Stress & Fluid Retention: Why Your Body Feels Puffy During Hard Seasons

Chronic stress affects far more than mood or energy levels — it creates real, physical changes in the body. One of the most overlooked systems impacted by stress is the lymphatic system. For many people seeking lymphatic massage in Lakeway, TX, symptoms such as puffiness, inflammation, or heaviness are directly connected to prolonged stress and elevated cortisol.

Understanding how stress influences lymphatic flow can help explain why gentle, nervous-system-focused lymphatic therapy is so effective.

What Happens in the Body During Chronic Stress

When the body experiences stress, it releases cortisol, the primary stress hormone. In short bursts, cortisol is beneficial. It increases alertness and helps the body respond to immediate challenges. However, when stress becomes ongoing, cortisol remains elevated longer than intended.

Chronic cortisol elevation keeps the body in a constant state of survival mode. In this state, non-essential functions — including digestion, tissue repair...

Here's some old-school lymphatic wellness advice: Why treat the symptoms of the problems without treating the cause of the problem? Before spending another dollar on the latest skin product, check this out...

"We live in lymph, that is, our tissues are washed in lymph. It supplies us with the life-giving nutrients necessary for body development."

~Dr. Emil Vodder

In 1936, Dr. Vodder, the father of lymphatic drainage massage, wrote an article titled, "the Beauty of the Face." He uses the metaphor of lakes and streams to describe the lymphatic system, a metaphor that is still largely used by therapists today. The language is lovely, and I'm sharing some of it here:

As a lymphatic massage therapist, I usually finish a massage with a stimulating, full-body dry brushing. It gets the blood flowing and increases circulation. It also stimulates the lymphatic capillary mesh to pick up fluid and begin its way into the lymphatic vessels (lymphangions)  toward the lymph nodes. 

When I'm brushing, I usually describe what I'm doing and encourage my client to dry brush her own body for a couple of minutes before showering. That very delicate capillary mesh passively picks up interstitial fluid. Since it has no flaps or valves or pumps, this "mesh" responds to this brushing of the surface of the skin. Goose bumps are a good sign that dry brushing is doing its job.

Even though I always suggest dry brushing, I became a true believer once I saw how a certain client's body responded. It was almost miraculous, and I repeat the story here.

A Lymphatic Success Story

Let's call my client Ann. Ann had a complete mastectomy and reconstruction of her right breast abo...

I'm sure you don't lose sleep over the composition of lymph... but I do! 

Lymph is always changing... depending on the environment and the situation.

For example, after the Covid vaccine rollouts, I was obsessed with the idea that I could potentially be fast-moving that stuff through the body via the lymph system by doing a lymphatic massage. Without adequate long-term testing, I had no idea what that was doing to my clients. On the side of caution, I advised that if you recently had the vaccine, simply wait for a couple of weeks (just a guess) before having a manual lymphatic drainage massage. Incidentally, now that we know the mRNA does NOT stay in the arm like we were told, I can only cross my fingers that this was a good call. (Too much finger-crossing these past two years, IMO).

I also received requests for lymphatic drainage to help with the harmful effects of the Covid vaccines. Could lymphatic massage help process whatever it was that was causing pain and inflammation in peo...

As I was massaging a client recently, she referred to her abdomen as "The Cauldron of Lymph Nodes." 

Kudos to her for being so in touch with her body, but...

Are you picturing an iron pot over a fire, in which green, steaming soup boils with snakes and floating eyeballs? I can't say I blame you... I did, too! 

The truth is, your guts are teeming with lymph nodes doing hard work. Picture a smattering of organized, beautiful nodules filtering gunk like an elite, well-trained army of goodness and efficiency. That's exactly what it is!

You may have heard that your gut is your second brain. It's the main host to your microbiome and a key player in your overall health. It's also crucial for regulating inflammation and immunity.

Understandably, when your tummy feels gross, it's pretty hard to ignore.

It's not uncommon to sometimes resent your tummy's sluggish turmoil –– or experience a degree of self-loathing for eating those tacos so late the night before.

I get it! Call this too muc...

Sluggishness could mean you're on the right track.

No one wants to feel tired after a massage or other complementary healing modality. We want to feel on top of the world, light as a feather, strong and vital... but sometimes, the body has other plans.

Sometimes after a massage -- very occasionally, and for only a small percentage of people -- you feel a bit fatigued. Under-the-weather. Bushed.

The fact is every human lives in a physical body that is the receptacle of all sorts of toxins and abuse. Your body is your home, and sometimes you can put healing off psychologically because our spiritual and mental athletes rally when we need to. We're so tough, we can actually ignore the very vehicle we're traveling in.

We say to ourselves, " I have a vacation coming up in June; I'll relax then," or " I will get back to the gym after this new job training is finished," or "Next week will be a dry week, with no sugar and alcohol..." Etc. The mind and will are strong and can carry the day f...

Who doesn’t love a fresh start?

Turning the page from one calendar year to the next can feel like a chance to reset. The most popular new year’s practices aren’t resolutions so much, but a commitment to purge. Cleaning out closets, getting rid of subscription apps you’re not using, or donating toys to charity feels good because it’s like you’re releasing clutter that’s been choking off your best life. Purging what you don’t need is akin to breathing air and freeing up extra space. 

That’s why the notion of a full-body detox is so alluring. All the junk in your body gets a send-off and you get back on good footing with a new feeling of health and clarity. With a good, cleansing detox, you reset your body’s natural ability to function at its optimal best.

There are a lot of good plans for detoxification that include a restrictive diet and supplements, herbs, teas, etc. Limiting what you eat feels great. I did a 30-day cleanse once where all caffeine, sugar, gluten, alcohol, dairy, and...