Exercises at Your Desk for Lipedema

Workplace Workout - 

How to improve lymphatic flow 

with exercises at your desk

by Kathleen Lisson

Kate Forster shares a great video of using a small exercise ball to mobilize knee, ankle and foot joints and move lymphatic fluid in the legs - a great office workout for ladies with lipedema / lipoedema who must work at a desk all day. 

See the video here: 

Yoga and Aquatic Therapy for Lipedema

Lipedema Yoga Exercises in the Pool

by Kathleen Lisson, CLT

Lipedema adipose tissue is very resistant to diet and exercise, but that doesn't mean ladies with a lipoedema diagnosis shouldn't exercise! Exercises in the pool can be beneficial for health and the water pressure in the pool supports the body's lymphatic system.

Find out more about pool-based yoga exercises for lipedema here: https://proyogatherapy.org/lymphedema-lipedema-and-aquatic-therapy-with-pyt/

Find a more basic aquatic workout here designed to boost the lymphatic system:

Can I Join a Clinical Trial for Lipedema?

Lipedema Clinical Trials in the United States

by Kathleen Lisson, CLT

Many ladies with a lipedema / lipoedema diagnosis are interested in learning about the latest treatments for this adipose tissue disorder. There are a few clinical trials that are in the process of recruiting or have been completed, with most of them taking place in Tucson, Arizona. 

Find the latest clinical trials for lipedema here: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=&term=lipedema&cntry1=&state1=&Search=Search

Lipedema Information for Nurses

Nurses: Diagnostic Information for Lipedema

by Kathleen Lisson, CLT

This article 'Lipedema: A Frequently Misdiagnosed and Misunderstood Fatty Deposition Syndrome' from 'Advances in Skin & Wound Care' is a great resource with photographs and information describing lipedema. The paper also provides differential diagnosis information for lipedema / lipoedema / lipoedeem.

Access the paper here: Lipedema: A Frequently Misdiagnosed and Misunderstood Fatty Deposition Syndrome  http://lipedemaproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2010_Fife_Lipedema-A-Frequently-Misdiagnosed-and-Misunderstood-Fatty-Deposition-Syndrome.pdf

Can self-compassion make living with Lipedema easier?

Self-compassion meditation for Lipedema / Lipoedema

by Kathleen Lisson, CLT

I am really excited to share information about an encouraging study: 

Self-Compassion and Body Dissatisfaction in Women:
A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Brief Meditation Intervention
by Ellen R. Albertson & Kristin D. Neff & Karen E. Dill-Shackleford

This study enlisted "women with body image concerns."

Mission: listen to self-compassion meditation audio recordings to see if this exposure would increase
self-compassion and improve body image concerns.

228 adult women participated in the study and participants were recruited through an advertisement inviting women with body image concerns to participate in a study involving meditation.

Participants listened to three weeks of self-compassion meditation training podcasts or were assigned to
the waitlist.

Researchers measured: self-compassion, body dissatisfaction, body shame, body appreciation,
and contingent self-worth based on appearance. All measures were different versus pretest, only body appreciation was significantly related to the number of days a week that participants meditated.

Mindfulness practices used included:

• "Compassionate Body Scan," 
• "Affectionate Breathing," 
• Loving kindness meditation that includes the phrases "May I be safe. May I be peaceful. May I be kind to myself. May I accept myself as I am." 

Results:

Those who were randomly assigned to listen to the meditation podcasts evidenced significantly greater
increases in self-compassion (19 %) than those randomly assigned to a waitlist control group (5 %),
with a large effect size indicated. In addition, the intervention led to significant improvements on all six aspects of self compassion (self-kindness, self-judgment, common humanity, isolation, mindfulness, and over-identification), suggesting that the meditations fostered self-compassion in a holistic manner.

The most exciting part?

We can find the meditations here: http://self-compassion.org/category/exercises/

If you are a Naturopath, Certified Lymphedema Therapist, Nutritionist, Health Coach or Personal Trainer and want to give your client with lipedema a research-backed method for improving self-compassion and reducing body shame, let them know about this link! 

How Can Doctors Diagnose Lipedema?

How to Diagnose Lipedema - 

A Doctor's Visit for Lipoedema / Lipoedeem

by Kathleen Lisson, CLT

Struggling to get a lipedema diagnosis is an extremely frustrating part of having lipoedema. There are only a handful of doctors that regularly diagnose lipedema and the majority of primary physicians are not familiar with this condition that may affect up to 10% of women in America.

Sit in the room with Dr. Karen Herbst and hear her explain what she looks for when diagnosing a patient with lipedema / lipoedeem / lipoedema. 

Watch the videos here: 

Video one, the consultation: https://youtu.be/x47UhXT3l2M

Video two, the physical examination: https://youtu.be/T7NvrgLLlXY

Dr. Amron explains how he treats lipedema with surgery in this video: