How Does Lymphatic Massage Augment Your New Year's Detox?

Who doesn’t love a fresh start?

Turning the page from one calendar year to the next can feel like a chance to reset. The most popular new year’s practices aren’t resolutions so much, but a commitment to purge. Cleaning out closets, getting rid of subscription apps you’re not using, or donating toys to charity feels good because it’s like you’re releasing clutter that’s been choking off your best life. Purging what you don’t need is akin to breathing air and freeing up extra space. 

That’s why the notion of a full-body detox is so alluring. All the junk in your body gets a send-off and you get back on good footing with a new feeling of health and clarity. With a good, cleansing detox, you reset your body’s natural ability to function at its optimal best.

There are a lot of good plans for detoxification that include a restrictive diet and supplements, herbs, teas, etc. Limiting what you eat feels great. I did a 30-day cleanse once where all caffeine, sugar, gluten, alcohol, dairy, and even legumes were off-limits. After one month, I felt like a new person inside and out.

But if you really want a thorough detox, you might consider doing a few other things to allow your body to remember what it feels like to do the detoxing on its own. Because it does, you know. The body already knows how to clear out the junk. We just have to give it the chance. And sometimes it just needs a small boost.

I’ve been researching ways to detox the body for the new year, and there are at least a hundred different practices you can incorporate: everything from reducing EMF exposure to weekly caffeine enemas. And of course, there are the usual ways to get your body back into its natural peak performance: getting plenty of sleep, sunshine, and water… you know, the simple stuff!

The thing to remember is that your body is a natural detoxification machine.

You can detox (literally) in your sleep, and with both hands tied behind your back. You can detox by just letting loose a genuine belly laugh, or by doing a series of yoga stretches and twists. Just know that detoxing is your body’s natural state. If only there weren’t so many toxins in our environment, we’d ALL be so much healthier – and happier!

In your goal to reduce exposure to toxins (in the environment, our cosmetics, cleaning supplies, food, and medicines) and to boost your body’s natural, internal detoxification rituals, a lymphatic drainage massage is a sure way to stir things up and get your natural detoxification party started. 

Your lymphatics are the trash-collectors of the body. Think about this. If the garbage truck didn’t come weekly to remove all your junk from the curb (I’m talking in most parts of America) can you imagine what our living spaces would be like? We’d be drowning in our own trash. Our houses and garages would be overflowing.

The same is true about the toxins, proteins, lymphocytes, errant cancer cells, and general crud floating around our interstitial fluid. It needs to go somewhere, so off it goes via lymphatic vessels, to the lymph nodes where lymph is processed, filtered, and cleaned, and then to the major ducts in the body where the cleaned fluid eventually returns to the body via the bloodstream. 

If it’s backed up even a little bit, you’ll start to feel sluggish, tired, bloaty, and foggy. You may even experience some general pain, discomfort, or your other systems of the body may not function quite right. It could be the reason you’ve decided to start a detox program for yourself this January.

The beginning of renewal from within starts with manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) to clear all the pathways of your lymphatic system to lay the groundwork for natural immunity and good health. Whatever other detox program you incorporate this new year to jumpstart your health and wellness goals, give yourself the gift of a lymphatic massage. For a truly sensational boost, try a 50-minute massage once per week, for three weeks. Your recharged, fully detoxed body will thank you for a happy beginning to 2022.

P.S. Don't forget, I bring my massage table to you, so you can relax and get the full benefits of your rejuvenating massage session in the comfort of your home!