Elements Holistic Health

09/25/2025

Let’s Talk: Lymphatic Drainage & Autoimmune Disease – What’s the Link?
By Bianca Botha, CLT, RLD & MLDT | Lymphatica

If your immune system had a best friend, it would be your lymphatic system. These two go hand-in-hand like peanut butter and honey — especially when it comes to autoimmune conditions. But when the lymphatic system gets sluggish, that friendship turns into frustration.

So let’s dive into how Lymphatic Drainage Therapy (LDT) can become your secret weapon in calming the autoimmune storm.
✨🌿🧠

What’s the Lymphatic System Anyway?

Your lymphatic system is your body’s clean-up crew — flushing out toxins, old immune cells, inflammatory waste, and cellular debris.
It’s made up of vessels, nodes, and organs like the spleen and thymus — all working hard to keep your immune system balanced and your tissues clean.
🚿🧼🧬

Now picture this…
If your lymph is stagnant, your immune system is stuck in traffic.
And when that happens — the body can start attacking itself instead of the bad guys. Yikes!
🚧🔥

Enter Autoimmune Disease

Autoimmune conditions occur when your immune system mistakes healthy tissue for harmful invaders.
It’s like friendly fire — and it causes pain, inflammation, fatigue, and so much more.
⚔️🧡🥱

This is where lymphatic drainage steps in, gently whispering to the immune system:
“Let’s detox, reduce inflammation, and calm things down.”
🌬️🧘‍♀️💧

How Lymphatic Drainage Therapy Helps:

Here’s how it supports autoimmune warriors:
🌿 Reduces systemic inflammation
🧽 Improves toxin removal
💨 Increases oxygen & nutrient delivery to cells
🤲 Calms overactive immune responses
🧘 Promotes parasympathetic healing (rest & digest mode)
🌀 Boosts gut lymph flow – hello, immune reset!

Autoimmune Conditions That May Benefit:

Here are just a few where LDT has shown incredible support:
✅ Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
✅ Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
✅ Lupus (SLE)
✅ Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
✅ Psoriasis & Psoriatic Arthritis
✅ Celiac Disease
✅ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)
✅ Fibromyalgia
💪🌈🧡

And let’s not forget…
Lymphatic drainage helps support those mystery flare-ups when you don’t even have a clear diagnosis yet — just a tired, inflamed, overwhelmed body.
😓❓❤️

Your Body’s Not Attacking You… It’s Asking for Help!

Lymphatic drainage doesn’t “treat” autoimmune diseases directly — it simply creates a cleaner, calmer internal environment where your body can regulate inflammation, process immune responses, and heal with more ease.
And it’s gentle — like a loving hug to your immune system.
🤗🫶💫

Final Words:

If you’re battling an autoimmune condition, your lymphatic system might just be the missing piece in your healing journey.
Support it, move it, love it… and watch how your body begins to breathe again.
🕊️🌿✨

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 beginning any new therapy.

09/24/2025

🚨Cancellation Alert 🔔 Saturday 1230pm! 🚨

This is my only appointment available for the week.

Get booked!



Book on Vagaro or Message me!

09/21/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1gUEh2Hzmh/?mibextid=wwXIfr

🥤 Drinks That Support Your Lymphatic System

Your lymphatic system is deeply connected to hydration. Since lymph fluid is made up of about 96% water, what you drink every day has a direct effect on how well your lymph flows, detoxifies, and supports immunity. While certain beverages (like alcohol, sugary sodas, or chemical-laden energy drinks) can burden the lymph and liver, there are many nourishing drinks that actually help your lymphatic system stay light, clear, and active.

Here are some of the best options:

💧 1. Pure, Filtered Water

Water is the foundation of lymphatic health. Adequate hydration thins the lymph fluid, making it easier to circulate and carry waste out of the body.
✨ Tip: Aim for small, consistent sips throughout the day rather than large amounts at once. Add a pinch of mineral-rich sea salt for better absorption.

🍋 2. Warm Lemon Water

Starting your morning with warm lemon water not only hydrates but also supports gentle liver detoxification. Lemon’s natural vitamin C and bioflavonoids encourage lymphatic drainage and strengthen vessel walls.

🌿 3. Herbal Teas

Herbal infusions are gentle, caffeine-free ways to support the lymph:
• Nettle tea → mineral-rich and cleansing
• Red clover tea → traditionally used for detox support
• Ginger tea → reduces inflammation and encourages circulation
• Dandelion root tea → supports the liver and aids lymphatic flow

🫐 4. Infused Waters

Add fruits, herbs, or vegetables to water for flavor and antioxidants:
• Cucumber + mint → hydrating and cooling
• Blueberry + basil → antioxidant-rich
• Lemon + ginger → cleansing and circulation-boosting

These combinations make hydration enjoyable and lymph-friendly without added sugars.

🥤 5. Fresh Green Juices & Smoothies

Juices and smoothies made from leafy greens (spinach, kale, parsley), cucumber, and celery are nutrient-dense and hydrating. Adding apple, lemon, or ginger balances the taste while supporting detoxification.
✨ Note: Choose fresh, whole-food-based juices over processed, bottled options.

