Lymphatic drainage has many benefits, especially when it comes to moving toxins out of your body. Your lymphatic system helps rid your body of toxins like bacteria, viruses, heavy metals and other unwanted nasties.

Large clumps of lymph nodes can be found around your neck, underneath your armpit, at your elbow, around the upper part of your thigh and groin and at the back of your knee. There are also many lymph nodes in your gut, especially in your small intestine.

Mesenteric lymphadenitis is the inflammation of the lymph nodes in the gut. Mesenteric lymphadenopathy is commonly found in people with inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Infection can result in mesenteric lymphadenopathy.

Brain drainage is something that many people with gut health issues don't tend to think about... and yet with brain fog demonstrating that our brains have been flooded with toxins, it makes sense to address this.

'Lymphatic Detox' recommended in Scrub The Nooks & Crannies will help with this and will support and promote healthy drainage and immune support throughout your lymphatic system.

AT HOME LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE MASSAGE

You can see a professional and/or give yourself a nourishing lymphatic drainage massage at home to help get any stagnant lymph moving.

You might like to start off with some lymphatic breathing. Deep breathing acts like a pump that helps move fluid through the lymph nodes. You can achieve this with basic belly breathing:

• Place both hands on the stomach.
• Inhale through the nose, expanding the stomach and keeping the shoulders still.
• Slowly exhale through the mouth.
• Rest between breaths.

Follow lymphatic breathing with Dry Skin Brushing. This will enhance your blood circulation and stimulate your lymphatic system. Dry skin brushing has many other benefits including: reducing the appearance of cellulite, eliminating dead skin cells, smoothing and tightening the skin and rejuvenating the nervous system.

Choose a high quality, soft brush with natural bristles and always brush toward your heart.

You can purchase a pre-made massage oil or make your own. Aim for high quality organic and/or therapeutic grade oils.

Suitable carrier oils consist of coconut oil or fractionated coconut oil, sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil (which is light weight, easily absorbed & can calm irritated skin), jojoba oil (absorbs easily & doesn’t clog pores), sesame oil (revered in Ayurveda for it's healing properties, releases skin impurities) etc. Choose a carrier oil based on your skin type.

Some examples of essential oils that support drainage include: citrus oils like grapefruit and lemon (be mindful that citrus oils cause photosensitivity and avoid direct sun exposure for 12 hours after initial application), geranium (which also helps to relieve stress, depression & anxiety), rosemary and cypress.

HOW TO PERFORM MANUAL LYMPH DRAINAGE

Lymphatic drainage massage or Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD) Is a very gentle technique using light pressure and rhythmic pumping to increase lymph flow.

You work from proximal to distal, always moving the fluid centrally towards your heart. A lymph drainage map can help you understand the location of your lymph nodes and the directional flow of drainage.

The MLD stroke is gentle but stretches the skin. Your hand and fingers should be relaxed. There is no sliding and no squeezing. The stroke can be thought of as performing a stationary half circle movement with an open hand flat against the skin. Again, it is very gentle and very slow… and it's really not like a typical massage at all.

It is a lovely, relaxing practice to do right before a shower, however, you can do it anytime.

A lot of lymphatic drainage massage videos can be found on YouTube. Here’s one to get you started.

Lymphatic drainage massage can be very helpful if you have swelling from histamine intolerance and/or hormonal imbalances. Here's an example of a pampering facial massage that can help reduce puffiness (especially from around your eyes) by moving the accumulation of lymph. This type of massage can also give you a bit of a natural 'face lift'! It's a win, win! :-)

Always drink plenty of filtered water following lymphatic drainage massage.

Your muscles move lymph... without muscular movement, your lymph would stay stagnant. Things like walking and rebounding are great for your lymphatic system.

Saunas also help the lymph system to move and excrete toxins. You can learn more about saunas here.