Body Rituals WA

16/01/2026

🌿 Understanding Insulin Resistance & the Lymphatic System

Why fluid, inflammation, and hormones are part of the same conversation

Insulin resistance is often explained as a blood sugar problem.
But in real physiology, it’s also a fluid, inflammation, and communication problem — and that’s where the lymphatic system quietly comes in.

Let’s break this down in a way that’s factual, interesting, and easy to follow.

🧠 What is insulin resistance (in simple terms)?

Insulin is a hormone that helps move glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream into the cells, where it’s used for energy.

In insulin resistance, the cells stop responding properly to insulin.
The body compensates by producing more insulin, which leads to:
• chronically high insulin levels
• unstable blood sugar
• increased fat storage (especially abdominal)
• inflammation
• fatigue and brain fog

This isn’t a personal failure — it’s a physiological adaptation to stress.

🌊 Where the lymphatic system fits in

The lymphatic system is responsible for:
• draining interstitial fluid (fluid around cells)
• clearing inflammatory by-products
• transporting immune cells
• assisting fat absorption and metabolic waste removal

Unlike the heart, the lymphatic system does not pump on its own.
It relies on:
• movement
• breathing
• muscle contraction
• nervous system regulation

When lymph flow slows, fluid and inflammatory molecules accumulate around cells.

🔁 Insulin resistance begins around the cell — not just in the blood

For insulin to work, it must:
1. travel through the bloodstream
2. move out of blood vessels
3. reach the cell surface through interstitial fluid
4. bind to insulin receptors

If the space around the cell is:
• congested
• inflamed
• fluid-heavy

👉 insulin has difficulty reaching and binding to its receptor.

This creates a situation where:
• insulin is present
• glucose is present
• but the message doesn’t land

This is a key reason insulin resistance is closely linked to edema, puffiness, and tissue heaviness.

🔥 Inflammation, lymph stagnation & insulin resistance

Chronic inflammation is a known driver of insulin resistance.

What many people don’t realise is that:
• inflammation increases capillary leakage
• leakage increases interstitial fluid
• excess fluid relies on lymphatic drainage

When lymphatic clearance is impaired:
• inflammatory cytokines linger
• adipose tissue becomes inflamed
• insulin signaling becomes disrupted

This is especially relevant in:
• visceral (abdominal) fat
• hormonal belly weight
• metabolic syndrome

🧬 The role of adipose tissue (fat) & lymphatics

Adipose tissue is not inert — it is metabolically active and inflammatory when stressed.

Fat tissue:
• produces inflammatory signals
• requires lymphatic drainage
• is closely connected to immune activity

When lymph flow through fat tissue is poor:
• inflammation increases
• insulin resistance worsens
• fat storage becomes easier, fat release harder

This explains why insulin resistance often coexists with swelling, heaviness, and tenderness rather than just weight gain alone.

😴 Nervous system, cortisol & lymph flow

Insulin resistance is also influenced by:
• chronic stress
• elevated cortisol
• sympathetic (“fight or flight”) dominance

High cortisol:
• raises blood sugar
• impairs insulin sensitivity
• slows digestion
• reduces lymphatic movement

A stressed nervous system = sluggish lymph
Sluggish lymph = more inflammation
More inflammation = greater insulin resistance

This is why pushing harder often backfires.

🌿 Supporting insulin sensitivity through lymph-aware care

This is not about extreme dieting or punishment.

Supportive strategies include:
• gentle, regular movement (walking, rebounding alternatives, stretching)
• diaphragmatic breathing (primary lymph pump)
• adequate hydration
• anti-inflammatory nourishment
• nervous system regulation
• avoiding prolonged sitting or stillness

When lymph moves better:
• inflammation reduces
• tissue congestion decreases
• insulin signaling improves
• metabolic flexibility returns

✨ The key takeaway

Insulin resistance is not just a sugar issue.
It’s a communication issue between hormones, cells, fluid, and the immune system.

