Our very first lymphatic massage happens naturally as we pass through the birth canal!
Virtually all mammals begin life with a lymphatic massage!
If you think about it it makes sense. We are squeezed out through this very tight opening. First our head (the brain’s glymph system*), then our upper bodies (the lymphatic flow of the lungs etc.), stomach area (the largest collection of lymph nodes), followed by our hips, legs, and finally our feet. I understand of course that not all us get this same experience, but the majority of births are just this.
As mentioned in the Introduction To Lymph we are 90% water at birth. Remember even our bones are soft at birth. Nature built in a natural stimulation of lymph as part of the birthing process. So genius don’t you think? Even in the womb our body/lymph is being massaged by the water sack and natural movements of our mothers. Imagine being surrounded by water and being massaged. We try and mimic this process but hey nothing beats the real thing!
After birth the care continues in our mothers or caretakers arms. As we are held and caressed the lymphatic work continues. This touch is so important for so many reasons not the least of which is to help the lymph fluid in our bodies to keep moving which in turn helps to keep our health moving in the right direction.
Again not all of us get this and not all of us get as much as we need and for many it shows as a weaken immune system as well as weaker digestion and numerous other health issues that might not need to be if only we were touched and held more….
What differentiates lymphatic massage from other styles of massage?
All touch affects the lymph system. A gentle breeze that sends goose bumps up and down our bodies is moving lymph. Any movement of the body in even the slightest manner moves lymph! In fact breathing is one of the most important ways we move lymph! When we shake hands we are exchanging lymphatic massages. When we hug not only are we releasing oxytocins ( the feel good hormone ) but we are again giving each other a lymphatic massage. It is known that touch is perhaps the most important stimulation for the release of oxytocin. Touch is key to our feeling good and being healthy!
If all touch is lymphatic why Lymphatic Massage?
The lymph system is a very complex system of an open flow, capillaries, nodes and ducts. It was once thought that the lymph system actually had no capillary system but only flowed through the body in an open manner, like pouring water out on the ground and watching as it finds it own way around obstacles and debris. It is such a fine system that it was only recently that we could even see how it flowed. And what it does! And to be honest we are still just scratching the surface and have a long way to go to fully understand this extremely complex system.
The cardiovascular system is a closed system with a central pump, the heart. The lymph system flow is slow and sporadic. It’s flow is regulated by contraction and relaxation of smooth muscles, valves, and compression such as when we inhale and exhale. This is where massage comes in. A skilled lymphatic practitioner knows how to direct the lymphatic fluid movement, how to clear the nodes if they are blocked, and how to support the body in this process.
The movement in Lymphatic Massage is different than other modalities. Depending on the part of the body the strokes tend to be long fluid movements. Notice this word “fluid” keeps coming up! I used to refer to lymphatic work as getting the “juices’ to move. That when our “juices” are moving we are healthier than when they are not. I liked the word juicy for it also referred to our creative flow. And here again is another point! When our lymph system is flowing we are more likely to feel and be creative in our life’s expression. We want to create. We have the life force to do so and it tends to be expressed more openly and freely.
Our sexual expression is another form of this flow, of our juiciness if you will. More on this later.
Because the lymph system flow is part of the bodies flow and dependent on the overall body health
, there are times when other modalities need to be employed. An example would be when there is a kink in the structural makeup of the body. When we have a misalignment of the spine this inhibits the flow of lymph. So just working on the lymph system is not going to correct the flow. The structure also needs to be realigned. But there is still more than just that! It is soft tissue that holds the body’s alignment or misalignment. So rarely does just a manipulation of a joint correct the problem if the soft tissue surrounding that joint is not also given attention. And it is the lymph flow that affects the soft tissue so we have now come full circle back to the lymphatic system.
An analogy would be that while driving you notice your car is pulling to the right. You bring it in for service and they realign your front end. But it does not hold because the tire pressure was not checked and you had a low tire that was causing the misalignment in the first place.
A misalignment of the metatarsals, the arch bones in the foot, can throw the whole of the body off affecting numerous parts of the body; lower back, neck, uterus, etc. etc. All of these misalignments directly affect the flow of lymph. When excessive hydrostatic pressure develops, the lymph vessels are forced to release fluid back into the interstitial spaces of the cells and we have the beginning of edema. Step on a garden hose and the water flow is impaired and the backward pressure can cause a leak or swelling in a weak spot of the hose. Same principle!
These same impairments can cause the lymph system to get overloaded (backed up if you will) and put undo pressure on the nodes. It is in the nodes that the body destroys cells that are potentially harmful to our health. Overload the nodes and the body can not kill off the cells fast enough and now we are in trouble. Cancer cells that the body was able to destroy before are now taking over. The body can not keep up.
Stress is like stepping on the hose. An over accumulation of toxins is like having a clogged hose. Being too sedentary is like having a hose with not enough water pressure. Not maintaining our health is like having an old hose that we can not count on.
So a skilled Lymphatic Massage Practitioner needs to know about the overall functioning of the human body to be able to fully support the clients needs to recovery and maintenance.
I look at Lymphatic Massage as the basis of any health program that then branches out from there. In Europe this is how it has always been and still is. In this country we have a problem and we go to a specialist who only is trained (or only cares ) to see their specialty in the diagnosis. We are making our health process so much more complicated and expensive not to mention it is not working. For if it were, our society would be getting healthier as opposed to what is happening.
From my experience Lymphatic Massage belongs side by side with fresh organic food, clean air to breathe, pure water to drink, exercise, and meditation as the basic recipe for a healthy life. We get our first lymphatic treatment even before our first breath or our first feeding. Nature is telling us something!
I know that this just skims the surface. We will be delving even deeper in the next segment: The Lymphatic System.
Thanks for visiting….
Together Our Hands Are Joined To Heal One Another
Alexander Gardener The Lymph Guy Lymphatic Massage Specialist
thelymphguy@gmail.com
*I will be going into much more detail about the lymphatic system to the brain, lungs, and intestinal area in another section. It is far too important and will need a lot of attention especially since it is only recently that studies have even addressed a sort of lymphatic system of the brain, The Glymphatic System. As I have mentioned we are only at the beginning….
Green Plant Hands photo by Karen Blix
