Lymphedema: What is it, how it is diagnosed and the current treatment recommendations

Lymphedema: What is it, how it is diagnosed and the current treatment recommendations. Mark your calendars! January 9^th, 6.30 – 8.30 pm at Vernon General Hospital with Robert Harris, Senior Instructor of the Dr. Vodder School. Held at Vernon General Hospital and hosted by the Inland Health Authority (BC, Canada) wound / ostomy committee. RSVP to lani.williston@interiorhealth.ca

First course in Taipei Taiwan completed

Dr. Vodder School-International has just completed the first Chinese-speaking course in Taiwan. 18 health care professionals attended the first Dr. Vodder training, held in Taipei city in Chinese with translation provided for instructor and director, Robert Harris by Gloria Yuan from Yuanliu School. Congratulations to all who completed this first course!

Dr. Vodder graduates...Congratulations everyone!

Dr. Vodder graduates: Congratulations to our latest graduates from the Dr. Vodder School 160 hour training program. Dr. Anna Towers and Robert Harris led the training program in Victoria, BC, Canada and completed November 11th with participants from Canada, USA, Australia and Japan.

Lymphedema Framework Project survey

Lymphedema Framework Project survey: the ALFP has released its latest survey and all lymphedema therapists are asked to complete it before November 30th.  Help contribute to research and change in patient care for those with lymphedema. Go to http://www.alfp.org and click on the “LE Therapist Survey” tab.

Prof. Hildegard Wittlinger will be a keynote speaker at NLN conference

We are very excited to announce that Professor Hildegard Wittlinger will be the keynote speaker at the National Lymphedema Network conference in Dallas, on September 9th 2012. Professor Wittlinger founded the original Dr. Vodder School in Austria and has been a champion of the Dr. Vodder method of Manual Lymph Drainage around the world and has inspired many thousands of therapists. She will speak on the history and development of the Vodder method of MLD. For further information go to the NLN website at: www.lymphnet.org

LAO will hold its first WEBINAR

Lymphedema Association of Ontario will hold its first WEBINAR on October 25th , 7.30 – 9.00 pm with Nicole Stout, MPT. The topic is "Debunking the Myths of Exercise and Activity with Lymphedema". The Annual General Meeting of the LAO will also take place that evening. To find out more, go to http://lymphedemaagm.eventbrite.com/?ref=estw

Vodder-certified teachers from around the world

Vodder-certified teachers from around the world met at the Dr. Vodder Akademie in Austria, October 1 and 2 for an international teacher meeting. Twelve countries were represented including Austria, Canada, France, Ireland, Isreal, Italy, Germany, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, UK and USA. Research and theory updates were given by Prof. Horst Weissleder and the Directors of the Dr. Vodder Schools provided practical updates for the instructors.

Lymphedema consensus documents

Lymphedema consensus documents are now available for download. Two important, world-wide consensus documents are available for download from our website at www.vodderschool.com/current_articles. The International Society of Lymphology (ISL) has a 2009 document on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Peripheral Lymphedema. The International Lymphedema Framework (ILF) has a 2006 Best Practice for the Management of Lymphedema document. There are plans to release an update to the ILF document in 2012.

New instructor to the Dr. Vodder School faculty

Lymphedema therapist and senior physiotherapist, Hozaidah Hosain, PT is the most recent member to join the Dr. Vodder School teaching faculty. We are delighted to welcome Hozaidah who is chief of Oncology Rehabilitation and Lymphedema Therapy at Singapore General Hospital (SGH). Hozaidah initiated the lymphedema management program in Singapore in 1999 and has successfully established SGH as a centre of excellence in lymphedema therapy in South East Asia. Find out more about the Dr. Vodder School faculty at: http://www.vodderschool.com/faculty

MLD 4 week Certification Courses in Victoria, BC

Our Fall courses are just around the corner. We will be offering Basic, Therapy I and Therapy II & III classes. These courses are available to PTs, PTAs, OTs, OTAs, RNs, and RMTs. The latter require a minimum of 500 hours in a recognized massage therapy program or US National certification. If you have completed 500 hours at a massage school this is sufficient training prerequisite.

The courses will be in Victoria, the beautiful oceanfront capital of British Columbia, Canada.

Basic is the first level of the 4-week training program, involving extensive hands-on work. The basic strokes and their application to each body part are taught. The theory covers anatomy and physiology of the lymph vessel system, connective tissue, effects of MLD and contradictions. Lymphedemas are described with an emphasis on how MLD can affect them.

Therapy I is the second level of the 4-week training program and will teach you the orthopedic applications of MLD as well as learning specialized techniques for the head, abdomen and intercostals. Apart from the new skills and theory you will learn in this class, there will be a thorough review of Basic theory and practical.

Therapy II & III is the final two weeks of the training and will teach you how to apply the skills you have learned in the Basic and Therapy I courses to various pathologies. You will learn many new skills including Combined Decongestive Therapy, which utilizes bandaging, edema strokes, exercises and skin care. While more than half of the course is dedicated to the treatment of lymphedema, many other pathologies are also covered. Dr. Anna Towers, lymhedema specialist from Montreal University Health Centre and associate professor in the faculty of Medicine at McGill University will give the theory lectures.

ILF Conference

We are looking forward to the International Lymphedema Framework conference in Toronto, June 16 to 18 at the Marriott hotel. If you are planning on attending, please do stop by and visit us at the Dr. Vodder School exhibit.
Enjoy the conference!

