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.

3rd International Lymphedema Framework Conference

The 3rd International Lymphedema Framework conference is taking place in June 2011 in Toronto, Canada. Abstracts for presentations can be submitted in January and I really encourage all Vodder Therapists to attend and make a presentation. Information on the conference can be found on the ILF website at: www.lympho.org/3rd-ilf-conference.php