Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD)is a technique developed in 1936 by Emil Vodder to stimulate the lymph nodes and drain the lymphatic system.
Our lymphatic system has several functions. It maintains fluid tissue balance, is part of our immune system that fights off infection, is part of the system which helps absorb fats and other molecules from the intestines, and best of all, our lymphatic system removes cellular debris and toxins from all of our tissue.
It’s quite an active system. One of our body’s amazing powerhouses!
Your lymphatic system is best described as a network of vessels (imagine a hair net) on the surface of your skin. These vessels flow to your lymph nodes where lymph is filtered. Lymphocytes stored in these nodes attack foreign material that doesn’t belong in the body and destroy it . These are your white blood cells doing their job. Once filtered, the fluid reenters your bloodstream, and the liver and kidneys get rid of the lymphatic debris.
Not only is MLD vital for those patients with lymphedema, it eases pain if a patients suffers from fibromyalgia, but it is important for all of our bodies to work at maximum capacity. A lymphatic drainage session is a gentle technique that allows the body to recuperate.
It is a gentle touch the surface of the skin. The therapist stimulates the nodes and then works to move the fluid from the surface of the skin (lymphatic vessels) to the lymph nodes which work to "clean the Lymph fluid" . The end result is a deep sense of well being and relaxation. An anelgesic effect!!
Maggie French
