Manual Lymph Drainage at Balsamroot Massage

          Are you a breast cancer survivor?  Have you survived another kind of cancer but have a compromised lymph system?  Do you have swelling in your tissues after a surgery (knee/shoulder/hip replacement, dental, plastic. etc)?  Do you suffer from fluid retention and swelling that's NOT connected to congestive heart failure, kidney failure,  deep vein thrombosis--say, from inactivity or air travel?  Do you get migraines?  Do you suffer from fibromyalgia? 

          The Manual Lymph Drainage services offered at Balsamroot can help!  Susan now holds a full 40-hour certificate in the modality from the Academic of Lymphatic Studies (the oldest and most respected professional organization in the U.S. in this field).  As far as she has been able to determine, no other massage therapist in the Pocatello area has earned this level of certification.

          Manual Lymph Drainage involves gentle, rhythmic manipulation of the skin along precise anatomical lines.  Its aim is to reduce tissue swelling by encouraging the lymph system to work more efficiently.  It's effective for simple edema (situational swelling) and for lymphedema (more serious swelling associated with lymph node removal and compromised lymph systems)  UNTREATED LYMPHEDEMA, such as that which can occur after breast cancer treatment, can progress as a disease, damaging the system even more and causing fibrous, irreversible changes to tissue.   To prevent such consequences, it's essential that lymphedema sufferers follow a regime that includes wearing compression garments and receiving manual lymph drainage.

     Benefits of Manual Lymph Drainage include 1) Reduction of pain in the area of the swelling (because pressure on nerves is decreased as swelling decreases); 2) Decrease of swelling because of enhanced lymph uptake; 3) Increased efficiency in the working of the lymph system; 4) Soothing of anxiety.

      MLD sessions (or sessions that combine MLD and conventional massage) cost only what a regular session at Balsamroot does: $50.  If you have questions about whether the modality is right for you (there are contraindications, as noted above), get in touch with Susan via the contact button on this website or at swetsusa@isu.edu, and she will be glad to consult with you.