What is Advanced Lymphatic Therapy™ and Ortho-Bionomy®?

   An Introduction to Advanced Lymphatic Therapy™ and Ortho-Bionomy®.

Liz Olivas, MT, CLT, RIOB

Welcome our new blog at The Therapeutic Alternative! It has always been a challenge to talk about both methods individually and then talk about how they interact and work together.   This blog gives me the opportunity to talk about Advanced Lymphatic Therapy and Ortho-Bionomy methods and how they work together and separately to create a healthy system that fosters alignment, balance and flow. 

Ortho-Bionomy and Lymphatic Drainage have one thing in common; they do not try to increase circulation. They do encourage drainage, that is an emptying of the tissues.  Manual Lymph Drainage works to accelerate the pumping of the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system does not increase the flow of fluids into the tissues.   The system instead empties. The main goal of a good lymphatic treatment is to drain the tissues of excesses.  (In another discussion we will talk about where it drains to.)  These excesses may include water, protein, fat, tissue waste, and all other organic and inorganic substances.  Whatever is in the tissues at the point of the lymphatic valves opening will drop in!

Ortho-Bionomy plays a role in that it can help to reorder the body’s structure in a way that is non-invasive.  It does not depend on increased circulation to do so.  In its most basic form, Ortho-Bionomy is similar to Positional Release Technique.  OB helps the structure reorganize by working directly with the nervous system.   The nervous system directly interacts with the soft tissue of the body.  It gives direction, tells muscles when to contract, as well as many more functions.   The problems start when the nervous system tells a muscle or tissue to contract and it is already contracted.   This may be due to an injury or repetitive use such as contracting a muscle repeatedly.  Or perhaps it is tight and binding to surrounding tissues.  Ortho-Bionomy is a method that allows the structure to go back to what is natural for the body.  It creates working relationships between parts, whether they are able to be in alignment or not.   Fluids are guided by structure.  If we move or allow some parts of structure to normalize, then fluids can flow more easily.

When a person comes to us at The Therapeutic Alternative, they often receive the benefit of both modalities together.  For example, if someone arrives at our office with a sprained ankle,  the ankle is both swollen with poor alignment and has pain.  To treat such a condition, we would help the swelling first.  We would do some lymphatic work to help the body remove the excess swelling.   Once the swelling is controlled, then some organizational work is in order.  We would then facilitate the process of helping the muscles, tendons and ligaments align.   This then takes the tension off of the bones and allows the tissues to heal in the correct or right position.   The correct position is the most the optimum, one that works best for normalizing the joint. This then also reduces the discomfort or pain in the area.

At The Therapeutic Alternative, we are able to offer both the reduction of swelling and help the structure organize so it works well for its function.   The blending of two methods that work well together brings about healing.  A body or tissue in the body, cannot heal fully in the presence of too much fluid.  Inflammation comes to heal a wound, but it comes in with fluid.  Can your body remove the excess fluid?  Does the fluid sit in the area not allowing healing to take place completely? It works well to do both at once.  This blog gives me the opportunity to talk about both methods, and how they work together and separately to create a healthy system that fosters alignment, balance and flow.  I am extremely glad to do so!

Ortho-Bionomy® is a registered trademark of the Society of Ortho-Bionomy International, Inc.and is used with permission.

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