Thrive after Cancer - managing your lymphatic system.

My background:

Aideen here with a little bit of an introduction to me and my background.

I've always had an interest in health and wellbeing, but I was encouraged to obtain a Degree in International Business with Languages to ensure I could get a 'good job' in the world of Banking.

Within 3 years of graduating from University and working in Banking I realised that it just wasn't for me, so I went back to focussing on what I love doing and I completed my studies in Hatha Yoga and various types of massage in my spare time. Soon I left the banking world to set up my own business. In the meantime my Mom developed lymphoedema as a result of cancer treatment she received a few years prior (she had lymph nodes removed from her groin - we call these inguinal lymph nodes). So I decided to train as a Manual Lymphatic Drainage Therapist at the Vodder School of MLD at the Bons Secour Hospital in Cork, Ireland and the Wittlinger Therapy Centre in Walchsee, Austria.

The demand for my services became so great that MLD became my main focus and I've helped hundreds of men and women to manage their Lymphoedema and other lymphatic issues over the years.

My goal:

I trained as an MLD therapist because I wanted to ensure that my Mom would have life-long access to treatment for her Lymphoedema. However, after her initial intensive course of treatments, she has since self-managed her condition so well, that she's only needed my help once or twice since I qualified in 2008.

My Mom is my inspiration to teach others all the home-care techniques they need to self-manage their Lymphoedema at home, with minimal intervention from therapists like myself. Throughout this course I'm going to teach you all the techniques my Mom has found beneficial, plus everything I teach my clients at my clinic AND more...

My qualifications:

2003: BA in International Business with Languages, Dublin City University
2005: Swedish Massage, Holistic Massage, Indian Head Massage, Walmer Holistic Centre, Dublin
2007: Hatha Yoga Instructor, British School of Yoga
2008: Vodder Manual Lymphatic Drainage Therapist, Wittlinger Therapy Centre, Walchsee, Austria
Every 2 years I complete refresher training with my instructors from the Vodder School.
2020: Personal Trainer & Fitness Instructor, National Training Centre, Dublin.
2020 to 2022: Director of Communications, MLD Ireland Ltd.

What exactly is the lymphatic system?:

Everywhere you have blood vessels in your body, you also have lymphatic vessels that run alongside them.

The lymphatic system is responsible for:

1) removing waste from the body and
2) recognising and responding to invaders.

So it's essentially our waste management system AND the engine of our immune system.

How does it work?:

Tiny vessels collect fluid through a process called osmosis and they carry this fluid throughout the intricate network of vessels, eventually arriving at the lymph nodes (the nodes are the circular images in the diagram). Some vessels have valves to stop fluid from flowing in the wrong direction.

When the lymphatic fluid, or lymph, arrives at the lymph nodes, it's filtered by the nodes and any bacteria, viruses etc that could be a problem for the body are identified at this stage. The nodes then signal the body to produce cells that will destroy these invaders.

So you can see how important it is to keep the lymphatic system healthy, to keep lymph circulating efficiently throughout the body and to ensure the lymph nodes are healthy enough to perform this very important, infection-fighting function.

Where are the lymph nodes located?:

We have lymph nodes all around the body and we have large clusters of them:

- under the arms (axillary lymph nodes),
- in the groin (inguinal lymph nodes),
- in the neck (cervical lymph nodes),
- along/under the jawline (mandibular lymph nodes)
- in the thorax (thoracic lymph nodes)
- in the abdomen (abdominal lymph nodes)

When they are functioning normally these lymph nodes collect/receive lymph from the lymphatic vessels in their drainage area - watch the video for more about the drainage areas.

We will look at what happens in a damaged drainage area in the next Module.

What happens if the lymphatic system is not functioning at its best?:

• Swelling

• Fluid retention

• Weak immune system

• Recurring infections

• Fatigue

• Inflammatory conditions

  
  

***IMPORTANT - read before you continue:

It's important to note here that there may be many reasons for any combination of symptoms you are experiencing in your body, and it's vital that you get these things checked out by a doctor to rule out other underlying issues.

For example, issues with the veins (e.g. venous insufficiency, blood clots etc) can cause swelling (or oedema) that may look like lymphoedema (which basically means lymph swelling). It's important to rule out any issues with your veins before attempting to self-treat for lymphoedema. It's common sense, I hope, that we must know what the issue is before we go about treating or managing it.

Book an online consultation with me here if:

• you have not yet obtained a diagnosis of lymphoedema.

• you have obtained a diagnosis of lymphoedema, but you'd like a second opinion.

