![]() Respecting the cadence of lymph flow can also have a calming effect on your nervous system. Lymphatic massage strokes are gentle, light, slow, rhythmic, and nurturing. Understanding the lymphatic map of the body will help you to know which direction to massage. (As always, if you have any health concerns, consult your doctor before trying a new treatment.) Gainsley takes us through the why and how of lymphatic self-massage, which, regardless of other potential benefits, feels wonderful and leaves you relaxed and tingly. And scientists are beginning to discover roles that the lymph system plays in a variety of health concerns. The fluid-containing waste products and bacteria-passes through lymph nodes where white blood cells inactivate infectious microorganisms and filter out waste. The lymphatic system does a lot more than provide drainage: It’s crucial for immunity. It’s not easy to manage lymphedema, but lymphatic massage is an important part of therapies to reduce swelling. The lymphatics rely on muscle contractions to push fluid unidirectionally toward the neck area, where it empties into the subclavian vein. There’s no pump for lymph fluid as there is for blood. When the delicate lymph vessels are damaged, fluid can build up-for example in the arms after treatment for breast cancer-causing swelling called lymphedema. Lymph vessels collect fluid that has leaked out of blood vessels and cells. ![]() Once I understood the connection between the lymphatic system and the immune system and that manual lymph drainage can benefit cancer patients, I knew I had found my life’s work.” The rhythm and cadence of the strokes felt like the undulating ocean. “I had never experienced anything like it before. Later, in massage school, Gainsley (above) had an aha moment: “I loved the way a lymphatic treatment felt,” she says. Lisa Levitt Gainsley’s mother passed away from cancer when she was thirteen. Some early observations support this concept (or parts of the theory), and there is scientific interest in elucidating exactly what’s at work.
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