Did You Know Liposuction Helps Cancer Patients?

Liposuction has a lot of stigmas – some see it as a shameful medical procedure for people who couldn’t lose weight the healthy way. But liposuction is a recognized medical procedure that has been found to effectively treat many conditions – not just obesity. Did you know it actually helps cancer patients who have won their battle with cancer?

When cancer metastasizes, it travels through the lymph system and lymph nodes. Some cancer treatments consequently target or harm the lymph nodes, which is not bad at all if the treatments save your life, right? That’s the case for Sharne Willoughby, who survived cervical cancer but suffered collateral damage to her lymph nodes. Her lymph system couldn’t efficiently filter out bodily wastes, which lead to a backing up of lymph fluid that caused excessive swelling in mostly the extremities.

Willoughby’s lymphoedema was so bad that her one leg weighed about 28 pounds more than her other one! It’s not just her either – about 20 percent of breast cancer survivors develop lymphoedema. In the past, there were no competent treatments for lymphoedema except special tight clothes, a special exercise regimen, and special massage therapy.

Here’s where liposuction comes in! Macquarie University Hospital is the first to start using liposuction in their unique treatment for lymphoedema. Willoughby is one of over 50 cancer patients to have been successfully treated with their liposuction treatment. Now that her leg is more normal, she’s able to go to work everyday and climb stairs with ease. She thankfully claims that she has her life back.

If you’re suffering from lymphoedema, unfortunately it can be costly since the new procedure isn’t yet covered by all health insurances. Luckily, while waiting for this new treatment to become more accessible, you can try these natural remedies for lymphoedema:

Lose weight. Losing excess weight helps your body retain less water and fluids. It also lowers the overall burden your body has to bear from the buildup of excess fluids.

Eat healthy and avoid toxin-heavy foods. If you eat healthy and avoid junk foods that have lots of artificial chemicals, your lymph system will have to filter out less toxins in your body. That means you’ll hopefully have less lymph fluid backed up.

Try bromelain. Researchers found that the supplement bromelain can help lower edema. Ask your doctor if it’s right for you.

Don’t lump liposuction as a shameful procedure for weight loss. It actually also helps cancer patients and many other patients with different diseases, too. If you’re suffering from lymphoedema or another kind of edema, try losing weight, eating healthy, and taking bromelain.