What Will it Feel Like?

Very gentle light rhythmical touch.

Not at all. MLD is very gentle.

Superficial lymphatic vessels are stretched while deep lymphatic vessels are stimulated to contract promoting lymphatic flow.

Where on the Body will the work be done?

Depending on the location of the swelling and the intent of the session however the whole body can be worked on.

How many treatments will I need?

It will vary based on the situation, however for lymphedema a series of 10 – 12 treatments are recommended for maximum benefit.

How long of a session should I book?

Anywhere from 30 to 120 minutes

General Massage Benefits

General massage benefits fall into a number of categories as massage has been shown to act on several systems in the body. The following is a list of the general benefits found in the research literature:

Decreases blood pressure Decreases blood sugar level Decreases heart rate Increases pulmonary function in asthmatic children

Decreases cortisol levels (to regulate blood pressure and blood sugar) Decreases stress hormone (this stress hormone increases blood flow to heart, muscles, and brain) Increases dopamine levels (which cause feeling of pleasure) Increases serotonin levels (which calm anxiety, relieves depression)

Muscular & Motor Function

Improves motor function Improves muscle tone Increases range of motion Decreases morning stiffness Decreases pain Decreases tremors

Decreases symptoms of depression Decreases anxiety Improves sleep patterns Decreases fatigue Improves self-esteem Improves body image

Increases general immune function Increases natural killer cell number and activity levels Enhances cytotoxic capacity (immune systems killing capacity)

Specific benefits found with massage are associated with the particular condition that the therapist is addressing. The following lists individual benefits associated with each particular condition. The list is does not address all therapeutic possibilities.

Decreases pain of soft tissue injuries Decreases hypertension of muscle fibers Increases range of motion Decreases fascia adhesions Decreases pain associated with fibromyalgia

Joint Injury, Strains, Sprains

Decreases edema within and around the joint Increases range of motion Decreases pain of joint injury, strains and sprains Decreases dental pain Decreases post-operative recovery time

Decreases or eliminates generalized headaches Decreases frequency of migraine headaches Decreases occurrence of headaches

Lipoedema is often confused with lymphedema. Lipoedema is frequently unrecognized and often under-diagnosed. It is a condition where pathological changes in cellular function of adipose (fat) cells lead to fatty tissue edema, thickened collagen fibers, venous stasis, and lymphostasis. Lipoedema patients will often experience pain in the edemic region. A significant difference between lipoedema and general fat storage is that regardless of an individual’s weight loss effort there will be no change in the volume of the lipoedemic region, even with minimal food intake.

Chronic Pain Management

As Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) is a very gentle technique acting on a number physiological systems in the body, it can prove effective at addressing chronic pain in a number of ways. The autonomic nervous system of the body is divided into two categories the sympathetic system and the parasympathetic system. The sympathetic system increases heart rate, constricts blood vessels and raises blood pressure. The parasympathetic system innervates smooth muscles in the body, slows the heart rate, increases vessel and glandular activity, and controls sphincter muscles in the body. Both systems where thought at one time not to be under our conscious control.

Difficulty in healing chronic wounds is often associated with regional or localized edema. Excess edema reduces that amount of nutrients that get transported to the damaged area and reduces the rate at which wastes and dead cell particles are removed from the region. Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) and Combined Decongestive Therapy (CDT) have been found to be an effective treatment for accelerating healing of chronic wounds.

Venous insufficiency or chronic venous insufficiency is a condition caused by problems with one or more of the deep veins of the legs that return blood from the legs back to the heart. Poorly managed Venous insufficiency is a major cause of lyphedema.

Exercise & Athletic Recovery

Most athletes are interested in reducing their recovery time following intense exercise or sporting events. Until recently little actual scientific evidence was available demonstrating whether a manual lymphatic therapy provides physiological changes that indicate improved muscular recovery.

Salutaris Centre specifically offers Vodder’s Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) and Combined Decongestive Therapy (CDT) to treat both primary and secondary lymphedema. The treatment protocol involves completing a comprehensive client case history, a detailed assessment, including volumetric measures of the affected and non-affected region, followed by a detailed treatment plan. This may happen during the first session or may require a 30-minute consultation session prior to the determining the therapeutic treatment plan.

Frequency Specific Micro-Current

FSM is a leading edge therapy that provides painless, often accelerated healing, even in conditions that have not responded to other therapies. FSM uses a dual channel multi-frequency micro-current device producing amperage between 0 – 999 megahertz which is the same range as the electrical currents produced by your body.

Post Operative & Injury Recovery

Salutaris Centre uses the application of Dr. Vodder's Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD) techniques together with therapeutic massage to treat post-operative orthopedic and plastic surgery procedures, chronic pain, motor vehicle accidents, and general injury recovery. Stimulation of the lymphatic system increases the rate at which the body removes waste, dead cell particles, and inflammatory agents from our tissue. Accelerating the lymphatic flow has been demonstrated to reduce swelling and bruising in the injured region. Studies indicate that as the volume of fluid at the injury site is reduced rehabilitation time may be shortened.

Inflammatory Conditions

Inflammation of the body's tissue has been found to change the pH level in connective tissue from normal to acidic. This change causes an increase in the permeability of the blood capillaries due to an increase in the size of the vascular pores. The larger pores allow more protein to leave the blood and accumulate in the interstitial space. The increased protein levels cause a higher colloid osmotic pressure in the interstitial space, hence increased fluid filtration from the vascular system and therefore increased edema results. Pro inflammatory agents can stop smooth muscle contractions of lymphatic vessels.

Dermatological Conditions

Sixty percent of the lymphatic system is in the top two layers of the skin. By stimulating lymph flow a number of dermatological conditions can be addressed. Some of the more common conditions treated include: acne, rosacea, perioral dermatitis, and eczema. Considerable success has been noted with respect to treating scars. The objective of the treatment is to allow the scar tissue to be as stable and elastic as possible. Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD) promotes this stability and elasticity by encouraging the re-vascularization of the scarred region. MLD also limits the tissue from shrinking as much as possible, reduces discoloration of the scar, and promotes flattening of the new connective tissue.