Lymph Drainage Therapy via electro-sound
Restore Balance and Health to the Body
Lymph drainage therapy deals with the lymphatic
system of the body. The lymphatic system is very closely tied to the
circulatory system. The main goal of lymph drainage, or “lymphatic
drainage” is to improve upon or restore a drainage and transport system
that is impaired or slowed down.
Lymphatic System: What Does it Do?
A brief anatomy and physiology lesson is needed in order to
understand lymphatic drainage massage. Once you get a brief picture of
the lymphatic system and what it does in the body, even if you don’t
memorize everything described on this page, you will be able to begin to
see the effectiveness of lymph drainage therapy.
The lymphatic system is like a watershed. It starts very small in
one cell thick vessels just under the skin. These tiny vessels run
parallel to the blood vessels. The lymph system has no pump to move the
lymph fluid, like the heart pumps the blood.
Manual lymph drainage can increase the rate of lymph drainage in the
body by 20 times. Lymphatic therapy is a specialized session to
increase this lymph drainage. It is not a normal treatment which mainly
massages muscles. The purpose is different.
The tiny lymph capillaries also have no valves in them. Lymph flows
in all directions. Therefore, a therapist with the goal of moving lymph
in a desired direction can do so in the most beneficial direction. The
initial lymph process gathers up the fluid from the interstitial space
(gaps between blood vessels and cells), which then builds up in the
tiny lymph capillaries.
The capillaries dump the lymph fluid into what is called
“pre-collectors”, and then into “collectors”. Pre-collectors are halfway
between the tiny capillaries and the collectors. These pre-collectors
have some minor one-way valves that move the fluid forward somewhat.
The collectors have more distinct one-way valves.
The spaces between the valves of the collectors are called
lymphangions. The lymph fluid is moved along by contraction of these
(lymphangion ) sections. The body has collectors near the surface of the
skin and also deep collectors. Lymph drainage treatment of the surface
vessels provides a pumping effect, or suction-like effect, which
empties the deep ones, also. The largest lymph vessels are called lymph
trunks. They exit into the blood circulation near the heart.
Lymph Nodes
There are around 600-700 lymph nodes in the body. The nodes lie
between the collectors and the trunks of the lymphatic system. Each
trunk empties the lymph nodes in its region of the body.
The lymph nodes are metabolic waste filters, clearing the body of
foreign invaders, poisons and pathogens. The lymph nodes continually
produce white blood cells and defend the body against invasion. When you
have an invasion, like a cold virus, activity speeds up and a battle
goes on in the lymph system, especially the nodes. The white blood cells
(called lymphocytes) seek and destroy the viruses or bacteria that have invaded.
Most of the time you can’t feel your lymph nodes. If you can feel a
lymph node, it has become enlarged and you can suspect an infection,
swelling or a problem of some kind. Many times when you are sick you can
feel the swollen nodes in your neck.
If you have a cold or infection you will want to wait until it is
over before you receive lymph drainage treatment, since you want the
harmful invaders to stay in the lymph nodes until they are killed by
the white blood cells there.
Lymphatic Watersheds
Each lymphatic watershed drains an quadrant of the body. Every node
receives lymph from a specific part of the body like a tributary to a
river. The left ankle drains to the lymph nodes in the lower left
abdomen, for instance. Smaller to larger drainage occurs like mountain
water runs down small creeks into bigger creeks until it reaches a big
river. These quadrants, however, are not inseparable.
If you have surgical lymph node removal, the lymph fluid that should
drain to these missing lymph nodes can be moved by lymph drainage to a
different adjoining tributary where lymph nodes are still intact.
Physicians will sometimes teach patients to perform lymph drainage
daily on themselves after lymph nodes are removed.
Fluid Distribution in the Body
Our bodies are composed of three spaces that are fluid compartments:
1. Intracellular space: water in cells which account for 66% of total body water.
2. Intravascular space: blood vessels which account for 9% of total body water.
3. Interstitial space: In between and everywhere else. This accounts for 25% of total body water. Lymph flows through this interstitial space, the space in-between all the cells in our body.
The Lymphatic system drains this interstitial space. This fluid is
filtered from the blood into this space, cleaned and filtered back into
the blood, constantly keeping a balance of body fluids. If more fluid
is filtered into the space than is drained away you, edema occurs in that area.
Opposing Pressures Move Fluid and Nutrients
The purpose of the blood is to bring nutrients to the tissues, and
then waste products are taken up and carried away. “Hemodynamics”
describes the two opposing pressures that drain water from blood and
cells. Those two opposing pressures are osmosis and diffusion.
Plasma proteins travel in the blood to all parts of the body. Some
protein molecules are constantly leaving the capillary tissues crossing
through the membrane wall into the interstitial space through
“diffusion”. Plasma proteins are vehicles that carry important
nutritional substances to the tissues and cells of the body.
The lymph carries nearly all the plasma proteins necessary for
building cells, such as vitamins and other nutrients, and hormones. It
also carries waste products and dead cells. Larger molecules cannot
re-enter the blood, therefore transportation by the lymph is vital for
health and life.
