Babies and kittens really know how to breathe, do you?

Babies and kittens both know how to keep their bellies soft when they breathe. Watch one sometime; you’ll see their small tummies balloon out with every intake of breath.

Chances are, you breathe like babies and kittens when you’re asleep. And like most adults, you chest-breathe during your waking hours.

If, while awake, belly breathing feels unnatural for you, as it did me not too long ago, you’re not alone. Most people breathe shallowly, from the chest and ribs up to the throat. It’s an unconscious transition from the belly breathing of a baby to the chest breathing of an adult, but it’s one a lot of people make. Whether from stress, the tension in your neck and shoulders, or being conscious of posture and a desire to “hold your gut in” for appearance's sake; it’s how most of us breathe.

I remember as a preteen when I learned how to suck in air to make my stomach flat. At the...

Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) is a gentle and safe massage therapy technique. This protocol effectively reduces pain and soreness in tissues and joints, and mechanically reduces swelling and bruising of tissues after surgery. It's also effective in preparing you for surgery because it activates the lymphatic system before the trauma of surgery. As a general maintenance measure, regular MLD flushes the lymphatic system of toxins. On top of that, it's the most relaxing massage you can get!

There are very few contraindications for MLD. Lymphatic massage can be included in the treatment of an abundance of pathologies. However, a few absolute contraindications are worth noting before you schedule an MLD session with your certified manual lymphatic drainage therapist.

1. Acute cellulitis is the inflammation of the skin, caused by bacterias staphylococcus or streptococcus, often located near surgical wounds or ulcers. It is characterized by redness, pain or tenderness, enlarged...

Lymphatic massage is surprisingly gentle.

When I first got interested in lymphatic drainage, I was surprised at how well it worked. Like, instantly! After one session, my friend’s edema in her swollen legs was visibly reduced and the pressure and pain were alleviated. She felt so much relief that tears came to her eyes.

When most people receive their first manual lymph drainage massage, they’re usually surprised that the hand technique is so very gentle. Lymphatic massage requires a controlled, yet light touch. Why so gentle?

Lymph vessels are delicate and tiny. The largest are less than one millimeter in diameter, and the precapillary channels are even smaller. The hand movements therefore must be rhythmic and gentle, but provide enough tension to slightly stretch the skin, which encourages the small segments of the lymph vessels to pump lymph fluid. This special type of lymphatic massage is called the Vodder Technique.

The originators of the Vodder Technique

The Vodder...

Blog Posts About Lymphatic Health

What is the Vodder Technique for Lymphatic Massage?

The Beneficial Effects of Lymphatic Massage

Ready to Go Back to Your Massage Therapist?

The Mechanical Movement of Lymph

The Importance of the Lymphatic System to Inflammation

Contraindications for Manual Lymphatic Drainage

This Magical Deep Belly Breath Will Change Your Life

Can You Combine Deep Tissue With Lymphatic Massage?

A Belly Full of Lymph Nodes

Dry Brushing for Lymph Health

Different Types of Fluid Drainage After Surgery

 Six Benefits of Receiving Lymphatic Massage During Pregnancy

Healing Sleep

Image by Microgen, Adobe Stock

Here’s what to expect in the age of COVID.

Last week I joined five other massage therapists on a Zoom call about the new normal in the massage therapy world. We’ve been restricted since mid-March, meanwhile gathering best practices for the summer reopening. We discussed how our practice will change, and what will remain the same.

Here in Texas, on May 18 Governor Abbot issued an order under phase two of his reopen plan that allows licensed massage therapists and schools to reopen. This affected three of us Texans on the call. Two others from the UK are planning their reopen date for sometime in July. An Alaskan therapist joined the call from her car. She was on her way to work at a chiropractor’s office where she’s booked through June.

As people venture out after the lockdown, many are craving a massage

I know I could use one! But how safe do you feel about lying on your massage therapist’s table these days? Chances are...

Thank your body for doing thousands of things without you even having to think about it. 

You take a bite of a sandwich, and after chewing and swallowing, your job is done. The digestive system largely takes over from there. You bang your head on the edge of the pool, and after a couple of stitches and a bandage, your circulatory system comes to the rescue to heal the wound. Your brain and nervous system receive information via your eyes, ears, nose, and touch, alerting you to environmental dangers, as well as pleasurable opportunities. You fall asleep each night and your body grows, heals, rests, recuperates, and stores energy for you to get up and do life again the next day. All without much conscious intervention on your part.

The lymphatic system also functions with or without your help. But if you want to increase its immunity-building capabilities, you can actually do something about it. Like a bodybuilder works to define her muscles, your behavior actually facilitates a...

You just dropped an iron on your big toe.

After crumpling to your knees and spewing a curse word or two, you know what’s going to happen. Your toe will turn bright red, it’ll get very hot to the touch, it will be sore and puffy. You may not be able to move it for a while. These are all signs of inflammation, your body’s natural defenses coming to the rescue.

What you can’t see is the dilation of the blood vessels, which allow more blood to reach the tissue. This blood contains a gang of white blood cells rushing into the wounded tissue, ready to fight a battle against infection. Inflammatory mediators trigger immune system cells to pass out of the small blood vessels to prevent further tissue damage. Hormonal signals irritate nerves and cause pain. Inflammation, from the Latin “inflammare”( to burn), sounds an alarm to your entire body. If something hurts, you’re more likely to notice and protect that body part. 

Inflammation...

In the process of downsizing, you’re going to come face to face with half-finished projects and reminders of hopes that never came to pass.

This is especially difficult for creative people with hobbies like sewing, gardening, woodworking, electronic tinkering, and even reading, etc.

I don’t care how much appreciation you have in your enlightened heart, or how many times you thank objects that don’t spark joy. The downsizing process challenges you to peel the memory from the object.

When you hold in your hands a half-finished quilt top or a video game you haven’t beaten yet; or a component of robotic hardware that hasn’t been programmed; it’s hard to uncurl those fingers and let go.

Last year I found a simple syrup recipe of hatch green chilis and spices. After testing it, friends and family certified it “Awesome” and I saved it to my files.

Thinking I’d make up some gifts, I bought 12 bottles and seals from an eBay shop for the...