Our bodies are highly intelligent machines that know how to repair and heal themselves. Waste products are identified and eliminated through the  secretion and excretion processes.

When you have a treatment such as manual lymphatic drainage or massage, the circulatory system is stimulated which helps move everything around including any toxins.

The treatment will continue to work long after it’s finished which is why it’s so important to rest and drink plenty of water or herbal tea to support your body to work efficiently,

These are the aftercare guidelines for manual lymphatic drainage. It’s also a good idea to consider these after all treatments.

To ensure that you gain maximum benefit from a treatment, I recommend that you

• Loosen tight clothing – this inhibits lymph flow
• Increase the amount of water you drink over the next few days – the body will be in a state of high toxicity for a few days after the treatment
• Reduce your caffeine intake (coffee, tea, fizzy juice)
• Avoid hot baths, saunas etc for a couple of hours
• Avoid alcohol for 24 hours
• Cut down smoking
• Make time to rest and relax – this allows the blood pressure to return to normal if it has dropped during the treatment (this often happens)
• Regular (but not too strenuous) exercise helps with the muscle contraction, therefore the lymph flow
• Deep diaphragmatic breathing also helps to promote healthy lymph flow. Around 10-15 minutes a day with legs elevated is beneficial for lymph congestion.
• Diet is important; a light diet of raw foods is recommended so that the body does not need to concentrate on sluggish digestion. Remember, low sodium diets are recommended for a healthy lymphatic system – poor diets are a contributing factor to poor lymphatic drainage

Occasionally you may experience reactions when the body begins it’s self-healing process and elimination of toxins. These reactions may include 

• Frequent visits to the toilet
• Runny nose and/or cough
• Slight rash as skin rebalances
• Perspiration – another way that the body can excrete waste
• Conditions which have been suppressed may flare up temporarily before they heal
• Deep sleep or difficulty sleeping and vivid dreams

These reactions are only temporary and should clear within 24-48 hours. They are positive signals that your body has responded to the treatment and is balancing itself.