🥛 6. Coconut Water

Natural coconut water replenishes electrolytes and supports hydration without artificial additives. Its potassium content helps regulate fluid balance, which directly benefits lymphatic flow.

🧊 7. Bone Broth (Unsalted, Homemade)

Bone broth, when prepared cleanly and without excess sodium, provides minerals, collagen, and amino acids that support tissue repair and gut health — both essential for lymphatic function.

🚫 Drinks to Limit or Avoid
• Alcohol → burdens liver and causes lymphatic stagnation
• Sugary sodas & juices → trigger inflammation and fluid retention
• Excessive caffeine → can dehydrate and strain circulation

✨ Final Thoughts

Supporting your lymphatic system doesn’t have to be complicated. Choosing hydrating, antioxidant-rich, and gentle drinks helps keep your lymph clear and flowing. Pair these choices with movement, self-care, and lymphatic therapies, and your body will thank you with improved vitality and resilience.

📌 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.

09/20/2025

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1233673268777429&id=100064043010237&mibextid=wwXIfr

😔 The Sad Reality of High Cortisol: When Your Stress Hormone Becomes Your Silent Saboteur 🔥💧

Cortisol — your built-in alarm system, your “get up and go,” your life-saving stress hormone.
But what happens when this short-term hero becomes a long-term villain?

Let’s uncover the hidden toll of chronically high cortisol — and why it may be silently sabotaging your lymphatic flow, immune resilience, and overall health.

⚠️ Cortisol: A Blessing in Balance, a Curse in Chaos

Cortisol is released by your adrenal glands during stress. It’s designed to:
• Increase alertness
• Raise blood sugar for energy
• Suppress non-essential functions (like digestion & detox)
• Help you survive a crisis

But here’s the reality most don’t talk about…

In today’s world, most people aren’t fighting lions.
They’re fighting inboxes, deadlines, trauma, grief, financial strain, chronic illness… every day.

And that means cortisol never switches off.

😞 The Hidden Damage of High Cortisol

When cortisol remains elevated for weeks, months, or years, it becomes toxic to your system.

Here’s what it does:

🧠 Brain Fog & Mood Swings

Cortisol shrinks the hippocampus (memory center) and disrupts serotonin and dopamine production.
Result: depression, anxiety, emotional numbness.

🛏️ Sleep Disruption

High nighttime cortisol means you feel “tired but wired.”
You fall asleep late, wake up early, and never feel restored.

🍽️ Weight Gain & Belly Fat

Cortisol tells your body to store fat, especially around your abdomen — to “survive” the perceived stress.
It also causes insulin resistance, bloating, and inflammation.

💧 Lymphatic Stagnation

This is where it gets scary:
• Cortisol stiffens fascia, compressing lymph vessels.
• It raises fluid retention by triggering aldosterone imbalances.
• It shuts down detox priorities — because survival doesn’t care about drainage.

Result? Puffy face, swollen limbs, brain fog, sluggish detox, recurring infections, and autoimmune flare-ups.

💔 Heart & Hormone Havoc

Chronically high cortisol:
• Increases blood pressure
• Throws off progesterone and estrogen
• Suppresses thyroid function
• Elevates inflammatory cytokines

This leaves you tired, inflamed, irritable, and disconnected — often without knowing why.

🧬 Is This You? Common Signs of Cortisol Overload:
• Wired but tired
• Puffiness that won’t go away
• Frequent colds or infections
• Midsection weight gain
• Poor sleep and vivid dreams
• Low libido
• Anxiety or “shut down” feelings
• Brain fog and memory lapses
• Sluggish digestion and bloating

🌿 How to Lower Cortisol & Reclaim Balance:
1. Nasal Breathing + Grounding – activates the parasympathetic (healing) state.
2. Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) – gently resets the nervous system and reduces inflammation.
3. Adaptogenic Herbs – ashwagandha, rhodiola, and holy basil can support adrenal recovery.
4. Gentle Movement – like walking, yoga, or rebounding to move lymph without spiking stress.
5. Left Side Sleeping – improves drainage from the heart and calms vagal tone.
6. Screen & Noise Detox – especially before bed.
7. Safe Emotional Release – breathwork, therapy, journaling, crying — your body needs to let go.

💔 Final Thought:

Cortisol was never meant to be your constant companion.
It was meant to protect you — not imprison you.

If you feel like your body is breaking down, your mind is tired, and your soul is flat…
You may not need “more willpower.”
You may need less cortisol.

Let’s not normalize burnout.
Let’s normalize nervous system safety, lymphatic flow, and emotional healing.

Your peace isn’t a luxury — it’s a biological necessity.

📚 References:
• McEwen BS. (2007). Physiology and neurobiology of stress and adaptation: central role of the brain. Physiological Reviews.
• Tsigos C, Chrousos GP. (2002). Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, neuroendocrine factors and stress. Journal of Psychosomatic Research.
• van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score.
• Fasano A. (2012). Intestinal permeability and systemic inflammation.

