Clearing the Fog— How the Lymphatic System Supports Lipedema & Healing with Tina Shin, OTD
Release Date: 08/27/2025
MCAS vs Histamine Intolerance Why Your Body Reacts to Everything (And You’re Not Crazy)
Dear body, I’m listening
“A reaction is not a moral failure— it's information. Your body is just responding to something, and right now it's giving you signals that it doesn't want that or it needs some extra help.” —Donna Piper When every meal feels like a risk and symptoms seem to come out of nowhere, it can start to feel like the body has turned against us. Many in the chronic illness community are stuck between labels like “histamine intolerance” and “MCAS” while still getting no clear plan or validation. This conversation names what is happening in the body and why it is not “all in...
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Rest Without Guilt (When Your Worth Got Tied to Output)
Dear body, I’m listening
“Rest isn't a character flaw. It's what your body needs in order to heal from these invisible illnesses. And for some of us, it's also a grief process, because we're not just resting from task; we’re resting from the version of ourselves who thought we had to earn love through output.” —Donna Piper Ep 36 Shownotes: Podcast Platforms We talk about rest like it is simple, but for many bodies it brings guilt, fear, and shame. When worth gets tied to productivity, stopping can feel dangerous even when the body is breaking down. This conversation meets the tension...
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Is It POTS? When Standing Up Feels Like a Trap
Dear body, I’m listening
“You're not making it up. You're not weak, you're not failing. Your body is working hard to keep you upright, and you deserve support that matches the reality of that.” —Donna Piper Standing up should not require strategy, recovery time, or mental math. When heart rate spikes, dizziness hits, and showers wipe us out, the hardest part is not the symptom. It is being told nothing is wrong while our body says otherwise. Donna shares lived experience with POTS, dysautonomia, and multiple comorbidities, blending physiology with trauma-informed insight. Her work is shaped by years...
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Traveling with Chronic Illness: Germany Edition
Dear body, I’m listening
“If you're traveling with chronic illness, I want you to hear me. There is nothing wrong with you. You just have to prepare a little bit. You deserve to travel in a way that doesn't punish you, that helps you, that makes you feel good.” —Donna Piper Travel takes more out of the body than most people admit. For those living with chronic illness, the cost shows up before the suitcase is even packed. Energy drains through lines, noise, time pressure, swelling, and the fear of crashing far from home. Donna shares her real-time approach to spending a month in Germany while...
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Pack, Move, Fly, Heal: Why I’m Choosing Germany for Lipedema Surgery
Dear body, I’m listening
“Movement and less pain is why I'm doing this and why I've chosen to go to Germany.” —Donna Piper Big life changes rarely wait their turn. When health decisions collide with exhaustion, logistics, and uncertainty, clarity matters more than certainty. Donna shares the personal and medical reasoning behind traveling to Germany for lipedema surgery while managing multiple chronic conditions. This episode traces how lived experience, failed conservative treatments, and the need for long-term care shaped a choice rooted in mobility, pain reduction, and nervous system safety. Press play...
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Lipedema Surgery Vs. Non-Surgical Care… Do I Have To Choose?
Dear body, I’m listening
“Anything you choose is not weakness. It's the best for you… Instead of thinking surgery or no surgery, try this question: ‘What would make my next step safer?’... Safety is a step, not a switch.” —Donna Piper Pressure around medical choices can turn care into panic. When the body is complex and money, time, and fear are involved, certainty starts to feel like a deadline. This conversation slows that moment down and gives it room to breathe. In this episode, Donna shares her lived experience navigating lipedema and the long road of conservative care, research, and...
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Hot Flashes, Heavy Legs: Lipedema Meets Perimenopause & Menopause
Dear body, I’m listening
“Lipedema is not a willpower issue. Shame is not a treatment plan. Late diagnosis does not mean late reality. It means late recognition. Your best advocate is yourself. There's nothing wrong with you. You've just been navigating a body that hasn't been understood by the medical world yet. Be gentle with your capacity. Meet yourself where you are.” —Donna Piper Bodies can change in ways that do not follow the rules we were taught. Pain, swelling, and heaviness show up, and the explanations never quite fit. Many women carry this quietly for years, assuming it is just weight or age....
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How Trauma Rewrites Pain Part 4: Flare or Trauma Response? When the Body’s Signals Get Confusing
Dear body, I’m listening
“Flares and trauma responses often look the same because fascia remembers, the nervous system protects, and the immune system overreacts to help defend itself, and the body is trying to keep you alive, not confused. So your job isn't to decode perfectly. Your job is to offer safety consistently, because when the body feels safe, the symptoms soften, and when the symptoms soften, the story changes, and when the story changes, the healing becomes possible.” —Donna Piper The body can shift from steady to overwhelmed without warning, leaving confusion about what just took over. Pain,...
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Transformation Boundaries: Protect Energy And Design A Purposeful Life with Didi Selwa
Dear body, I’m listening
“Move forward, take action. It may happen, it may not, but it's just about putting one step in front of the other— doing that is so important. When you go forward, you realize, ‘oh, that's not for me’, but in the process, you discover what is.” —Didi Selwa Drop the guilt of being stuck and discover a movement that meets your body where it is. Press play to hear how embodiment, faith, and small practical steps shift shame, chronic illness limits, and stalled dreams into forward motion. Didi Selwa went from a 25-year banking career to a Certified Transformational Life...
