Massage Therapy

Lymphatic drainage massage, also known as manual lymphatic drainage, is a gentle form of massage used to relieve painful swelling in your arms and legs caused by lymphedema. Lymphedema often affects people recovering from breast cancer surgery.

Lymphedema happens when your tissues retain fluid left behind after your cardiovascular system sends blood to your tissues and organs.

The remaining fluid is called lymph. Normally, your lymphatic system collects your lymph and returns it to your heart via a network of lymph vessels and lymph nodes. When something disrupts your lymphatic system's process, lymph collects in your arms and legs, making them swell.

A massage therapist uses lymphatic drainage massage techniques to move lymph from your tissues to your lymph nodes, which eases the swelling in your tissues.

A lymphatic drainage massage is a two-step process:

Clearing: This step releases lymphatic fluid in your tissues.

Reabsorption: This step moves your lymphatic fluid to your lymph nodes

Whether we are breathing them in, consuming them, or absorbing them through products on our skin, toxins get in. Daily, we are exposed to at least 129 chemicals, at work and at home from sources like cleaning products, food, water, skin care products, and makeup to name a few. We are even exposed to harmful chemicals in our running water, which the skin can absorb at a rate of 64%. The purpose of lymphatic massage is to assist the body to drain and eliminate this daily barrage of harmful heavy metals and chemicals.

According to the CDC, 13 million workers in the United States are exposed to chemicals that can be absorbed by the skin on a daily basis. Professions at highest risk include cosmetology, health care, agriculture and manufacturing. And we are exposed to those same chemicals through our hair products, detergents, the food we consume, and skin care products.

These chemicals and heavy metals originate from a variety of sources and can result in a variety of adverse effects. These are often referred to as endocrine-disrupting chemicals or hormone-disrupting chemicals. These chemicals negatively impact the hormonal systems in the body; the results have been linked to cancers, heart problems, and other concerns. They can harm the skin and internal systems. Some of these exposures could result in fatigue, immune disturbance, and skin irritation.

Lymph vessels trace the same path as blood vessels, with a few clusters of lymph nodes along the way, primarily the neck, under arms and joints. The role of the lymphatic system is to carry lymph fluid where lymphocytes and macrophages are produced with the mission of destroying invading toxins and returning waste to the bloodstream, where it can then be eliminated by the digestive and urinary tract system. The lymphatic system also acts as a helper to the circulatory system, maintaining proper fluid volume. Massage of the lymphatic system can aid in the balance of fluid, i.e., water retention and communication between lymphatic and circulatory systems. It can also aid in digestion, further helping eliminate unwanted toxins.

Our bodies work so beautifully, and lymphatic massage is a gentle and effective way to aid our bodies in that loving process. We can assist the natural process as well as potentially improve the health of those who may have a weakened lymphatic response.

Lymphatic massage is typically light pressure and small circular motion moving toward the heart, in lymphatic regions such as underarms, chest, neck, legs and joints.

This is not a muscular massage, rather a massage of targeted lymphatic vessels, primarily in the neck, underarms, chest, abdomen and joints.

It typically only takes 30-45 minutes as opposed to a traditional 60-90-minute deep tissue massage.

Lymphatic massage is for anyone suffering from swelling, lymphedema or fluid retention, but can also help individuals who may be recovering from surgery or general inflammation including sinus pressure and headaches.

While both treatments offer unique and powerful benefits, the purpose of a lymphatic massage is to eliminate deep toxins from the body, therefore reducing swelling and retained water.

The most obvious benefit of stomach massage is that it can aid digestion. Gentle pressure applied in clockwise circular motions helps get everything moving. Studies have shown that abdominal massage can help those with more serious digestive issues. A 2018 study found that 15-minute massages twice a day for three days showed improvements in the digestive issues of individuals who had an endotracheal tube. Furthermore, the massage group also saw a reduction in their abdominal circumference and experienced a significant decrease in constipation.

So much of our health and wellbeing starts with our gut, and you might be surprised to find out that a significant portion of our immune system is actually in our GI tract. If our gut health is suffering, we'll feel the ramifications throughout our whole body. Stomach massage can stimulate the lymphatic and circulatory systems. Boost your body's natural defense system by maintaining good gut health through a nutritious diet, managed stress, enough sleep—and try regular abdominal massage.

Abdominal massage benefits aren't just limited to the stomach. Massage techniques like circular stroking of the abdomen (as well as kneading the feet and thighs) may help improve PMS symptoms such as pain, water retention, and distress.

Releases Physical and Emotional Stress:

One of the main reasons we get massages is to relieve stress. The same benefit can be found in the practice of abdominal massage.3 Especially because of the societal pressures that surround our stomach, letting go and allowing a massage therapist to do work in that area—or making time for ourselves by massaging our own midsections—can provide some much-needed attention and self-care to body parts we've been made to feel uncomfortable about. Dismissing our own judgments and insecurities to take care of our bodies can be just as cleansing as the physical benefits at work.