Lets learn how massage therapy and particularly lymph drainage massage can benefit a raw food enthusiast from a health perspective.

Massage therapy is a form of manual therapy that helps heal the body in many ways. It can benefit all types of people; adults, elderly people, infants and children… all can benefit from various forms of massage therapy. There are forms of massage therapy that target certain parts of the body just as there are different techniques in massage therapy.

For example, some people train to work on athletes specifically. Their training may involve specific training in the art of sports massage. Others may work in the healing arts and may want to focus their training on a technique known as Shiatsu.

Still others may want to learn a technique often used in the healing arts known as lymph drainage massage. Sometimes this is also called LDT or “Lymph Drainage Technique”.

The lymphatic system consists of tiny nodes located throughout the body. The lymph nodes absorb all manner of substances from tissue in the body, including toxins and waste products. Substances in the body, natural substances also filter through these lymph nodes.

Sometimes the flow of substances through the lymph system gets backed up, kind of like the plumbing might in someone's house. Why would this happen? There are many reasons. Inflammation is one reason. Too much swelling in the human body suggests a person has too many toxins in the body or experiences too much stress. A person could also have a chronic illness related to theses conditions.

Stress and ordinary fatigues can also cause problems with the flow of the lymph system. Other reasons for a stagnated system may include:

• Aging, which can cause the body to process substances slower than normal
• Lack of physical activity which causes everything in the body to become sluggish
• Clothing that is worn too long or too tightly, including bras (especially those with wires)
• Clothing that compresses the body and is worn around the clock

When the lymph system is not in constant action it tends to slow down so cells in the body are not regenerating as quickly as they would ordinarily. This works kind of like the plumbing in the excretory system. If you don't eat enough fiber and drink lots of water you may become constipated, and with time this can cause fecal matter to become impacted.

Raw foodists tend to avoid this problem because they eat lots of fiber and drink lots of water. Many also find regular colonic and enemas tend to help prevent this problem.

The lymph system is no different. When you drink lots of water and eat well, and exercise, usually your lymph system works well. This helps bolster your immune system, which in turns helps your body maintain homeostasis.

The good news is massage therapists trained in lymph drainage technique can help restart the lymph system and release blockages much like a colonic practitioner would help unstop the bowels. They can help the muscles along the lymphatic pathway contract which can help stimulate the fluids in the lymph.

Some therapists are able to improve circulation at many layers in the body enhancing the removal of toxins and improving the flow of lymph in many areas including around old scars, fractures and even around blemishes in the body to improve the texture in skin. Some people use lymph drainage massage as an anti-aging tool.

You might even consider using lymph drainage technique as an exercise enhancing tool, because the body also expels certain fats through the lymphatic system's vessels. These occur throughout the body, in the places fat would ordinarily grow.

There are many exercises you can perform to help drain the lymph. For example, you can lie on the floor with your legs pressed up against the wall above your head or even perform a headstand.

There are instances where lymph massage is best avoided. These include:

• In cases where an individual has an infectious condition that is contagious.
• When an individual is feverish; it is best to work with an individual after the fever is gone.
• Anyone that has severe circulatory problems because the person may accidentally free a clot which could result in a heart attack or it could result in a pulmonary embolism.
• Anyone with serious cardiac problems as massages can cause heart attacks.
• Any malignant disease including an undiagnosed growth although the reasons for this are arguably questionable. Some healthcare providers suggested it may be possible to encourage metastasis of cancer in patients that may have cancer especially when a patient had a lymph drainage massage. However when one researches carefully, they will probably find that there is little evidence to suggest this would happen or is common. It is more likely that individuals that already had metastasis lying dormant might experience a surge in their condition or status.

By TTS Cofounder Omid Jaffari

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