My LLMD recommended that I do this. I have now had 3 sessions and just want to let y'all know how helpful and wonderful it has been.
I could feel the circulation increase through my body and had an incredible sense of well being from it. I highly recommend this form of therapy if you can find someone well trained in it!
Posted by Pantsinsocks (Member # 7440) on :
My LLMD just recommended the same thing.
Can you tell me what to look for in a lymphatic therapist ? Certain certification?
Anybody in the Northern Va - Richmond area have any lymphatic drainage practitioners they could recommend ? Please PM me.
Thanks !
Posted by AlisonP (Member # 7771) on :
I have had fantastic results from lymphatic massage with the lyme symptoms.
The bodyworker I am seeing now has taken it a step further -- she treats a lot of lyme patients and has discovered that what she calls "lyme goop" actually builds up in the tissues in very specifric places and forms a hard crust.
What she does is goes in and breaks the crust so that all the goop can get pushed out/drained as she works on it. the best part is that for some reason this doesn't cause herxing but *does* help so much.
I don't know what the lyme goop is exactly, but it seems that it may be offal, etc. from the burrowing little 'ketes themselves in the muscle tissue that overwhelms the body's ability to move it.
Anyway, the lymphatic is great, I have also heard it called Manual Lymphatic Massage or Manual Lymph Drainage. I believe that at least in California you have to take additional classes or maybe even get an additional certification to be able to do this method well, so you may want to check about qualifications.
Cheers, Alison
Posted by robi (Member # 5547) on :
Hi Pants,
I was also told this would be a good idea. I have PM'd you with name and #'s I found in a listing of certified Lymatic Massage therapists.
I don't know either of them. I did talk to the one in Richmond on the phone. The treatment was very expensive and I decided against it. I have also heardyou can get your lymph moving by very gently jumping on a mini trampoline.
Many docs really do recommend the trampoline. LymeinHell uses one, you might ask her about it.
How ya doin??
robi
Posted by Lymied (Member # 6704) on :
I am so glad to hear that you all have had such wonderful results!!!!
I just recently become certified as a massage therapist and will be attending a Vodder Lymph Drainage class next week.
I will let you know what I learn.
The initial class I will be taking next week is just one of four in a series. It is five days long.
I cannot be certified until I take all four classes. Vodder was recommeded by the school I graduated from as being the best.
Estrid and Emil Vodder invented lymph drainage in the 1930s - until then the lymph system had been considered taboo to work on.
The Dr. Vodder School is located now in Austria.
I am a recovering lymie myself and have a special interest in the application of massage and tick borne illness.
The first time I received massage last year in class I had double vision for five minutes. I thought for sure I wouldn't make it through 8 months of instruction. After the third session I had no more issues.
I sincerely feel that receiving massage at least twice a week for eight months while in school helped me tremedously with the healing process. I am still not 100% but I am getting there.
Glad to hear that you all derived such great benefit from lymphatic massage. I now know that taking this course is going to be beneficial to add to my knowledgebase and tools.
Posted by denny edwards (Member # 8742) on :
i bounce on a chiropractic ball for -10 minutes -- subsitute for a mini trampoline -- and it works wonders when lymph is congested. so does good lymph drainage massage.
also, i've found that skin brushing (gently brushing with a soft bristle brush over lymph nodes, always toward the heart) also helps keep lymph flowing, but isn't as effective for me as the trampoline and massage.
i've heard that some herbs are effective -- red root, red clover. has anyone tried them? any other herbs to recommend for lymph?
Posted by Kentucky Girl (Member # 8587) on :
I am getting my first lymph drainage massage next week. What should I expect? Will it make me herx or feel bad?
Posted by johnlyme1 (Member # 7343) on :
I also had my first lymph dranage last week. My system was so clogged that it actually hurt as the system was opened up. the theripist was hardly even touching me. She said my system was very sluggish. I was kind of sick for the next day but now can breath much better. Deffinatly more is needed.
Posted by earthsong15 (Member # 7471) on :
My lymphatic drainage massage therapist doesn't charge very much. I guess I am very luckey- she comes to my house and helps me onto the table (my legs don't work) and only charges $50 for an hour. She was trained in the vodder method.
She said that either you will feel nauseas or you will feel a sense of well being. Luckily I have felt an incredible sense of well being. She said that my lymph moves freely- perhaps this is why I don't herx. I also take red root everyday.
e
Posted by GiGi (Member # 259) on :
All I can say here - I love this thread. I have only been talking lymphatic drainage for over five years on this board.
Go for Vodder! If you learn it well, it is worth a million for you as well as to the people you will eventually be treating. It is by a long shot the best system! And so hard to find in this country. In Europe, in Germany I can walk down the street and find one in the smallest towns. You people don't know what you have been missing. It is so helpful - to get the toxins moving and, most of all, to also free the roads for the nutrients to get into where they need to go!
Most people save money in the wrong places. Fivehundred dollars worth of supplements will not make up for one professional lymph drainage.
I am glad you are at least discussing it here.
Take care.
Posted by beachcomber (Member # 5320) on :
Massage, in general, is great. Exercise will also stimulate the lymphatic system. My MD prescribed massage therapy, which helped with insurance coverage. After my first few drainage massages I felt quite ill, sore & sluggish the next day. Now, I feel pretty good after a session. It seems to have moved some stagnation and enabled me to discharge. The therapist is now incorporating more shiatsu and meridian work, which I enjoy.
