REAL Exclusive Magazine Kimberly Burns, OTR/L, CLT - Perspectives - REAL Health

Finding Balance

Could you benefit from Manual Lymph Drainage…AKA Lymphatic Massage?

By Kimberly Burns, OTR/L, CLT

Balance can have a great many meanings. It can be balancing a check book, balancing your tires, work-life balance, nutritional balance .Sometimes we need to look at how our body is balanced. Our blood, organs and tissues all have a certain amount of fluids, oxygen, blood, etc. that they require to keep them working properly. When there is too much or too little of those substances, systems can become burdened.

For those of us who find our systems lacking in balance by feeling too much pressures from inside your body or a feeling of constant inflammation or bloating, Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD) is a wellness therapy to consider. MLD is a technique that aims to support body’s fluid balance by utilizing a gentle yet stimulating hand technique to assist your lymphatic system in removing fluids that build up in our bodies and causes inflammation. It is a great tool for wellness as it relaxes your nervous system and leaves you feeling cleansed. While commonly known as a Lymphatic Massage, this skilled technique does not utilize kneading or rolling of muscles. It is a gentle movement of skin to stimulate the delicate vessels of the lymphatic system.

Manual Lymph Drainage is a technique developed to assist the lymphatic system in supporting the lymph vessels to move stagnant fluid. Traditionally this technique was used as a treatment for Lymphedema which is an abnormal collection of high-protein fluid just beneath the skin. Lymphedema usually develops when lymph vessels are damaged or lymph nodes are removed such as after breast cancer (referred to as secondary lymphedema) but can also be present when lymphatic vessels are missing or impaired due to a hereditary condition (primary lymphedema). According to http://www.lymphnet.org/le-faqs/what-is-lymphedema.

The lymphatic system is part of our immune system. It develops and circulates immune cells as well as draining fluid from tissues and organs in order to return it to the blood supply. It acts as a secondary drainage system that assists the circulatory system in removing waste products from the body. There are also substances that the circulatory system cannot absorb that the lymphatic system can. Your lymphatic system follows specific pathways that are similar to the circulatory system and has lymph nodes in place along the way to filter harmful material and produce antibodies (lymphocytes). Unlike the circulatory system which has the heart as its pump, the lymphatic system does not have one special organ that assists in its return to the blood supply. Your lymphatic system relies on pressures from the body and the environment to assist it in its climb to recirculation.

MLD utilizes special hand techniques with particular sequences to assist fluids to return to the blood stream for the circulatory system to reabsorb. It can be a great complementary therapy that can assist in detoxification, pain reduction, swelling reduction, decongestion of sinuses and relaxation.

Aside from it being a beneficial therapy to seek, it is a must to learn techniques that you can do for yourself. With minimal effort, you can learn to treat your lymphatic system thus improving your immune health by incorporating the lymphatic influence throughout your day. Supporting your lymphatic system will increase your chances of fend off disease and maintaining a healthy body.

MLD can be used to treat a variety of symptoms, therefore having many indications. Most widely known indications for MLD is lymphedema, breast cancer related lymphedema (BCRL) and swelling of the limbs. It is very beneficial in reducing pain from Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome, rheumatic disorders, soft-tissue disorders, skin disorders. It is the ideal pre and post-operative treatment for those who are planning to or have recently undergone surgery, including: orthopedic surgeries, liposuction, breast augmentation, facelifts, and the list goes on.

Despite the great variety of applications for MLD there are a number of conditions which are contraindicated for this therapy. Pre-existing conditions that would be considered an ABSOLUTE contraindication are: acute inflammation, malignant tumors, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and major heart problems. If you are currently being treated by a physician, it is always recommended to coordinate MLD treatment with your current medical plan. If you are not sure how to go about talking with your doctor about utilizing this treatment, it may be beneficial to have a Certified Lymphedema Therapist (CLT) help you explain the benefits of this hands on healing therapy.

So whether you call it Manual Lymph Drainage or Lymphatic Massage, it is a beneficial tool to know as it addresses a major system in our body that does not get the attention it deserves.

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^[3]Kimberly Burns, OTR/L, CLT, is an Occupational Therapist with over 14 years’ experience working with clients ranging from infants to the elderly. She has always had passion for wellness and what she could do at home for herself to manage pain and delay disease processes. Her recent certification in Lymphedema Therapy has provided her further incentive to focus her business around preventing disease and halting its progression. Kimberly Burns, OTR/L, CLT – (215) 499.0444 – KimBurns@SensoryIntuition.com ^[4] – www.SensoryIntuition.com ^[5].

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