By Ross Ashcraft
Sometimes we wake up feeling puffy. Sometimes we feel bloated. Sometimes we just feel… icky. We don’t think we are sick but we just don’t “feel right.” What about pressure in your head or behind your ears or eyes? Have you ever felt warm but didn’t have a fever? These feelings are a mystery to us and we just have to cop
e with the uncomfortable sensations. I have a simple routine that helps drain the fluid out of your head and gets it back where it belongs.
The system in distress is the Lymphatic System. Lymphatic Drainage Massage can create balance in the system and increase the drainage of fluid back into the blood stream.
So, what are we draining?
Metabolic Wastes: waste material from your cells; unnecessary tissue that is hanging around; environmental and medical toxins; or stagnant fluid
Proteins: water follows certain proteins like a puppy. If we move the proteins away then the fluid follows. This can be one of the main causes when people feel like they are “retaining water.”
Fat: The Lymphatic System removes many of the fat content in our bodies. If this system gets blocked or sluggish then the fat can hang around where it’s not wanted.
Additionally it also:
Stimulates the Immune System: This type of massage can directly stimulate the body’s immune system and help it fight disease
more productively.
Stimulates the Parasympathetic System: This is your relaxation system. This dials you down!
Helps Reduce Pain: It helps block some of the receptors that cause acute and possibly even chronic pain.
Helps Reduce Muscle Spasms: It removes the fluid that could be causing your muscle to clench and tighten.
Technique: All these techniques involve a specific amount of pressure. Place a dime on your skin….that is the amount pressure you should be applying through the technique below.
1) Clear the Clavicle/Collar Bone: Place all your fingers above the Collar Bone and gently sweep in towards your heart 5x’s.
2) Neck Chain: Place your fingers on the both sides of your neck and gently do circles that pull the skin down toward your feet 5x’s. *In two places: Starting near the clavicles and ending just under the ears.
3) Submandibular Chain: Place your fingertips in the soft tissue under the jaw right below the ear. Twist your fingers toward the ear 5x’s. *In three places: Starting near the ear and ending below the mouth. Give extra attention to the space behind the ear.
4) Mouth: Place the pads of your fingers below the lower lip and gently do circles that pull the skin down towards your feet 5x’s. *Repeat this in two more positions: just to the side of the mouth and just above the upper lip.
5) Nose: Place the pads of your fingers just to the side of the nostrils and gently do circles that pull the skin down toward your feet 5x’s. *Repeat this in two more positions: just to the side of the bridge of the nose and right below the inside edge of the eye. The stroke under the edge of the eye is toward the nose and not the feet.
6) Cheeks: Place the pads of your fingers just in front of the ears on the face and gently do circles that pull the skin down toward your ears 5x’s.. *Repeat this in two more positions: just below the cheek bones and on the temples.
7) Forehead: Place your fingers on your forehead and gently stretch down toward your ears 5x’s..
8) Eyebrows: Gently pinch your eyebrows at the edge closes to the ears and pull towards your ears 5x’s. *Repeat this in two more positions along the eyebrows, moving closer to the nose.
9) Eyelid: Place all your fingertips just below the eye and stretch toward the ears 5x’s.
10) Crown of Head: Gently place your hands on the top of your hair. Compressing only hair gently pull from center down towards your ears 5x’s.
For maximum results to this routing 2 more times and drink extra water. As you can see from this last image the results can be dramatic.
Try this routine on two separate occasions. Let us know how your body responds!
Thanks to Tammy Dickeson for consulting on this blog. Tammy is a Lymphatic Drainage Therapist and alumnus of Community Care College & the Chikly Health Institute. If you wish more information or want to schedula an appointment call (918) 720-3864. If you wish more education in Lymphatic Drainage Therapy contact the Chikly Health Institute at 800-233-5880 x1323.
Wow! The picture at the bottom of your post are amazing. I am so excited to learn this info and help others feel better. Trying to figure out if I can do this to myself!