The lymphatic system plays a quiet but essential role in:
• clearing inflammation
• maintaining the cellular environment
• supporting metabolic health

When we support lymphatic flow, we support the environment insulin needs to work.

Healing happens best when systems are supported together — not isolated 🌿

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, exercise, or health regimen.

16/01/2026

13/01/2026

🌿✨ Life After a Thyroidectomy: What Nobody Tells You, but Every Patient Deserves to Know ✨🌿

By Bianca Botha, CLT, RLD, MLDT & CDS

A thyroidectomy — whether full or partial — changes far more than hormone levels. It changes metabolism, energy, mood, digestion, body temperature, weight stability, and the way your entire endocrine-immune system communicates.

For many people, life after thyroid removal is confusing. The body you once knew may suddenly feel unfamiliar. Most patients are told, “You’ll take a pill and feel normal again,” but the truth is far more complex.

This article walks you through the real, lived experience of thyroidectomy recovery — emotionally, physically and metabolically — and what you can do to feel like yourself again. 💛

🌼 1. Understanding Your Body After Thyroid Removal

The thyroid controls:
• Metabolism
• Energy production
• Heart rate
• Digestion
• Mood regulation
• Body temperature
• Weight control
• Hormonal signalling
• Detoxification speed

After removal, every one of these systems must re-learn how to function with replacement medication instead of natural hormones.

Your body is adapting. It’s not failing.

💤 2. The Fatigue: “Why am I so tired?”

Post-thyroidectomy fatigue is one of the top complaints, even with medication.

Why it happens:
✨ Your cells are adjusting to synthetic hormones
✨ Your mitochondria (energy factories) slow down
✨ Inflammation rises after surgery
✨ The liver must metabolise replacement hormones
✨ Sleep cycles get disrupted
✨ Your lymphatic system slows down
✨ Stress hormones compensate, causing exhaustion

This fatigue is not laziness, weakness or “just in your head.”
It is biochemical exhaustion.

Supportive tools that help:
• Selenium + zinc
• Clean anti-inflammatory diet
• Daily sunlight exposure
• Lymphatic activation
• Light movement instead of intense workouts
• Proper thyroid blood panels (TSH alone is not enough)

⚖️ 3. Weight Gain and Metabolism

This is the struggle almost everyone is too afraid to talk about.

After a thyroidectomy, metabolism can drop 15–40% overnight.
The body begins storing energy instead of burning it.

Common reasons for post-thyroidectomy weight changes:
• Lower T3 conversion
• Slower metabolism
• More inflammation
• Water retention (lymph stagnation)
• Estrogen dominance
• Blood sugar dysregulation
• Gut slowing down

Even if you’re eating clean and exercising, fat loss can feel impossible.

What actually helps:
✨ Optimising T3 levels (not just T4)
✨ Anti-inflammatory eating
✨ Balancing insulin (small, regular meals)
✨ Lymphatic drainage
✨ Reducing estrogen dominance
✨ Addressing gut health and constipation
✨ Supporting liver detox pathways

🧠 4. Mood, Anxiety, and Cognitive Changes

The thyroid and brain communicate constantly.
When hormone signalling is disrupted, you may experience:

• Anxiety or inner restlessness
• Feeling “on edge”
• Low mood
• Forgetfulness
• Brain fog
• Irritability
• Loss of confidence
• Social withdrawal

This is partly biochemical, partly emotional.

Support tools that work beautifully:
🌿 Magnesium glycinate
🌿 Omega 3
🌿 Gut support (80% of serotonin is made in the gut)
🌿 Blood sugar stability
🌿 Breathing work + vagus nerve activation
🌿 Mild lymphatic massage
🌿 Routine + structure

You are not “being dramatic.” Your brain is healing.

🌡 5. Body Temperature Problems

Without natural thyroid hormone, temperature control becomes unpredictable.

You may feel:
• Colder than usual
• Hot flashes
• Sweating easily
• Chills
• Trouble warming up after a shower
• Intolerance to heat

This is linked to metabolism and circulatory changes.

