Perspectives on Lymphatic Drainage Therapy

The applications of lymphatic drainage are so numerous

I feel that it is an underused therapy, possibly because both the medical community and the public are unaware of developments in this field that allow us to apply lymphatic drainage to specific structures and organs throughout the body.  As a practitioner, I’ve been using it with clients for over a year now.  It’s an exciting field to be in.  I’d like to help you understand the breadth and depth of this therapy.  It’s so much more than treating lymph insufficiency which leads to swelling (lymphedema), although that is a major part of who we can help.  I’ll also highlight three scenarios where lymph drainage can have a significant impact for improving health outcomes, and some interesting facts about the lymphatic system.

The lymph system and lymphatic drainage therapy (LDT) explained

Our lymphatic system is a vital system of delicate vessels which returns excess fluids and proteins (that have seeped out of the blood capillaries to nourish cells) to the circulatory system.  As those fluids and solids are collected, cellular waste and debris and toxins are also being collected.  On the long, circuitous route back to the heart, this fluid (the lymph) passes through many checkpoints (the lymph nodes) where our immune cells examine the contents of the lymph and are able to identify imposters (viruses, bacteria, parasites, mold, etc).  The lymph system has a directionality in each part of the body (under the skin, in the muscles, the organs, around and in the skeleton, around the deep blood vessels, and around the nerves).  There are literally little rivers of lymph running at various depths, and in different directions throughout the body.  

Manual lymphatic drainage supports the functions of this important lymphatic system by stimulating the flow of lymph with gentle rhythmic strokes.  Dr. Bruno Chikly, is the creator of the therapy that I am trained in.  His specific form of lymph drainage is termed “Lymphatic Drainage Therapy”  and differs from traditional lymph drainage (termed Manual Lymphatic Drainage) in that it adds a sensitivity of touch and “listening skills”.  Dr. Chikly is a medical doctor and osteopath and has also trained in virtually every kind of manual therapy that exists, including craniosacral therapy.  He discovered that he could feel the flow of lymph and map the flow of the ‘rivers of lymph’ at various depths in the body.  These listening skills can be taught and enable practitioners to feel and affect the specific rhythm, direction, depth and quality of the lymphatic flow.   As you can well imagine, this specificity greatly enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of the drainage.  I am also trained in Reflexology Lymph Drainage (RLD) where I work the lymphatic system on the feet for 45 minutes.  There is strong evidence to support RLD (See Research on Reflexology Lymph Drainage for Lymphedema). With a lymphedema client, I use primarily RLD, and use LDT to fine tune the flow of lymph.

Locations of major lymph nodes and lymph flows.