{"id":3834,"date":"2017-05-30T23:35:41","date_gmt":"2017-05-30T23:35:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/?p=3834"},"modified":"2017-05-30T23:35:41","modified_gmt":"2017-05-30T23:35:41","slug":"manual-lymphatic-drainage-mld","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/2017\/05\/30\/manual-lymphatic-drainage-mld\/","title":{"rendered":"Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD)"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Jodie Isles | Merakai Massage<\/a><\/p>\n

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What is MLD?<\/h2>\n

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MLD is a form of manual therapy very different to other massage styles and is designed to activate and encourage the flow of lymph throughout the body.<\/p>\n

MLD focuses solely on the lymphatic system and connective tissue immediately below the skin and does not penetrate to the deeper muscular level like a typical remedial massage. \u00a0Approximately 75% of the body\u2019s lymph fluid sits just below the skin above the muscle, the remaining amount is deep lymphatic system.<\/p>\n

MLD utilises very light pressure combined with specific technique direction, timing & flow to encourage the flow of lymph around the body.<\/p>\n

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What is the lymphatic system?<\/h2>\n

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Quite basically, the lymphatic system works with the cardiovascular system to ensure all the body\u2019s tissues get what they need and get rid of what they don\u2019t need.<\/p>\n

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The cardiovascular (heart) system pumps oxygen and protein rich blood to the tissues and organs.\u00a0 Most people naturally \u2018leak\u2019 fluid into the tissues from the blood capillaries through their processes.\u00a0 About 90% of this leaked fluid is taken back through cardiovascular system via the veins.\u00a0 But the other 10% is a fluid component that \u2018leaks\u2019 out into the tissues through the very tiny blood vessels.\u00a0 This fluid contains things too big to get back into the veins such as protein, cell debris, bacteria, viruses and fat.<\/p>\n

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This is where the lymphatic system takes over.\u00a0 Through its vast network, it \u2018mops\u2019 up this excess fluid, cleans it and moves it back into the cardiovascular system.<\/p>\n

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What is lymph?<\/h3>\n

Lymph is a clear watery fluid which contains recovered fluid from the body containing protein, cells, fats and foreign cells & chemicals from tissues.<\/p>\n

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Does the Lymphatic system do anything else?<\/h3>\n

The lymphatic system has a few primary functions:<\/p>\n

Assists with fluid recovery<\/strong>: as described above, it mops up the excess fluid and returns it to the cardiovascular system.<\/p>\n

Immunity & Detoxing<\/strong>:\u00a0 Lymph collects foreign cells from the body, chemicals from the tissues, bacteria and viruses.\u00a0 As it passes through the lymphatic system it triggers an immune response in the lymph nodes, and white blood cells are activated to consume the foreign matter.<\/p>\n

Dietary lipid (fat) absorption<\/strong> in the small intestine.<\/p>\n

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How does the lymphatic system flow?<\/h3>\n

The lymphatic system has no pump, it relies on internal one-way valves, skeletal muscle movement, arteries pulsing, and respiratory movements to move the fluid.\u00a0 It is continuously moving throughout our body cleaning the excess fluid to make it safe to re-enter the blood stream.<\/p>\n

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Did you know?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Your heart pumps about 5l of blood every MINUTE.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Your lymphatic system pumps 1.5-2l lymph per DAY<\/strong><\/p>\n

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How does MLD affect the body?<\/h2>\n

Manual Lymphatic Drainage:<\/p>\n