Livingston Integrative Wellness

11/27/2025

What do you think about the word "healer"?

Do you use it to describe what you do?

How do you define it?

11/27/2025

11/27/2025

😂

THANKSGIVING REMINDER 🦃

Don’t forget… it’s official Precinct 4 tradition to turn your bathroom scales back 15 pounds the night before Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a safe, joyful, and delicious holiday!

Follow us at Facebook.com/Precinct4 and download our mobile app “C4 NOW” to receive live feeds on crime, arrests, safety tips, traffic accidents, and road conditions in your area.

11/27/2025

This simple stretch can release your hip flexors and also low back pain.

Here's how to do it. ⬇️
https://go.healingthroughmovement.com/htmfb-uyhfpsoas-cb-24nov25

11/18/2025

3 Common Causes of Hip Pain and how you can eliminate them yourself.

https://go.healingthroughmovement.com/htmfb-uyhfpsoas-cb-17nov25

11/10/2025

In 10 years, sitting for 8 hours a day will be seen as dangerous as smoking.

https://go.healingthroughmovement.com/htmfb-uyhfpsoas-cb-3nov25

11/10/2025

11/10/2025

🌙 Why Puffy Eyes Are Really a Lymphatic Issue

You wake up in the morning, stumble to the mirror, and there they are again… puffy eyes 👀. While most people brush it off as being “tired” or “not drinking enough water,” the truth is that puffy eyes are often a lymphatic issue.

💧 The Lymph Behind Puffy Eyes

Your lymphatic system is like the body’s drainage and detox network — it clears away excess fluid, waste, and toxins. Around the eyes, the lymphatic vessels are especially delicate and easily become sluggish. When that happens, fluid pools under the skin, showing up as puffiness or bags.

➡️ Why mornings are worse:
When you sleep, you’re lying flat, and lymph doesn’t circulate as well compared to when you’re upright and moving. If your lymph is already a bit congested, gravity isn’t helping — so the puffiness builds overnight.

🌿 Common Causes of Lymph Congestion Around the Eyes
• Dehydration → Thick, sticky lymph fluid struggles to move.
• High salt intake → Traps more water in the tissues.
• Allergies or sinus congestion → Blocks drainage pathways near the eyes.
• Poor sleep → A sluggish glymphatic (brain-lymph) system leaves fluid behind.
• Hormonal shifts or stress → Affect circulation and fluid balance.

✨ Small Daily Habits That Help

The good news? Puffy eyes don’t have to be your daily companion. A few lymph-friendly habits can make a big difference:
1. Hydrate first thing 💦 → Warm lemon water jumpstarts lymph flow.
2. Gentle self-massage 👆 → Light tapping around the temples and under the eyes encourages drainage.
3. Deep breathing 🌬️ → Diaphragmatic breathing acts like a pump for the lymph system.
4. Sleep with your head elevated 🛏️ → Helps gravity keep fluid from pooling.
5. Anti-inflammatory foods 🥒 → Think cucumbers, celery, pineapple (bromelain), and leafy greens.

🌸 Final Thought

Puffy eyes are more than skin-deep — they’re your body whispering that your lymphatic system could use some love. By making small, consistent changes, you’re not only helping your eyes look brighter but also supporting whole-body health.

💗 Remember: it’s not vanity, it’s vitality.

—
Bianca Botha CLT, RLD & MLDT

09/28/2025

💧 Is It Normal to Feel Side Effects When Your Lymphatic System Starts Moving Again?

When your lymphatic system has been clogged for years and you finally begin opening it up through gentle, conservative care (like Manual Lymph Drainage, hydration, clean food, and self-care practices), it can feel like your body suddenly reacts in unusual ways.

The truth is: you are probably more normal than you think. Many people experience side effects as the lymphatic system “wakes up” and starts clearing backlogged waste.

🔹 Why Do These Side Effects Happen?

Your lymphatic system is the body’s waste removal highway. When flow has been stagnant for years, toxins, proteins, and cellular debris build up in tissues. Once flow improves, all that “stored waste” starts moving. The liver, kidneys, gut, and skin suddenly have more to clear — and this can cause temporary reactions.

🔹 Common Side Effects You Might Notice

✨ Flu-like feelings
Mild aches, fatigue, or a feverish feeling as the immune system responds.

✨ Skin flare-ups
Itching, rashes, or pimples as toxins exit through the skin. Histamine-sensitive people may notice hives.

✨ Digestive shifts
Bloating, loose stools, or stronger bowel movements as the gut clears more waste. Sometimes mild nausea if congestion was around the liver area.

✨ Urinary changes
Darker or stronger-smelling urine, or more frequent trips to the bathroom.

