Lymphatic Drainage Massage

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 12:09 am

A quick note about the massage i had this week - Lympathic Drainage Massage.

based on discussions on the weekend with my treatment team (Acupuncturist Shauno and Best Friend and Naturopath Maria) i still have issues with the permability of my gut and the extra pressure this causes to the liver and the spleen, we also talked about the aches i have with my ankles and knees (i get these even if i havent not been glutened) and the prolonged bruising that i have, there is a mark on my inner leg has been there for over 6 weeks.
as i can only tolerate liquid/sub lingual type supplements some treatment options were very limited.

the topic of lymphatic drainage came up and if the lymph and spleen are not 100% happy this would impact digestion and circulation. so this week, I booked in and had my first lympathic drainage massage with a remedial massage therapist. the technique is very gentle focussing on improving the circulation of the lymphatic cycle from neck to toe.

that night i was a bit tired, but not much different to normal, the next day i had 1 or 2 extra BM's which is a frequent occurance when i have acupuncture treatments the extra toxins are being expelled, and once i have had the extra BM's i tend to feel much better.

I had the massage Wednesday afternoon and today (friday afternoon) is the first day that at the end of the day i dont have swelling in my ankles and knees, there is no aching feeling in my ankles for the first time in months.
With my health cover the appointments will only cost me $20 for the 45 minute massage. i am going to do a few fortnightly and then maybe have them monthly, with the move i have reduced the frequency of the acupuncture so this might be the good treatment to have mid way to optimise my wellness.

one of the online resources that explain lymph/spleen function
http://www.gorhams.dk/html/the_lymphatic_system.html

starfire · Post by **starfire** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 6:54 am

Gabes,
Really glad to hear the massage helped you and I hope they continue to do that. How wonderful your health coverage includes the treatments.
Love, Shirley

Joefnh · Post by **Joefnh** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 7:34 am

Gabes that's great news in how well it worked for you, it seems that the swelling has been bothering you for a while. That's great that your insurance will cover a good part of the costs. That's one major difference as here in the states its rare for insurance to cover 'alternative' therapies. A few of the better plans do.

--Joe

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 2:00 pm

thanks Shirley and Joe

as I do prefer natural therapies to prescribed medicine i made sure i got the health cover that had the best options for this area (in australia we source and pay for our own hospital and health cover)

If i am paying for it i might as well use it to the max, at the moment, the amounts that I am getting reimbursed for these therapies are more than what i pay for the premium.

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 3:16 pm

So glad you've found some relief from the swelling. I agree that it's terrific that you can find a plan that will cover these unconventional treatments.

Gloria

irisheyes13 · Post by **irisheyes13** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 4:00 pm

Gabes,

Your post is timely for me. I was considering this exact therapy from a woman who is the founder of the holistic center I was looking into. Her interest in holistic healing began in her personal experience with Crohn's disease. They also have something called Arvigo Technique of Maya Abdominal Massage which is supposed to benefit people with digestive disorders as well.

It's great to hear that you have found yet another modality to help cope with your MC and its effects on your body. I love the "outside of the box" thinking you have found with your therapists and naturopath.

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 5:14 pm

Gloria
i dont see these treatments as unconvential items, if anything i see them as conventional or traditional, these types of treatments were used for hundreds of years before medications were invented

Kelly, that is fantastic that you found a good practitioner. My closest friend Maria, who is the naturopath, has also had digestion issues for many years and is following a gluten and dairy free diet, I am very blessed to have her as my close friend, her ideas regarding ingredients and eating gooey baby food are big contributers to me getting to where i am now, i share alot of the info from this site, and send her the links to articles and research, she does alot of research regarding digestion issues,
my next experiment will be to have probiotic powder, ie not take it in the vege cap that most of them are provided in. As i have had some GERD issues this may help the first stage of the digestion as well. going to start with small small dose and work up

The research we have done regarding the Vege caps that some probiotics are in, shows it could contain gluten and soy. there is no regulation applicable to the item and no manufacturer can guarentee 100% that they are gluten free.
alot of supplements state 'no added gluten' but this does not guarentee 100% they are gluten free.

The reason i trust the 'traditional' treatments is that these practitioners are keen to know about ALL the symptoms i am having and solve the issues that are causing them.
even without the health plan coverage, the cost for these treatments is alot less than if I was unwell and unable to work

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 5:39 pm

I pondered this while washing up...
Kelly having a practitioner that 'gets it' is the best..... they understand the symptoms

Frequently when my very fit and well gal pals got pregnant and started to have fatigue issues, digestion issues, foggy brain they would say to me, i get it, i now know how you feel every day!
a couple of them apologised for not taking my symptoms seriously, it was not until they felt them first hand were they able to comprehend how impacting those symptoms were.