NALEA alliance formed

This exciting announcement represents an important new development related to your practice as Certified Lymphedema Therapist. Recently a new association was formed to maintain and improve training standards in the field of lymphedema therapy. This new association is called NALEA (North American Lymphedema Education Association) and is currently comprised of the 4 major training schools responsible for certifying the vast majority of CLT's in the United States and Canada. The founding members are;

~ Academy of Lymphatic Studies
~ Dr. Vodder School International
~ Klose Training & Consulting
~ Norton School of Lymphatic Therapy

NALEA supports the Complete/Combined Decongestive Therapy approach to lymphedema management with the goal of preparing well-educated and highly skilled therapists from all eligible medical professions. The formation of NALEA represents an evolution in lymphedema education by providing essential quality controls and safeguards towards maintaining standards and elevating the specialization as Certified Lymphedema Therapist. NALEA stands to guarantee that eligibility requirements are met for further credentialing by LANA and that general treatment skills are maintained throughout the future of each therapist's lymphedema practice.

We welcome you're visit to our newly created website which provides valuable details regarding NALEA.
http://www.lymphedemaeducationassociation.org/

For details related to NALEA's position on current congressional legislation please visit the NALEA website and http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-4662

Best regards,
NALEA Board Members

Advanced Garment Fitting for patients with lymphedema

If you are interested in fitting patients for compression garments or already do and would like to gain some expert tips, we encourage you to take this course in July. The Dr. Vodder School – International is offering a two day advanced course in conjunction with Juzo and taught by Angela Vollmer, a world-renowned expert in designing and fitting garments for challenging edema patients. Angela brings 35 years of experience to her stimulating courses. She worked for over 20 years at the Foldi and Asdonk clinics in Germany and helped design many of the garments currently in use.

The course is designed to take you beyond the basics of compression garment fitting to gain more satisfying results for your patients. Previous course participants have spoken very highly of their learning experience with Angela. Measuring practice is performed on real patients with arm and leg lymphedema to gain all the tips and tricks that Angela has developed.
Upon completion, garment fitters gain a free listing on the Dr. Vodder School website under the "Find a Garment Fitter" section.

Register now for the only course of its kind offered this year, July 19 & 20 in North America with Angela Vollmer. http://www.vodderschool.com/student/course/details?id=2702

Vodder News now available to read

Dr. Vodder News contains the latest information from the Dr. Vodder School, www.vodderschool.com/vodder_news
In the February issue, read an interesting article from Prof. Neil Piller about publishing your case studies. The latest book from Dr. Vodder School by Prof. Hildegard Wittlinger: Dr. Vodder's Manual Lymph Drainage; A Practical Guide is also featured. Read also about the upcoming International Lymphedema Framework conference and the newly formed North American Lymphedema Education Association.

MLD 4 week Certification Courses in Victoria, BC

Our Spring courses are just around the corner. We will be offering Basic, Therapy I and Therapy II & III classes. These courses are available to PTs, PTAs, OTs, OTAs, RNs, and RMTs. The latter require a minimum of 500 hours in a recognized massage therapy program or US National certification. If you have completed 500 hours at a massage school this is sufficient training prerequisite.

The courses will be in Victoria, the beautiful oceanfront capital of British Columbia, Canada.

Basic is the first level of the 4-week training program, involving extensive hands-on work. The basic strokes and their application to each body part are taught. The theory covers anatomy and physiology of the lymph vessel system, connective tissue, effects of MLD and contradictions. Lymphedemas are described with an emphasis on how MLD can affect them.

Therapy I is the second level of the 4-week training program and will teach you the orthopedic applications of MLD as well as learning specialized techniques for the head, abdomen and intercostals. Apart from the new skills and theory you will learn in this class, there will be a thorough review of Basic theory and practical.

Therapy II & III is the final two weeks of the training and will teach you how to apply the skills you have learned in the Basic and Therapy I courses to various pathologies. You will learn many new skills including Combined Decongestive Therapy, which utilizes bandaging, edema strokes, exercises and skin care. While more than half of the course is dedicated to the treatment of lymphedema, many other pathologies are also covered. Dr. Anna Towers, lymhedema specialist from Montreal University Health Centre and associate professor in the faculty of Medicine at McGill University will give the theory lectures.

New Textbook from the Dr. Vodder School

Dr. Vodder's Manual Lymph Drainage: A Practical Guide has now arrived! It is a comprehensive, one-step reference for students, therapists and practitioners of lymphology, manual medicine or physical therapy.
It features: the latest information on complete decongestive therapy (CDT), including coverage of compression therapy, taping, respiratory treatment and other complementary methods.
It has 142 pages with more than 200 pictures. And the appendix contains an informative history of Dr. Vodder's life and his contributions to the field.
You can buy this now from our website, www.vodderschool.com for the low price of $59.95 (plus applicable taxes and shipping & handling). Get yours today!

Early Intervention for Lymphedema Management

Early intervention for lymphedema management after breast cancer surgery may involve management of seroma. Dr. Vodder trained therapist, Joyce Bosman, PT has published research she performed with Prof. Neil Piller at Flinders University on the management of seroma using lymph taping. To read the article published in the Journal of Lymphoedema, please click on this link: J. Bosman, N. Piller: Lymph taping and seroma formation post breast cancer. Journal of Lymphoedema, 2010, Vol 5, No 2.