• you suspect you have lymphoedema due to your own research, but this has not yet been confirmed.

• you had lymph nodes removed or treated with radiotherapy, but you're still not quite sure if lymphoedema is relevant to you.

• for any other reason you'd like a consultation with me.

What are drainage areas, and where?:

The lymphatic system is divided into different areas, called drainage areas.

In this video I've mapped out the main drainage areas in the body to give you a visual of where they are and which parts of the body the different clusters of lymph nodes collect lymphatic fluid from.

The drainage areas are separated by a 'watershed' and under normal circumstances the lymphatic fluid will not cross these watersheds.

The right axillary lymph nodes (lymph nodes under the right arm) collect or receive lymphatic fluid from the lymphatic vessels throughout the right arm and the right side of the torso, front and back, from the waste to the collar bone.

The left axillary lymph nodes (lymph nodes under the left arm) collect or receive lymphatic fluid from the lymphatic vessels throughout the left arm and the right side of the torso, front and back, from the waste to the collar bone.

The right inguinal lymph nodes (lymph nodes in the groin on the right side) collect or receive lymphatic fluid from the lymphatic vessels throughout the right leg, right buttock and the right side of the body from the waste to the groin.

The left inguinal lymph nodes (lymph nodes in the groin on the right side) collect or receive lymphatic fluid from the lymphatic vessels throughout the left leg, left buttock and the left side of the body from the waste to the groin.

The clavicular lymph nodes (lymph nodes at the clavicle or collar bone) collect or receive lymphatic fluid from the neck, face and head and can also be divided into right and left side.

When there's damage to this area:

In this video I take you through how to perform Simple Lymphatic Drainage for the Head, Neck and Face, where there has been damage to this drainage area - the damage may be as a result of cancer treatment or another type of surgery, for example.

The skin in this drainage area is very delicate, so you should use a soft make-up brush or use your hands here, rather than using your body brush.

Includes right arm and right side of torso:

In this video I take you through how to perform Simple Lymphatic Drainage for the right axillary drainage area, where there has been damage to this drainage area - the damage may be as a result of cancer treatment or another type of surgery, for example.

The technical term for your underarm is 'axilla' and the right axillary drainage area includes the right hand, arm and right side of the torso, from waste to collar bone.

Includes left arm and left side of torso:

In this video I take you through how to perform Simple Lymphatic Drainage for the left axillary drainage area, where there has been damage to this drainage area - the damage may be as a result of cancer treatment or another type of surgery, for example.

The technical term for your underarm is 'axilla' and the left axillary drainage area includes the left hand, arm and left side of the torso, from waste to collar bone.

Includes right leg, right buttock and right side of lower abdomen:

In this video I take you through how to perform Simple Lymphatic Drainage for the right inguinal drainage area, where there has been damage to this drainage area - the damage may be as a result of cancer treatment or another type of surgery, for example.

The technical term for lymph nodes in the groin is 'inguinal' and the right inguinal drainage area includes the right leg , right buttock and right side of the lower abdomen (below the waist).

Includes left leg, left buttock and left side of lower abdomen:

In this video I take you through how to perform Simple Lymphatic Drainage for the left inguinal drainage area, where there has been damage to this drainage area - the damage may be as a result of cancer treatment or another type of surgery, for example.

The technical term for lymph nodes in the groin is 'inguinal' and the left inguinal drainage area includes the left leg, left buttock and left side of the lower abdomen (below the waist).

How to perform self-lymphatic drainage for genital edema:

In this video I teach you how to perform self-lymphatic drainage to remove excess fluid from the genital area.

You may have an excess of fluid in this area due to damage to, or removal of, lymph nodes in the groin (the inguinal lymph nodes) or lymph nodes and lymphatic vessels in the abdomen, uterus, ovaries etc.

How to deal with fibrosis:

In this video I teach you how to deal with fibrosis.

Fibrosis is the name we give to an area where the skin has become firm, hard, and often uncomfortable. It can happen in particular areas, for example, the hand, the elbow, the shin. It happens as a result of stagnancy, which we've touched on in a previous video. The aim is to massage the fibrotic tissue to break it down, so it can be flushed away when you perform your regular self-drainage for the effected drainage area.

NUTRITION TO SUPPORT YOUR LYMPHATIC SYSTEM -

1) Stay hydrated:

If you only made one single change to your routine in order to support your lymphatic system, let it be this (although I hope you will be inspired to implement many of the tools I'll be guiding you through during the course).

Your lymphatic system needs water in order to function efficiently.

I always say it's like putting oil in the engine of your car...

