Finding a lymphatic therapist is important to help dealing with lymphatic diseases. A qualified lymphatic therapist can change the trajectory of dealing with your lymphedema. According to LANA (Lymphology Association of North America) therapists need to have completed an accredited board exam after meeting training qualifications of at least 135 hours of training through a qualified school.

We often refer to our therapy sessions as massage, but this is not like a Swedish massage that you receive at a spa. This is why it is so important to go to a therapist that is trained as a certified lymphatic therapist.

There are more than one school that offers lymphatic training. If you go to the Lymphatic Education and Research website there is a list of schools that are approved by LANA. Interestingly, the only school that requires therapists to upgrade their skills to keep their LANA rating is the Vodder School.

A good place to locate a lymphatic therapist is in the BCLA Directory. This directory lists off therapists and fitters that are members of the BCLA. When they are listed you know that they are qualified and also, they are members of either the College of Physiotherapy or Massage Therapists in BC. The directory is updated yearly and BCLA members receive a copy of the updated directory as part of their membership. You can also access the directory at bclymph.org and it also contains listings for fitters for every health region in BC.

If there are no therapists listed in the directory for your area, then check on the Vodder website https://vodderschool.com/contacts/search and see if you find a therapist there.

Once you have found a therapist then don’t be afraid to ask a couple of questions. “How many patients with lymphedema or lipedema have you treated? Are you keeping current on developments coming from new research on lymphatic disorders?”

Your first appointment doubles as a meet and exchanging information with your therapist. Your therapist will evaluate not only your lymphedema (may include measurements and photos), but will also discuss complete decongestive therapy. This includes diagnosis, manual lymphatic drainage (MLD), bandaging, compression garments, therapeutic exercises, and self-care. Self-care may include learning how to bandage at home, do self MLD as well as proper skin care and exercises to help improve your lymph flow.

An important component that your therapist will help with is education. Most doctors only receive 25 minutes in medical school on the lymphatic system. Your therapist can help educate you about your lymphatic disease.

To many of us our lymphatic therapist is a very important part in our team dealing with lymphedema and lipedema. They understand what we are going through and at times provide a sympathetic shoulder to cry on. Having a trained lymphatic therapist in your corner definitely helps.

Unfortunately, it isn’t cheap to see a therapist. If you have extended medical check your plan to see what coverage you have. If you don’t have extended benefits make sure you save your receipts to include in your income tax the same way you save your garment receipts.

Your therapist will help you plan out your lymphatic journey by helping you set goals and updating those to show your progress. It may be the encouragement that you need in your lymphatic journey.

Something I have found handy is consider seeing a lymphatic therapist when you are on holidays in a different location. It gives you different insight into your condition.