Before you start looking for more invasive treatments to help reduce the symptoms of your lipedema, you should start with conservative steps. Your nutrition plays a key factor in maintaining some symptoms of lipedema. We recommend following a Rare Adipose Disorder (RAD) diet. This type of diet is actually a modification to a standard Mediterranean diet that helps you maintain a low glycemic index. In order to do this, it is recommended that you avoid any refined or processed starches and sugars. These are usually found in pasta, rice, bread, corn and potatoes. We avoiding highly processed food especially processed carbohydrates will keep insulin level low. Keeping insulin level low will give you best chance at fat loss and lower overall body inflammation.
Lipedema experts also report that avoiding starches alone will not prevent symptoms from flaring up. It is also recommended that individuals with lipedema may want to reduce their gluten intake. Some people who may be sensitive to gluten and not know it unless they try a gluten free diet for a few weeks. Gluten is typically found in wheat, rye, and barley. While it can be difficult to avoid these commonly found ingredients it will help reduce gut inflammation. Instead of gluten, make sure your diet focuses on foods high in omega-3 and fiber. This will help you burn fat and reduce any inflammation. Foods you will want to focus on include nuts, beans, fish, and whole grains. Here we give you essential information about Lipedema nutrition.
Adjusting your diet is not the only change that can help with your symptoms of lipedema. Adding physical exercise to your regular regime will also help with your symptoms. Pairing your new workout regime with supplements will make the biggest impact on any changes you will notice. Adding supplements and work outs to your daily scheduled will need to be reviewed by your physician to ensure you remain healthy. The following supplements can help with your lipedema symptoms:
Vitamin D3: Lipedema patients are typically deficient with Vitamin D, an essential supplement that plays a critical role with your immune system. It also helps your bone, muscle, and nervous system health. It is recommended that lipedema patient who are deficient in Vitamin D take up to 4 times the Recommended Daily Allowance, or RDA.
Selenium: A supplement that can aid with your daily metabolism is Selenium. It has been known to help reduce swelling that is often painful and continuous for those with lipedema. While supplemental pills can be hard to find you can find them in brazil nuts; eating just 2 of these nuts per day should be enough to notice a difference.
Diosmin: Perhaps the most effective supplement to take is Diosmin, a bioflavonoid that is commonly found in citrus fruits. They can have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and lymph-tonic properties that will help with your symptoms of lipedema.
We’re here to help you learn more about the symptoms and treatment methods associated with Lipedema. You don’t have to fight this debilitating disease alone. Contact us today!
One of the most common symptoms of lipedema that is observed in all stages is swelling. This symptom is due to an increased amount of extracellular water causing the swelling. This extracellular water is lymphatic fluid that contains hundreds of inflammatory compounds that are responsible for fibrosis that drives the progression of lipedema. The increase of water will only increase with each further stage. One of the most frequently recommended forms of care for swelling and pain is wearing compression garments. This step in our multidisciplinary approach is typically recommended in the first stage but always in later stages.
The specific goals for wearing compression garments is to reduce any discomfort and aching that your swelling is causing. Compression has an anti-inflammatory effect on the tissue by reducing interstitial fluid formation and ensuring fluids are kept moving to reduce lymphatic stasis. Compression therapy can also help your limb improve its movement and reduce edema. Finally, compression can help smooth out lobules and cuffs caused by lipedema.
We understand that that the lymphatic system plays a critical role in how lipedema progresses. Medical grade compression stockings are prescribed during treatment and have been observed to treat the symptoms of lipedema and promote lymphatic flow. Wearing compression garments can help prevent excess interstitial fluid that is directly linked with nodular fibrosis and lobular fibrosis. These fibrotic processes are also linked to eventual disability stemmed from lipedema.
The prescribed compression garment is dependent on the individual needs of your lipedema. It is important the compression is graduated to promote lymphatic fluid movement. These garments apply 100% compression strength to the distal end of the limb worn on your ankle or wrist. The compression garment gives gradually decreased percent of compression as it goes more proximally toward the center of your body and heart. Typically, our arms require less compression strength than our legs do. Most physicians will start out prescribing a lower graduated compression before working up to a heavier progression. A recommended graduated 30-40 mmHg pressure at the ankle and 18 mm Hg at the wrist has been shown to minimize edema, reduce symptoms, and halt the progression of diseases related to lipedema and lymphedema. Please note some compression sold is not graduated and is not medical grade. For example, Bioflect and Marena sell popular compression garments that are not graduated and are not medical grade. There is no evidence that Bioflect or Marena garments will have the desired effects. Sigvaris, Juzo, Jobst, and Solidea all sell graduated compression that have been shown to have the desired effects.
While compression garments are great, they can be difficult to fit on women with lipedema. As the fat accumulates out of proportion to the body, lipedema will lead to unique body shapes. In order to fit these shapes and allow individuals to remain flexible they will need to wear layering compression garments. These combinations can be seen as knee-high socks with compression pants. This allows the individual to have a comprehensive coverage without any gaps of compression. Contact us now!
We would like to take this opportunity to provide an update on how we will proceed with seeing patients. First, it is important to understand that while St. Charles County has authorized the re-opening of most businesses, this is not a green light to go back to “business and usual” and disregard safety measures such as observing social distancing rules, staying six feet apart, wearing a mask, hand washing, and other safety protocols.
