How can lymph drainage massage improve your health?

What is the lymph System?

Your Lymph System is a vascular system that if found just underneath the skin. It is your waste management system and helps the body remove toxins and by products from chemical reactions.

The lymphatic system is made up of lymph vessels, lymph nodes and lymphatic fluid. Your spleen, thymus, tonsils and adenoids are also part of the lymphatic system. There are over 600 lymph nodes located in a plethora of locations around the body. The lymph nodes job are to filter lymphatic fluid until it reaches the thoracic duct where is it is filtered again; before being reabsorbed by the blood stream. The lymphatic fluid is in fact made up of clear fluid which contains white blood cells.

How does the Lymph System fight infection?

The lymph system is a major part of your immune system and it regulates the production of white blood cells which help your body fight infection, if the body detects any bacteria the lymph system will produce extra white blood cells and this is what causes your lymph nodes to swell around your neck or other areas when our body is fighting an infection.

What else does the Lymph System do?

As well as fighting infection the Lymph System helps to remove any excess fluid which contains the waste products from all organs and cells.

Why do some people get swellings and can Lymphatic drainage help?

 Sometimes the Lymph fluid can build up, this can be caused by numerous things such as illness and over exertion of the lymph system; in older people their circulation can slow down which in turn slows the lymph system down. If this is left untreated areas of the body can become swollen, the legs are a particularly common area. The lymph vessels themselves can become hard and dilated and unfortunately the build up can cause the valves to stop functioning properly which only exacerbates the situation. If the fluid is not being moved around the body and cleansed it then becomes susceptible to infection. In these circumstances we will need to make sure that any swellings are not infected before we start to treat them. After that Lymphatic drainage can be used to dramatically decrease any swellings and help kick start the lymph system again.

The lymph massage is a very slow and relaxing treatment unlike the name we do not drain anything from your body and you will probably feel so relaxed that you may sleep. The lymphatic system is located just beneath the skins surface so a reasonably light touch is needed to reach it. There are several technique variations but the main principles are the same. First the massage therapist will open up your thoracic ducts which will start to suck lymph from all over your body, then the therapist will use light strokes and gentle pumping actions to move the lymph towards these ducts throughout the massage. They may pay particular attention to certain areas and certain nodes if they feel there is a slight blockage. We recommend having a few sessions of lymph drainage as we believe the first session clears and cleanses your body and then the next session will help to boost your lymph system and hopefully get it working properly again.What will the massage consist of and how long will it take?In certain circumstances such as chronic  swelling it may require regular sessions to get on top of the swelling and reduce it and in some circumstances it may be a treatment which is required long term especially if there are other health problems involves such as poor circulation, certain medications and even changes in hormones.