Simple supports:
• Consistent meal timing
• Gentle exercise
• Improved circulation
• Adequate iron + ferritin
• Proper thyroid dosing adjustments

🍃 6. Digestive Changes

Lack of thyroid hormones slows the gastrointestinal tract.

Common gut symptoms include:
• Constipation
• Bloating
• Gas
• Sluggish digestion
• Food sensitivities
• Acid reflux
• Difficulty breaking down fats

This is normal but important to manage, because gut health influences hormone absorption.

What helps:
🌿 Warm water in the morning
🌿 High-fibre vegetables
🌿 Digestive bitters
🌿 Probiotics
🌿 Magnesium
🌿 Light walking after meals
🌿 Lymphatic drainage over the abdomen

Better digestion = better hormone absorption.

💧 7. Lymphatic System and Puffiness

After thyroid removal, many people struggle with:

• Puffy face
• Swollen neck
• Under-eye bags
• Leg swelling
• Fluid retention
• Tight rings

This is because the thyroid sits in the neck — one of the main lymphatic drainage zones.
When hormones shift, lymph flow slows dramatically.

Supporting lymph movement can transform how you feel:
✨ Manual lymph drainage
✨ Dry brushing
✨ Deep breathing
✨ Adequate hydration
✨ Lowering inflammation
✨ Gentle neck stretches
✨ Reducing salt + processed foods

🩺 8. The Blood Tests You Actually Need

TSH alone is not enough to monitor post-thyroidectomy health.
You need a full thyroid panel:

• TSH
• Free T4
• Free T3
• Reverse T3
• Thyroglobulin (if cancer patient)
• Anti-TPO
• Anti-TG

Additionally, check:
• Ferritin
• Vitamin D
• B12
• Cortisol
• CRP
• Lipid panel
• Fasting insulin

Most ongoing symptoms relate to underlying imbalances missed on standard tests.

🌿 9. Supplements That Often Make a Difference

(Not medical advice — always check with your doctor)

• Selenium
• Zinc
• Magnesium glycinate
• Omega 3
• Vitamin D
• Ashwagandha (if not hyperthyroid)
• Probiotic
• L-Carnitine (great for fatigue)
• Iron (if ferritin is low)

✨ 10. The Emotional Journey No One Talks About

Recovering from a thyroidectomy is more than physical.

It’s a grieving process.
The thyroid is tiny but symbolic — it represents energy, voice, identity, confidence, femininity, metabolism, and flow.

Many people silently grieve:
• Their old body
• Their old energy
• Their old resilience
• Their old sense of self

Healing means learning how to trust your body again, slowly, gently.

And you can.
Step by step.
Support by support.
Choice by choice. 💛🌿

🌸 Final Thoughts

Life after a thyroidectomy is absolutely manageable —
but it requires education, support, patience, and the right tools.

Your body is not broken.
Your hormones simply need guidance.
Your energy needs support.
Your lymph needs flow.
Your mind needs compassion.
Your heart needs rest.

You can feel amazing again.
And you deserve to. 🤍✨

📌 Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, exercise, or health regimen.

11/01/2026

🌿 The Silent Weight: How Emotional Trauma Impacts the Lymphatic System

By Bianca Botha, CLT, RLD, MLDT & CDS

Trauma is often spoken about as something held in the mind or heart — a memory, a scar, a wound that shapes how we see the world. But modern science is revealing something truly profound: emotional trauma is not just psychological. It is physiological. It settles into the body, into the fascia, into the nervous system, and more quietly than we realise… into the lymphatic system.

Your body remembers.
Even when your mind tries to forget.

And one of the most sensitive systems to emotional distress, prolonged stress, and trauma is your lymphatic system — the very system designed to keep you healthy, detoxified, and resilient.

