It Works For Me: Manual Lymphatic Drainage

Lucy McDonald
The Times, Body & Soul
3rd July 2004

For many years, soaking tissues were my calling card. Friends and family didn't have to enquire after my whereabouts; they merely followed the trail of wet hankies in my wake.

My nose was like a constantly dripping tap. I sniffed so much all year round that a scurrilous rumour went around one workplace that I had a cocaine problem. Nothing so dramatic. The only drugs I was addicted to were antihistamines; but my habit, which I had had since my early teens - I am now 30 - was proving expensive. I was allergic to grass pollen, tree pollen, dust, cats, dogs, hamsters... In short, anything.

I'd tried everything. Pills which sent me to sleep and didn't stop the sneezing. High doses of vitamin C. Vaseline up my nose to act as a pollen barrier. I got rid of my beloved cat and embarked on a one-woman hoovering crusade against dust mites. I'd been to see doctors, nutritionists and even a man who shot electric currents through my toes to rejuvenate my organs. All to no avail. Until I found my holy grail.

A couple of years ago a friend recommended manual lymphatic drainage (MLD). She has it for her cellulite and when I complained about my sluggish digestive system and water retention she said it may be just the thing.

Put simply, MLD is a massage that stimulates the lymph system, helping the body to eliminate toxins, bacteria and other nasties. Developed by an Austrian doctor, Emil Vodder, in the 1930s, it is used to treat ailments from arthritis to stress to digestive problems.

My therapist Mariana Arnado, who practises the MLD method in South Kensington, originally had the treatment for acne and was so impressed that she trained in it. After a six-month course she now holds an advanced qualification from the British Manual Lymphatic Drainage Association.

Before the treatment began I filled in a detailed questionnaire about my general health and then had to answer questions about my diet, exercise levels and other ailments.

Then with only a couple of strategically placed towels draped over me, Arnado began gently to massage my body, focusing first on the lymph nodes in my face and neck to help to clear my nasal passages. Every now and again she would let out a squeal of delight because she could feel the lymph in my face clearing. By the sound of it, it is as satisfying for masseurs as blackhead squeezing is for facialists.

“I get so excited when it really helps someone,” she says. “The treatment is effective for anyone suffering from sinus problems, hay fever and other allergies. The reason being that allergens stimulate an inflammatory response, which causes swelling in the lymphatic system. MLD enhances the activity of the immune system and helps the body to fight allergens.”

Unlike normal massages, MLD involves stroking the skin, following the body's lymphatic system which circulates through your tissues. “Your facial lymph nodes were slightly larger and harder than normal but, as I massaged those areas, I could feel the congested area loosening up”, Arnado told me.

She then massaged my whole body focusing on the areas I had highlighted as problematic - my tummy for digestion and my legs for water retention. I was also encouraged to drink lots of water to help to flush away any toxins.

After my first treatment my husband commented on my svelte thighs - it had helped to reduce water retention. Having raised my hopes so many times about potential cures, I didn't expect my hay fever to improve - but it did, with my symptoms subsiding almost immediately. And, 18 months and four treatments later, although I have the occasional sneeze and runny nose, it's about 80% better. I no longer go out armed with tissues. I save a fortune on antihistamines and I don't fall asleep after EastEnders because I'm drugged to the eyeballs.

Fantastic though I have found it, Allergy UK, Britain's leading hay fever charity, doesn't endorse it. “Desensitisation - where the body is introduced to small doses of the allergen - is the method we recommend for treating allergies” says its spokeswoman, Muriel Simmons.

So maybe I am one of the lucky ones. The ultimate test for me was staying with friends who had a cat. In the past every visit was accompanied by sneezing, itchy eyes and runny nose. But last time, after a cursory sneeze or two, I didn't suffer all week. The cat even slept on my bed. And, best of all, I am getting a cat again.