Soma Wellness Therapies, PLLC

01/08/2026

So TRUE! ☠️
Who's overdue?! 🙋‍♀️

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSkjTZxDqc1/?igsh=ZTN0bGdvODM1d2Nk

01/08/2026

This is very interesting! 🩵

01/03/2026

Feeling sluggish, bloated and a bit in a fog after the Holidays? Your Lymphatic system might need a reset. Check out these tips for Do's & Don'ts ⬇️ Happy Lymphing! 💚

12/24/2025

Where are my Anatomy enthusiasts?! It's fascinating to see what these muscles actually look like. And the Sciatic Nerve! 🤯

12/24/2025

✨ Understanding Fibrosis: When the Body’s “Scar Tissue” Starts to Steal Your Flow

By Bianca Botha, CLT, RLD, MLDT, CDS – Lymphatica

Fibrosis is one of the most misunderstood conditions in the world of lymphatic health.
We often hear about “hard tissue,” “thick skin,” “lumps,” or that feeling of a tight, stuck area that won’t respond to diet or exercise.

But fibrosis is not just “hard fat.”
It’s not “stubborn weight.”
It’s not “just how your body is.”

Fibrosis is a biological response — the body’s attempt to protect itself… that slowly becomes the very thing that holds you back from healing.

Let’s break this down clearly.

🌿 What Is Fibrosis?

Fibrosis is the formation of excess collagen and scar-like tissue in the body.
It happens when the tissues are repeatedly inflamed, injured, compressed, or stagnant.

Think of fibrosis as the body laying bricks to “reinforce” an area that feels threatened.

But over time?

Those bricks turn into walls — blocking circulation, blocking lymph flow, blocking healing.

🔬 Why Does Fibrosis Happen?

Fibrosis forms through 4 key mechanisms:

1. Chronic Inflammation

When inflammation stays high for too long, fibroblasts begin building collagen aggressively.
Your body thinks it’s protecting you.

Instead, it begins trapping inflammation inside the tissue.

2. Lymphatic Stagnation

When lymph can’t drain properly, proteins and cellular waste accumulate.
This “protein-rich soup” hardens over time.

Fibrosis is essentially stagnant lymph that turned solid.

3. Repeated Compression or Pressure

Tight clothing
Sitting too long
Sleeping on one side
Post-surgical swelling
Fibrotic cellulite
Poor posture

All these create micro-pressure that slowly remodels the tissue into a hardened structure.

4. Trauma or Surgery

After any incision or injury, the body immediately starts layering collagen.
If lymphatic drainage is slow, fibrosis becomes thick, raised, and long-lasting.

⚠️ Common Places Fibrosis Shows Up
• Arms after mastectomy
• Abdomen after C-section or hysterectomy
• Thighs and hips
• Underarms / bra line
• Ankles and calves
• After liposuction or fat-transfer surgery
• Around old injuries or scars
• In areas of chronic cellulite

Anywhere lymph slows… fibrosis follows.

💧 How Fibrosis Affects Your Body

Fibrosis doesn’t just change the texture of your skin.
It affects your entire physiology:

🔸 Blocks lymphatic drainage

→ causing swelling, heaviness + puffiness
→ making inflammation chronic

🔸 Restricts blood flow

→ less oxygen
→ poor healing
→ cold, numb or painful areas

🔸 Traps toxins and metabolic waste

→ the tissue becomes congested
→ you feel “stuck” or “blocked” in that area

🔸 Alters nerve signals

→ tightness, burning, tingling, soreness
→ reduced mobility or stiffness

🔸 Slows weight loss

Because the tissue becomes “sealed,” fat and lymph cannot move freely.

Fibrosis is one of the biggest hidden reasons people say:

“I’m doing everything… but nothing is shifting.”

🌙 Can Fibrosis Be Improved or Reversed?

YES — but only through a combination of methods, not one single tool.

The key is to soften, mobilize, hydrate, and drain.

⭐ 1. Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD)

Softens the tissue
Moves protein-rich lymph
Opens pathways
Releases pressure on capillaries

⭐ 2. Fascia Release

Fibrosis is tied deeply into the fascial network.
Freeing fascia = freeing the lymph.

⭐ 3. Heat + Hydration

Warmth increases elasticity
Water thins the lymph
Together they “melt” density in tissues

⭐ 4. Compression (correct usage)

Not tight — supportive
Helps prevent re-hardening
Promotes fluid movement

⭐ 5. Anti-inflammatory Lifestyle

What you eat becomes the quality of your tissues.
Your lymph is the reflection of your inflammation.

⭐ 6. Movement

Nothing aggressive.
Simple walking, breathwork, vibrational movement, gentle mobility.

Movement = muscle pump = lymph pump.

💚 What Fibrosis Feels Like Emotionally

Fibrosis also stores emotion, especially in women:
• Tightness around the ribcage = unspoken stress
• Hardened abdomen = protection + past trauma
• Underarm fibrosis = emotional overflow
• Thigh/hip density = stored cortisol and chronic pressure

The lymphatic system is emotional.
Fibrosis often forms when the body has been “bracing” for too long.

🪷 The Good News

Fibrosis is NOT permanent.
Tissue can change.
Flow can return.
Healing can restart.

You just need the right strategy, the right education, and the right consistency — not force, not pain, not intense pressure.

Your lymphatic system responds to gentleness, rhythm, hydration and safety.

Fibrosis softens when the body feels safe enough to let go.

