Experts estimate that upwards of ninety percent of disease is stress-related. And perhaps nothing ages us faster, internally and externally, than high stress. Massage is an effective tool for managing this stress.

MASSAGE helps specifically address a number of health issues. Bodywork can:

• Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion.
• Assist with shorter, easier labor for expectant mothers and shorten maternity hospital stays.
• Ease medication dependence.
• Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body's natural defense system.
• Enhanced sleep quality.
• Exercise and stretch weak, tight, or atrophied muscles.
• Improve energy.
• Help athletes of any level prepare for, and recover from, strenuous workouts.
• Improve the condition of the body's largest organ—the skin.
• Improve concentration.
• Increase joint flexibility.
• Increase circulation.
• Lessen depression and anxiety.
• Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks.
• Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation.
• Reduce post surgery adhesions and swelling.
• Reduce fatigue.
• Reduce spasms and cramping.
• Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles.
• Release endorphins—amino acids that work as the body's natural painkiller.
• Relieve migraine pain.

LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE:

Practiced throughout Europe for decades, lymphatic drainage is a well-documented method of stimulating the lymph system to activate fluid circulation, detoxify, rejuvenate and strengthen the body’s natural defenses.

Ms. Murphy studied Lymph Drainage Therapy developed by French physician Bruno Chikly, M.D., who has taught the technique internationally. She is currently continuing her studies for her certification in Lymphatics. The therapy has been successfully used to alleviate conditions such as swelling (edemas) of many origins and chronic pain, as well as to detoxify and regenerate body tissues. It also has been effective for stimulating the immune system to improve chronic infections an inflammation such as sinusitis, acne and allergies, and cosmetic applications to minimize scars and wrinkles.

Manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) is a type of manual manipulation of the skin, not to be confused with massage, based on the hypothesis that it will encourage the natural drainage of the lymph, which carries waste products away from the tissues back toward the heart. The lymph system depends on intrinsic contractions of the smooth muscle cells in the walls of lymph vessels (peristalsis) and the movement of skeletal muscles to propel lymph through the vessels to lymph nodes and then to the lymph ducts, which return lymph to the cardiovascular system. Manual lymph drainage uses a specific amount of pressure (less than 9 oz per square inch and rhythmic movements to stimulate lymph flow.

History of MLDT

Manual lymphatic drainage was pioneered by the Danish doctors Emil Vodder and Estrid Vodder in the 1930s for the treatment of chronic sinusitis and other immune disorders. While working on the French Riviera treating patients with chronic colds, the Vodders noticed these patients had swollen lymph nodes. In 1932, at a time when the lymphatic system was poorly understood, they began to develop light rhythmic hand movements hoping to promote lymph movement. In 1936, they introduced this technique in Paris; following World War II, they returned to Copenhagen to teach other practitioners to use this therapy.

Lymph is formed from the fluid that filters out of blood and contains proteins, cellular debris, bacteria, etc. This fluid is collected by the initial lymph collectors that are blind-ended endothelial-lined vessels with fenestrated openings that allow fluids and particles as large as cells to enter. Once inside the lumen of the lymphatic vessels, the fluid is guided along increasingly larger vessels, first with rudimentary valves to prevent backflow, later with complete valves similar to the venous valve. Once the lymph enters the fully valved lymphatic vessels, it is pumped by a rhythmic peristaltic-like action by smooth muscle cells within the lymphatic vessel walls. This peristaltic action is the primary driving force moving lymph within its vessel walls. The sympathetic nervous system regulates of the frequency and power of the contractions. Lymph movement can be influenced by the pressure of nearby muscle contraction, arterial pulse pressure and the vacuum created in the chest cavity during respiration, but these passive forces contribute only a minor percentage of lymph transport. The fluids collected are pumped into continually larger vessels and through lymph nodes, which remove debris and police the fluid for dangerous microbes. The lymph ends its journey in the thoracic duct or right lymphatic duct, which drain into the blood circulation.

Lymphedema, also known as Lymphoedema and lymphatic edema, is a condition of localized swelling caused by a compromised lymphatic system.The lymphatic system functions as a critical portion of the body's immune system and returns interstitial fluid to the bloodstream.

(wikipedia)