©️

09/10/2025

Anyone else sharing your kids’ back to school germs? 🙋🏻‍♀️ We have immune boost IV’s ready for you in our spa. And if you’re to sick we’ll put you at the end of the day and disinfect after you leave 😊 just send us a message to book.

09/04/2025

Next door 🚪 you can get your natural electrolytes and hydration!!

These are delicious! 🤤

Introducing our newest beverage for HYDRATION!!!

09/02/2025

🌱 The Cisterna Chyli – Your Body’s Hidden Lymph Reservoir

When most people think of the lymphatic system, they picture lymph nodes, vessels, and maybe the thoracic duct. But did you know that deep inside your abdomen lies a hidden “reservoir” of lymph that keeps your whole drainage system flowing?

That structure is called the cisterna chyli.

💧 What Is the Cisterna Chyli?

The cisterna chyli is a small, elongated sac located in front of the first and second lumbar vertebrae (L1–L2), just beneath your diaphragm.
• It’s usually about 5–7 cm long and 0.5–2 cm wide.
• Its name comes from Latin: cisterna = reservoir, and chyli = chyle (fat-rich lymph from digestion).
• It’s not always the same in everyone — in some people it’s absent or split into smaller sacs, showing how unique our lymphatic anatomy can be.

Think of it as a storage tank that collects lymph fluid before it gets pumped upward through the thoracic duct and eventually emptied into your bloodstream near your heart.

🌿 Why Is It Important?

The cisterna chyli is like the traffic controller of the lymph system:
• It gathers lymph from the intestinal trunk (draining the gut, pancreas, spleen, and liver).
• It receives lymph from the lumbar trunks (draining the legs, pelvic organs, kidneys, and adrenal glands).
• It acts as the launch point for lymph to travel up through the thoracic duct, which drains about 75% of the body’s lymph (everything below the diaphragm + the left side of the chest, arm, and head).

👉 If the cisterna chyli gets congested, it’s like a dam blocking a river — fluid backs up into the legs, abdomen, and pelvis, and even digestion and detoxification can be affected.

🥗 Link with Digestion & Detox

Because it collects lymph from the gut, the cisterna chyli plays a direct role in how your body absorbs fats and nutrients.
• After a fatty meal, it fills with a white, milky fluid called chyle.
• This fat-rich lymph is carried up through the thoracic duct and released into the blood circulation, where the body can use it for energy and hormone production.
• When the gut is inflamed (think leaky gut, food sensitivities, or infections), the cisterna chyli may become sluggish, contributing to bloating, swelling, or systemic inflammation.

This is why gut health and lymphatic health are inseparable. 🌿

🫁 The Diaphragm Connection

The cisterna chyli sits right under your diaphragm — the main muscle of breathing. Every time you take a deep breath, the diaphragm pushes down, creating pressure that helps pump lymph upward through the thoracic duct.

💡 This is why diaphragmatic breathing is one of the most powerful tools to keep lymph moving!

🔬 Fascinating Facts About the Cisterna Chyli
• It was first described in 1651 by the Italian anatomist Gaspare Aselli when he discovered “milky veins” in the mesentery of dogs.
• Because it’s hidden deep in the abdomen, most people don’t even know it exists — yet it handles the largest lymph load in the human body.
• Modern imaging (MRI/CT lymphangiography) shows that when it’s dilated or blocked, it can be a cause of chronic swelling, ascites (fluid in the abdomen), or even lymphatic leakage into the chest.

🌟 Supporting Your Cisterna Chyli

While you can’t massage it directly (it’s too deep), you can support its flow:
• Deep breathing & diaphragm exercises – stimulates the cisterna chyli pump.
• Abdominal lymphatic drainage – gentle techniques help clear gut and pelvic congestion.
• Movement & stretching – walking, yoga twists, rebounding, and hip-opening exercises enhance flow.
• Hydration – lymph is 95% water; dehydration thickens lymph and slows cisterna chyli emptying.
• Anti-inflammatory nutrition – supporting gut health (probiotics, omega-3s, whole foods) reduces lymphatic load.

✨ Final Thought

The cisterna chyli may be hidden, but it’s one of the most powerful structures in your lymphatic universe. When you support it, you’re not just helping fluid move — you’re supporting digestion, detox, liver function, and whole-body balance.

It’s a reminder that the lymphatic system is not only about swelling — it’s about life, energy, and flow. 🌿💛

📌 Written by Bianca Botha, CLT, RLD, MLDT, CDS
Certified Lymphoedema Therapist | Reflexology Lymph Drainage Practitioner | Manual Lymphatic Drainage Therapist | Certified Detox Specialist

⚠️ 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.

09/01/2025

09/01/2025

08/29/2025

🚨 Openings fo Hair Cuts! I know some of you want in!! Take the spots before they are gone! ‼️

https://www.facebook.com/share/1F8Yf1Cwbw/?mibextid=wwXIfrrre