Lymphstar
Pro and other machines like it
There has been alot around the internet
lately regarding the Lymph Star Pro and other various
types of
lymph promoting machines that are supposed to help with Manual Lymph Drainage.
I'd
love to see responses from those who tried them. What I've
found out is: They all seem to tell
you about the wonderful benefits, how to use it, who should use it, the history of where and how
the machine came about, testimonials, and even one site that directs
you to the FDA stating
they have met regulations as of 8/1/05, but
there is no listing for them on that site. There are
also no
studies, clinical trials, or research articles/information on any of the
products like this.
Alot of the sites outright state something like
this: ''No health claims are made with these
products. If you have
any ailments, please consult a physician. The products listed on this page
are not toys and are considered therapeutic. There are no returns on
any of these items except
for special situations'' These machines
range in price from $1,000 on up with the most common
ones like the
Lymph Star Pro ranking in at about $200.00. That is alot of money to buy
something to try when there are no clinicals supporting the product.
The Lymph Star was said to
be listd on the FDA site (which you
would think if it was FDA approved it would be ok to use
right?)
which again it is not, but the interesting thing is it's listed as a Class 1
Medical Device.
The FDA defines a Class 1 device as ''The Medical
Device Amendments of 1976 to the Federal
Food, Drug and Cosmetic
Act established three regulatory classes for medical devices. The
three classes are based on the degree of control necessary to assure the
various types of
devices are safe and effective. Class I These
devices present minimal potential for harm to the
user and are
often simpler in design than Class II or Class III devices. Examples include
enema
kits and elastic bandages. 47% of medical devices fall under
this category and 95% of these
are exempt from the regulatory
process. Does a Class 1 device that is not listed even as
recently
being approved by the FDA at all, sound appealing to you to use? What do you
all
think? Are you willing to try something at that price? Are you
willing to use a device that is not
FDA regulated and risk
harm?
________________________________________________________________
THE CHI
MACHINE
http://www.chimachine4u.com/lymphoedema.html
This
is the Sun website for the machine, they
have oodles of lymphedema
patient testimonies. They also claim that 15 minutes on the
machine equals 1 hour of Manual Lymph
Drainage.
http://www.chimachine4u.com/chimedical.html this is the
research and clinicals they have done.
http://google.fda.gov/search?
output=xml_no_dtd&oe=&lr=&proxystylesheet=FDA&client=FDA&site=FDA&restr
ict=&getfields=*&q=chi+machine&as=Search
Above
is the FDA information I found on the Chi Machine, the company site has been
written
up for some interesting claims about some of their products
in the past, would you trust them?
I actually had the opportunity to try
the Chi Machine. I tried it twice. The first time was at my
therapists office, I was on it 5 minutes, no difference in swelling
although my leg did feel
warmer. The 2nd time was 5 minutes and
nothing happened.
it's always best to check out quackwatch and the FDA
websites before deciding to purchase or
use a
machine.
Quackwatch has not yet posted Chi information.
One thing
to watch for is the device class and what it claims to do. You could say
ultrasound
helps lymphedema. In a roundabout way it might
contribute to lymph flow but ultrasound
therapy helps loosen tight
muscles and muscle contractions help move lymph so when the
muscle
is working properly lymph will flow better so in a roundabout way it helps
lymph.
______________________________________________________________
Swimming and
bubble therapy are popular for Lymphedema. Hot tubs and spas if not too warm
can help lymph flow. One must be careful of hot tub lung, which is
treatable, but similiar to the
flu. The Mayo Clinic warns that
bacterium bubbling in water and mist can be inhaled and infect
lungs and cause serious illnesses. Clean your hot tub system
frequently and change all the
water at least once a
month.
______________________________________________________________
Pro and other machines like it
There has been alot around the internet
lately regarding the Lymph Star Pro and other various
types of
lymph promoting machines that are supposed to help with Manual Lymph Drainage.
I'd
love to see responses from those who tried them. What I've
found out is: They all seem to tell
you about the wonderful benefits, how to use it, who should use it, the history of where and how
the machine came about, testimonials, and even one site that directs
you to the FDA stating
they have met regulations as of 8/1/05, but
there is no listing for them on that site. There are
also no
studies, clinical trials, or research articles/information on any of the
products like this.
Alot of the sites outright state something like
this: ''No health claims are made with these
products. If you have
any ailments, please consult a physician. The products listed on this page
are not toys and are considered therapeutic. There are no returns on
any of these items except
for special situations'' These machines
range in price from $1,000 on up with the most common
ones like the
Lymph Star Pro ranking in at about $200.00. That is alot of money to buy
something to try when there are no clinicals supporting the product.
The Lymph Star was said to
be listd on the FDA site (which you
would think if it was FDA approved it would be ok to use
right?)
which again it is not, but the interesting thing is it's listed as a Class 1
Medical Device.
The FDA defines a Class 1 device as ''The Medical
Device Amendments of 1976 to the Federal
Food, Drug and Cosmetic
Act established three regulatory classes for medical devices. The
three classes are based on the degree of control necessary to assure the
various types of
devices are safe and effective. Class I These
devices present minimal potential for harm to the
user and are
often simpler in design than Class II or Class III devices. Examples include
enema
kits and elastic bandages. 47% of medical devices fall under
this category and 95% of these
are exempt from the regulatory
process. Does a Class 1 device that is not listed even as
recently
being approved by the FDA at all, sound appealing to you to use? What do you
all
think? Are you willing to try something at that price? Are you
willing to use a device that is not
FDA regulated and risk
harm?
________________________________________________________________
THE CHI
MACHINE
http://www.chimachine4u.com/lymphoedema.html
This
is the Sun website for the machine, they
have oodles of lymphedema
patient testimonies. They also claim that 15 minutes on the
machine equals 1 hour of Manual Lymph
Drainage.
http://www.chimachine4u.com/chimedical.html this is the
research and clinicals they have done.
http://google.fda.gov/search?
output=xml_no_dtd&oe=&lr=&proxystylesheet=FDA&client=FDA&site=FDA&restr
ict=&getfields=*&q=chi+machine&as=Search
Above
is the FDA information I found on the Chi Machine, the company site has been
written
up for some interesting claims about some of their products
in the past, would you trust them?
I actually had the opportunity to try
the Chi Machine. I tried it twice. The first time was at my
therapists office, I was on it 5 minutes, no difference in swelling
although my leg did feel
warmer. The 2nd time was 5 minutes and
nothing happened.
it's always best to check out quackwatch and the FDA
websites before deciding to purchase or
use a
machine.
Quackwatch has not yet posted Chi information.
One thing
to watch for is the device class and what it claims to do. You could say
ultrasound
helps lymphedema. In a roundabout way it might
contribute to lymph flow but ultrasound
therapy helps loosen tight
muscles and muscle contractions help move lymph so when the
muscle
is working properly lymph will flow better so in a roundabout way it helps
lymph.
______________________________________________________________
Swimming and
bubble therapy are popular for Lymphedema. Hot tubs and spas if not too warm
can help lymph flow. One must be careful of hot tub lung, which is
treatable, but similiar to the
flu. The Mayo Clinic warns that
bacterium bubbling in water and mist can be inhaled and infect
lungs and cause serious illnesses. Clean your hot tub system
frequently and change all the
water at least once a
month.
______________________________________________________________