I like it……I love it……I want some more of it. Loved this routine.
I have actually tried this combination of facial stretches/massage techniques for the past 2 weeks now, every other day. I have seen some results but not much. Maybe after a few more weeks of this combination I might see a lot more noticeable results.
This one was very good for a review of our week. It did come back, I was worried about it not. My son has allergies extremely bad, this is one that he is asking for every time he knows I have down time now. He stated that he will be able to do the treatment on himself now that he knows how much pressure to use or in this case not to use. His eye area was much more normal than it was to start with. He said it made him feel better, he really could not tell me any pointed reasons other than he just felt better and he intends to keep on doing this himself for this allergy season.
Loveit! It feels great and you can really tell a difference in the way you feel once you have done this. Thank you! I will definetly be paiing this on to others!
I never get much from lymphatic drainage, whether it be that I do not have a lot of drainage that needs to take place or for whatever reason. I do believe that it would be great for someone suffering from cancer or some disease that requires more lymph flow.
What a great weekend to have this blog. I always wake up puffy especially during allergy season. I did this routine Saturday and Sunday morning when awoke. I seen a difference in how I felt and looked. I even got my partner to try it.
I have to say that this was my favorite week of massage therapy, I have very puffy eyes and this works wonderfully. Plus if you acyually have your whole body done it is even better.
As an Esthetician, I perform lymph drainage in many of my facials. The Sinus Relief Facial that I do, includes both the lymph drainage and the use of aromatherapy. My clients appreciate the results that this technique offers. I also use it on myself and I find that it helps with puffiness.
I am really excited to practices these all this week, i tried them tonight, and felt pressure increase in my ears, which is no surprise bc i’m an allergy sufferer. I printed these so i can practice them each morning I know its going to help bc after doing the whole routine i could feel my whole head was relieved. And i have numerous clients who will love this as well when i start massage at the shop.
I like this technique…I think if i keep doing it on a daily basis I could see definite changes.
Plus I have a friend who always has puffy eyes and was looking for a way to help with it so I will definitely be passing this along to her to try.
This is fantastic Ross! I really need this. The only problem is that I,m a visual.I need someone to show me the routine.Please,please
I am so happy this has been posted because its excatly how I have been feeling for the past two weeks. We have actually talked about it in class as to what I am to do and I have been doing this for about four days and works wonders for my day time routine to be able to get up and breathe better.
I love the information that you had provided. I think that this is extremely interesting. I had tried the same technique on my face and noticed a little difference. I plan on continuing with the technique.
This is so interesting! I think I’m going to go get a lymphatic massage after this
Thanks for this great technique. I have so been needing this. I have tried it but feel the need for someone to show me to make sure Im doing it right.
I love this technique, its so easy to follow and the people I tried it on said it helped them a lot especially with their sinuses.
Thank you! This routine was very useful this week. Between the change of season and lack of sleep, I had started to show signs of fatigue. This has improved the picture a bit!
I love love love this! it has some pretty dramatic results. my mom wants me to do this every morning to her lol 😛
I dont ever feel puffy in the morning, but I am sure there are times where i could use this, or show someone how to use it. I tried it anyways, because I always want to try something new.
The results in the picture look amazing. I look forward to trying this routine on friends and myself.
I really enjoyed performing this routine on my mother. She said she is now going to have to add this to her morning ritual & I will continue to this to myself as well. Thank you this was awesome.
I like this technique I’m going to print this and try to practice them each morning. It seems to have helped drain my sinuses too!
Dont know if Ive got the touch for it and it is a little to slow for me to ever offer as a service but personally i like it
Even if you don’t have noticeable puffiness, this technique has a way of just making you feel better.
I suffer from allergies pretty bad. The last week was not good for my allergies. I loved this information and have tried it a couple of times. I can feel a little relief, but really helped with the puffiness…Thanks Ross
This is a technique that helped me this week! I had mild allergy issues earlier in the week and after doing it at the beginning of the week and then again mid week I feel better!
