Lymphatic Drainage

Lymphatic Drainage – What is it?

Lymphatic drainage is all about detoxifying the body and stimulating the immune system, to help fight infection and promote healing. Often known as manual lymphatic drainage, the procedure includes gentle, full-body massage movements. The goal is to drain the excess fluids from the tissues containing wastes and toxins and as a result, give a boost to the immune system.

 

WHAT IS THE LYMPHATIC SYSTEM?

Just like the circulatory system, the lymphatic system is a broad network of vessels, tissues, and organs that work together and transport a watery, colorless fluid (lymph) back into the bloodstream. A total of 20 liters of plasma crosses the blood vessels in one day supplying blood on the way. In return, the veins collect the wastes (almost 17 liters) from the organs. The three liters that are left seep into the body tissues via capillaries. Often health conditions like lymphedema lead to the build-up of lymph. That’s where lymphatic drainage massage comes to the rescue.

Being part of the immune system, the lymphatic system performs many key functions in the body such as protection against infections and diseases, maintenance of fluid levels in the body, and absorption of fats from the digestive tract along with the removal of wastes and abnormal cells from lymph.

 

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF THE LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE?

The benefits are numerous and have been backed by studies. Here are the top three benefits:

Rheumatoid Arthritis:
With the progression of this disease, lymph flow becomes poor. Swelling in tissues occurs with the progress of the disease, pain increases in the joints, and function decreases. With lymph drainage massage, these symptoms subside and become easy to manage.

Chronic Venous Insufficiency: The valves of the veins in the legs become hard and work inefficiently. This condition is known as Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) and is associated with the disruption in blood flow to the legs. Lymphatic drainage helps in resolving this problem by improving blood flow.

Fibromyalgia: In this condition, inflammation of skin nerves occurs along with tissue swelling and discoloration of the skin. Lymphatic drainage helps in improving the quality of life of people living with this condition.

 

WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT FROM A SESSION?

During this massage, the therapist will focus on the body areas having main lymph nodes which are the groin, armpits, and neck. Light pressure along with long strokes will be applied to get the lymph flowing. One massage session lasts from 1.5 hours to 2 hours.

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