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Supportive lymphatic care · South Berkeley
Manual Lymph Drainage Alongside Chronic-Illness Care. I want you to have a real team caring for you.
If you have been living with a chronic illness, you may already know what it feels like not to be believed or not to get enough time with a provider. I may be able to help, but I do not want to be the only person you are relying on. I will ask who else is on your team.
- Approach
- Supportive, alongside your team
- Focus
- Lymph flow and nervous system support
- Also important
- A good medical practitioner
- First step
- A free phone call with me
How I think about this
Two jobs, and only one of them is mine.
Pain, uncertainty, poor sleep, and not being believed can keep your nervous system on high alert for a long time. The first part of my work is helping your body come out of that braced state and spend some time in rest-and-repair mode. That calmer state is not a cure, but it gives your body a better place to do its own work.
The second part is helping lymph move so your body can clear fluid and waste more effectively. That can be useful, but it belongs alongside proper medical care.
I will not pretend that my work is the whole answer. I want you to have a medical practitioner who can evaluate you and run the right tests, along with any other qualified people who are truly useful to you over time.
I really want someone like that to have a team.
What I work with
Some of the conditions people call me about.
I have worked with people living with all of these. I do not treat the condition itself. I support the person.
Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue
These are two common reasons people call me, and many have spent years feeling dismissed.
Lyme and co-infections
Neurological, cognitive, or emotional symptoms may be part of the picture and often get connected last.
Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis
Inflammation, pain, fatigue, and fluid may all be part of daily life.
EDS and POTS
These often appear together. I work gently and watch how your body responds.
Mold and chemical sensitivity
The work may support lymph flow while you and your medical team deal with the exposure itself.
PTSD and nervous system load
PTSD is not a lymphatic condition, but helping the body come down from high alert may still be useful.
What to expect
Slow, gentle, and responsive.
With chronic illness, I start slowly. Some people respond strongly to lymphatic work, especially with EDS, POTS, or severe fatigue. I would rather do too little at first than leave you wiped out for days.
We decide what to watch for, then adjust the next appointment based on how you actually felt afterward.
Tell me your diagnoses and medications. I am not there to comment on them, but they change how I work.
Worth saying plainly
Where my work ends.
I do not treat or diagnose anything
I am not a medical provider. I do not diagnose or tell you what to take.
I will not tell you to stop anything
I will not tell you to stop medication, treatment, or medical care. That is not my role.
I am one part of your care
If you do not have a good medical practitioner, I may help you work out what kind of provider you need.
I cannot promise a response
Some people notice a strong change and others notice very little. We will watch your response together, and I will tell you if I do not think the work is helping.
Before you call
Questions people ask me.
Can lymphatic drainage help fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue?
Some people find it helpful for rest, comfort, and lymph flow. It is not a treatment for fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue. We start gently and see how your body responds.
I have EDS and POTS. Is this safe?
It may be appropriate because the pressure is very light, but I need to understand your situation first. Tell me about dizziness, heart-rate changes, joint instability, and any positions that cause problems.
Can this help with mold or chemical exposure?
It may support lymph flow, but it does not remove mold or chemicals from your environment. You still need qualified medical help and, when appropriate, help addressing the building or source of exposure.
Do I need a diagnosis?
No. Many people call while they are still trying to get answers. I do want you to have a medical practitioner involved, and I will say so if that part is missing.
How long before I know if this helps?
There is no fixed number. We start gently, watch what happens after each appointment, and decide together whether the work is useful enough to continue.
Will it flare me up?
It can if we do too much. I start gently, and you tell me how you felt later that day and the next day.
You may also want
These may help too.
The next step
Tell me what daily life has been like.
Set up a free 15-minute call and tell me what is happening, what you have already tried, and who is on your care team. I will tell you where I may fit and whether I think another kind of help is missing.