Basic Description

The lymphatic system is crucial to the body's well being, as it performs many functions to keep the body healthy and active:

• It removes the build up of excess fluid (oedema) from the body. Without this, the body would blow up like a balloon and put extreme pressure on the heart.
• It collects toxins, dead cells, waste products, bacteria, viruses, inorganic substances, water, fats and any other harmful particles that are too large to enter the blood stream, and transfers all these for disposal and elimination by the various "nodes" of the lymphatic system.
• It produces anti-bodies, lymphocytes, macrophages and phagocytes which serve as a major part of the body's defence system, cleansing the body of impurities and toxins.

A sluggish lymphatic system can be the cause of minor aches and pains, reduced energy, tiredness or increased susceptibility to such as colds and flu. Poor diet or a lack of exercise can lead to a sluggish lymphatic system, as can injury or some types of medical operations (which can remove parts of the lymphatic system).

How the Lymphatic System works

The lymphatic system starts at the initial lymphatic vessels. These tiny, very delicate vessels form a huge collecting mesh, which resides over the entire surface of the body, just under the skin and also surrounds all the organs in the body. All around these tiny vessels, and between the cells of the skin or organs, is the interstitial fluid. When pressure builds up in the interstitial fluid, or you exercise, or the skin is lightly stretched, then the walls of the initial lymphatic vessel open up allowing the fluid (plus any toxins, impurities etc) to enter vessel. At this point, the fluid becomes known as "lymph," and it begins to move along the vessel. First it enters a pre-collector chamber before moving into a larger chamber called a collector; the first of many it will pass through. These collectors have one-way valves which only allow the lymph to flow in one direction. The channel between collectors is called a lymphangion and they vary between 6mm to 20mm in length. Every lymphangion is surrounded by a spiral of muscle. As the lymphangion expands with the flow of lymph entering through its one-way valve, the stretching is sensed by the muscle, causing it to contract when it has stretched far enough. This action pumps the lymph from this lymphangion along to the next one. This causes the next lymphangion to expand in turn and so a chain-reaction begins to develop throughout the whole lymphatic channel. Not only does the contraction force the lymph forward, but the emptying of the collector produces a slight vacuum behind it, which helps to pull more lymph through the valve. Eventually these lymph channels all reach one of the many lymph nodes situated around the body. The node's main function is to filter and purify the lymph fluid. The nodes produce macrophages and lymphocytes which form part of the bodies immune defence system. Macrophage cells remove bacteria, foreign material and cell debris from the lymph and the lymphocyte cells produce antibodies which defend the body against disease. Other organs of the lymphatic system are the thymus gland, the spleen and the tonsils which all serve similar functions to the lymph nodes, such as filtering, straining and the removal of infectious organisms and bacteria from the lymph fluid, before it is returned to the body. In performing this cleansing action, the lymph nodes reabsorb around 40% of the liquid content of the lymph and return it to the body. This makes the remaining lymph much thicker, which means the lymph nodes create a greater the resistance to the flow of lymph than the vessels in the rest of the system. This can be a cause of sluggishness in the system, along with factors like poor diet, inactivity, etc. It is possible for the lymph to be moved by other means. Exercise and the correct massage technique are among many things that can improve the movement of lymph through the system.

Manual Lymphatic Drainage

As mentioned above, massage can dramatically improve the flow of the lymph fluid through the lymphatic system. The correct form of massage, known as Manual Lymphatic Drainage, is the most effective method of moving lymph around the body, when performed correctly by a trained therapist. This is the form of Manual Lymphatic Drainage that is practiced in the Happy Days clinic. This massage uses a very light pressure on the skin, designed not to damage the initial lymphatic vessels but rather to stretch them and hence open them up, beginning the draining process. This gentle massage kick starts the chain-reaction in the lymphatic system, which helps the body by reducing oedema (the build up of fluid), and increases the cleansing as described above. Starting near the lymph nodes, the therapist begins the gentle massage, moving lymph from the local area into the nodes for processing. This clears any sluggishness in this area of the lymphatic system, and the therapist will move on to work further from the node, massaging the fluid from the next section back into the previous area. As that was already cleared and activated, it readily accepts and moves the lymph forward with no sluggishness. This massageing of one area and moving to the next is repeated outwards to the extremity of the system, when the therapist will move to start at the next nodal area. Eventually the whole lymphatic system is massaged back into healty activation. When complete, here at Happy Days, you will then be left to relax in subdued lighting and soft music for the remainder of your session. The result is that you feel more healthy and active. If you had any swelling before, you may even look better where it has been reduced by the process (particularly around the face).

Contraindications

Being such a gentle massage it is nearly always safe to use on any patient of any age. In almost all cases it can only be of benefit to the recipient. But there are some circumstances where Manual Lymphatic Drainage should be avoided. These conditions are called "Contraindications" and include acute inflammation, malignant tumours, thrombosis or major heart problems. If you suffer with any of these conditions, you should talk to Julie (or your own therapist) before starting any massage session to ensure that the treatment will be safe and suitable for yourself.

For any more information on Manual Lymphatic Drainage, or wish to book a session, please contact the clinic.