Many clients have walked through the door of my clinic over the years, and so many of them have told me their doctor prescribed them 'water tablets' or diuretics to help them shed the fluid that's been building up in their limbs. This may help to a certain extent, but you'll quickly reach a plateau and the diuretics will no longer work (IMPORTANT - I'm talking specifically about lymphatic issues here, there is a time and a place for diuretics, but they are not the answer to lymphatic issues).

In addition to this, many of my clients presumed they need to drink LESS water, so that their body won't hold on to it. Seems logical, right? But that's not how the lymphatic system works. We need water running through all of the vessels to keep that flow going, so you should drink MORE water, not less.

Take this image of a vase, for example. You put the cut flowers into fresh water and they sit in that water for a few days. What happens to that water? Do you, like me, leave the flowers there until the water is really dirty? Or do you change the water to keep it fresh?

If we allow stagnant fluid to sit in our bodies, you can imagine how much waste builds up in there... We simply MUST refresh the water regularly to keep things healthy, to prevent stagnation, to prevent things from getting backed up, to avoid getting sick.

2) Reduce your salt intake:

Staying on the theme of plants... If you put a plant in salty water or soil, it will die... because the process of osmosis causes the water from the plant to move from the area of low salt concentration to the area of high salt concentration to balance out the pressure. Got it?? Kind of? If we flip that around, we could say that the water gets drawn out of the plant by the salt, the salt absorbs the water and deprives the cells of the plant of water.

The same happens in your body. If you have a diet too high in salt you lose water from your cells and from your lymphatic system by this same process of osmosis. And we need water constantly flowing through the vessels in the lymphatic system, so reducing your intake of salt can have a very positive impact on lymphoedema and in turn, your immune system.

Remember that many processed foods contain 'secret salt' for flavour, so it's not just about cutting out the extra salt you sprinkle on top of your food.

You'll also taste your food more if you eat less salt. It's really a win-win.

I recommend keeping a food diary and take note of how you feel physically and emotionally, as well as the impact on swelling in your body, depending on what foods you eat.

3) Monitor your alcohol intake:

We all have our vices and there's no judgement here. However, many of my clients have found that their lymphoedema flairs up when they drink alcohol, so I recommend monitoring how you feel when you indulge and then make decisions based around that.

Everyone's body is different, so there's no hard or fast rules here, but I'd suggest using a food diary here again, to keep a note of what happens to your body each time you drink alcohol, how much alcohol you had, what type of alcohol you had, what activities you undertook that day (i.e. were you walking a lot, were you sitting at a computer all day) so that you can identify what works for you and what doesn't.

It could be the dehydration effect that causes the issues, so try drinking plenty of water too and take a note of the impact that has.

4) A healthy, balanced diet:

In-depth nutrition planning is beyond the scope of this course, everyone's body is different and nutrition is a complex subject, but the basics don't change much - eat a variety of fresh foods, a variety of colours, stay hydrated, avoid processed foods, avoid foods that make you feel unwell, and try not to fall into the trap of 'dieting', and by this I mean trying every 'diet' under the sun for a few weeks and then getting frustrated that nothing seems to work in the longer term.

Food diaries are great ways to identify what works for you and what doesn't.

Foods that have a hydrating effect are generally thought to be helpful for the lymphatic system. There's a lot of talk about the Keto diet and it's benefits for lymphoedema sufferers, but I advise caution, anything extreme or restrictive can be harmful in the longer term.

This is a good point to mention that excess weight can cause issues with the lymphatic system and losing that weight can go a long way to improving these issues. If you'd like to discuss personal training with me you can book a FREE Personal Training Consultation (link to booking page provided in the additional resources).

How exercise improves lymphatic flow:

The lymphatic system needs the pumping action of our muscles to keep lymphatic fluid moving through the lymphatic vessels. So movement and exercise are not only helpful for managing lymphoedema, but essential for our general wellbeing too. This pumping motion is created by the contraction and relaxation of our muscles, otherwise known as concentric and eccentric contraction.

You may need to wear compression garments while exercising and this is covered in more detail in the 'Compression' Module.

It's important to note, that if you have a damaged lymphatic drainage area (see the 'Drainage Areas' Module) muscle pump alone is not sufficient. You must perform your Simple Lymphatic Drainage/Body Brushing daily to ensure that fluid continues to move out of the damaged area and into a fully functioning drainage area.

***IMPORTANT - before you continue, read this:

These exercise videos are safe for all fitness levels. However, if for any reason it is dangerous for you to exercise you should consult with your doctor before participating. If in doubt you can book an online consultation with me (bottom of the page) to discuss your particular health concerns and ensure it is safe for you to participate.

