Feel Good Factor

Alice Hart-Davis, Health & Fitness Writer
Evening Standard
13th December 2005

What is it? A gentle form of therapeutic massage using the fingertips.

What does it claim to do? Lymph, a fluid, circulates around the body carrying toxins, metabolic waste products and white blood cells from the tissues into the bloodstream. Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) increases the contractions of the lymph vessels to encourage the removal of excess fluid and metabolic waste products from the body's tissues.

A sedentary lifestyle leads to an unstimulated lymphatic system which becomes sluggish. This, says practitioners, can contribute to a variety of chronic conditions including arthritis, repetitive strain injury, migraine and joint problems. By stimulating the lymph flow to optimum efficiency many of these problems can be relieved. Lymph is often claimed to play a role in fighting infection.

Any science to it? MLD is medically recognised by doctors worldwide as the most effective treatment for lymphoedema, the swelling which occurs when lymphatic fluid builds up in the tissues. This is common after some types of surgery (it affects 1 in 4 breast cancer patients).

Among complimentary medical practitioners, MLD has proved effective in helping to alleviate chronic conditions ranging from irritable bowel syndrome to ME (chronic fatigue syndrome) and sinusitis. It is a popular technique in facials as it is very good at reducing “puffiness and swelling in the face” and also to combat cellulite for its ability to “flush excess fluid from the lower body”.

What's it like? “Very delicate and soothing”. The therapists work with precise, rhythmic movements over the lymph channels of the face and body only exerting a light pressure. Therapists will work on a few targeted areas of the body at one time in order to see how the patient responds. For general health, the recommended course is one session a week (“it's great for clearing the skin”; the practitioners also say that when the toxin-removing, bacteria-fighting lymph channels are working properly their patients are less vulnerable to colds and infections). “The contours of my face improved visibly after just a half-hour session as if they had been magically drained of puffiness.”