Lymphatic Therapy
Manual
Lymphatic Drainage (MLD), is a type of body work that helps
clear the lymph system. The lymph system is an integral
part of your immune system. It is excellent for helping
to overcome edemas, insomnia, tendenitus, acne, and a host
of other complaints.
Lymphatic
Massage or Manual Lymphatic Therapy (MLT),
is a type of body work that helps clear the lymph system.
The lymph system is an integral part of your immune system.
MLT is excellent for helping to overcome insomnia, tendenitus,
acne and a host of other complaints.
Developed
in Europe in the 1930's by Dr. Emil and Estrid Vodder, Manual
Lymph Drainage (MLD®) is a safe, effective, yet gentle
approach to cleansing the body's tissues. It drains excess
fluid from the tissues and also has a detoxifying effect.
It can benefit a healthy person as well as be applied to
more than 60 different conditions.
Scientific
studies, as well as vast clinical experience, have supported
the effectiveness of this modality.
The
therapeutic benefits of MLT / MLD, evidenced by more than
30 years of research, are well documented. It is widely
prescribed by physicians in Europe and many physicians in
the United States and Canada also recognize the benefits
of MLT for their patients.
Benefits
of Manual Lymph Therapy
- Removes metabolic
wastes, excess water, toxins, bacteria, large protein
molecules and foreign substances from the tissues.
- Through its
gentle rhythmical precise hand movements, alleviates pain
by greatly reducing the pain signals sent to the brain.
- Relaxes the
sympathetic nervous system, thus helping to relieve stress.
- Supports
and enhances the action of the immune system.
- Helps the
body to heal more quickly from injuries, surgical trauma,
chronic conditions, and edema.
- Helps to
minimize scar formation.
Lymph
and the Lymphatic System
Nutrients entering
our bodies are transported by arteries and capillaries to
tissue cells which are surrounded by interstitial fluid.
The nutrients must pass through this fluid before reaching
the cells.
After metabolism,
the cells dump waste products back into the fluid for removal
by the venous blood capillaries and by a system of lymphatic
vessels.
The blood capillaries
only resort gases (mainly carbon dioxide), water (plasma),
and small molecular substances.
The lymphatic
vessel system must drain the interstitial fluid of everything
else. This includes the water (plasma) not resorted by the
venous reflow, plus unusable or waste matter such as proteins,
bacteria, long chain fats, dusts (from coal and glass),
dyes, dead cells and cell parts, mutant cells, etc.
The substances
are considered to be Lymph Obligatory Load (LOL). Once the
LOL enters the lymphatic system it is called lymph.
Lymph is then
transported through the lymphatic vessel system to lymph
nodes where it is filtered and cleaned before returning
to the blood circulatory system. Since the lymphatic vessel
system has no pump (heart) of its own, movement of lymph
is accomplished through a combination of forces, including
good diaphragmatic breathing, arterial pulsation, skeletal
muscle contractions, and peristaltic contractions.
If the lymphatic
system fails, or is impaired due to surgery, radiation,
disease, or trauma, swelling can occur in the interstitial
spaces increasing the distance between capillaries and cells.
If proper drainage does not occur, cells are exposed to
an undernourished, toxic environment. Disease can be the
result.
Indications
for MLT / MLD: |
| Surgical: |
Musculoskeletal: |
| • Post-mastectomy
edema |
• Sprains / strains |
| • Post-hysterectomy edema |
• Muscle / ligament tears |
| • Varicose veins |
• Fractures / dislocations |
| • Post-surgical swelling |
• Rheumatoid arthritis |
| • Pre-surgery recovery |
• Tendenitus |
| • Pre/post cosmetic surgery |
• Neck pain /whiplash |
| • Post-amputation |
• Chronic pain |
| • Post-vein stripping |
|
| |
Neurological: |
| Ear, Nose & Throat: |
• Tension headaches |
| • Allergies |
• Migraines |
| • Hay fever |
• Neuralgia, RSD |
| • Sinusitis |
• Multiple sclerosis |
| • Tendenitus |
• Parkinson's disease |
| • Meniere's disease |
• Carpal tunnel syndrome |
| |
• Stress reduction |
| Other: |
|
| • Fibromyalgia |
Dermatological: |
| • Chronic fatigue |
• Acne/eczema |
| • Toxic poisoning |
• Leg ulcers |
| • Scleraderma |
• Burns / scars |
Contraindications: |
| • Active Cancer |
| •
Acute inflammation |
| •
Congestive heart failure |
| •
Thrombosis (blood clots) |