I was lucky enough to end up with a Massage Therapist who was highly knowledgeable about the variations on her chosen profession (feel free to ask for her contact information if you live in Pittsburgh). In particular, she warned me not to allow someone without proper training to massage my lymph nodes. The lymphatic system requires extremely light massage as anything else will cause the “tubes” through which drainage occurs to collapse. Only someone who has specific training, ideally extensive training, in lymphatic drainage massage will be able to do it successfully. A good place to find people with this training is the Upledger Institute, which has contact information for people who have taken courses in lymphatic drainage massage.
Why your Massage Therapist probably should not massage your lymph nodes
December 1, 2007 at 11:55 pm (treatment)
Tags: massage
Finding a Massage Therapist « A Lyme Disease Journal said,
December 24, 2007 at 12:22 am
[...] My first massage happened sometime in mid-September, as a result of a recommendation from a friend that came with a gift certificate. It gave me great relief from my symptoms, and I might have gone back to see that person, had my husband not lit a fire under me to actively create a cure/identify the cause of my illness. Instead, I acknowledged that her massage had not addressed my issues at the level I hoped, and I set out to find the perfect Massage Therapist. She did not press and hold on areas that needed release (a technique I had become familiar with during a previous period when I needed massage and knew to be more effective at reducing knots for longer). Also, she was uncomfortable massaging my lymph nodes, something I thought I needed at the time (a mistake). [...]
Anind insists that we figure this out « A Lyme Disease Journal said,
December 24, 2007 at 12:35 am
[...] therapists in earnest, trying to find one who would massage my lymph nodes to help drain them (a big mistake!). This ultimately led to my [...]
Patsy said,
August 4, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Thank you for the information.
Martha said,
July 12, 2010 at 6:41 am
Speaking of the Lymph system, have you ever heard of Lymph Drainage therapy? Do we know if it is effective in treating Lyme?
jmankoff said,
July 12, 2010 at 10:55 am
I have used Lymphatic Draining Massage, but do not know about Lymph Drainage therapy.
Martha said,
July 13, 2010 at 6:02 am
Did the Lymphatic Draining massage help?
jmankoff said,
July 13, 2010 at 11:16 am
I don’t know for sure… but my lymph nodes were chronically swollen for years, and I wanted to move those toxins out.
jen