This particular one I have showed several friends because of sinus and general facial swelling. They love it and results are significant.
These techniques come in handy for me when I am stuffed up. I love using it to help me sing better as well!
Refer to my comment above …lol….:) Really enjoy these procedures, they really do work!!!
This is a great technique to add to your massage, especially when the seasons change or during allergy season! I was feeling congested when this week started, but after doing this several times i felt much better! I will remember this next time I feel congested or puffy.
I like these techniques because they are easy to do and work well. I have allergies so this is really going to help me when I feel compressed and can’t breath.
Up until this week’s course (lymphatic system) I’ve been applying too much pressure doing the lymphatic drainage in my facials. I’m glad to be able to study this more, in order to be efficient for my clients. Thanks!
Great techniques, I have done this on and love the results. I done it when I had lots of pressure and it felt so good when I was done. The pressure went away. I will be using this a lot more. It makes me feel a lot better when I do feel icky.
After doing these techniques I already feel more relaxed. I have been suffering from allergies this week and by doing these techniques it has helped me feel unwanted pressure lift off of my face. My favorite techniques were for the nose and mouth.
Went to see Tammy today and she did a lot of this technique….I am so excited to see how all of this works. She also showed me technique for the back of the neck that was really cool too!
This is a really great technique!! It helped to drain out my sinuses. I will definitely use this technique on clients and friends.
I really enjoyed having Tammy speak to our class. I have a twin sister and we have a BIG birthday coming up and I am always telling her what i learn in class and how to improve our health. ( No LOL night class I know what I have to do) but my sister and I are willing to give this technique a try. A Birthday Present to ourselves!!! I will let you know the results turn out and I will be honest!! As far as feeling any different from having one of my classmates do it, I felt no change……and do not think my partner felt any change either, and would have to say I was doing it wrong or just not feeling it
I have found that I really enjoy lymphatic drainage. I can really tell a difference when I do this when I am congested. Glad to have learned it.
since we have started doing lymphatic massage in class i have been doing this periodically on my face and neck. i have sinus problems and it defiantly helps clear my nose so i can breath better. im loving lymphatic massage!
I tried these techniques on myself and found it to be very relaxing. I had a headache before, and I still do but it’s slightly better after doing the exercises. My nose has also been clogged up and now my sinuses feel like they’ve opened up a little. It will be exciting to learn more in class!
Definitely feel much better after doing this technique. I will incorporate it into my facials and use some aromatherapy as well. And I’m gonna go home today and use it on my sons because their allergies have gotten to them. Both have sore throats and cold like symptoms.I’m positive it will work for them.
Thank you
I still dont truly understand what I am doing. I feel as if I am not moving the body parts in the right direction, and my touch is not as soft as it should be. I think I would have to have this done on me several times by a professional or more experienced person to really see the difference. After the little bit we did in class today, I am very tired and have blurred vision. I would like to continue to try this technique, since it is one of my very LEAST favorites. I am sure it will work on somebody that needs it more than me.
So far I am enjoying doing Lymphatic Massage and can’t wait to learn more about it. I would like to get really good at it and practice it on my mother. She has fibromyalgia and also would love it if I could produce the same results on her face as the before and after picture portrays on this blog. Excited to learn more and be able to do lymphatic massage on future clients….cha ching 🙂
This looks like a mini face lift so I’m going to keep this up to see if I can look 40 again. Add some cupping and who needs plastic surgery. I get sore during allergy season in the know right behind my jaw sometimes so I hope this helps.
I liked this routine, their were a couple parts that were kind of difficult to do to myself because of my wrist, but it was still very relaxing. I think I am going to enjoy doing lymph massage.
I think I will have to practice, practice, and practice. It is interesting, but I don’t feel confident that I am doing the right way. I Have allergies, and that will probably help with it. The future will tell. Thanks.
If I can get results like the lady inn the bottom pictures then I will be doing this routine a lot for sure! I don’t really notice anything from just doing it once or twice. It’s hard for me to use such a light touch, because I’m used to applying more pressure.