💧 The Lymphatic System: Your Silent Protector

The lymphatic system is your body’s waste-removal and immune defense network. It moves lymph — a clear fluid filled with immune cells — through vessels and nodes, clearing:
• toxins
• pathogens
• excess fluid
• inflammatory molecules
• metabolic waste

It has no pump like the heart.
It relies on:
• breathing
• muscle movement
• hydration
• sleep
• parasympathetic tone

Anything that disrupts these — especially emotional trauma — can disrupt lymph flow.

💔 How Emotional Trauma Affects Lymphatic Flow

1. Fight-or-Flight Physiology Slows Lymph Drainage

Trauma activates the sympathetic nervous system. This “fight or flight” state causes:
• shallow breathing
• tight chest and diaphragm
• muscle tension
• reduced gut motility
• vasoconstriction

The lymphatic system depends heavily on relaxed, deep breathing, abdominal movement, and muscular rhythm. When trauma locks the body into a stress state, lymph flow becomes sluggish.

This can lead to:
• facial puffiness
• neck swelling
• abdominal bloating
• chronic fatigue
• tightness around the ribcage
• headaches
• weakened immunity

Studies now show that chronic stress suppresses lymphatic function and alters immune responses.

2. Trauma Stores Itself in Fascia — and Fascia Houses Lymph

The lymphatic system is embedded within fascia — the connective tissue web that wraps every organ, muscle, and nerve.

Fascia is highly innervated and responds intensely to emotional states. Under traumatic stress, fascia can:
• tighten
• thicken
• lose elasticity
• become dehydrated
• restrict lymph flow

This is why people with unresolved trauma often feel:
• tight necks
• rigid shoulders
• abdominal pressure
• heaviness in the chest
• a “blocked” throat
• unexplained swelling

Your fascia holds what the mind cannot process.

3. Trauma Increases Inflammation — and That Overloads the Lymph

Trauma increases systemic inflammation through cortisol dysregulation and immune activation.

Higher inflammation means:
• more waste for the lymph to clear
• more burden on lymph nodes
• increased risk of stagnation
• higher fluid retention

For many people, this shows up as chronic swelling, unexplained weight gain, or persistent puffiness — even when diet is perfect.

4. Trauma Alters Breathing — and Breath Moves Lymph

Deep diaphragmatic breathing is the single strongest lymphatic pump in the body. But trauma often creates:
• shallow breaths
• upper-chest breathing
• restricted ribs
• tight diaphragm

Without the “pump,” lymph slows, stagnates, and accumulates.

This is why so many clients describe:
“I feel stuck,”
“My body feels heavy,”
“No matter what I do, I feel swollen.”

Their lymph is simply reflecting their trauma-impacted breath.

5. Emotional Suppression Creates Physiological Congestion

The lymphatic system is highly reactive to emotions. Tears, grief, fear, adrenaline — all shift hormonal signalling that impacts lymph flow.

When emotions are suppressed instead of released, the body often shows:
• throat tightness
• chest pressure
• digestive bloating
• water retention
• immune fluctuations
• sluggish circulation

Your lymph mirrors what you carry emotionally.

🌸 Signs Your Lymphatic System Is Responding to Emotional Trauma

You may see:
✓ Puffiness in the face, under eyes, or neck
✓ Bloated abdomen
✓ Fluid retention in legs
✓ Chronic fatigue
✓ Brain fog
✓ Muscle tightness
✓ Constant infections
✓ Slow healing
✓ Hormonal imbalance symptoms
✓ Difficulty losing weight

These symptoms are not “in your head.”
Your lymphatic system is telling a story.

🌿 What Helps? Gentle Support for a Trauma-Sensitive Lymphatic System

These gentle approaches can help restore flow:
• diaphragmatic breathing
• lymphatic drainage therapy
• walking
• hydration in small, frequent sips
• fascia stretching
• vagus nerve stimulation
• grounding
• emotional release work
• trauma-informed therapy
• warm compresses
• anti-inflammatory foods

Healing the lymph requires healing the nervous system.
Healing the nervous system requires acknowledging the emotional body.

Your lymphatic system is not weak — it is responding to your life.