12/24/2025

These gift certificates are accessible in-house by appointment or check out our options online, with the flexibility to print from home or schedule direct email delivery to the recipient. Share wellness by inviting loved ones to practice intentional self-care. ✨️💆‍♀️💆‍♂️✨️

www.vagaro.com/somawellnesstherapiespllc

11/20/2025

Here's an "oldie, but goodie" video from Bob and Brad PTs. They have a simple method for improving spinal and upper chest/back posture if you're experiencing symptoms of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.

From http://famouspt.com/ "Famous" Physical Therapists, Bob Schrupp and Brad Heineck, demonstrate quick relief for thoracic outlet syndrome.Check out the Pro...

11/11/2025

✨️👁💖

11/02/2025

Have your allergies been flaring? Did you know Manual Lymphatic Drainage was initially designed to relieve allergy symptoms. This is an interesting look at the role our Lymphatic system plays in managing our bodies reaction to allergens and how we can support ourselves. 💚

🌿 Allergies & The Lymphatic System: The Hidden Connection

Most people think allergies are just a reaction in the nose, lungs, or skin — but at their core, allergies are an immune and lymphatic event. When the body encounters something it sees as a threat — like pollen, food proteins, or animal dander — the immune system triggers a cascade of lymphatic activity, histamine release, and inflammation.

The result? Swollen sinuses, itchy eyes, rashes, fatigue… all signs that your lymphatic system is working overtime.

💧 The Lymphatic System’s Role in Allergies

Your lymphatic system is like a giant internal filter — collecting toxins, allergens, and immune cells from every tissue in your body. Lymph nodes act as mini immune command centers, producing lymphocytes and antibodies to neutralize what doesn’t belong.

But when the lymph flow becomes sluggish or congested, these immune reactions intensify instead of resolving. The “traffic jam” of inflammatory cells and histamines can amplify symptoms, keeping your body stuck in overreaction mode.

Lymphatic congestion = prolonged inflammation = more allergy symptoms.

🌸 Different Types of Allergies & How They Link to Lymphatic Health

1️⃣ Respiratory Allergies (Pollen, Dust, Mold, Animal Dander)
• Triggered when allergens enter the nasal passages or lungs.
• Lymph nodes in the neck, chest, and underarms swell as they filter histamine and immune complexes.
• MLD (Manual Lymphatic Drainage) around the head and neck helps clear congestion, relieve sinus pressure, and support detox of inflammatory mediators.

2️⃣ Food Allergies & Intolerances
• Occur when the immune system reacts to certain food proteins (like gluten, dairy, or peanuts).
• Gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) becomes inflamed, leading to bloating, rashes, and systemic fatigue.
• Supporting intestinal lymph flow improves tolerance, reduces leaky gut, and calms immune overactivation.

3️⃣ Skin Allergies (Eczema, Contact Dermatitis, Psoriasis-like Reactions)
• The skin is an extension of the lymphatic and immune network.
• When lymph flow under the skin stagnates, toxins and histamine remain trapped, worsening irritation.
• Lymph drainage promotes gentle detox, better oxygenation, and faster tissue repair.

4️⃣ Drug or Chemical Allergies
• Often linked to sluggish liver detox pathways and compromised lymphatic clearance.
• MLD assists by accelerating elimination of metabolites and calming inflammatory responses.

5️⃣ Autoimmune-type Allergies
• When the immune system begins reacting to the body’s own tissues, chronic inflammation develops.
• Consistent lymphatic therapy can help regulate immune response and reduce the “over-alert” state of the immune system.

🌿 The Healing Perspective

Allergies are not just about what you’re exposed to — they’re about how efficiently your body clears what doesn’t belong.
When your lymphatic system flows freely, immune messages calm down, inflammation subsides, and your body can restore balance naturally.

That’s why Manual Lymphatic Drainage, hydration, deep breathing, and anti-inflammatory nutrition form a powerful triad for allergy recovery.
Healing happens when the immune system and lymph system speak the same language again — calm, clear, and connected.

Written by:
Bianca Botha, CLT, RLD, MLDT & CDS

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.

10/30/2025

Tight hips, sore lower back or glute pain from sitting too long? It might be related to a tight Piriformis, which connects the edge of the sacrum (tailbone) to the head of the femur (large upper leg bone connected to the hip).
Here's a good stretch to see if it will help your condition.

How to loosen the piriformis muscle?

10/29/2025

Is your posture contributing to your pain? 🤔

Tired of that rounded, hunched posture or feeling off balance when you move?
Brad and Mike share a 90-second fix that can help straighten your spine, improve your posture, and restore balance — no equipment needed!

You’ll be surprised how fast you can feel taller, steadier, and more confident.
👉 Read more: https://www.bobandbrad.com/post/fix-hunched-posture-perfect-balance-in-90-sec

10/29/2025

The poetic style 🌹

“I Am Your Fascia”

‘’I’ve been holding your story, your strength, your scars. I’m your fascia. I connect every part of you. Be gentle with me.”

I’m not just tissue under your skin. I’m your body’s inner web of communication. I wrap every muscle, organ, vessel, and nerve, keeping everything connected and supported. When you move, stretch, breathe, or even feel emotion. I respond. When you’re dehydrated, stressed, or injured ~ I tighten and protect. When you receive gentle therapy, mindful touch, or deep breaths - I soften, release, and flow again.

I carry your history, but I also hold your potential for healing. Look after me - move daily, drink water, breathe deeply, and honour what your body has been through.