Ask:
I am a 21 year old female and was recently diagnosed with lymphedema in my lower right leg. The cause of this is unknown at this time. Please could you give me any advice on what I could do to ease the swelling and help me live life as normally as possible?
Answer:
Lymphedema refers to painless swelling of an extremity, caused by fluid that accumulates due to a blockage in the lymphatic vessels that drain the site. Let me explain in more detail. The body has two interconnected circulation systems, the cardiovascular and the lymphatic, which form a complex network from head to toe. The cardiovascular system circulates blood through the arteries, veins, and capillaries of the heart. Waste from your body is removed by the lymphatic system, which works in conjunction with the veins of the venous system. The latter also acts on its own to deal with carbon dioxide gas waste from the cells.
Meanwhile, the lymphatic system drains other wastes, which consist of chemical byproducts of cell metabolism, which end up in the spaces between cells, and any foreign bodies such as bacteria, viruses, fungal spores, and unauthorized chemicals that have entered the body. through the skin. This waste takes the form of fluid (medically called ‘interstitial’ or ‘extracellular’ fluid) and some solids. These are collected in small blood vessels, which then empty the waste products into the large veins that lead to the right heart chambers. there, they travel to the lungs to be purified and/or oxygenated before returning to the heart.
Basically, the lymphatic system is like the drainage systems that collect waste from kitchens, bathrooms, etc. However, because the walls of the lymphatic vessels are thin and bacteria can easily enter from any cut or abrasion of the skin, nature has provided lymph nodes or glands at various points in the network. These act as checkpoints, identifying foreign bodies such as bacteria, cancer cells, chemicals, and pus particles. If they come into contact with these enemies, the nodes swell with a fluid containing fighting cells called lymphocytes, designed to destroy foreign bodies. The same thing happens when you have an infection: lymph nodes swell, for example, in the tonsils, throat, neck, armpits or groin.
If something blocks the “drains” of the lymphatic system, fluids accumulate and the result is edema, such as in the leg. If some lymph nodes and lymphatic vessels are removed surgically, as is quite often the case in breast cancer patients, edema occurs in the arm. Sometimes the parasites block the lymphatic system in the groin area, causing large swelling in the legs, called elephantiasis because the foot becomes elephant-like.
In my experience, lower leg swelling is often due to a partial blockage in the superficial veins, due to small clots (rather than large clots as in deep vein thrombosis). Any mechanical pressure on the leg, such as wearing socks with a well-elasticated rib on top, is enough to cause swelling.
These are my suggestions:
* It is essential that you help your liver, the main controller of the coagulation system, to function properly.
* Avoid the birth control pill, long-term antibiotics for acne or other conditions, excess alcohol, fried, rich, or greasy foods, and cream, butter, and cheese.
* Do not smoke.
* Drink a glass of freshly made carrot, celery and cucumber juice daily, and three cups of gokhru tea daily to reduce overall water retention; take both for two months.
* Massage your legs daily, down from the knees through the calves to the ankles (to guard against any upward movement of clots) with a mixture of three parts organic sesame oil (from good supermarkets), two parts oil of pure mustard and one part kalonji (black cumin seed) oil. Do this for ten minutes at bedtime for a month. Also, in the mornings, massage the inner surface of the legs along the bony shafts down to the ankles with Amrutanjan Balm. You may find numerous small nodules along the way, which are small clots in the superficial veins that attach to the valves. Work gently, as these nodules are often tender. This will cause an instant reduction in swelling, although it may return later. However, subsequent treatments should resolve the issue within a month.
* I also recommend Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) massage performed by a qualified therapist.
