Tears and the Gushing Effect of Lymphatic Drainage

Sjogren's is a condition that affects your saliva and your tears. I never knew the importance of this until a client described having to "scrape her tongue off the roof of her mouth and having to take a drink of water to just swallow." Goodness, what a situation!
 
I have been at this for a couple of years now, and I'm always humbled when I hear of someone's daily dealing, and what lymphatic drainage can do for them. This was my first client with Sjogren's syndrome, a condition characterized by dry eyes and dry mouth.  There is a relationship with other autoimmune conditions like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
 
My client was overjoyed when she found herself swallowing her own saliva and blinking her own tears after just a few minutes of manual lymphatic drainage. When the fluids are flowing and you are feeling juicy, that's how you know lymphatic drainage is working for you. (By the way, we're talking ALL the fluids, above and below the waist...) Every day I...
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Can You Combine Deep Tissue With Lymphatic Massage?

Today, someone asked if we can combine lymphatic massage with a deeper massage that addresses sore muscles. It's a good question! Who wouldn't like a single session where you can get relief from the pain in soft tissue (muscles and joints) while also shifting excess fluid from an affected area (lymphatic drainage)? But the answer is, in general, it's better to keep these massages separate.
 
The main reason is that the very small and delicate lymphatic capillaries permit the influx of interstitial fluid. The therapist uses very gentle and specific manual lymph drainage techniques to move this fluid into the lymphatic system where it eventually drains into the lymph nodes. The technique is very gentle and slow, so as not to overtax the vessels.
When you combine deeper techniques like those used in deep tissue or Swedish massage, the lymphatic effect is often wasted. You end up squashing the delicate lymphatic capillaries instead of letting them do the work the therapist is...
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This Magical Deep Belly Breath Will Change Your Life

Babies and kittens really know how to breathe, do you?

Babies and kittens both know how to keep their bellies soft when they breathe. Watch one sometime; you’ll see their small tummies balloon out with every intake of breath.

Chances are, you breathe like babies and kittens when you’re asleep. And like most adults, you chest-breathe during your waking hours.

If, while awake, belly breathing feels unnatural for you, as it did me not too long ago, you’re not alone. Most people breathe shallowly, from the chest and ribs up to the throat. It’s an unconscious transition from the belly breathing of a baby to the chest breathing of an adult, but it’s one a lot of people make. Whether from stress, the tension in your neck and shoulders, or being conscious of posture and a desire to “hold your gut in” for appearance's sake; it’s how most of us breathe.

I remember as a preteen when I learned how to suck in air to make my stomach flat. At the...

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Contraindications for Manual Lymphatic Drainage

Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) is a gentle and safe massage therapy technique. This protocol effectively reduces pain and soreness in tissues and joints, and mechanically reduces swelling and bruising of tissues after surgery. It's also effective in preparing you for surgery because it activates the lymphatic system before the trauma of surgery. As a general maintenance measure, regular MLD flushes the lymphatic system of toxins. On top of that, it's the most relaxing massage you can get!

There are very few contraindications for MLD. Lymphatic massage can be included in the treatment of an abundance of pathologies. However, a few absolute contraindications are worth noting before you schedule an MLD session with your certified manual lymphatic drainage therapist.

  1. Acute cellulitis is the inflammation of the skin, caused by bacterias staphylococcus or streptococcus, often located near surgical wounds or ulcers. It is characterized by redness, pain or tenderness, enlarged...
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What is the Vodder Technique for Lymphatic Drainage?

Lymphatic massage is surprisingly gentle.

The originators of the Vodder Technique

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The Beneficial Effects of Lymphatic Massage


I’ll never forget the first time I received MLD, otherwise known as Manual Lymph Drainage, Lymphatic Massage, or Lymphatic Drainage.

It almost felt like a dream state, where I was half awake and half asleep. At one point I may have drifted in and out because I remember something like talking in my sleep—only I wasn’t quite asleep.

I also know my digestive system became activated. My stomach started making those gurgling noises and I was a little embarrassed, but the massage therapist said, “It’s fine, That’s the effect I was hoping for.”

When I got off the table 50 minutes later, I felt like I was walking on air. Very light and ethereal. I went home and slept really well that night!

A meditative state of calm

The first benefit—I can guarantee this nearly 100%—is the experience of magical relaxation. You could compare it to deep meditation. As a practitioner of lymphatic massage, I have never known even my most talkative...

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Ready to Go Back to Your Massage Therapist?

Image by Microgen, Adobe Stock

Here’s what to expect in the age of COVID.

As people venture out after the lockdown, many are craving a massage

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The Mechanical Movement of Lymph

lymphatic system Mar 31, 2020

Thank your body for doing thousands of things without you even having to think about it. 

You take a bite of a sandwich, and after chewing and swallowing, your job is done. The digestive system largely takes over from there. You bang your head on the edge of the pool, and after a couple of stitches and a bandage, your circulatory system comes to the rescue to heal the wound. Your brain and nervous system receive information via your eyes, ears, nose, and touch, alerting you to environmental dangers, as well as pleasurable opportunities. You fall asleep each night and your body grows, heals, rests, recuperates, and stores energy for you to get up and do life again the next day. All without much conscious intervention on your part.

The lymphatic system also functions with or without your help. But if you want to increase its immunity-building capabilities, you can actually do something about it. Like a bodybuilder works to define her muscles, your behavior actually facilitates a...

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The Importance of the Lymphatic System to Inflammation

 

You just dropped an iron on your big toe.

After crumpling to your knees and spewing a curse word or two, you know what’s going to happen. Your toe will turn bright red, it’ll get very hot to the touch, it will be sore and puffy. You may not be able to move it for a while. These are all signs of inflammation, your body’s natural defenses coming to the rescue.

What you can’t see is the dilation of the blood vessels, which allow more blood to reach the tissue. This blood contains a gang of white blood cells rushing into the wounded tissue, ready to fight a battle against infection. Inflammatory mediators trigger immune system cells to pass out of the small blood vessels to prevent further tissue damage. Hormonal signals irritate nerves and cause pain. Inflammation, from the Latin “inflammare”( to burn), sounds an alarm to your entire body. If something hurts, you’re more likely to notice and protect that body part. 

Inflammation...

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