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Causes And Treatment Of Lymphatic Massage

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Lymphatic massage was introduced in the 1930s by Danish physiotherapists Dr. Emil Vodder and his wife (Benjamin, 2010). His wife Astrid Vodder practiced naturopath. Emil Vodder studied at the University of Copenhagen for biology, botany, and mineralogy, later began showing interest in the physical medicine along with the lymphatic system. Vodder knew many scientists who had studied the mysterious “clear water” centuries ago, scientist such as Gaspare Aselli (1581–1626) who discovered the lacteal vessels in the lymphatic system, Jean Pecquet (1622-1674) described the cisterna chyli and the thoracic duct leading to the venous arch (Wittlinger, 2004). Olaus Rudbeck discovered the lymph vessels of the colon and rectum and confirmed that these vessels lead to the cisterna chyli as Aselli had described already. Rudbeck was the first who discovered that the lymph from the tissue runs into lymph vessels and to the thoracic duct back to the blood circulation. In the 18th century it was discovered that the whole body contained lymph vessels and that the task of the lymph vessel system is to absorb tissue liquid. Vodder and his wife moved to Paris, France in 1933 to practice the modality on his patients (Wittlinger, 2004). The concept of lymph drainage by massage therapy is similar to opening a valve of a tube filled with water and allowing the water to flow into another tube to release pressure and alleviate build up in the lymph nodes. The carefully circling pumping movements

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