Lymphatic Drainage and Cancer Recovery
Through the years I have worked with a lot of clients who have undergone cancer treatments and therapies. Because cancer is such a complex disease to treat, the treatments are often harsh on our bodies. The cancer itself is hard enough for our bodies to fight and then we add chemicals or medicine treatments, surgeries, and therapies that can be challenging for bodies to process.
Our lymphatic system is amazing at draining out and cleaning up waste products and chemicals from our bodies. The lymph system, unlike the circulatory system, does not have a muscle pumping the lymph around our bodies, but is a passive system relying on movement and stretching for its flow. This is where lymphatic drainage can be key. Lymphatic drainage is essentially a series of movements and massage techniques that help to move the lymph through the lymphatic system more effectively.
It is not uncommon for lymph to build up in an area and for lymph nodes to become inflamed or swollen, which prevents much lymph from moving from that area. Think of the most famous lymph nodes, the tonsils. When our nasal passages and throats are attacked by a cold virus or a bacterial infection, the tonsils often get inflamed and then lymph builds up in surrounding tissues. This prevents the draining of the bad stuff away and delays the healing process.
Now consider someone that is getting treatment for cancer. One of the best things they need is for their bodies to dispose of waste products efficiently and effectively. These waste products are often added to the body through harsh medicines or through chemotherapy. The sooner the body can process those wastes out the better. Lymphatic drainage can speed up that process and thus speed up cancer recovery.
The less work our body has to do while it is stressed and trying to heal, the better. Draining the lymph has been shown to decrease inflammation, decrease pain, and increase the ability of the body to regenerate healthy tissues while fighting unhealthy tissues.
The other side of cancer treatments involves surgery to remove cancerous tissues or tumors. This process can be traumatic and can also lead to inflammation and swelling due to the lymph struggling to drain in damaged tissues.
Julie at Posture Massage is very adept at working with tissues that have been damaged or traumatized. She can help you to learn to drain the tissues around your wounds and help them to heal more quickly. Lymphatic drainage SHOULD NOT HURT. I repeat, lymphatic drainage is not a painful process and should not inflict more pain on you, no matter the trauma you have experienced through surgery or cancer treatment.
