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You know there’s lymph somewhere inside you, but what, exactly, is it doing for you?
The lymphatic system is comprised of capillaries and vessels that transport lymph, a constituent of the circulatory and immune systems. (Photos.com)
A less-talked-about but no-less-crucial constituent of the vascular system, lymph is a light oily substance that floats in the layer of fat just below the skin, moving around in its own system of vessels.
Lymph is essentially plasma that transports hormones and fat to cells. It’s responsible for moving large particles and everything fat-soluble. It also transports waste, debris, bacteria, toxins, and other unwanted material from cells for elimination.
One of the crucial functions of lymph is to deal with toxins—to “take out the trash.”
And here’s the kicker—the lymphatic system has no pump. The motion of lymph depends upon exercise. Our sedentary lifestyles combined with the sheer volume of toxins our bodies are bombarded daily with make it easier for the tiny vessels lymph travels through to become clogged.
When lymph drainage is sluggish or impaired, the waste and toxins that should be eliminated can be stored in our fat. There they stay, causing symptoms from stiffness and puffiness to skin irritation, fatigue, severe swelling, physical pain, and weight gain.
Mild and severe symptoms can be relieved with lymphatic drainage.
Manual lymphatic drainage was pioneered by Emil Voder in the 1930s to help lymphedema patients. Voder’s technique of gentle massage has been the mainstay for lymphedema patients until now.
Canadian Innovator
Registered Massage Therapist Marie Graff has created a unique method of manual lymphatic drainage. The results have pleasantly surprised patients at the downtown health and wellness clinic Bodyone where Graff is the proprietor, heading a team of massage therapists, acupuncturists, and aestheticians.
Photos.com
Graff Lymphatic Recovery (GLR) uses a combination of all-natural fat-splitting ingredients that are absorbed by the skin, in combination with aggressive lymphatic drainage massage to help unclog parts of the lymphatic system that are not circulating properly.
“The primary problem,” says Graff, “is that when the lymph gets backed up and stagnant, it gets thick like lard. The [lymph] vessels are microscopic. You are not going to get lard into a microscopic vessel.”
Graff’s method of splitting the fatty molecules uses ingredients you might find in your refrigerator, which break up the congestion below the skin. The aggressive massage flushes waste and toxins through the lymph vessels and into the elimination channels of the spleen and liver.
“Many of the things that weight the body down come from toxicity,” explains Graff. “Toxicity is corrosive and aggressive to tissue. Getting it out is important and in modern life we accumulate toxins like never before.”
Purposeful stimulation of the lymphatic system has a surprising number of uses.
Pre- and Post-Operative
A number of Graff’s clients have found GLR treatments helpful in recovering after liposuction, breast enhancement, and other kinds or surgery where the lymphatic system had been damaged.
“Some plastic surgeons in France and the United States will not do elective surgery without a regime of lymphatic drainage before and after surgery,” says Graff, “the results of healing are so much greater.”
Forty-three-year-old IT professional Irina experienced serious complications after cosmetic surgery.
“There was no movement in the tissue in my cheeks, chin, and sides. The tissue was swollen and very tight. Touching and moving the skin on my face would result in needles-picking sensation with a shooting pain. I would get very strong headaches and severe pain in my temples area in the evenings.”
In essence Irina had lost the use of her face.
After seven GLR treatments, Irina reported that her condition improved significantly.
“I was able to start feeling my face again. I stopped to feel as if I had a hockey mask on top of my face.”
Swollen?
For other patients, like Margaret, the lack of proper lymph circulation created serious problems.
“I had severe total body swelling … pain greatly inhibiting my ability to walk, climb stairs, or sit without pain,” recalls Margaret.
“Prior to the treatment my feet and legs were so swollen I could not get boots on.”
After seven days of intensive GLR treatments, Margaret wrote in a letter of thanks.
“I can walk now with no pain except in one localized area [where a previous injury had occurred]. … At the end of my last day of treatment, my body congestion [and] inflammation were reduced by over, in my estimation, 85 percent. …You provided a solution that was drug-free, effective, and not available anywhere else.”
Continued on the next page: Improved Skin Quality