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The Science of Feeling Safe: Gentle Practices to Regulate Chronic Stress with Ann Diment
Dear body, I’m listening
"We are the experts in our well-being and our own bodies, and it's important for us to advocate for ourselves. We're not defined by our past. Our past is gone. It's in the past, and the beliefs we formed about ourselves based on what we've been told by other people or experienced in the past aren't necessarily true." —Ann Diment Some seasons of life push us past our limits, and the body keeps score long before we understand why. Many of us try to outwork the chaos, yet the real shift begins when we finally question the version of resilience we were taught to admire. There is a quieter...
info_outline"If you are going through a struggle with lymphedema, lipedema, or anything related to your lymphatic system, don't be afraid to do your own research and be your own advocate." —Tina Shin
What if the most important system in your body is also the least understood—even by your own doctor? This episode of Dear Body, I’m Listening dives into the hidden world of the lymphatic system and why it matters for anyone living with lipedema, lymphedema, or chronic illness.
Tina Shin is a certified lymphedema therapist and occupational therapist with years of hands-on experience helping patients navigate the confusing world of lymphatic health. From leading clinical teams at major medical centers to running her own practice, Tina has seen firsthand how misunderstood the lymphatic system is, and she’s passionate about empowering people to understand their bodies, advocate for their needs, and find the right support—whether it’s for chronic illness, post-surgical recovery, or everyday wellness.
Tune in to learn how to spot lymphatic dysfunction, find the right therapist, understand lymphedema vs. lipedema, and get clear guidance on the lymphatic system, MLD, post-surgical care, emotional healing, and self-advocacy.
Connect with Donna:
Website: https://www.donnapiper.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnapiper
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedonnapiper
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedonnapiper
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedonnapiper
Episode Highlights:
02:38 The Lymphatic Wake Up Call
06:07 Why Doctors Don’t Talk About Lymph
13:41 Lymphedema vs Lipedema
19:42 MLD Explained— What’s Real and What’s Hype
28:35 Is Your Lymphatic System Healthy?
39:50 Post Surgery Recovery— Best Practices
50:22 How Does Lymph Move?
57:44 When Lymph Gets Stuck— Fibrosis and Realistic Expectations
01:02:57 Biggest Lesson: Be Your Own Advocate
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Tired of the medical runaround? Get the facts on swelling, healing, and finding the right help this week with LANA-certified lymphedema therapist, Tina Shin. #DearBodyImListening #MCAS #Lymphedema #Lipedema #ChronicIllness #LymphaticHealth #MLD #SelfAdvocacy #Healing
Quotes:
01:00 "Swelling, brain fog, nervous system crashes, and the kind of symptoms that don't always show up on lab results—these are the things we need to talk about with honesty and compassion." —Donna Piper
32:00 "If you feel like you have something with your lymph or swelling, seek out a therapist. At least you could get some good information on what to do." —Donna Piper
45:12 "There's a transitional time with lots of emotions [post-surgery]. There's a period of reacquainting with your new body." —Donna Piper
01:01:49 "Your MLD, your OT, your PT, whoever does this, is really your partner in all this, and it really is a big support." —Donna Piper
04:00 "The lymphatic system is an incredibly important system, but it is greatly underappreciated. If our lymphatic system were to fail, we would die within about 24 to 48 hours." —Tina Shin
08:02 "The lymphatic system is so intertwined with other systems that it's difficult to parse out whether an issue is lymphatic, liver, kidney, or cardiac. That's why we don't have any lymph-specializing doctors." —Tina Shin
09:03 "With more awareness, advocacy, and more people getting educated, it's definitely getting better." —Tina Shin
16:33 "People with lipedema can eventually develop lymphedema because of the stress on the lymphatic system, evolving into lipo-lymphedema. But someone with lymphedema isn't going to get lipedema unless they were born with it." —Tina Shin
25:42 "Whoever you're working with should have a license to touch… Beyond that, look for a certified lymphedema therapist (CLT) or someone with MLD certification." —Tina Shin
30:22 "Most people have pretty well-functioning lymphatic systems, but they can get abused." —Tina Shin
40:55 "MLD and proper compression are huge for post-surgical care. Working with a qualified therapist gives you another set of eyes, reassurance, and support through the emotional ups and downs of recovery." —Tina Shin
45:32 “Letting people know that these emotions are common and they're not alone can be reassuring." —Tina Shin
01:03:54 "If you are going through a struggle with lymphedema, lipedema, or anything related to your lymphatic system, don't be afraid to do your own research and be your own advocate." —Tina Shin
01:04:16 "Don't be afraid to buck what some of them might be saying, because there's still a lot of education and growth needed in this area." —Tina Shin
01:05:02 "Educate yourself and then educate others. Just keep moving this forward." —Tina Shin
Connect with Tina:
Tina Shin is a LANA-certified lymphedema therapist with a clinical doctorate in occupational therapy. She completed her residency at the Keck Medical Center of USC in Los Angeles, where she eventually served as the lead lymphedema therapist for several years. In 2021, she also opened her private practice, OC Lymphatics, where she provides mobile lymphatic services throughout Orange County. She specializes in lymphedema, lipedema, oncology, peri-surgical care, and helping patients who suffer from chronic conditions.
Website: http://www.oclymphatics.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/oclymphatics
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oclymphatics/