🤍 You Are Not Broken

Trauma may have shaped your physiology, but it does not define your future. The lymphatic system is incredibly resilient and responds beautifully to gentle, compassionate care.

Your body remembers, yes —
but your body can also release,
reset,
rewire,
and heal.

You are not behind.
You are not stuck.
You are not alone.
Your lymph simply needs permission to flow again.

📚 Scientific References

These reputable sources support the physiological links between trauma, stress, fascia, immunity, and lymphatic health:
1. Peters, E. et al. (2021). “Stress and the Lymphatic System.” International Review of Neurobiology.
2. Bremner, J.D. (2006). “Traumatic stress: Effects on brain and body.” Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience.
3. Schleip, R. et al. (2012). “Fascia as a sensory organ.” Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies.
4. McEwen, B.S. (1998). “Stress, adaptation, and disease: Allostasis and allostatic load.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.
5. Porges, S. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory.
6. Zhang, Y. et al. (2015). “Stress-induced lymphatic dysfunction.” Nature Immunology.
7. Walker, J. (2020). “Breathing and lymphatic circulation.” Journal of Applied Physiology.

📝 Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, exercise, or health regimen.

10/01/2026

The addresses skin health from the inside out, optimising the body’s circulatory and lymphatic systems - often overlooked and essential functions necessary to healthy skin 🌱

Visit the link in bio to book your PRIN ritual 🌸

03/01/2026

Such great info in these episodes!

31/12/2025

This year stretched us… 🐍
We learned what to keep.
What to refine.
What no longer fit.
We grew through change, not comfort.
Through learning the messy way.
What we offer became clearer.
How we operate became steadier.
What we stand for became non-negotiable.

If 2025 is anything to go by, we can’t wait for 2026! ✨

24/12/2025

Looking for last minute gift ideas but don’t want to hit the shops?? 🫣We’ve got you! Open all afternoon until late for last minute shopping and gift vouchers! 🛍️🌸🙌🏻🌿✨

18/12/2025

Consider this your sign ✨
Lymphatic drainage = less puff, more glow, calmer nervous system
Because your lymphatic system deserves support during the festive season 🎄
✨ Limited pre-Christmas appointments available

17/12/2025

🔥 Contouring Detox Body Wrap - Swipe To See How It Actually Works 🤓

If your body feels puffy, heavy or a bit stuck, this wrap is designed to shift what’s been sitting still. It warms the tissue, moves fluid, softens tight fascia and supports your natural detox pathways.

✨ Thermal Actives
Niacinamide, methyl nicotinate, eucalyptus and caffeine create a warming response that boosts microcirculation. More circulation means better nutrient delivery, better waste removal and more movement through areas that feel sluggish.

🔥 Osmotic Mineral Wrap
The wrap creates a gentle pulling effect that helps draw excess fluid out of congested areas. This can reduce swelling, ease heaviness and smooth the look of cellulite.

🔥 Fascia Sculpting
We work with the superficial fascia to soften tension and create glide. When fascia moves well, skin looks smoother, circulation improves, fluid clears easier and the silhouette naturally refines.

🔥 Compression Therapy
Once wrapped, your body receives gentle compression to support lymphatic drainage and enhance contouring. This helps clear waste faster, reduce inflammation and shift trapped fluid.

🔥 What You’ll Feel
A warm, spicy sensation
Temporary redness
A light, clear, sculpted feeling afterwards
Smoother, brighter skin tone
This wrap is intense, but still designed to feel grounding, safe and supportive. It’s not about shrinking your body, thats an added bonus! It’s about giving your system the stimulation and flow it’s been craving

☀️ Summer Special
$169 each or $499 for 3!

👉 Link in bio to book your Contouring Detox Body Wrap

https://momence.com/Body-Rituals/appointment-reservation/38847?boardId=32798

📍 Body Rituals Mandurahwa

16/12/2025

Not sure what to gift?
Gift her time in her body ✨
Gift cards available in store or via link in bio