Manual Lymph Drainage

Indications for Lymph Drainage Sessions

Lymph drainage can be applied to more than 60 different conditions, from lymphedema to sinus congestion to all sorts of musculoskeletal problems. By removing metabolic wastes, excess fluid build up, toxins, bacteria, large protein molecules and foreign substances from the tissues we create a healthier body. This is why many Naturopaths recommend lymph drainage either during or following body detoxification cleanses. So if you fall under the category of generally feeling sluggish, lymph drainage is an excellent, gentle way to start on your path towards a healthier body.

It also helps to reduce pain signals being sent to the brain, as well as relaxes the sympathetic nervous system which is heavily affected by stress. In other words, it will help combat the negative side affects of stress and bring the body into a more balanced state.

As well as enhancing and supporting the immune system, lymph drainage speeds up the recovery for those who’ve had recent surgical trauma, injuries, and chronic conditions. These treatments help to reduce scar formation after injuries and surgery by removing the excess swelling and dead floating tissue debris associated with these conditions.

If you are experiencing lymphedema, as diagnosed by a medical doctor, combined decongestive therapy, which includes lymph drainage work and specialized bandaging, can be the best way to manage your condition.

Lymph Drainage Should NOT be Used if You Have These Conditions:

Active Cancer
Acute Inflammation, especially in the form of an infection
Congestive Heart Failure
Thrombosis (blood clot)

About the Therapist

Denny Paccagnan began his lymph drainage work by first being certified by the Dr. Vodder School for Manual Lymph Drainage and combined decongestive therapy in 2002. He has since recertified every 2 years with the Dr. Vodder School to date and has also taken courses offered by the
Upledger Institute on the Chikly method of lymph drainage. Each manual method of lymph drainage can be successful and Denny employs techniques that he feels best suits the problem at hand.

Also being a certified massage therapist and myofascial release therapist, Denny has a tremendous amount of hands-on experience with those suffering from musculoskeletal disorders. He looks at the body as a whole and understands the importance of the lymphatic system and how it relates to other therapies he employs.

What is the Lymph System?

In essence the lymphatic system is one of the purification systems of our body and is made up of lymph vessels, lymph nodes, and lymph fluid. The lymph fluid is comprised of water (approximately 96%), lipids (fats), proteins, carbohydrates, enzymes, urea, minerals, hormones, gases, immunity cells, toxins, bacteria, body (cell) waste, dead cell debris, both foreign and from the body (Chikly, 2004). The lymph vessels are the pathways by which the lymph fluid gets transported and the lymph nodes help to filter out pathogens and break down debris even further. Eventually the lymph fluid returns to the circulatory system. In a nutshell the lymphatic system takes care of the fluid and debris (mostly proteins) that is not or cannot be reabsorbed by the blood/circulatory system. But of course there is more to it than that, especially with regards to immunity.

Lymph System and Immunity

The lymphatic system is heavily involved in the body’s immunity. Not only does it help clear the body of dead tissue, cells, and body waste, it also houses many of the disease fighting cells (lymphocytes) necessary to combat invaders such as bacteria and viruses. Specifically these disease fighting cells, which are produced in our bone marrow, are especially concentrated in the lymph nodes, spleen, and Peyer’s patches of the small intestine. It is these cells that help to neutralize invading bacteria, viruses, and foreign bodies. Lymph drainage therapy stimulates lymphatic flow by up to 10 times its regular rate, thereby moving the disease-causing substances more quickly into the lymph nodes where they can be more readily counteracted (Kasseroller, 1998).

What is the difference between Lymph Drainage and Manual Lymph Drainage?

Although the initial scientific research and basic lymph drainage techniques was originally looked at by Osteopaths and a few others in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, the term Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD) was originally coined and developed in the 1930’s by Emil Vodder, a Danish massage practitioner who also had his doctor of philosophy. MLD is a set of techniques applied repetitively to areas of the body which help stimulate the lymphatic system to drain the lymph to specific areas of the body. It is a VERY gentle and safe way to move lymph fluid and treat numerous conditions, as well as be used to cleanse the body.

Over time different therapists and doctors developed other “lymph moving techniques” which are generally labeled “lymph drainage” therapies or techniques. Most of these therapies, including Vodder’s MLD, are made up of slow, repetitive, and gentle “hands-on” techniques. So whenever you hear someone talk about MLD, they are almost always referring to the
Dr. Vodder system of “Manual Lymph Drainage”, which is a very consistent manual treatment no matter who performs it anywhere in the World.

On the other hand, “lymph drainage” therapy could be considered more all-encompassing. For example, one lymph drainage method involves using a mechanical pump, which is radically different than when done with hands. A mechanical pump indiscriminately pushes lymph fluid in one direction, which already may be clogged or problematic. This may lead to a whole host of other problems that could be avoided by applying hand techniques to direct flow away from the problematic area. As mentioned above, lymph drainage also includes other systems of lymph drainage using hands as the primary way to move lymph, such as the Chikly, Foldi, and Casley-Smith methods of lymph drainage as examples. All of these lymph drainage schools of thought, including the Vodder MLD system, fall under the realm of draining the lymphatic system or lymph drainage.

References:

(Chikly, Silent Waves: Lymph Drainage Therapy, 2004, p.35)
(Kasseroller, Compendium of Dr. Vodder’s Manual Lymph Drainage, 1998, p. 23).