Post by **tex** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:36 pm

Gabes,

FWIW, if you take a probiotic without a protective enteric casing, your stomach will promptly kill the bacteria.

Tex

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 2:02 pm

Tex
that is one of the elements we are trying to figure out......

in Australia ProBiotic powder (no capsule) has been on the market for 5 years or more, so there must be demand for it. My naturopath friend is using contacts to find out if there are different ingredients within that powder that help it to survive the stomach.

We all agree that until we get the whole digestion process is working properly, that niggling symptoms will remain, I know that i cant get it 'perfect' but i do want to improve on where I am now, and with the philosophy of living with out regret, that we tried

Gayle · Post by **Gayle** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 8:10 pm

Gloria said ….

So glad you've found some relief from the swelling. I agree that it's terrific that you can find a plan that will cover these unconventional treatments.

From a slightly different angle:

In the USA, “Lympathic Drainage Massage” really is not really considered “unconventional”. It is found within a recognized area of allied health, and is sometimes recommended following lower extremity, pelvic and other surgical procedures when the lymph system’s drainage channels may have been interfered with, or obstructed in some way. In these situations, a certain number of these treatments may be considered a ‘billable expense’ --- depending upon what kind of insurance one has.

Lymph/Drain massage is different than, but would be akin to, more general body muscle massage therapy which also gives a lot of people a LOT of relief. But body massage is generally understood to be paid for out of pocket, in other words – one can’t generally just go get a massage, and bill that service to their health insurance. Likewise, one could hire a practitioner of Lymp/ Drain Massage, outside of medical direction and that service could be rendered, but would not considered a ‘billable expense’.

Maybe Gabes will tell us how this type of practitioner is reimbursed in Australia.

Cheers,
Gayle

YOU ARE A GUEST OF NATURE. BEHAVE.
Friedensreich Hundertwasser

Linda in BC · Post by **Linda in BC** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 9:28 pm

Timely discussion as, here in Canada, just yesterday my hubby went to a Registered Massage Therapist and got a therapeutic massage for his extremely sore neck and back, without a doctor's referral, just booking it himself, and our basic provincial medical coverage paid $23.00 of a $70.00 charge. Apparently he can have 10 visits partially paid for per year. They must be with a Registered massage therapist who is set up with or recognised by the medical services plan though. I'm not sure what that entails, but apparently not all massage therapists are. It probably just requires a bunch of official paperwork.

Linda

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 10:10 pm

Gayle
similar to here in Oz, if i went to the doctor and had GP diagnosed Odema issues in my ankles and gave me the referral, then the public health system would subsidise lymphomia drainage massage via a Physiotherapist.

whether i go the doctor route or direct to remedial massage the cost out of my pocket is about the same so i took the easier/quicker option

years ago i was the admin for an allied health department in a veterans hospital, we had one full time physio that did lymphatic drainage treatments all week, there are alot of medical conditions that cause odema.

My private health cover company has a great system where i can search their website for practioners registered with them, so before i make the appointment i know they are registered with my fund. For things like dentists they have 'members choice' relationships where the fees by the dentist are capped and 90% of it is covered by the heath cover company.

the cost of the massage is what i used to spend on wine per week pre MC!

ant · Post by **ant** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 1:49 am

Dear Gabes

Great discussion and it is good to read that Lympathic Drainage Massage is helping. I should look into it.

You are a great trail blazer in finding other ways to treat our symptoms, especially when the trail looks back to what was known years ago and forgotten in the rush to make money out of medicines.

Since you also have experience on medical admin in Australia I wonder if you have a comment on this.....

I had an Australian international health policy (via Marsh) for about 10 years before I was 50 yrs old. Even though I was not Australian the policy was "grandfathered" and I could have continued it. I was happy with it and in addition to in-patient and specialists cover, it covered lots of treatments, prescriptions and a fair number of GP visits.

At 50 I moved to BUPA because I thought I should use a UK company. But looking back, the Australian policy was much better and I regret moving from it. I doubt I can now move back (what with MC and Osteoporosis being pre-existing conditions). I am now caught with one company which is gauging me with premiums increases well above medical inflation and providing little more then tertiary coverage. My annual premium is now over US$8,000. (GP visits and prescriptions not covered)

Best, ant