AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (January 16, 2019) — If you don’t change the oil in your car, eventually your car will break down. This is the job of our lymphatic system: filtering debris around our cells and triggering immune responses to pathogens in our system.
The body is designed to clean its own lymph nodes and produce healthy lymphocytes, but if this fluid doesn’t circulate properly, it can accumulate, stretch the skin and swell. Lymphedema is a disease process, and a common complication from cancer treatment, in which the normal circulation of lymph fluid in the body is disturbed. At its most acute, extremities can swell to almost monstrous proportions.
While there is no cure for lymphedema, there is control: manual lymphatic drainage.
Sometimes characterized as a massage, manual lymphatic drainage is actually a very gentle skin manipulation technique shown through studies to encourage vessels to contract, relax and pump fluid at a faster rate, soaking up the fluid and transporting it to healthy parts of the lymphatic system that aren’t damaged.
Elisa DiFalco is a Certified Manual Lymphatic Drainage Specialist and the founder of MLD Institute International. For over two decades, the institute has been the leader in providing quality education, certification and continuing education to massage and medical professionals in manual lymphatic drainage.
DiFalco studied with the pioneer of lymphedema treatment, Dr. Robert Lerner.
“One of our most difficult challenges was that we had a generation of doctors where the lymphatic drainage was not part of mainstream medical training,” DiFalco recalls. “Doctors would come to our clinic to learn from him as another doctor what the treatment is, what it entailed, and how to set up their own clinic. Today, I am carrying on his legacy as a trainer, so I can help other clinics around the country and internationally.”
As the field of manual lymphatic drainage has grown, so has its applications. Lymphatic drainage can also be used to promote preventative wellness, beauty, natural weight loss and anti-aging.
“The key to anti-aging is a healthy immune system,” says DiFalco. “Many of us work sedentary jobs and don’t move enough. If we’re not eating well or drinking enough water, you’ve got sludge instead of clean oil. Manual lymphatic drainage can help promote the flow of healthy lymphocytes to keep yourself looking young, healthy and vibrant.
“I started in this field over 20 years ago, and I probably have more energy today at 52 than I did at 18. I don’t take any medications. And I don’t think it was just good genes. I really attribute it to the things I learned from Dr. Lerner about how the lymph system contributes to a healthy immune system.”
In June 2015, scientists at the University of Virginia discovered the lymphatic pathways in our brain. As a result of this breakthrough, manual lymphatic drainage is now being used to help athletes recover from concussions. MLD Institute International provides training at the Bodyology clinic, where professional athletes are treated, a facility founded by a former NFL player.
“Ten years ago, lymphatic drainage was strictly for people recovering from lymphatic cancer, but we’ve evolved,” says DiFalco. “As far as lymphatics is concerned, this the greatest discovery we’ve had in at least the past century and it’s going to be a game-changer for all degenerative brain diseases: Alzheimer’s, MS, Parkinson’s and on and on. We’re probably going to be on a wave of discovery now through the next ten years at least.”
CUTV News Radio will feature Elisa DiFalco in an interview with Jim Masters on January 18th at 1:00 p.m. EST.
Listen to the show on BlogTalkRadio.
If you have a question for our guest, call (347) 996-3389.
For more information on the MLD Institute, visit mldinstitute.com.