The protein molecules are big and cannot reenter back into the blood
after they deliver their nutrients, because diffusion is a one way
street. Therefore these protein need to be returned to the blood by
some other means. The most important aspect of the lymphatic system is
to carry plasma proteins in this fluid back to the bloodstream.
The lymphatic fluid takes these protein molecules, along with the
water that drains into the interstitial space through the lymphatic
system, filters it and then back to the bloodstream by the heart.
Stimulating lymph movement with lymph drainage in one area can increase
the drainage in another. A therapist can push and pull the lymph
through the body in a vacuum-like, chain reaction.
Identifying and Fighting Alien Invaders
The nucleus of a lymphocyte (white blood cell) carries DNA which
contains the entire blueprint for all our bodily tissues. A healthy
lymph system promotes healthy tissue and bodily functions. It also
guards against infections.
Through the DNA (blueprint) lymphocytes can tell which cells are
“us” and which cells are not part of our body, because those “foreign”
cells do not have our DNA. That is how lymphocytes determine which cells
to attack as foreign invaders.
New Construction Supplies
Lymph fluid also carries cell building materials to all of our cell
tissues. So, good lymph drainage can greatly accelerate the process of
building new cells as needed. The lymph system cleans and builds tissues
through drainage, but it is also a protection and defense system,
producing antibodies to kill viruses and infections. Good lymph drainage
promotes recovery from a hard day’s work. For an athlete it can
dramatically enhance recovery from a workout or competition.
An average of 35 billion lymphocytes circulate continuously in our
blood and lymph every day. This increases up to as much as 562 billion
when we are stressed in some way.
It's Not Massage But A treatment
Lymph drainage therapy via electro sound is not your typical therapy.
Swedish, or deep tissue massage, has little or no effect on lymph
drainage. The lymph system works just below the skin and deep tissue
massage gets deep into the muscle tissue, too deep and forceful to
enhance lymph drainage. Therefore, lymph drainage is more of a specific
medical, wellness type of massage for a specific purpose.
There are usually no side effects to lymph drainage massage and it
is painless. However, if you have any medical conditions, it is wise to
consult with your physician first. Anyone with a pacemaker ,pregnant or
compromised kidney function should not receive a session . Lymph
drainage can affect blood sugars in diabetics. A diabetic should test
blood sugars before during and after any session.
If you have cancer, or are undergoing radiation or chemotherapy,
discuss with your doctor before you have lymph drainage massage.
Knowing the watersheds and what areas and directions they drain is the most important information in lymph drainage therapy.
The Lymph Drainage Process
The terminus is where the lymph dumps back into the bloodstream near
the heart. First the terminus is cleared, and then the lymph drainage
massage will start at the nodes to be drained. Then one section at a
time the treatment fans out from there.
This movement creates a “suction” action in the lymphatic fluid. The
treatment entails very light touch with two glass wands. It is done in
specific directions in a specific rhythm speed and sequence. The
treatment is done in a circular motion circling toward the nodes.
The Positive Effects
Just about any time anything is wrong with your health the lymph
system is affected in some way. If you aren’t feeling good and your
immunity is low, speeding up a sluggish lymphatic system could help.
When our immunity is low we are more susceptible to viruses or other
contagion that’s going around. Lymph drainage can strengthen the immune
system.
Normally four ounces per hour of lymph fluid is dumped into the
thoracic duct going back to the heart. Lymph drainage can improve a
sluggish system by 8 to 10 times, removing toxins at a more rapid rate.
It can reduce scar tissue in victims of injuries, including burns,
softening scars and making them more pliable. It keeps the environment
around cells healthy and stimulates immune system function for healing
of sports injuries, etc.
The University of Brussels did studies showing that lymph drainage
decreased cellulite in the body improving and restoring healthy skin.
Lymph drainage reduces lymph edema and eases inflammation. It can
reduce headaches caused by fluid buildup. Further, as lymphatic
drainage treatment works on the sympathetic nervous system it reduces
stress and stress hormones.
Healthy Skin
Depressed immunity and poor circulation in lymph can also have an
effect on the appearance of your skin. As beauty is “skin deep”, it is
also lymphatic deep. Poor lymphatic drainage is a cause of such skin
problems as swelling, redness, puffiness, pimples, or dark bags under
the eyes. Lymph drainage cleanses the lymph fluid, flushing the
lymphatic system allowing swelling in the mucus membranes to be reduced
and many problems in the skin to be cleared up. Skin cells wear out and
are constantly being replaced by young cells rich with nutrients that
leave the blood and pass through the lymph system.
Stops the Pooling and Reverses Stagnation
Stagnation of this water, just like stagnation of a pool of ground
water that doesn’t move, soon becomes contaminated and full of wastes.
The significance of the health of our cells provided by lymphatic
drainage is dependent on the free flow of the fluid.
Lymphatic drainage therapy is not a onetime treatment. Repeated
applications in a short period of time are more effective. Then a break
can be taken after those sessions, restarting another series of lymph
drainage treatments later on.
Lymph drainage massage helps restore balance to the body, allowing
our own natural bodily systems and responses to take over, so the body
can heal itself.
