feeling scared, overwhelmed and confused.ย  We spend time talking with you about your disease, understanding your proposed treatment plans and researching relevant topics pertaining to your protocol.

Cancer coaches can prepare you for treatments

Focusing on your health, we work to strengthen your body in preparation for treatment.ย  The healthier you are going in to treatment the greater chance that you will complete treatment and withstand side effects.

Cancer coaches can educate you on complimentary therapies that will help to improve treatment outcomes and mitigate side effects

Understanding the possible side effects of treatments allows us to initiate strategies to help mitigate or avoid them.ย  Acupuncture, meditation and yoga are 3 examples of complimentary therapies that could be employed in situations and are complimentary therapies endorsed byย American Society of Clinical Oncology for breast cancer patients.ย  For more information on approved therapies you can read my blog post “Oncologists Endorse Integrative Therapies for Breast Cancer Patients”

Cancer coaches work with you to personalize the nutritional and lifestyle aspects of care relevant to your cancer and through all phases of protocol including treatment, recovery and prevention

Proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle are widely recognized as key factors for both fighting and preventing cancer.ย  Therefore we work with you to optimize your nutritional plan and to implement healthy lifestyle strategies throughout all aspects of your cancer journey.

Cancer coaches are a vitalย part of your wellness team

We work to empower you and to motivate you. To give you the tools to become active participants in your own cancer protocols. And to give you the confidence and faith that the path you have chosen is the right one.

This Week on The Health Hub…The Way of the Soul to Peace and Well-Being with Caroline Dupont


Caroline is a Soul Coach whose 30 years in the holistic health field include creating the Seneca College Holistic Health Certificate Program, teaching for the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition for the past 25 years and helping thousands of clients with soul coaching, nutrition, energy work and meditation.  Caroline has taught hundreds of food classes in her own home kitchen and  leads fitness, movement and yoga classes as well as teaching meditation classes, Deep Healing Circles and retreats. She has written 4 books on nutrition and physical and spiritual healing as well as creating and facilitating numerous courses including the ClearBeing Soul Coach Training.

Learning Points:

What is Soul Coaching?

How can we use our relationships to help us to grow as souls?

What  is involved in a soul coaching consultation?

Listen live or catch the podcast on iTunes and SoundCloud!


Every Tuesday from 11am -12pm I host The Health Hub, an interactive, forward thinking talk show on Radio Maria Canada.   Call, tweet or email your questions as together we explore health issues that are relevant to you from new and innovative points of view.

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If you have a health topic that you would like us to discuss or are a health care specialist who wants to be a guest on our show let us know!

Here is our email.  We would love to hear from you!
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It’s 2019! Let’s Make Your Goals a Reality

Happy New Year everyone! I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones health and happiness in 2019.

The beginning of a new year seems like a great opportunity for a fresh start right? Itโ€™s 2019. Feet on ground. Face forward. Letโ€™s make ME a better ME. I love it! This is the perfect mindset for change so letโ€™s look at ways to help you to achieve your goals.

Bad news first.ย  Let’s get it out of the way!ย  According to the time management firm FranklinCovey,ย one third of resolutions donโ€™t make it past the end of January. This is a significant number of fails.

But this won’t be us because we are going to tilt the odds in our favour and plant ourselves firmly within that 2/3’s group by adhering to a few simple strategies to transform our goals in to realities!

Here we go.

First off…

Make sure that you really want to do this!

Letโ€™s start here. Make sure that you really want to achieve the resolution that you have made. Do you really want to switch to dandelion coffee or is it just the trendy thing to do?

If you are not fully invested in your resolution, itโ€™s just not going to happen.

Make sure that the goals you set are realistic

Seriously. Donโ€™t aim for a marathon if you donโ€™t own running shoes.

Start small and build on your successes.

 

Write it down

A study done by Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at the Dominican University in California, found that those who wrote down their goals achieved significantly higher rates of success than those who did not. In fact her findings were that you become 42% more likely to achieve your goals, simply by writing them down on a regular basis.

Make a plan

Create key action steps that will keep you on your path to achieving your goals. For instance, if your New Yearโ€™s resolution is to meal plan for your weekly dinners, 3 actionable steps could look like this:

  1. Pick simple, tasty recipes on Saturday
  2. Shop for your weekly ingredients Sunday
  3. Wash and prep your veggies when you get home from shopping

You can achieve anything if you truly want to and are prepared to put in the work.

You’ve got this!!


References:

http://www.dominican.edu/academics/ahss/undergraduate-programs/psych/faculty/fulltime/gailmatthews/researchsummary2.pdf