I like the lymphatic massage its very relaxing, I actually fell asleep during my massage it was so relaxing.
I tried doing this and some spot under my right ear along my lower jaw line, make irritate my tonsil and make me cough. I probably need throughout lymphatic drainage on that area. Hopefully i’ll enjoy but most important of all that it fixes me.
I loved this, I learned quiet a bit not only of my body but how it should feel to the client and a better understanding of the pressure. I wanna try this for a total of a week everyday to see kinda more on how it effects me. I know that I got a head ache afterwards so I am going to try drinking even more water then I was to see if that was the problem.
I can’t wait to try this massage. I feel that everybody really needs to tone down once in a while and that is what this massage does. I definitely need to try these techniques first thing in the morning because a lot of things that Ross mentioned is well me in the morning.
Did it. Works great. Use little pressure.
Have to say I was already tired from doing lymph massage this morning. Doing this on yourself really knocks you out if done correctly. Being able to do this on yourself is amazing increasing lymph nodes is one of the best ways to get your body ready to fight off evil pathogens. Great article!
This is a good blog to come back and look at after we graduate to remember the techniques we have been doing this week.
Love the way this is written. I plan to tell my friends to come read and try the self help tips here
I am enjoying lymphatic massage so far. It was actually one of the very first massage videos that I watched on YouTube that got me interested in becoming a massage therapist. I can’t wait to learn more about it in class and through CEU’s. I want to eventually be a lymphatic drainage therapist.
Impressive. I become bloated a couple of times a month and I am tired of it. Maybe this routine will help my body rid itself of toxins quicker so I can feel better. I am going to memorize this one!
I did the routine but am excited to do it a couple more times to gauge the impact. At present, the change is subtle but it kind of feels like my skin is a bit “lighter” for lack of a better phrase. Great blog, especially for use as client homework! Thanks!
This is a great blog, not only does it show us ladies how to treat certain problems, but it also gives a great way to practice our new techniques and be able to reap the benefits!
I had no idea that this system did so much! this is so good!
Very good information. Have learned a lot about this modality since studying it this week!
I am really liking this modality. This season has been the worse yet for me feeling hay feverish. I would often massage my own face trying to drain my sinuses. I think this lyphatic drainage will work so much better.:)
I can not say weather I feel or see a major difference in my face because of lymphatic massage. I will say though that ever since we started doing it yesterday, my nose has not quit running.
I did these techniques on my mom yesterday and saw amazing results. She had puffiness in her face before starting. By the time I finished the 3rd pass, and after her drinking a bottle of water, she was no longer puffy.
This modality has been some what difficult, because I am used to giving lots of pressure so I’m finding myself having to back off significantly. It also makes me very tired. It is very interested and I want to learn more!
Its amazing what such a soft touch can do!
I LOVE this blog. On more than one occasion, I wake up in the morning with puffy eyes and skin and the first thing I do is drink a glass of water and place the chilled used tea bags I chilled the night before on my eyes. Before this class, I never thought to use massage. Instead I would google ways to try and prevent and make puffiness in my eyes better. I will be referencing this blog and make it a part of my morning routine if I wake up with any puffiness in the future. Thanks!
Same as crystal, I cannot say rather or not I feel a difference but I am not longer getting a stuffy nose every time I lye down like I have been for the past week.
It is mildly convenient this week that I have a little bit of drainage in my throat due to the changing of the weather. Thanks for these helpful tips!
This is some really good stuff to use many times with all the changing of the seasons and all the sinus problems we come to have. I like to have this done to me, and I like it when it helps dial my stress down to nothing. So if anyone asks me about this I say go for it!
When i first started Lymphatic massage I was very skeptical on the results. but after reading this blog I am a firm believer and I will try this with clients and family.
I cant tell if i like lymph massage yet or not so far i can see the great need for it and that i do like. giving the lymph massage not so much because i have a bad habit of putting too much pressure.
