Some of you may have already noticed that I’ve updated my Qualifications and Services pages with a new service that I am offering immediately.
The new service is called Manual Lymph Drainage or MLD for short. MLD is a gentle type of massage that promotes the movement of lymph fluid throughout our bodies. Because the lymph system doesn’t have a pump, lymph fluid moves pretty slowly to begin with. Those of us who sit for a living (yes, my hand is up, I’m still at a desk 32 hours a week) it moves even more slowly.
MLD is designed to help unplug and clean out the lymph nodes and then speed up the lymphatic flow through the system. The MLD Institute teaches that MLD therapy can speed up lymphatic output up to 10 times its normal rate.
Moving lymph keeps us healthy and younger by assisting in creating more immune cells, transporting immune cells, and removing cellular toxins and other wastes that are in our bodies from the foods we eat and injuries to tissues.
Who needs Manual Lymph Drainage?
Well, in Europe MLD is very common and is used not only in the medical realm, but for anti-aging and general wellness. So MLD is for everyone who wants to be healthier. It was developed by a Dutch doctor who spent a lot of time treating sinusitis and thought there must be a better way.
Currently in the U.S. it is used to treat edema, for palliative care in hospice patients, to minimize pain, bruising and scarring from surgical procedures and is being studied for use in other conditions too numerous to list.
There are side effects of MLD though, after receiving it you may suffer from a stronger immune system, notice that you may have more energy and find that you’ve lost that swollen, bloated feeling.  🙂
So what can you do to help your lymph system?
Well, obviously you should call and schedule yourself an appointment to get an MLD session, but short of that there are three very accessible things you can do to improve your lymph system.
- Eat healthy foods, lots of veggies and greens. Minimize the pretend and chemical-laden foods, they are filled with unhealthy fats and foreign substances that cause your cells to emit toxic sludge that has to be dealt with by your lymph system.
- Drink water or decaffeinated herbal teas. I know you’re about to stop reading, but bear with me. Caffeine is one of the things that clogs up your lymph system so minimize it whenever possible. And drink more water. Lymph is made up of 10% water, if you’re dehydrated it’s not moving.
- Exercise. The lymph system doesn’t have a pump so muscle movements are basically it for getting the lymph and lymphocytes (immune cells) moving throughout the body.
So what makes you an expert?
By far I am not an expert. I’m still learning and even though I am just one short weekend away from receiving my final certification I still have a lot of studying and learning to do. I do, however, have an expert on speed dial in case we need her.
So far I have been trained on Full Body MLD, LymphLift for the Head, Neck & Face MLD, and Prenatal and Child MLD. I will be writing more about each of those classes and the specific focus for each of them soon.
When I finish my final classes I will be adding MLD for Sports as well as Palliative Care for Hospice MLD. I will also be certified to measure and fit medical and athletic compression wear. So, not an expert, but a humble student who is interested in learning as much as possible and then learning some more from my clients.
I hope you will consider MLD next time you or your loved one are facing surgery, suffering with edema or finishing up chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Call me and we can discuss further how MLD might be able to help.
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Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Newest Provider of Manual Lymph Drainage! |
