# lymphatic drainage



## jome

Hi, just wanted to ask your opinions about having a lymphatic drainage massage in between treatment..

I've had 3 icsi's since October (!) and am starting number 4 in a weeks' time.. Zita West recommends it, but what do you think? and does it help get rid of the tummy flab, which is probably due to the toxin build up from all the hormones?

Thanks for any info....
lol, jome


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## CM01

Hi Jome,
I had lymphatic drainage a few weeks ago (I have now been d/regging for a week) and really didn't know what to expect.  To be honest, I only went because Zita  mentioned it, and I am trying to follow her guidelines as far as possible.  She recommends a course, but my therapist told me I didn't really need a second session as she couldn't feel any 'blockages'.  She said this was probably because I had already been detoxing for a few months and usually she treats people at the start of a detox programme.  She told me that her patients normally lose some weight/size due to water retention, but I didn't notice any significant changes.
I did really enjoy the treatment; the pressure is so light that it's like being stroked all over - I wanted to purr!  I found it extremely relaxing and felt very 'light' afterwards.
If I wasn't being so strict with my healthy lifestyle regime, I would definitely go back for more, but she was quite insistent that I didn't need any more sessions.
I hope that helps - best of luck with your cycle!
xx Clare


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## jome

Thanks, it sounds great!!

lol, jome


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## MandyL

It was recommended to me by a physical therapist that I should try this type of treatment a couple years ago, before we were TTC.  She said it would help because of the pain I have with Endo, all my muscles are clogging things up in the stomach and abdomen.  I never did do it, but now have started reading up on it again and I find that it claims to be helpful in fertility.  So I wonder, has anyone done this type of therapy, or done research on it either way?


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## rebeccas

Hi Mandy

Lymphatic drainage or MLD is an excellent preparation to the body for fertility a UK expert Zita West recommends the Vodder method.  I have experienced it, it is a light gentle massage which really tingles and helps to encourage the lymph to flow and therefore aids detoxification.  In canada there are a few therapists who are trained by Dr Vodder School and the web address is www.vodderschool.com and you can search a local Vodder trained therapist.

Hope this helps

Rebecca x


/links


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## MandyL

Thanks Rebecca, that does help.  I was starting to think no one had heard of it!


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## FS

Hi,

I've only just spotted this post, and feel compelled to reply, even though it may not be what you want to hear!  The term 'lymphatic drainage' does not mean anything.  There is no such thing.  It's people like Zita West (who, amazingly, everyone rates so highly on this board) that charge vulnerable women rip-off prices for 'lymphatic drainage' and other related quackery!  In the real world of biological science, it is the liver that's responsible for removing toxins from the blood.  The lymph system, on the other hand, is responsible for producing immune cells, and for collecting fluid that accumulates in tissues as a result of the pressure set up by the 'pumping' of blood through the circulatory system, and return this fluid back into the circulatory system. I am so outraged that these people manage to get away with peddling such non-scientific nonsense by preying on the majority who don't have a scientific background!

I know that Zita West appear to give some good nutritional advice but, frankly, you could get this from other sources, and without the additional ignorant quackery thrown in! 

FS


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## MandyL

FS Thanks for responding.  I haven't gone for any treatment yet because I'm just too busy at the moment!  So the way that you explained it, the lymph nodes could get "stopped up" with the fluid from tissues, right?  So would it not be beneficial to drain the fluids and keep the system moving?


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## FS

Hi Mandy,

The lymph system, unlike blood vessels, doesn't have the heart pumping the fluid through its vessels.  So, yes, lymph drains back into the blood vessels by a rather more passive mechanism than the one that pushes blood around the body.  If the blood vessels get clogged up, say through a blood clot, then serious problems occur.  It is also possible for the lymphatic system to get clogged up, eg with a lymph node tumor, and this again is a serious problem.  The best way to stop the circulatory system from getting blocked up is to eat well and do regular exercise.  Because the lymph system doesn't rely on the heart pumping  its fluid around, drainage of the fluid is, as I said, a bit more passive, which is why it's called 'drainage', as opposed to 'pumping', and why you don't feel a 'pulse' if you put your finger on a lymph node!  That said, deep breathing and skeletal muscle contractions (both things which happen when you exercise) do help 'squeeze' lymph along the lymph vessels.  Receiving a massage can help improve the blood circulation, and even lymph movement a little.  But ultimately, if you don't have some sort of disease causing blockages in either systems, it's exercise that's going to get things moving, not Zita West charging you £80 or more to rub your skin and chant witchdoctor language at you!

Hope I don't sound too zealous!  Of course, it's always lovely to have a massage, not least because it can be so relaxing and 'feel-good'.  I just get angry with spurious claims at rip-off prices.

Best wishes,

FS


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## minttuw

Does anyone know if it is ok to have MLD after ET?

Thanks.
Minty


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