CLIENT STORY:
Here you can see two photos of me, taken a year or so apart. The first photo was before I even knew what a lymphatic treatment was, while the second photo was a few months into my treatment.
My whole life I have been called “baby face”. I have always been self-conscious about the roundness of my face, desperate for the cheekbones and contouring I saw on so many women around me. It didn’t matter how much I exercised, what weight I was or what food I consumed, my face stayed round. The best way to describe how it looked and felt is swollen, my face was swollen. I didn’t understand why and I definitely didn’t know there was anything I could do about it. Until I met naturopath Charmaine D. I went to Charmaine for hormonal support transitioning off the pill, but where I’ve ended up is far beyond what I could’ve imagined.
Charmaine noticed instantly that my face was rounder than what my body’s build allowed and suggested we begin lymphatic treatment. For this treatment to start, I needed to really understand what it was I was dealing with and why.
What is the lymphatic system? The lymphatic system is a drainage network that removes cellular debris, large proteins, foreign bodies, bacteria, viruses, toxins and excess fluid from our organs and vessels. Our lymph nodes act as ‘purification centres’ and is where the lymph fluid moves through. Its primary function is to protect our body from illness and accumulated waste. The lymphatic system circulates lymph throughout the body, approximately 1.5 to 2 litres. When activated efficiently, this can increase to 10-30 litres per day. As the lymphatic system is not connected to the heart, it cannot rely on the heart pumping to circulate, but rather other methods such as muscle contraction. There are many reasons why the lymph vessels or lymph nodes become clogged or stagnant such as stress, illness, emotional shock, dehydration and lack of physical activity. When this stagnation occurs, it can result in fluid retention and swelling.
This fluid retention and swelling is what was wrong with my face. Due to constant illness as a child, my immune system and lymphatic system could never rest and recover, always being in the fight or flight mode, trying to protect me. This caused many issues, mainly fatigue and lymphostasis. In order for my lymphatic system above my heart to work properly, that stagnant fluid needed to be drained and my lymph nodes needed to relax.
This was done both externally and internally with herbs and lymphatic pumping. Charmaine D used botanical herbs that internally aid the drainage of the lymph nodes. This ensured that from the inside out, my lymphatic system was getting the support and drainage it needed. Externally, Charmaine was using a mechanical lymphatic drainage pumping machine, engineered in South Australia. It works similarly to Chinese cupping in that it mechanically massages the lymph nodes to stimulate the deep and superficial lymphatic vessels, which in turn promotes drainage and aids in stagnation. Unlike Chinese cupping, it does not cause bruising, but rather utilises strong puffs of air to stimulate that lymphatic massage.
Charmaine D performed this drainage treatment on half of my face for the first time and asked me to cup both sides to feel the difference, and after only one treatment there was a drastic difference. Fast forward two years later and with a few months of internal herbal treatment, as well as consistent lymphatic drainage pumping, my face is now the shape and size it should be, with no swelling. More than how it looks, however, I also have more energy, am less likely to feel fatigued, and don’t get sick as often.
Through Charmaine’s extensive knowledge on skin and naturopathy, she was able to heal me from the inside, as well as the outside, in a way that utilises natural products and doesn’t cause more harm in the process. For anyone who is concerned about their lymphatic system, for the face or entire body, I highly recommend reaching out to Charmaine D for a consultation.