I had no idea that lymphatic massage could make such a difference in your face. I personally am not a fan of Lymphatic massage, it puts me to sleep, but i think it is awesome what a light touch can do.
What a difference in the picture. I did the one under the the eyes and the eyebrows seen a little difference will do this every day.
I have been under an immense amount of stress over the past couple months and have noticed it manifesting as some puffiness around my eyes. I tried this routine this morning and noticed a slight difference. I think with added practice this will be a great trick to add to my bag. I know lymphatic drainage will continue to be difficult or me as I am so naturally heavy handed.
I got a little it of a headache, so I think I just need a lot more water in my system. And those comparative pictures at the end showed a big difference, and Id like to try this out on me or my mom over the next few days. This was really interesting to read about, I really enjoyed being told what those weird feeling were/are.
I use a mini crazy fit massager almost daily that I am convinced deals with lymphatic drainage. So, I am not expecting to see a huge response to this massage this week. I will be surprised if I can tell something. But , I will have to keep this in mind for those “puffy” days! Both of my sisters have had breast surgeries and radiation, and one deals with lymphedema. She wants what she refers to as “the recipe”-this article you’ve posted above that I’ve told her about! Hopefully I can figure out how to get a copy of this so I can send it to her!
I have always wondered why sometime I felt like that in the mornings and felt hot with no fever. Good to know.
This blog is good to help you study and remember the face techniques, I believe this will be good for puffy eyes I have read that a lot of preservatives and dyes that the body does not know what to do with winds up in the lymph system. Yuck it is no wonder we feel bad sometimes.
It is crazy to me that we can drain all the ” bad stuff” out of our bodies by using such little pressure. I have noticed after having this done that I am thirstier and that my body needs more water.
Very interesting information i will have to try this some time
I don’t know how I feel about the lymphatic massage, even thou I do feel puffy and don’t drink water at all. So I should try this and see if it helps me feel better.
this seems like an exellent routine to do when allergies or sinus pressures are inflamed.
doing this routine bi weekly (year round) will probably help alleviate severity of conjestion at the least.
the before and after photo is quite impressive.
I really like learning about this massage technique, but not really a big fan
I actually find lymphatic drainage very interesting and I will definitely try these techniques on myself.
Lymphatic drainage has helped me with my morning puffiness.
This week I have learned all about Lymphatic Massage and its treatment. It has helped me to feel more awake and to enjoy getting up it has cleared my symptoms of a runny nose. I appreciate what i have learned about it and i actually want to learn more.
I’m gonna have to add this to my morning routine and see if it helps with my puffy allergy eyes!
Pressure of a dime is so hard to get used to but can really help. That’s something I need to really work on, the pressure adjustment. Great techniques!
I think it’s amazing how doing something little can cause a big differant in the body
I love this routine I will have to try this when my allergies start acting up.
This is very cool, lots of times when I wake up in the morning I feel like my face is swollen, never knew there was something I could do about it!!! This is a great blog, thank you!!!
I’m excited to do this on myself and others.
I use lyphatic drainage of the face during facials and people fall in love with you when they see their face isnt puffy and the bags under their eyes are lighter. Its awesome! I cant wait to learn the rest of the body
omigosh I am so doing this every morning! I always feel like I am retaining water!
We allneed a little extra help I printed this off so I could take and pratice. Thanks for the info
This is a really great article. I think we’ve all had days like described above that this will be very beneficial to. In the future for my self as well as clients I will be sure to refer back to this very informational article.
Good information, hopefully this week will help with my sinus problems that I am having.
I love it! I am very interested in Lymphatic Massage and can’t wait to learn more!
This technique is soft to the touch and quiet and relaxing.
I like lymphatic massage. It is cool how such light pressure can make a huge difference. It is also cool how much it relaxes you.
Very interesting.
Lymphatic drainage is very interesting. My eyelids are always very swollen in the mornings, I can’t wait to try this on myself!
Last night was very interesting. Reading the blog was also very helpful. I’m looking forward to trying this on myself.