Go for it. Be sure to use a certified, licensed therapist. Check the AMTA for qualified practitioners. Trust me on this, you CAN have a bad massage from the wrong person.
Bc
Posted by Lymied (Member # 6704) on :
Massage is recognized even by the most traditional of medical communities to increase lymph and cardiovascular circulation.
I think it is the best therapy for increasing circulation in those who cannot exercise and move around to any great extent.
Of course then there is the benefit of the healing power of touch and intention. Just incredible work!
I do believe the rebounder (mini-trampeline) is great to increase lymph movement and increase killer T cells. A friend of mine said that she read that two minutes of jumping on the rebounder every hour increases killer T cells by some incredible amount. Probably the circulation of them...don't know all the details of that.
Posted by ChrisBtheLymie (Member # 8916) on :
After reading this thread I done a search and I have found specialist who does Lymphatic Drainage Massages! I will certainly give this a go, will let you all know how I get on.
Posted by luvswz (Member # 8782) on :
LOTS of questions!
What's Lymphatic Drainage massage like? Like Swedish but focus on neck, chin, arm pits where Lymph nodes gather in large numbers? Do therapists go deep? How does it feel with tender nodes?
I second the benefit of massage. I've had weekly Swedish or Shiatzu for the past several years and they helped putting Fibromylagia into remission. Now this Vodder method sounds really interesting! Anyone in NYC that does it at reasonable price?
I am surprised to hear insurance pays for massage. Anyone knows if Medicare pays?
Thanks.
Posted by hiker53 (Member # 6046) on :
I think lymphatic massage works well and I think cranio-sacral massage may work, too.
Insurance may cover massage, but I found it was cheaper to pay for it myself. The hospital charged over $300 for the massage and I would have to pay 20%. I can get it cheaper privately.
Posted by GiGi (Member # 259) on :
Please note that Lymph Drainage Therapy and Massage Therapy are very different therapies.
When sick, the single most important challenge is eliminating toxins from the body. I have been chastised for saying this on this board.
Lymphatic functions include: transporting nutrients and oxygen to the cells and tissues, removing protein waste and other waste matter (including environmental toxins) from the cells and the body's interstitial (in between) regions, maintaining fluid balance in the connective tissue, and transporting fatty acids from the small intestine to the liver for storage and later use.
When the lymphatic system becomes congested, these funtions are impaired, depriving the cells of oxygen and affecting the ability of the body to rid itself of its own waste materials. Over time, other body systems that rely on the lymphatic system for waste removal will also become compromised, setting the stage for pain and disease. Definitely not a Herxheimer!
A sure sign of lymph congestion is sore or swollen lymph glands, which are most noticable in the neck, armpits, groin, and intestines, but illness as wide ranging as allergies, fibrocystic disease, and cancer can be related to lymph congestion. Not a Herxheimer!
The lymphatic system lies barely below the skin. The Lymphatic Drainage is so gentle that one can barely feel it. It is not a Swedish Massage or anything that feels like a massage. They are two totally different therapies with quite different effects/results.
I finished my Vodder Lymph Drainage Intro. I will have to take three more classes...one is five days and then the other is two combined classes II/III and it is 13 days I believe.
I strongly recommend if you have lymph drainage that you get it from a Vodder certified therapist since Vodder is the one who invented it.
My instructor told me that she has two clients that are Lyme patients and she said they respond well to the lymph drainage therapy. She said one has burning nerve pain and it tends to decrease this...interesting...
The technique is extremely light. It must be performed properly. There are concerns for those that may be predisposed to lymphedema due to a masectomy or a congenital predisposition that if this is done inappropriately or incorrectly that lymphedema could insue.
It is extremely relaxing too.
Also not easy to learn ;0) Our class did very well but even after five days of instruction I felt like I was only starting to get it. The intro. is meant to be only that - an intro - not until I am certified will I be able to work on individuals with health concerns but I am passionate about the work.
Like Gigi said this is extremely different then massage therapy and has a different affect on the lymph system.
Aggressive massage therapy actually causes increased circulation but could possibly cause the lymph system to go into temporary spasm in localized areas that are worked.
Lymph drainage on the other hand promotes the lymph to move and the lymph system to stay open.
Very interesting stuff...there is a website for Vodder...just google...
Take care all. I made sure that I educated some of my class about Lyme and coinfections too. There was a woman that had RMSF and another who had been diagnosed with 'temporal nerve vasculitis' after having very similiar symptoms as I have had.
Posted by davidx (Member # 8326) on :
Well thanks to all the reading here I am having my first appt tomorrow for a lymphatic massage. I was wondering if anyone from nyc has seen anyone before who does this? The woman I found seemed very nice on the phone and told me that she currently is treating one other person that has lyme! So that was slightly encouraging.
-David
Posted by monkeyshines (Member # 6406) on :
Does anyone know how lymphatic massage differs from cranial sacral therapy, particularly vis a vis lyme?
monkeyshines
Posted by map1131 (Member # 2022) on :
Cranal-sacral didn't help me, in fact it would make my neuro sx worse. I tried it for 3 months.
Lymph drainage was very beneficial. I did once weekly lymph drainage for at least 3-4 months and then went to 2 times a month for 6 months.
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