Lymphedema is a chronic condition that refers to unwanted swelling in different parts of your body. If you or a loved one have recently been diagnosed with lymphedema, you may be worried about the long-term effects of the condition and its influence on your quality of life.
Even though the condition is not curable, it can be treated as a long-term disease to manage associated symptoms. By learning these approaches, you can live a happy life that does not hold you back from daily activities.
To help you along this path, here are five ways to treat lymphedema.
1. Use Compression Systems
While lymphedema often occurs from cancer treatments, it can also stem from a natural failure of your lymphatic system. In any case, it causes excess lymph fluid to pass into your bloodstream. In turn, the condition may cause swelling in your hands, arms, feet, and legs. These signs are often similar to the symptoms of heart disease.
After learning what causes lymphedema, you can quickly look into targeted treatments while knowing how they work in the first place. Using compression garments is one such treatment, which works by putting pressure on the swollen area and preventing fluid build-up within its site. Wearing these solutions for a few minutes a day can avoid swelling to a significant degree.
2. Take Care of Your Skin
When you have lymphedema, you may also develop toughened and scaly skin over the affected sites on your body. In addition to affecting your looks and confidence, it can also cause various health problems such as bacterial and skin infections. By taking specific steps towards skincare, you can manage these risks to a large extent.
These actions include but are not limited to using a deep skin moisturizer, keeping your limbs covered to prevent cuts, and doing regular physical checks to detect injuries. These small practices ensure that you lower the chances of running into these additional hazards. If you want more natural topical treatments, you can also explore the benefits of orange essential oil and similar solutions.
3. Get Regular Exercise
When you are staring in the face of excessive swelling, pain, and mobility issues, getting some exercise may be the last thing on your mind. But with regular movement and consistent blood flow, regular exercising can prevent the buildup of lymph across your body and quickly improve your lymphedema symptoms.
You can get this exercise through various mediums such as running, walking, cycling, or even weight training. You can hire an online personal trainer to help you with your goals for optimal results. Otherwise, you can also join a gym and get help from qualified trainers in person. Either way, this tip can contribute to your well-being while living with lymphedema.
4. Look Into Massages
Targeted massage therapy often works wonders for athletes and patients battling a variety of physical challenges. This also holds true for those who have lymphedema. When you are coping with this lifelong challenge, getting help through specialized massages such as manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) can also help with swelling and related problems.
To benefit from these approaches, you can find massage therapists who specialize in these treatments. Otherwise, you can learn these techniques at home and elevate their effects by using energy–boosting essential oils. This practice takes some additional time from your daily routine, but it also goes a long way towards easing your lymphedema symptoms.
5. Consume a Healthier Diet
Matching the management of many other chronic diseases, the ongoing treatment of lymphedema also requires you to alter your diet. But instead of letting go of your daily serving of meat, the diet to manage lymphedema requires you to have a sufficient intake of almost all common food groups, including lean meats, fruits, and vegetables.
You can also have grains, but ensure they are gluten-free. Some healthcare practitioners suggest replacing dairy milk with alternatives such as almond milk. If you are vegan, then you can also look into a plant-based meal delivery service to manage a healthy diet without adding any stress to your life. This lets you effectively manage your lymphedema through the power of food.
Keeping these tips in mind gives you a comprehensive way to manage and treat lymphedema over time. This helps you steer clear of more significant complications and allows you to live a fulfilling life despite the condition.