1) The Warm Up:

Always warm-up before you get stuck into your exercise or workout. It's important to gently raise your heart rate and get your blood and lymphatic fluid flowing through your body before you take it up a notch.

2) Let's put that all together:

Now you're familiar with the warm-up exercises, let's put them all together, and pick up the tempo a little...

3) Now let's add some floor exercises:

Roll out your mat and let's do some more!

How Yoga supports the lymphatic system:

The lymphatic system needs the pumping action of our muscles to keep lymphatic fluid moving through the lymphatic vessels. So movement and exercise are not only helpful for managing lymphoedema, but essential for our general wellbeing too. This pumping motion is created by the contraction and relaxation of our muscles, otherwise known as concentric and eccentric contraction.

In addition to the pumping action of our muscles, yoga also includes deep breathing (see 'Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing' Module) and can help us to relax physically and mentally. The right type of yoga practice is an all-rounder and provides all three of these aspects - movement, breathing, mental health.

You may need to wear compression garments during your yoga practice and this is covered in more detail in the 'Compression' Module.

It's important to note, that if you have a damaged lymphatic drainage area (see the 'Drainage Areas' Module) muscle pump alone is not sufficient. You must perform your Simple Lymphatic Drainage/Body Brushing daily to ensure that fluid continues to move out of the damaged area and into a fully functioning drainage area.

***IMPORTANT - read before you continue:

This yoga video is safe for all fitness levels. However, if for any reason it is dangerous for you to practice yoga you should consult with your doctor before participating. If in doubt you can book an online consultation with me (below) to discuss your particular health concerns and ensure it is safe for you to participate.

How deep breathing affects the lymphatic system:

If you've ever watched a baby breathing you'll notice that they breathe right into their bellies. Many of us lose this natural way of breathing as we grow up. If we are stressed we often breathe into the upper part of the lungs only, limiting the amount of our lung capacity that we use.

Deep breathing not only promotes better sleep, relaxation and stress-reduction, but it is also essential for the health of our lymphatic system.

When we breathe, the diaphragm muscle contracts and relaxes, increasing the amount of space in the chest cavity and decreasing it as we inhale and then exhale. The brain sends a signal to the diaphragm muscle, instructing it to contract and when it contracts it flattens out, expanding the belly, creating more space in the chest cavity, which causes us to inhale. When the diaphragm relaxes again it moves up into the chest cavity, limiting the amount of space and this then pushes air out of the lungs.

This movement of the diaphragm muscle creates a pumping action, which acts like a pump for the lymphatic system. The deeper we breathe, the more the diaphragm moves and the better the pumping effect.

How to perform Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing:

In the above video I talk you through how to perform deep diaphragmatic breathing.

How does Kinesiotape help with Lymphatic Drainage?:

I use this tape in my clinic to help with lymphatic drainage in between Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) sessions.

The tape has all kinds of applications for sports injuries etc, but we will look specifically at lymphatic drainage only. It's easy to apply the tape for this purpose and very difficult to do it incorrectly, i.e. very difficult to hurt yourself with it when applying it in this way.

So, how does it help? Well, we apply the tape to the skin in lines or stripes that very gently lift the skin and thereby pull on the tiny lymphatic vessels underneath the skin, opening the valves in the lymphatic vessels and encouraging the flow of lymphatic fluid.

How can you apply the tape on yourself?:

In this video I demonstrate how to cut a 'fan cut' and apply it to your wrist in order to help with swelling in the hand. This is for demonstration purposes. You can apply the tape to any part of the body to improve drainage in that area. It can be very useful for keeping the channel open between a damaged lymphatic drainage area and a fully functioning one (see the previous modules on body brushing for more on this).

***CAUTION - read this before you continue:

Always use a good quality tape - allergies to the dye used in cheaper tapes have been reported. Contact me if you'd like details on how to order the tape that I use.

Never apply the tape to broken skin or extremely sensitive skin - it contains adhesive, which will cause more damage when you try to remove it.

Never use excessive heat to activate the adhesive, it will cause the tape to bind so firmly to your skin that it can be difficult to remove.

Leave the tape on until it starts to fall off.
Always read the manufacturers instructions.

If you'd like a tutorial to teach you how to apply this tape specifically for your own situation, simply book an online consultation via my booking page. The link is in the 'additional resources' section.

Your skin can be more sensitive due to stagnant lymphatic fluid in a damaged lymphatic drainage area. Here's what you need to know.