Our plan is to resume patient care cautiously by following state and local municipality regulations, and St. Charles County Health Department requirements. We are also following the recommendations of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), AMA (American Medical Association) and the guidance from the AVLS (American Venous and Lymphatic Society), ACCS (American College of Cosmetic Surgeons), and ACP (American College of Physicians).
Dr. Wright continues to receive updates several times a day from BJC, SSM, and Mercy Hospital Systems and he is watching for a consecutive fourteen day decline in the number of COVID-19 cases in St. Charles County, St. Louis County, and the City of St. Louis to determine when it will be safe to resume cosmetic and aesthetic appointments.
We are very confident in our ability to offer our patients lipedema treatment in a tightly controlled medical office and surgery center, where our safety protocols to protect our patients and staff far exceed those in a salon, day spa or med spa without onsite medical supervision. Because we limit the number of surgical procedures performed each day in our private surgery center, we are able to provide the highest level of safety which far exceeds standards in other surgery centers that see 10+ patients per day.
We will begin seeing cosmetic surgical patients the week of May 18 and phase in some cosmetic vein patients as our schedule and staffing allows. We understand your eagerness to resume aesthetic and cosmetic treatments; however, most of these procedures (microdermabrasion, IPL, injectables and fillers) involve treating the face, which makes these treatments extremely dangerous for our staff to perform and the patient receiving the treatment due to the close proximity required to perform these treatments. We will resume these treatments when staff members that perform them feel it is safe for them to do so or as Dr. Wright’s schedule allows (injectables and fillers).
To maintain the six-foot social distancing requirements, we will be scheduling staff to work on certain days and limiting the number of in-office appointments each day. We will only schedule certain types of appointments on specific days. We will also not overlap appointment times so that patients do not come in contact with other patients. We will be prioritizing patients that had appointments in March, April, and May based on the type of appointment and treatment. We will continue to offer patients virtual appointments for consultations and some medical appointments.
For the foreseeable future, we have initiated the following additional precautions for patients coming into the office.
come to the office If you are experiencing any cold or flu-like symptoms, if you have been exposed to anyone that has symptoms or has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Symptoms include:
call the office (636-397-4012) and let us know that you have arrived. We will ask you some screening questions and a staff member will meet you at the building entrance for a temperature check. If you have a temperature over 100° or if we observe symptoms that are of concern, you will not be allowed in the office for your visit.
Dr. Wright and Karen Herbst discuss COVID19 and Lipedema. What would increase a women’s risk of developing COVID19?
No matter how much research continues to support the proper diagnosis and identification of lipedema, there is still opposition in the medical community, including from insurance companies for lipedema insurance coverage. Lipedema is a very real and present condition that affects millions of individuals throughout the world every year. If you have been diagnosed with lipedema or face the challenge of finding a proper diagnosis, you’re no doubt concerned with receiving effective treatment and even how to pay for that treatment. A recent court win by UnitedHealthcare seems to have made this task even more difficult.
Lipedema is not a temporary issue but instead a lifelong condition that will impact your way of life. Treatments can end up being pricey if you do not have the proper medical coverage. Certain insurance companies continue to fight against coverage for certain treatments, stating they are not required or necessary. If you have lipedema, you know full well how necessary it is to reduce swelling and pain in your affected limbs. Some insurance companies may not even provide coverage at all by claiming it to be a pre-existing condition.
Recently, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company was able to defeat a proposed class action lawsuit that claimed their coverage did not include proper lipedema treatment. This is a huge loss for the lipedema community. It is imperative that insurance companies utilize the available lipedema research and cover costs of the necessary treatments.
Lipedema is a condition that many people, including some physicians, refuse to acknowledge. Physicians will claim that there is not enough research to support the identification of lipedema or that it is just obesity. Lipedema patients know this is not just obesity; the subcutaneous fat tissue associate with lipedema is nearly impossible to reduce with your standard diet and exercise. The medical community as a whole needs to understand this condition better, and Dr. Wright continually advocates for improved education regarding lipedema.
Even with all the challenges presented by lipedema, there are those who you can trust. Dr. Wright continues to strive for better education, research, and coverage for the lipedema community. Do not let these challenges bring you down even further; let Dr. Wright and his expert team help you to reduce the symptoms of lipedema and live your life. Dr Wright can help find the right procedure to help manage your lipedema symptoms, such as lymphatic drainage massage. Don’t let lipedema take over your life; contact us today!
On the tv show The Doctors, lipedema has once again come up. This time it’s with someone who’s big behind has made her a star. This isn’t the first time I’ve run into Raylynn on the internet. I came across her picture elsewhere, where people were less kind about her body type. I went to her Instagram account and could instantly tell what she had was lipedema. It’s just so obvious with the tiny waist and flat stomach. You can see her lipedema arms getting slightly bigger now too. Anyhow, on this The Doctors segment, they have plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Ordon do a brief exam on Raylynn and he diagnosed her with this horrible condition. I’m actually excited about this particular diagnosis because she’s an internet celebrity and this is going to make some rounds. Her fans are going to talk about this episode thus talk about lipedema. I feel we’re one step closer to the right direction.