✨ Emotional release
Unexpected tears, mood swings, or even laughter as the nervous system relaxes and old stress patterns shift.

✨ Swelling shifts
One area may look puffier before it drains completely — fluid often “moves” before it clears.

🔹 How to Support Your Body During This Phase

🌿 Hydrate deeply – water with lemon or a pinch of Celtic salt.
🌿 Rest & sleep – your lymph clears most efficiently when you’re in deep rest.
🌿 Gentle movement – walking, stretching, breathing, or light yoga.
🌿 Eat anti-inflammatory foods – leafy greens, berries, omega-3s, turmeric, ginger.
🌿 Avoid overload – reduce sugar, alcohol, and processed foods.
🌿 Warm baths/Epsom salts – soothe muscles and help skin detox.

🔹 The Good News

These effects are usually temporary. They mean your body is adjusting, clearing, and beginning to restore balance. With consistency, people often notice:
✨ more energy,
✨ lighter feeling in their body,
✨ clearer skin,
✨ less swelling, and
✨ a calmer mind.

⚠️ Note: If reactions are severe, ongoing, or include high fever, extreme swelling, or pain — always check with your healthcare provider.

💚 You are not alone. What feels unusual to you is often part of the normal spectrum of healing responses. Each session and each self-care step is moving you closer to a freer, healthier lymphatic flow.

Bianca Botha CLT, RLD, MLDT & CDS
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 health routine.

08/29/2025

💆‍♀️ Lymphatic Drainage and Anxiety: The Science-Backed Connection

Anxiety isn’t just in the mind — it’s deeply tied to your body’s inflammatory and detoxification pathways. One of the unsung heroes in this connection is your lymphatic system.

🧠 What’s the Connection?

Your lymphatic system helps regulate:
• Inflammation
• Immune activity
• Detoxification
• Fluid balance

When your lymphatic system becomes sluggish or congested, it can lead to the buildup of inflammatory cytokines — molecules that affect your brain and increase stress sensitivity.

This ties directly into the brain–immune–gut axis, where inflammation, stress hormones, and lymphatic stagnation fuel anxiety.

🌿 Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) for Anxiety

Here’s what the research shows:
• Just 15 minutes of MLD to the neck significantly increases parasympathetic nervous system activity (rest-digest mode) and reduces anxiety scores.
• MLD supports vagal tone, meaning it activates your vagus nerve — a powerful anti-anxiety pathway.
• In women with lymphedema, MLD combined with relaxation significantly reduced anxiety compared to lymph drainage alone.
• LDT (Lymph Drainage Therapy) was shown to reduce autonomic nervous system overactivation and muscle tension, both of which are tied to chronic anxiety.

💡 How Lymphatic Therapy Calms the Body
• Stimulates parasympathetic dominance (rest, digest, recover)
• Reduces circulating inflammatory markers
• Encourages deep breathing and mindfulness
• Activates detox pathways, improving mental clarity and calm
• Supports gut-brain communication by draining interstitial toxins

🛠️ How to Use Lymphatic Drainage for Anxiety Relief
1. Professional MLD: A certified therapist can help regulate lymph flow, especially in the neck and clavicle region.
2. Self-MLD: Learn simple, gentle techniques to stimulate lymph (ask if you’d like a guide).
3. Pair with Breathwork: Deep diaphragmatic breathing enhances lymph flow and calms the nervous system.
4. Castor Oil Packs: Placed over the abdomen, they stimulate the lymphatic and vagus nerve regions.
5. Stay Hydrated: Lymph is 90% water; dehydration = stagnation.
6. Gentle Movement: Yoga, walking, and rebounding help keep lymph flowing.

✅ Bottom Line

Manual lymphatic drainage and other lymph therapies are powerful tools to reduce anxiety, calm the nervous system, and support long-term emotional resilience. The science backs it — and the results are gentle, lasting, and natural.

📚 Research Links (Easy Copy)
1. Psychoneuroimmunology and immune-brain connection:
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoneuroimmunology
2. Lymphatic drainage and stress:
www.bodyballancer.co.uk/stress-and-its-effect-on-the-lymphatic-system
3. Study: 15-min neck MLD reduces anxiety via vagus nerve activation:
www.klosetraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Effects-of-MLD-on-Sympathetic-NS-2014.pdf
4. LDT reduces autonomic tension in healthy adults:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1360859221000693
5. Relaxation + MLD lowers anxiety in lymphedema patients:
www.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5755759
6. MLD overview & benefits for mental health:
www.verywellmind.com/lymphatic-drainage-massage-8601938
7. Practitioner insights on lymphatic therapy and well-being:
www.rbwdenver.com/blog/understanding-lymphatic-drainage-therapy-a-proven-approach-to-health-and-wellbeing

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