Lymphatic Drainage

This weekend I took a 20 hour Lymphatic Drainage massage seminar. It was really interesting to feel the lymph flow in my body and in fellow students.

Lymph is part of the lymphatic system, it is similar to blood in the cardiovascular system. Although there are some differences for example blood is pumped by the heart and as a result is able to pump around 8,000 litters of blood a day. Lymph has no pump and passively flows through the body and has a much lower volume of 1.5-3 litters a day. Blood is responsible for collecting and distributing oxygen, nutrients and hormones to the entire body where lymph is responsible for collecting and removing waste products left behind in the tissues. Because the lymphatic system has no pump this massage modality can be very helpful to improve the health of the body by removing accumulate toxins. This modality is incredibly helpful dealing with problems with the lymph system for example, lymphedema.

The main purpose of the lymphatic system is to move excess fluid away from the cells that the blood system cannot reclaim, to detoxify the tissues, helping the connective tissue retain its function and integrity, regulate fluid volume and pressure in the tissues and transport immune cells and other substances such as hormones.


Benefits of Lymphatic Drainage:

1. Activates fluid circulation and assists in the re balancing of tissue fluids.
2. Calms the sympathetic nervous system while stimulating the parasympathetic system, diminishing the "flight or fight" response and promoting deep relaxation.
3. Improves digestion of fats.
4. Drains toxins, macromolecules, proteins, and fats away from the tissues.
5. Stimulates the immune system by increasing antibodies and antigens.
6. Reduces pain and muscles spasms.

Sometimes in meditation I will focus on the flow of my blood. Now after this class I've been experimenting with being sensitive to the flow my lymphatic system.