The Benefits of Lymphatic Drainage & Massage

My evening wellness routine is centered around lymphatic drainage and blood flow stimulation. I’m VERY into it. Some of you may be very in tune with the importance of whole-body circulation and drainage to your lymph nodes… some of you are like drainage of the whooby-whatty?!

Hang in there with me…

Let’s start with understanding the role our lymphatic system plays in our body.

The lymphatic system is one of the more incredible inventions in our bodies: not only does it move lymph back into the bloodstream (lymph is fluid containing infection-fighting white blood cells), but it filters out toxins and other foreign elements to support the immune system. This lymphatic system sits between two incredibly vital parts of our bodies: our blood circulation and our immune system. The interrelationship between these two is critical for fighting disease and maintaining a healthy performance weight

The lymphatic system kind of looks like our cardiovascular system, except our veins and capillaries in our bodies are all connected to a pump; our heart. The Lymphatic system doesn’t have it’s own pump…

That’s why these lymph stimulating techniques are incredible for us:

Professional Lymphatic Drainage Massage

What is it? It’s a type of massage focused on a drainage method that helps improve the free flow of the lymphatic system. This method moves your body’s fluid toward lymph nodes in the body while incorporating high definition massage techniques. Some people can lose inches in just one session, but consistency is the key for long term results. While lymphatic massage does not produce permanent weight loss on its own, it may aid you in removing excess body weight by improving digestion and removing waste products from your body. I recommend finding something that specialized in this practice.

If you’re from Pittsburgh, I love the UPMC Center for Integrative Medicine, see Jesse Larson. She’s great! If you’re in Palm Beach, my great friend Michelle Cavotta is a miracle worker (DM her @michellecavotta).

Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage

The manual massage touts the same benefits as the professional massage, just on a smaller scale. I love to incorporate this by dry brushing and/or the de la heart lymphatic drain tool into my evening routine because I sit most of the day at work and it is so rejuvenating to get the blood flowing throughout my body. One last thing I like to do is sit with my legs up against a wall for 5 minutes or so before bed to increase the circulation. Benefits of incorporating all or some of these practices daily may include:

• Aids in removing excess fluid & toxins
• Reduce swelling and bloating
• Help reduce the appearance of cellulite
• Help boost your metabolism
• Promote digestive health

Facial Lymphatic Drainage

Last but CERTAINLY not least is the facial lymphatic massage. This is my absolute favorite way to reduce bloating in my face and incorporate nourishing oils into my skin. In my experience, it wakes up my face entirely. I actually notice a difference in the two sides of my face when i’m half way through the process – my eyes appear more awake, brows lifted a bit, cheeks de-puff, and I see more definition (hello contour) in my cheeks and jaw line. I can’t recommend the Wilding Gua Sha enough. I pair it with organic Rose Hip oil and feel like a million bucks. It makes my face red for a bit but then settles in a nice rosy & dewy finish. Wilding’s instagram has great tutorials if you want to learn more. Otherwise, refer to my “body truths” highlight on my instagram.

I hope this was informative and inspires you to give at least one of these a try! Dry brushing is probably the most common way to awaken your lymphatic system and then hop into the shower – run it hot and cold for 15 seconds. That’ll do a number on you too!

Enjoy in good health,

Jess